Hollywood Reporter reports: “From Disney+ to Harry Potter websites, Hollywood is readying a slew of digital platforms, and California legislation is taking aim at those collecting user info.”
Variety reports: “A round-the-clock AwesomenessTV channel will launch on Pluto TV’s U.K. service as the AVOD ramps up internationally. Having been bought by Viacom, Pluto TV has been adding content from its parent group to its lineup.”
gamesindustry.biz reports: “PC gaming storefronts, cloud streaming platforms, mobile subscription services — it’s been a busy year for new ways to play games. And if you’re one of the 210 million daily active users of Snapchat, you’ve probably heard of one more in the last several months: Snap Games.”
TechCrunch reports: “Why are we all trapped in enterprise chat apps if we talk 6X faster than we type, and our brain processes visual info 60,000X faster than text? Thanks to Instagram, we’re not as camera-shy anymore. And everyone’s trying to remain in flow instead of being distracted by multi-tasking.”
Hollywood Reporter reports: “While the streaming era is a boon for video consumption, some on Wall Street are warning that new streaming platforms won’t be the biggest financial beneficiaries, with money flowing primarily to content creators earning top dollars amid the streaming wars and low subscription prices also keeping eventual margins razor thin.”
Billboard reports: “European independent labels body IMPALA has said it will formally challenge Tencent’s plans to buy up to 20% of Universal Music Group, citing competition concerns for consumers and independent music companies.”
VentureBeat reports: “Genvid Technologies has raised $27 million in funding for its interactive streaming engine. Galaxy Interactive, the division of merchant bank Galaxy Digital, led the round, bringing the startup’s total funding raised to $47 million.”
The Verge reports: “This year, TikTok became one of the biggest social media platforms in the world. The shortform app finally reached over a billion active users worldwide and, in the US, it provided a launching pad for the biggest song of the year. But while influencers have struck it rich on smaller platforms like Pinterest and Snapchat, TikTok’s sponsorship marketplace has been slow to develop.”
Hypebot reports: “Dolby Laboratories and Warner Music Group (WMG) have partnered to make the label’s music available in Dolby Atmos, the immersive surround sound audio format.”
The Verge reports: “Instagram has shared new details on how its app uses machine learning to surface content for users, stressing that, when making recommendations, it focuses on finding accounts it thinks people will enjoy, rather than individual posts.”
