Media & Entertainment

Haptic suits beat bobble-headed avatars in VR: Technologies like MetaTouch could be the gateway to all sorts of sensory delights in VR and kick-start a trend for remote medical diagnostics.

On today's episode, we discuss how much Netflix and Disney+ will make from ads, what Snapchat+ is, how best to prevent customers from leaving you and trading down, Facebook's algorithm change to take on TikTok, why Apple and Google are coming for your car, an unpopular opinion about email newsletters, what the new "Squid Game" game show will look like, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Suzy Davidkhanian and Max Willens and director of reports editing Rahul Chadha.

Microsoft dials down facial-analysis AI: The technology can infer people’s emotional state, gender, and other attributes, but the algorithm’s inherent bias makes it prone to inaccuracies that could lead to misuse.

Lowe’s tests the metaverse waters: The home improvement retailer hopes to use its 3D virtual assets to attract new audiences and persuade consumers to buy.

Spotify and Amazon have different strategies when it comes to audio dominance: The Obamas’ new deal with Audible is a perfect example.

Canada’s new legislation could hurt digital entertainment players: If it becomes law, Bill C-11 would harm Netflix and TikTok, among others—and be difficult to enforce.

Snap sees AR making a difference for brands: Product marketing lead tells our principal analyst that use of augmented reality tools delivers “meaningful impact” to the bottom lines of business partners.

Clean rooms are becoming critical to the fortunes of Big Media: Snowflake’s new solution with OpenAP demonstrates the importance of first-party data.

Meta’s new prototypes show promise: Unveiling future VR headsets and announcing brand partnerships could stoke interest in the metaverse, but Meta still has a long way to go to push the platform into the mainstream.

Snap believes AR can transform the online shopping experience: Our principal analyst spoke with the company’s global AR product strategy lead about how Snap is helping brands increase conversions and reduce returns.

Walmart and Roku see streaming as the next ecommerce frontier: The retailer and streaming company are partnering to bring shoppable ads to CTV.

Audio and video streaming habits are being hit by economic concerns: UK consumers feel that one of the two is more important to hold onto than the other.

Some 3% of US adults have already purchased real estate in a metaverse environment, and a further 8% are interested in staking their claim on a digital land plot. That said, more than half of US adults have never heard of virtual real estate, indicating we’re still a ways out from society going meta.

Here's what you missed at Cannes so far: the future of advertising, inclusivity, and sustainability are themes that keep coming up.

On today's episode, we discuss how much "Top Gun: Maverick" is helping movie theaters recover, why the number of American video game players is shrinking, the headwinds threatening air travel's recovery, how much money Spotify made from podcast ads, when Amazon may overtake Walmart as the largest retailer in the US, an unpopular opinion about the movie-viewing experience, how Bluetooth got its name, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Dave Frankland and Paul Verna and director of forecasting Oscar Orozco.

How safe is self-driving technology? Regulators are finding that self-driving technology may be advancing but is still prone to crashes. The news could delay availability of the tech beyond beta testing.

Retailers struggle with online returns, but charging won’t help: Brands like Asos and Boohoo should focus on improving the customer experience to help mitigate the effects of inflation and bracketing.

Insider Intelligence spoke with Sanyu Dillon, executive vice president and CMO at Penguin Random House US, about brands building cultural fluency, entering the metaverse, and building digital communities with younger audiences.

Remote surgery platform Proximie raised $80M. We unpack how it solves typical telehealth connectivity barriers and why more US health systems are becoming interested in the tech.

Is the shine off nonfungible tokens (NFTs)? As of May, just 2% of US adults surveyed have invested in NFTs and like them, while another 4% have invested but aren’t happy about it. The 64% majority said they have no investment or interest in these assets, up from 56% in October 2021.