Breaking the News reports: “Google announced on Tuesday that it is launching a free version of its artificial intelligence coding assistant, Gemini Code Assist. The assistant will be powered by Gemini 2.0, and as of today, the public preview is globally available under the name Gemini Code Assist for individuals.”
The Hollywood Reporter reports: “Disney retained its spot atop the rankings of TV distributors in January, recording its highest share of viewing in the year-plus Nielsen has been compiling such figures. Netflix also hit its best mark so far. For the January reporting period (which ran from Dec. 30-Jan. 26), Disney outlets captured 12 percent of all TV use in the United States.”
Games Industry Biz reports: “Amazon has announced it will be discontinuing its Android Appstore on August 20, 2025. As reported by TechCrunch, the company said it wants to focus on supporting the Appstore for its own devices as “that’s where the majority of our customers currently engage with it.” The Amazon Appstore will remain available on Fire TV and Fire Tablet devices.”
VGC reports: “Announced earlier this week, Microsoft’s Muse is a generative AI model that it says can generate “game visuals, controller actions, or both.” In its announcement, Microsoft showed how Muse could generate game visuals using training data from Ninja Theory’s 2020 game Bleeding Edge.”
Broadband TV News reports: “Smart TVs have emerged as the main viewing device for US internet users, but in Europe broadcast TV still reigns, according to new research by Ampere Analysis. Among 18- 64-year-old Internet users, Smart TVs are now the predominant device for consuming content in the United States. Time spent watching content on Smart TVs has increased by 27% since Q1 2021. This means almost one-third (31%) of viewing time among Internet users is via a Smart TV – higher than any other connected device.”
VentureBeat reports: “Segwise today announced that it’s launching a new feature for its AI-based user acquisition platform: New creative analytics and insights features, specifically the Creative Analytics AI Agent. This new agent uses AI to help mobile game and app developers track the reactions to various creative elements in their ad campaigns.”
TechCrunch reports: “Photo and video apps targeting young adults with social hooks are a dime a dozen these days, so those that show traction with 18-twentysomethings tend to catch the attention of investors looking for the next Instagram or TikTok. In the latest example, photo-sharing app Yope, which lets you share still images to private groups, says that it has racked up 2.2 million monthly active users and 800,000 daily active users, with 30x growth in last six months.”
PR Newswire reports: “Today, Promise, the pioneering film and TV studio built for the Generative AI era, announced its acquisition of Curious Refuge, the premier AI film school dedicated to empowering the next generation of storytellers. This acquisition marks a major milestone in Promise’s mission to foster global innovation in the Generative AI space, creating an environment where learning, creativity, and imagination can thrive.”
Games Industry Biz reports: “Following Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth’s successful launch on Steam, the Square Enix title leaped to the No.3 spot of Circana’s US charts for January. Final Fantasy 7’s renewed success comes after Square Enix noted the game did “not meet expectations” following its original release in February 2024. The Final Fantasy 7 Remake & Rebirth Twin Pack also benefited from the Steam launch, skyrocketing from No.265 to No.16 in the Top 20.”
Broadband TV News reports: “Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has announced the launch of Comcast MediaExpress, a centralised video-on-demand (VOD) management and distribution service for premium content providers. Comcast MediaExpress enables content owners to easily distribute their VOD entertainment titles into the leading OTT, pay TV, and social platforms through delivery centrally managed by CTS.”
