The Verge reports: “Spotify announced today that advertisers can now target ads based on the podcasts that people listen to. This means that unlike before, where advertisers could mainly target Spotify’s free-tier listeners by the music they enjoy — by genre or playlist — they can now target based on the category of podcast they consume, which is likely going to be much more specific and fruitful for the advertisers.”
TechCrunch reports: “Video is the core entertainment medium of the web. Platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Netflix and more deliver millions of hours of videos to hungry consumers every day, and those deliveries will only intensify as video games move increasingly to streaming models.”
gamesindustry.biz reports: “Niantic Inc is taking legal action against an “association of hackers” that has created unauthorised apps based on Ingress and Pokémon Go.”
VentureBeat reports: “Unity Technologies has launched an update that makes it easier to insert augmented reality features into native mobile apps and games. The update for Unity 2019.3 comes after Unity announced its AR Foundation tool that enables game developers to quickly create AR software that can run on both Android and iOS devices.”
TechCrunch reports: “Popular short-form video app TikTok has been slowly ramping up its advertising strategy this year as it increases its focus on monetization. However, the company still generates a smaller of its revenue from in-app purchases — and that number hit a high of $9 million in May, according to a report from Sensor Tower.”
Variety reports: “Roku users are getting another way to watch live television with the help of their favorite streaming devices: Silicondust, maker of the HDHomerun TV tuners, has released a beta version of its HDHomerun app for Roku TVs and streaming devices.”
VentureBeat reports: “Facebook AI Research is today making available AI Habitat, a simulator that can train AI agents that embody things like a home robot to operate in environments meant to mimic typical real-world settings like an apartment or office.”
The Verge reports: “E3 2019 has come to a close, and it’s been another wild week of gaming news. There were big reveals, flashy press conferences, cool trailers, and even a glimpse of how the future of gaming could change in the years to come. And whether you were out on the show floor or watching from home, there was a ton of news to try to follow. So, in case you got lost along the way, here’s the most important stuff that was announced.”
Deadline reports: “Shares in Sony Corp. on the New York Stock Exchange climbed more than 3% Friday after rallying as much as 4% on Japan’s Nikkei as investors digested the latest proposal by activist investor Daniel Loeb to break up the conglomerate.”
gamesindustry.biz reports: “While much of the industry is chasing the streaming model that has transformed music, TV and film, Nintendo is likely sticking to more traditional means of games distribution.”
