Cord Cutters News reports: “Paramount Global and Skydance Media are racing to finalize their $8 billion merger by the end of this month, with both companies expressing optimism about closing the deal as scheduled on March 20, as announced in a court hearing this week.”
VGC reports: “The Danish toymaking giant has lent its name to decades of video game products, but the vast majority of these have been developed in collaboration with third-party studios and not by Lego itself. Now, the firm behind the globally successful building kits has said it wants to start to bring video game development in-house, though it’s unclear if this spells the end of Lego’s collaborative efforts with other game makers.”
GamesBeat reports: “Tilting Point has launched a new $150 million user acquisition (UA) fund to help developers scale their games and apps. This marks the publisher’s third time deploying a multimillion-dollar fund, following its initial endeavors in 2016 ($12 million) and 2018 (up to $130 million).”
Engadget reports: “Sony has used AI to imbue a PlayStation character with the ability to converse with a player, The Verge reports. A source shared a since-deleted video with the publication featuring an AI-powered version of Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West. Engadget viewed the video before it was pulled.”
Esports Insider reports: “The Capcom Pro Tour (CPT) has announced a partnership with the Esports World Cup, a multi-title esports event organised by the Esports World Cup Foundation. As a result of the deal, Street Fighter 6 will feature at the tournament from this year until 2027. In addition to Street Fighter 6 featuring at the Esports World Cup, the partnership has overhauled the FGC ecosystem’s format.”
Tech Funding News reports: “AI startups continue to dominate venture capital funding, with one in every three VC dollars globally in 2024 flowing into the sector. According to PitchBook, AI and machine learning startups accounted for 35.7% of total VC deal value, reaching $131.5 billion, a 50% increase from the previous year.”
Cord Cutters News reports: “Nexstar Media Group, the largest television station owner in the United States, is bringing back free local and live news to more markets with the launch of free streaming apps for its local news stations. These apps, currently being rolled out across Nexstar’s markets, provide viewers with access to live and on-demand local news content from their ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC affiliates, without the need for a paid subscription.”
Broadband TV News reports: “Media Distillery has launched a new suite of capabilities focused squarely on accelerating the time it takes a viewer a discover appealing content. The new Search and Discovery Suite from Media Distillery enables viewers to find desirable content faster, leveraging the power of AI. Viewers enjoy superior search and content discovery experiences through Media Distillery’s semantic understanding of video content.”
GamesBeat reports: “Nvidia has teamed up with the state of Utah on an AI education initiative to improve workforce training and economic growth. The public-private partnership aims to equip universities, community colleges and adult education programs across Utah with the resources to develop skills in generative AI.”
TechCrunch reports: “A few years ago, several startups with a specific focus on digital avatars appeared because of all the metaverse buzz. While that buzz died down, generative AI has given a new life to avatars as it is easier to spin up different virtual identities.”
