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Snap will show off its AR Specs at a September 16 event
Snap will hold a Los Angeles event on 16 September to give its first detailed public demonstration of Specs, its standalone augmented-reality glasses. The launch matters because Snap is preparing to sell the device directly to consumers, positioning it for AI assistance, work, entertainment and shared AR experiences. Chief executive Evan Spiegel is expected to…
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Disney Selling A+E Global Media Stake To Hearst In Billion-Dollar Deal
Disney is reportedly finalising the sale of its 50% stake in A+E Global Media to its joint-venture partner Hearst Communications for more than $1 billion in cash. The transaction would give Hearst full ownership of the cable-network group and mark Disney’s first major move to reduce its exposure to traditional linear television, despite recent assurances…
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Peter Bart: As Seth Rogen Cosplays A Studio Exec On TV, Hollywood Wishes His Pipe Dreams Were Real
Peter Bart contrasts the stalled dealmaking and merger disputes affecting real Hollywood studios with the energetic fictional world of Seth Rogen’s Apple TV+ comedy The Studio, now in its second season. He argues that Rogen’s portrayal of an ambitious, creatively minded studio executive reflects aspirations that many in the industry may share, particularly amid concerns…
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Retooled Version Of ‘The Wizard Of Oz’ Could Run For Another 10 Years At Sphere, James Dolan Says
Sphere founder James Dolan said its reworked immersive version of The Wizard of Oz could continue playing at the Las Vegas venue for another decade, citing the film’s broad appeal and strong demand. The claim matters because the production has become a major source of ticket and merchandise revenue as Sphere expands beyond concert residencies…
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Netflix Sued For $105 Million After Hard Drive of Unreleased Nicolas Cage Movie Was Stolen From Its Office
Netflix is being sued for at least $105 million after an unencrypted master copy of the unreleased Nicolas Cage film Fortitude was stolen from its Los Angeles office. The filmmakers say the theft has undermined the sale of the World War II spy thriller, as prospective distributors may fear piracy or unauthorised circulation. Netflix disputes…
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Feature: 8 Ways Sony Must Improve the PS Store for Our All-Digital Future
Sony argues that, as PlayStation moves towards ending physical-game production in 2028, it must significantly improve the PS Store to make an all-digital future more acceptable to customers. – Introduce a meaningful refund policy, potentially allowing limited play time before a refund. – Let users lend, transfer, trade or resell digital game licences. – Repair…
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Synthetic-user startup Simile raises $200M at $2B valuation 5 months after $100M Series A
Simile, a startup that creates AI-simulated users for marketing and product research, has raised $200 million in a Series B funding round at a $2 billion valuation. The rapid fundraising, only five months after its $100 million Series A, highlights investors’ strong interest in AI tools intended to model consumer behaviour, although the company’s ambition…
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The outlook gets better and better at Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce’s prospects are continuing to improve, making its chief executive’s ambition for it to become the London Stock Exchange’s most valuable company seem less far-fetched. The company has recovered strongly from the aviation downturn during Covid-19 and is now benefiting from demand across civil aerospace, defence and energy infrastructure. Its £120bn valuation places it roughly…
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Locarno Player ‘The Days Off,’ Lucila Mariani’s Dreamlike Argentine Debut, Boarded by Inwave Films (EXCLUSIVE)
Inwave Films has acquired worldwide sales rights to ‘The Days Off’, the debut feature by Argentine writer-director Lucila Mariani, before its world premiere in Locarno’s Filmmakers of the Present section. The deal gives the Paris- and Beijing-based sales company responsibility for taking the four-country co-production to international buyers, while bringing attention to a film that…
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LinkedIn is testing a ‘seems like AI slop’ reporting tool
LinkedIn is testing a reporting option that lets users flag posts as “seems like AI slop”, as it attempts to curb inauthentic or heavily AI-generated content on its platform. Flagged posts will have their algorithmic distribution reduced, and the company is also withdrawing its prominent AI rewriting tools, signalling recognition that its own features may…