Media & Entertainment

Mounting legal challenges show AI needs a path to profitability: AI companies are running out of free training material, worsening high operating costs.

On today's episode, we discuss what lawmakers are most likely to tackle first when it comes to regulating AI, whether AI songs can win a Grammy, and what happens when AI eats up—and learns from—other AI-generated content. "In Other News," we talk about the newly announced features for Apple's Vision Pro AR headset and how this device could change the whole market. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Jacob Bourne and Gadjo Sevilla.

Apple considering Mac that doubles as smart home monitor: Struggling PC sales are sending device designers back to the drawing board. Not all features will win over reluctant consumers.

Amazon cuts could come to its entertainment division: Billions in spending on unsuccessful shows has put Amazon Studios in the crosshairs.

TikTok wants a cut of #BookTok successes: ByteDance has launched a unit called 8th Note Press in a move that could disrupt publishing.

Heineken, Renault, and Siemens decry AI Act reach: Europe’s private sector isn’t happy about the AI Act’s direction, warning about the continent’s diminished competitiveness with the US.

Niantic’s mobile AR dream is fading: Despite a growing AR market, the Pokémon Go developer laid off 230 employees due to revenue struggles.

Can Google and Meta make it without news? The two companies banned news links in Canada after months of conflict with regulators over a bill to compensate publishers.

Publishers deal with AI’s existential threat to news: The New York Times and others could form a rare coalition to protect themselves from AI.

Will the CNN+ debacle repeat itself? Warner Bros. Discovery is planning to bring CNN content to Max, but things are different than last time.

CTV ad spending is expanding because more services have adopted ads, streaming services have increased their ad loads, and people continue to spend more time streaming. Not too long ago, HBO, Netflix, and Disney+ featured no advertising. Now they all have ads. And some of the most popular ad-supported streamers, like Hulu, have increased their ad loads in recent years.

Connected TV reigns supreme: New Innovid report indicates CTV holds 50% of global video impressions, as retailers harness its targeting capabilities.

On today's episode, we discuss the implications of the Federal Trade Commission thinking Amazon tricked customers into signing up for automatically renewing Prime subscriptions, whether it makes sense for companies to force livestream shopping on Americans, if speciality stores really work, the impact of Facebook and Instagram restricting news access in Canada, whether reduced inflation can save the day, what a real work-life balance looks like, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian, vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti, and analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf.

US adults will spend an average of 230.3 minutes per day on mobile in 2023, according to our forecast. While they will spend less time with connected TV (CTV), at 114.9 minutes per day, the gap between CTV and mobile is shrinking.

Roku finds a cheaper way to dabble in sports streaming: A partnership with Formula will let Roku expand into live sports without spending billions.

Can a busy summer blockbuster slate spur box office sales? Big-budget failures in June could be a sign that consumers won’t show for a film-packed July.

A decade of shrinking entertainment profits drives the writers’ strike: Legacy media companies have lost their lead to streaming services.

Politicians are using AI for election material: Incidents like creating deepfakes of rival candidates could speed up regulation.

Subscription choices narrow for Netflix's Canadian users: Ad-supported and standard plans remain. Move to scrap basic plan could set stage for action in other markets.

Social media under scrutiny: Leaders like Meta, Twitter, and YouTube face criticism over handling political content and questions arise concerning the impact of layoffs on election integrity.