In the

press

TL;DR

• Instagram confirmed it is testing unskippable ads after screenshots of the feature began circulating across social media. (Tech Crunch)

• With Apple's iOS 18, Mail, Messages, and Siri will receive a new “Smart Reply” feature, giving users the option to reply with an instant AI-generated response to an email or message. (9to5Mac)

• 

  Young people in the US are increasingly using social apps, TikTok and Instagram in particular, for brand discovery as opposed to Google. (Marketing Dive)

Audiences

• 51% of US consumers are planning to stream the Olympics this summer, up 82% YoY. (Advanced TV)

• While most Americans plan to travel in the next 12 months (69%), 44% will travel in the fall, which means "shoulder season" may be catching on. (The Points Guy)

• More than 1 in 3 American travelers plan to go into debt for their summer vacations this year. (Bankrate)

• 

  The share of US adults who prefer streaming to theaters for movie premieres held steady through Q1. (Morning Consult)

Platforms

• Apple is in talks with China Mobile to bring Apple TV+ to China, which would make it the only US streaming service available there. (The Information)

• Spotify Premium will soon cost $11.99/mo, up from the $10.99 increase announced last year. (The Verge)

• Spotify customers are the least likely to cancel among major video or audio streaming services. (Bloomberg)

• This month, YouTube will be showcasing LGBTQ+ creators on its spotlight channel and will also highlight LGBTQ+-owned businesses via its shopping elements. (Social Media Today)

• Max will raise the prices of its ad-free options by $1/mo, and $10-$20/yr for its annual offerings. (CNBC)

Content

• "The Garfield Movie" passed "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" to top last weekend's chart with an estimated $14M for a US tally of $51.6M. (THR)

• The NBA is close to signing new rights deals with Disney, Amazon and NBC that would bring in nearly $76B over the next 11 years. (Forbes)

• The Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black”, which saw low performance in US theaters, is making a quick debut on digital streaming. (Forbes)

• American streaming platforms have been ordered to direct 5% of their Canadian revenues into local content production. (THR)

• Twitch DJs will now have to pay music labels to play songs in livestreams. (Tech Crunch)

Tech &

AI

• YouTube's “Inspiration” tab in the Studio Analytics section now gives AI recommendations for new video ideas. (Social Media Today)

• Meta's VR/AI conference, Connect 2024 will be held on September 25th and 26th, with both IRL and webcast components. (Social Media Today)

• US regulators will proceed with antitrust investigations into the dominant roles that Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia play in the AI industry. (NYT)

• Apple is ready to launch a standalone password and passkey manager that works across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro and Windows PCs. (The Verge)

• A new study has found significant discrepancies in how models from different regions handle sensitive topics like LGBTQ+ rights, social welfare, surrogacy and more. (Tech Crunch)

Location-based

entertainment

• With fewer big movies out as a result of the strikes, theatrical revenue is plummeting every week as fans grow accustomed to staying at home. (THR)

• Broadway had been making progress toward an industry-wide recovery, but momentum is halting with overall grosses for the most recent season down 2.5% YoY. (THR)

• Disney could be adding a fifth Orlando theme park soon, pleasing the roughly 50M guests who visit Walt Disney World annually. (Forbes)

• Demand for summer concerts is cooling after last year's Taylor Swift and Beyoncé megatours. (Fortune)

Travel &

hospitality

• Marriott is tapping AI to reinvent itself as a travel retailer, letting customers create bespoke experiences much the way they do today when booking an airline ticket. (Skift)

• Chinese tourists are making up for lost vacation time in recent years, splurging on travel at home and abroad and putting spending on track to exceed pre-pandemic levels for the first time. (Bloomberg)

• Global tourism is exploding, but there is a growing grievance in some countries where large numbers of tourists have been the norm. (BBC)

• Airbnb is rethinking the strategy for their Experiences offering because it has not consistently met performance expectations. (Yahoo)

Gaming

• Laced Records declared that game companies miss significant revenue by not properly monetizing their soundtracks through correct digital releases, metadata and royalty collections. (gamesindustry.biz)

• Young Filipinos have created an inclusive virtual Catholic community on Roblox, role-playing as clergy and holding online services. (Rest of World)

• Supercell's "Squad Busters" game generated $1.1M on its launch day. (PocketGamer)

• An "Eco Detectives" Minecraft game is helping kids become environmental activists. (blooloop)

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  Lego has debuted its first Minecraft set for adults, which will be released on August 1st. (The Verge)