Digiday reports: “Marketers are experiencing FOMO around the metaverse, sparking a wave of brand activity, from branded in-game characters to non-fungible tokens, across a range of virtual platforms. But as brands start activating more frequently in virtual space, they risk burning consumers out on the concept of the metaverse before it can truly take shape.”
Music Business Worldwide reports: “The launch follows last month’s news that 300 Entertainment was sold to Warner Music Group for a confirmed $400 million, following reports about a potential sale to WMG in October. 300 Studios is headed by Kevin Liles, Chairman & CEO of 300 Entertainment and Elektra Music Group, with former Viacom Executives Kelly G. Griffin as Head of Creative Strategy and Nolan Baynes as General Manager.”
The Hollywood Reporter reports: “When NBCUniversal disclosed on Thursday that it will double its content spending on streaming service Peacock to more than $3 billion in 2022 — with a goal of hitting $5 billion in the U.S. over the coming years — the message wasn’t altogether unexpected.”
Hypebot reports: “Unblocked, also known as The Non Fungible Token Company (NFTCo) has finalized a $10 million seed round from an impressive cadre of music industry and tech investors to leverage NFTs to connect fan communities both online and irl.”
Gamesindustry.biz reports: “Nexters has shelled out around $100 million to acquire three mobile studios: Cubic Games, RJ Games, and Royal Ark. Nexters hopes to amplify its position in the midcore genre with the investments, which are expected to be financed by a mix of cash and shares.”
The Hollywood Reporter reports: “In the most fundamental of terms, the metaverse will likely leverage web 3.0 technology to support real-time 3-D rendered simulations of real life on a mass scale. Practically speaking, this means the metaverse, or metaverses, will be a shared virtual space where people will be able to gather, interact, work and play, all in real time.”
TechCrunch reports: “Disney+ is launching in 42 additional countries and 11 territories in Europe, the Middle East and Africa this summer. Notable new countries include South Africa, Turkey, Poland and the United Arab Emirates. The streaming service is currently available in 64 countries, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.”
Variety reports: “The three companies will continue their collaboration with Snap to provide their current shows on Snapchat’s Discover and individually plan to bring more shows to the platform in the future.”
The Verge reports: “Warner Music Group will open an outpost in virtual world The Sandbox, and it hopes music buffs will express their fandom by acquiring nearby property. In an announcement, WMG described its new home as a “combination of musical theme park and concert venue.”
Venture Beat reports: “Right now, we’re starting to see the emergence of these crypto-native IP franchises that are evergreen, community-driven, and gamer-centric, Matsumura said. It’s becoming part of celebrity and influencer culture, and brands are getting on board, and the crypto world is slowly demystifying.”
