TL;DR

_Agency_ updates

• Our BXP team helped McDonalds Ireland embark on a roadshow across the nation, giving out free McNuggets from a custom unit. The team partnered with local radio stations for awareness, and, in total, over 3K portions of McNuggets were given out in 4 cities.

_Interesting_ campaigns / creative

• Minute Maid’s hollowed-out billboard lets the vitamin D pour through. (The Drum)

  

• TVNZ's streaming ad campaign shows what could potentially happen when you're too absorbed in a show. (Creative Review)

  

Audiences

• More US streaming subscribers (33%) than non-subscribers (21%) cite movies based on well-known franchises as a major factor in their decision to sign up for a service. (Morning Consult)

  

• Two-thirds of Peacock’s 22M subscribers have watched a recent Universal theatrical film. (Deadline)

• Half of US Gen Zs and Millennials prefer user-generated video feeds to streaming video services. (Deloitte)

  

• 62% of US adults feel comfortable going to a concert as of last month, a new high for the activity. (Morning Consult)

  

Platforms

• Paramount+ reached 60M subscribers worldwide in Q1, a gain of 4.1M QoQ. (THR)

• Gmail plans to introduce blue verified checkmarks, enhancing user trust and email security by distinguishing authentic emails from potential phishing attempts. (Tech Crunch)

• Disney has teamed with Innovid to offer always-on, actionable ad performance insights in select digital and streamed inventory across its addressable footprint, starting with Hulu. (Media Post)

• TikTok is launching a new product called Pulse Premiere that lets publishers to sell ads alongside their posts. (WSJ)

• Reddit is launching Discord-inspired chat room channels within various subreddits. (The Verge)

• Microsoft Teams now lets small businesses charge for appointments, webinars, and more. (The Verge)

• Apple and Google are collaborating on an industry spec to make Bluetooth tracking devices like AirTag safer, addressing privacy and security concerns. (Tech Crunch)

• Peacock launches shoppable TV and three new ad formats, providing a more engaging and interactive ad experience for viewers. (Fierce Video)

• Meta is rolling out new discovery and personalization controls for Facebook Reels to let users customize what they want to see more or less of. (Tech Crunch)

• Fintech startup Liquido aims to become the "Stripe of LATAM payments" by offering seamless digital payment solutions for businesses in Latin America. (Tech Crunch)

• TelevisaUnivision, which rolled out a two-tiered streaming offering under the Vix and Vix+ brands in 2022, is unifying them under the Vix banner. (Deadline)

• SVOD subscriber growth has slowed sharply in Southeast Asia, with just 300K new additions in Q1 2023 compared to the 4.6M additions in Q4 2022, boosted by the World Cup. (World Screen)

• 45% of all US viewing of YouTube happens on traditional TV screens. Three years ago, that figure was below 30%. (The Information)

• Warner Bros. Discovery added 1.6M global streaming subscribers in the last quarter to bring its total to 97.6M subscribers. (THR)

• Apple added 150M paid subscribers for its digital services, which includes Apple TV+, Apple Music and Apple Arcade, in the past year to bring its total to 975M paid subscribers. (Variety)

Content

• Late-night shows including “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” went dark after the announcement of the writers' strike. (WSJ)

• Japanese-language screenings of "The Super Mario Bros Movie" are showing for a limited time only in select US theaters in Hawaii and on the west coast. (The Verge)

• James Gunn created 600 unique versions of "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" for various types of cinemas. (THR)

• "Some Like It Hot" is leading Tony Award nominations with 13 nods. (AP)

• The most recent Super Bowl was the most-watched TV show in US history after all, as it has been watched by more than 2M more people than previously reported. (WSJ)

• Amazon is bringing more than 100 of its Prime Video originals to Freevee. (Variety)

• Latinos, who make up 19% of the US population, only acted in 4.5% of main cast roles on Netflix in 2021. (NBC)

• HBO’s content has now found a streaming home in India on JioCinema. (TechCrunch)

• Hulu Live TV is adding new channels to its library, bringing the total to over 90 channels across live sports, news and entertainment. (Tech Crunch)

_Tech_ _&_ AI

• Samsung banned ChatGPT and other generative AI use by staff following a data leak. (Bloomberg)

• Microsoft plans to offer a version of ChatGPT that runs on dedicated cloud servers where the data is kept separate from that of other customers. (MacRumors)

• Microsoft’s Bing Chat AI is now open to everyone, with plug-ins coming soon. (The Verge)

• Snapchat is testing sponsored links in its My AI feature and is introducing new ad products for Spotlight and Stories. (Tech Crunch)

• TikTok is developing AI-generated video disclosures to combat the rise of deepfakes. (The Information)

• Bing will let ads appear within peoples’ conversations’ with its AI chatbot. (AdWeek)

• Audius will empower artists and labels on the platform to opt-in to AI collaborations. (Music Tech)

• Brands can now apply custom AR filters to content within Instagram Reels and Facebook Stories, a feature that was previously limited to in-feed posts on both apps and Instagram Stories. (TechCrunch)

Location-based _entertainment_

• Paramount+ has sealed a multi-year deal with New York’s Bryant Park to take over its Monday evening summer movie series. (Variety)

• Meta announced the Quest Gaming Showcase 2023, set for June 1st, offering a closer look at upcoming VR games and experiences. (The Verge)

• Aerosmith announced their farewell tour, "Peace Out," which will start September 2nd in Philadelphia. (AP)

• Clark County Commissioners approved plans from the Boring Company to build 18 new stations for its underground transit system, doubling the size of the Loop. (Casino.org)

• Universal is incorporating various elements of Web3 into its theme park rides across the globe. (Forbes)

• Live Nation has sold 90M concert tickets this year, up 20% YoY. (THR)

• Royal Caribbean's Q1 bookings lapped 2019 levels, showing cruise line demand is at a post-pandemic high. (PR Newswire)

_Mental_ health

• Here's a list of 7 actions that, when taken, may help you enjoy life a bit more.