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TL;DR
In a hurry? Here's our pick of the top news items of the week.
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In this new era of AI-generated search, analysts fear that Google is losing the next generation of "searchers" to ChatGPT. (Market Watch)
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Elon Musk announced last week that X has been acquired by xAI in a deal that values X at $33B. (Social Media Today)
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After effectively canceling the consumer launch of its o3 reasoning model in February, OpenAI now says it aims to release both o3 and a next-gen successor, o4-mini in the next few weeks. (TechCrunch)
Audiences
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56% of American Gen Zs and 43% of Millennials find social media content more relevant than traditional TV shows and movies. (THR)
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When asked which factor would most impact travel in the near future, 66% of US travel advisors said economic uncertainty due to government policies is the top concern. (Travel Weekly)
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43% of US mobile gamers research a new product after seeing an in-game ad, and 27% end up purchasing a new product. (Marketing Dive)
Platforms
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After missing its planned March release date, Instagram has said that its video editing app, Edits, is currently in beta testing and should be available to all users for free in the coming weeks. (Social Media Today)
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News Corporation finalized the sale of Foxtel Group to global sports streaming platform DAZN in a $3.4B AUD acquisition. (Media Week)
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UFC has struck a multimillion-dollar, multiple-year partnership deal with Meta, which will lead to more exclusive UFC content posted to Meta’s apps, among other integrations. (CNBC)
Content
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"A Minecraft Movie" mania is real, with an opening weekend expected to hit at least $130M. (Deadline)
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India's most popular streaming service, JioHotstar, has surpassed 100M subscribers, the first streaming service in India to reach that milestone. (Bloomberg)
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Vimeo announced the launch of Vimeo Streaming, a platform that lets creators launch their own branded streaming service, complete with custom apps – no coding experience required. (Globe Newswire)
Tech &
AI-
Amazon has started testing a new AI-powered feature with shoppers, Amazon Interests, which notifies consumers about newly available and relevant products, restocks and deals that align with their interests. (Digital Commerce 360)
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Microsoft's Copilot can now take action on most websites, with the ability to book tickets, reserve restaurants, and track online deals according to a user's preferences. (TechCrunch)
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A viral trend to create Studio Ghibli-style AI art using ChatGPT's image-generation tool led to a record surge in users for OpenAI's chatbot last week, straining its servers and temporarily limiting the feature's usage. (Reuters)
Location-based
entertainment-
For the first time since the pandemic, both of Walt Disney World's water parks will be open to guests this summer. (USA Today)
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After over 40 years in Park City, Utah, the Sundance Film Festival will be relocating to Boulder, Colorado in 2027. (Deadline)
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"The Wizard of Oz" is set to play at the Sphere in Las Vegas later this summer, part of Sphere Entertainment's slate of original content called The Sphere Experience. (Variety)
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Dolby announced plans to launch Dolby Cinema in India this year, beginning with six theaters across the country. (Variety)
Travel &
hospitality-
United Airlines announced that the first-ever direct flight from South Australia to North America will be available later this year, linking Adelaide to San Francisco for the first time via a 15 hour flight. (Karryon)
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Starting this month, visitors to the UK will need an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to enter the country. (gov.uk)
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Since the season 3 premiere of HBO’s The White Lotus, travel companies have seen a 22% increase in trip bookings to Thailand. (Travel Weekly)
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US spending on lodging and tourism-related services is currently 2.5% below last year's levels, while airline spending is seeing an even steeper decline of around 6%. (Skift)
Gaming
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Nintendo has delayed Switch 2 preorders in the US over tariff concerns, but the console’s June 5th release date is still unchanged. (The Verge)
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Krafton acquired a controlling stake in Indian gaming studio Nautilus Mobile for $14M. (gamesindustry.biz)
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BAFTA announced the 1999 action-adventure game "Shenmue" as "The Most Influential Game of All Time." (IGN)
