TechCrunch reports: “Google’s video generator is coming to a few more customers — Google Cloud customers, to be precise. On Tuesday, Google announced that Veo, its AI model that can generate short video clips from images and prompts, will be available in private preview for customers using Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s AI development platform.”
Deadline reports: “Here’s some M&A for your Tuesday: Gersh has acquired You First, a leading global sports and entertainment agency. With the acquisition, Gersh doubles its size to over 600 employees, establishes a global footprint with 22 offices in 14 countries, and positions itself as a player in worldwide sports representation. The goal will be to create new opportunities for clients across both sports and entertainment, building on the strengths of each organization.”
CSA reports: “Walmart Inc. has closed its $2.3 billion purchase of smart TV maker/streaming platform provider Vizio. The discounter initially announced it would purchase Vizio for $11.50 per share in cash, in a deal valued at approximately $2.3 billion, on Feb. 20, 2024. Following a pause Walmart initiated in March 2024 to allow federal regulators from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review the deal, it has now gone through.”
Games Industry Biz reports: “Gamers are spending more time watching videos about gaming on YouTube and Twitch than playing games themselves. That’s according to a new report by Midia Research, which concluded that gamers typically spend 7.4 hours a week gaming, and 8.5 hours a week watching game-related videos.”
Engadget reports: “It’s that festive time of year again. All of the algorithm elves living inside our favorite music-streaming apps have begun cranking out personalized “best of” lists in the vein of Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay. This year, however, there’s a new kid on the block. Amazon Music just rolled out its own version of a yearly recap.”
Beebom reports: “App or console markets enable developers to distribute their games on their platforms, allowing them to reach a larger audience. However, they take a percentage of the cut for any purchase done through their platform. Depending on the revenue generated by the developers, this cut could be quite substantial. That is why the creators of Roblox are now trying to outsmart these app stores with their new scheme.”
Media Play News reports: “Peacock streaming’s increased involvement in live events continues to pay dividends for NBCUniversal. The streamer’s live access to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City helped the 98-year-old event draw its biggest-ever televised audience of 31.3 million viewers across Peacock and NBC — up 10% from last year’s record 28.5 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics.”
EuroGamer reports: “Fortnite has finally done it. Tonight’s Remix Finale event has at last beaten the game’s long-standing concurrent player record for a live concert, set back in 2020 when 12.3 million players tuned in for the first broadcast of its lockdown-era Travis Scott concert. 14.3 million people were in-game tonight for Fortnite’s Remix Finale event, according to the game’s public player stats, while millions more were watching online via Twitch and YouTube.”
Music Ally reports: “There’s a new artist at the top of Spotify’s monthly-listeners tree: Bruno Mars. He has just broken the streaming service’s all-time record for this metric, overhauling previous holder The Weeknd. At the time of writing, Mars has 136.1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, nearly 16 million more than the previous record (120.7 million).”
Music Business Worldwide reports: “Minecraft players can now enjoy licensed music through Lunar FM, a new in-game radio service developed by Lunar Client in partnership with music licensing platform STYNGR. Lunar Client, developed by Moonsworth, is a free all-in-one Minecraft mod pack. Through the Lunar Client Launcher, players will be able to stream music from major labels directly within Minecraft.”
