ESSENTIAL FACTS About the computer and video game industry

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) released 2017 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry in April 2017. Ipsos Connect conducted the annual research for ESA. The study is the most in-depth and targeted survey of its kind, gathering data from more than 4,000 American households and surveying the heads of and most frequent gamers within each household about their video game playing habits and attitudes.

Spotlight

Ruptly

Ruptly global video news agency’s mission is to provide an alternative to mainstream news agencies by delivering clients exclusive high impact video that resonate with global audiences, breaking news footage, live events and broadcast services as well as light entertainment content that engage across multiple platforms.

OTHER ARTICLES
Virtualization, Media and Broadcasting

This time Amazon really does have Bond in its sights

Article | July 13, 2022

MGM, which holds the largest film and TV library in Hollywood, is finally in play – and likely to be acquired by tech major and video streaming behemoth Amazon. With a rumoured price tag of $9 billion, the deal, while substantial, is merely equivalent to 8.3% of Amazon’s Q1 2021 earnings of $108.5 billion. Indeed, the 44% year-on-year (YoY) increase for its Q1 results alone would pay for the deal more than four times over. When it comes to investment capital to deploy, the tech majors led by Amazon and Apple are in a financial class of their own. This is the kind of deal that helps to explain why AT&T was so keen cut its losses and incur a $66 billion loss on its Warner Media assets by merging the former Time Warner media major with Discovery for $43 billion in cash and receiving 71% in equity in the new combined entity in return. It also follows on from Amazon’s 15.4x increase in what it is willing to pay to secure exclusive NFL Thursday Night Football coverage for its US Amazon Prime customers.

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Technologies

Ongoing transitions in gaming industry

Article | February 14, 2022

The gaming industry is continuously evolving with current transitions derived from VR/AR, blockchain, 5G and cloud computing. The aim of this transition is to fulfill requirements of gamers such as reducing the cost of gaming, developing more immersive experience, converting tools bought in games as transferable assets, enabling gamers to play graphic intensive games on low cost devices. Currently popular games are on the go to create augmented reality versions to be played on AR headsets with their mobile phones. The google stadia platform(a platform where graphic intensive games run in data centers and gamers can play them via web browsers) has also enabled the gaming industry to eliminate the computing limitations imposed by running games in mobile devices. The only barrier in coupling both technologies to have the best of both worlds is low bandwidth of 4G which will soon be expanded when 5G rolls out in the market. TRANSITIONS IN GAMING INDUSTRY The real time game play is currently not possible for games running in data centers and being rendered on web browsers of a gamer’s device as there is latency in reflecting the character’s action on the press of a button. Such a transition will eliminate the need for highly expensive gaming consoles which has been curbing the growth rate of the gaming industry. One more concern from gamers that’s being a barrier in revenue generation for the gaming industry is that the weapons, power packs, kits and tool kits bought in any game are simply virtual and become useless when they are done with the game. The idea to buy such time bound utility becomes insensible for players. So, now the gaming industry is evaluating the option to register these buyouts in games on blockchain which can later be used as a non tangible asset by players to trade easily. The gaming theory that’s getting popularised these days will eventually leverage the AR and VR technology to transform the education industry. The idea to provide customers with user manuals running in augmented reality that can enable a non trained worker to operate the machine is also booming. Solidworks by 3Dplm is one such tool that’s heading in this direction. The transitions mentioned above are quite exciting and the way gaming industry and mentioned technologies are evolving we can expect to get our hands on such exciting gaming technology soon too at a fraction of current costs.

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Media and Broadcasting, Business

Live Sports TV Executive Predictions: Cloud-Based Production Is the Future

Article | August 4, 2022

As we all start to come out of the pandemic and its effects, we see distributed workflows being the normal standard of operations more and more. Distributed workflows go hand in hand with cloud production where we are not dependent on a physical rack room of gear. Due to the chip shortages, we are definitely seeing in the audio industry an acceleration in software designed solutions. More and more solutions are going to depend on common computing infrastructure in order to handle the ever increasing demand of products that just simply cannot be manufactured. This change is only going to strengthen the move to the cloud and the distributed workflow in audio and video production. Working with cloud-based production brings so much more flexibility to the table. Flexibility in design, flexibility in costs, and flexibility in staffing. With the distributed workflow model, we simplify so many of our logistics for an event. We will see more opportunities where we can use our best talent for the position multiple times a week instead of wasting a day or two traveling to a site. The bigger part of all of this change is the higher quality of life our employees can enjoy. We made this change to a distributed workflow almost 5 years ago and it has resulted in happier employees along with more productivity. The pandemic accelerated the process to the masses. Cloud workflows along with distributed workers where possible are here to stay.

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Business

Branded Entertainment in B2B: Why is it Important?

Article | July 11, 2022

Global B2B companies churn out content pieces such as infographics, case studies, assessments, and other forms of thought leadership content to create brand awareness. But is this content enough to engage the customers and the market? Not really. Marketers like you need to look into branded entertainment to get more customer engagement and brand loyalty. What is Branded Entertainment? Adweek loosely describes “branded entertainment” as any content that starts a positive conversation around a product, service, or set of values. This content builds a story around your product or services, showing it in a positive light and getting the audience to engage in your content as much as a film or a TV show. As opposed to other marketing endeavors, branded entertainment doesn’t focus on your products and their features but on entertaining the audience. Incorporating Branded Entertainment into Your Marketing Strategy Here are some ways to get it done without much hassle: Web Series Original programming, such as web series published on the brand’s social media channels, can help you raise awareness through stories that share your brand’s values instead of directly marketing your product or services. PR Stunts Create social media brand content that is entertaining and exciting enough for the audience to make it viral. Such PR brings positive media attention to your brand and creates mass awareness for your brand or product. Videos Volvo's entertaining video of Van Damme's split stunt on YouTube has 114.5 million views. The video didn't need a call-to-action because it wasn’t to convert leads. Instead, it was meant to showcase a piece of business-use truck technology and get engagement. Podcasting GE used podcasting for advertising twice, once with its show ‘The Message’ and again with its new series ‘LifeAfter.’ Neither show discusses GE's products. Instead, they were "GE-presented" and were received well. Summing It Up People are less likely to comment on or share brand posts directly, but they are more likely to tweet or share them on their Instagram stories. This way you can measure the impact of branded entertainment. B2B marketers should consider branded entertainment as a way to build trust and start conversations between their brands and their audience to get a long-term ROI.

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Spotlight

Ruptly

Ruptly global video news agency’s mission is to provide an alternative to mainstream news agencies by delivering clients exclusive high impact video that resonate with global audiences, breaking news footage, live events and broadcast services as well as light entertainment content that engage across multiple platforms.

Related News

Media and Broadcasting

Cresset Merges with TRUE Capital Management, Establishes Presence in Sports and Entertainment Industry

PRnewswire | May 10, 2023

Cresset Asset Management (Cresset) and TRUE Capital Management (TRUE) announced today that they have merged, creating a multi-family office with nearly $33 billion in assets under management (as of 5/02/2023) and with offices in 19 locations around the nation. The strategic combination expands Cresset's presence in the sports and entertainment industry. TRUE is a multi-family office that specializes in guiding a diverse roster of clients across sports, entertainment, and entrepreneurism to financial security and generational wealth. TRUE manages $1.7 billion (as of 2/22/2023) of assets on behalf of more than 350 clients, including Deandre Ayton, Robert Griffin III, Marshawn Lynch, Nneka Ogwumike, Kelsey Plum, Albert Pujols, Logan Ryan, Richard Sherman, Breanna Stewart, and Diana Taurasi. Together with Cresset, TRUE clients will enjoy access to Cresset's scale and national footprint, including its extensive family office services, goals-based financial planning, institutional-quality private investments, and lifestyle services. "We are thrilled to be joining forces with Cresset. Since we started TRUE in 2007, our priority has been to build relationships with our clients based on transparency and trust as they navigate the rare opportunities and unique challenges that come with wealth. That commitment will only be strengthened and enhanced with Cresset," said Doug Raetz, CEO of TRUE. "As we've worked closely with Cresset, it has become clear that the entire Cresset team shares our goals and values. It's an excellent cultural fit, and we are excited to explore new ways to create and deliver success stories for our clients," added TRUE COO Heather Goodman. "When we first met the TRUE team several years ago, we found kindred spirits in terms of how we believe clients should be treated and the positive impact wealth can have," said Avy Stein, Cresset Co-Founder and Co-Chairman. "Our mutual dedication to providing access to a full suite of sophisticated family office services and private investment opportunities makes this an ideal partnership." About TRUE Capital Management Founded in 2007, TRUE Capital Management is a wealth management firm that specializes in guiding its diverse roster of clients to financial security and generational wealth. The firm has built a reputation for serving high-profile clients across all major sports worldwide, the global entertainment industry, and entrepreneurs innovating in our ever-evolving business world. About Cresset Cresset is an independent, award-winning multi-family office and private investment firm with nearly $33 billion in assets under management (as of 5/02/2023). Cresset serves the unique needs of entrepreneurs, CEO founders, wealth creators, executives, and partners, as well as high-net-worth and multi-generational families. Our goal is to deliver a new paradigm for wealth management, allowing clients to pursue what matters most to them.

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Business

Entravision adds Entravision Plus for Local Hispanic Reach Optimization

Entravision | February 21, 2023

Entravision, an advertising, media, and technology solutions provider, has recently launched its new solution Entravision Plus, enhancing the local Hispanic reach of companies through connected TV, CTV, and over-the-top OTT, streaming. It leverages performance-based data insights from Spanish-language publishers to optimize digital advertising outcomes. It has added Entravision Plus to its full suite of digital solutions for OTT, CTV, digital audio ads, display ads, SEM, digital out-of-home, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Ads, Branded Content and Email Marketing, along with its television and radio services. It was found that about 90% of Hispanic consumers stream video on smart devices. This data is approximately 10% more than the video streaming behavior of non-Hispanic consumers. Additionally, on average, the Hispanic consumer spends about 26 hours per month on online video-watch. This states that they spend approximately seven hours more watching videos online than U.S. consumers on average. These statistics show that the rising Latino local household consumers can be targeted and reached through television advertising and Entravision Plus online video products. General Manager of Entravision US Digital, Jessica Martinez, said, “Advertisers need to reach their consumers. We can now offer our clients the ability to reach consumers not only through our television and radio assets, but also through an array of digital products.” She added, “Entravision Plus – our newest offering – provides advertisers with unique targeting, competitive ad separation and insightful analytics to reach all segments of the Latino consumers. We are excited to provide this premium solution, along with television and radio, to meet the needs of an evolving market. By leveraging Entravision Plus, we anticipate that our customers’ businesses will stand out and grow faster than ever before.” (Source – Business Wire) About Entravision Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Entravision, an advertising company, provides solutions for digital marketing, social commerce, CTV, application performance, audio programmatic services, Latam, VAS, user acquisition, growth, marketing automation, local marketing, content marketing, data services, mobile advertising and marketing, and media networking. It has been connecting advertising brands with consumers through media, ad tech, commerce and advertising solutions on different platforms and publishers. It partners with companies like TelevisaUnivision, LinkedIn, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Grab for sales operations and financial and commercial services.

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Technologies, Solutions

Deezer Announces Long-term Partnership with Sonos

Deezer | February 20, 2023

Deezer, an independent music streaming platform, has recently announced its long-term partnership with Sonos, empowering the brand's radio streaming service, Sonos Radio, and subscription service, Sonos Radio, with a large music catalog designed according to the choices of Sonos' customers. In addition, it focuses on partnership-led expansion for business growth in the U.S. and global markets. Deezer will deliver key services like about 90 million music tracks catalog, business intelligence and data, reporting and royalty management, licensing, metadata and strategic collaboration for monetization and growth for Sonos Radio and Sonos Radio H.D. In addition, as a key innovation partner to Sonos, it is launching a high-definition streaming offering and a new application interface with Sonos Voice Control. It features an A.I.-based engine recommendation, Flow, on the Sonos interface, enabling listeners to play music based on their moods. Both companies would serve Germany, France, the U.K., and the U.S. with other countries worldwide. Additionally, it will support continuous innovation to enhance the Sonos music experience, discovering new ways to search for music and soundtrack that customers would love to listen to. CEO of Deezer, Jeronimo Folgueira, said, "This is the start of a very exciting journey for Deezer and Sonos. Through this partnership Deezer can reach new listeners in major markets around the world, including the U.S." He added, "Sonos has revolutionized the way we enjoy music and audio in our homes, with exceptional multi-room speakers, fantastic sound quality and thoughtfully curated Sonos Radio services. We can't wait to play a key role in expanding this great customer offering." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) CEO of Sonos, Patrick Spence, said, "Delivering a best in class branded content experience for our customers is an essential part of our long-term growth strategy and Deezer continues to be an excellent partner for supporting our ambitious goals to help the world listen better." He added, "As a pioneer in music streaming, Deezer has a proven track record in developing and growing a music service globally and I look forward to working together to improve the overall listening experience for our customers." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) About Deezer Headquartered in Paris, Deezer, a music platform, has been connecting technology, music, and innovation since 2007. It supports more than 80 hardware integrations and 45 partners worldwide with its partnership-based market expansion strategy. It strives for a competitive product, innovation, and expertise for the editorial and music industry. It offers services for content curation, artist relations, streaming technology, lossless HiFi audio, live streaming, recommendation technology, music for home space, mobile, music streaming, social music, and the internet. Providing about 90 million tracks in 180 countries, it defines standards in the music industry.

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Media and Broadcasting

Cresset Merges with TRUE Capital Management, Establishes Presence in Sports and Entertainment Industry

PRnewswire | May 10, 2023

Cresset Asset Management (Cresset) and TRUE Capital Management (TRUE) announced today that they have merged, creating a multi-family office with nearly $33 billion in assets under management (as of 5/02/2023) and with offices in 19 locations around the nation. The strategic combination expands Cresset's presence in the sports and entertainment industry. TRUE is a multi-family office that specializes in guiding a diverse roster of clients across sports, entertainment, and entrepreneurism to financial security and generational wealth. TRUE manages $1.7 billion (as of 2/22/2023) of assets on behalf of more than 350 clients, including Deandre Ayton, Robert Griffin III, Marshawn Lynch, Nneka Ogwumike, Kelsey Plum, Albert Pujols, Logan Ryan, Richard Sherman, Breanna Stewart, and Diana Taurasi. Together with Cresset, TRUE clients will enjoy access to Cresset's scale and national footprint, including its extensive family office services, goals-based financial planning, institutional-quality private investments, and lifestyle services. "We are thrilled to be joining forces with Cresset. Since we started TRUE in 2007, our priority has been to build relationships with our clients based on transparency and trust as they navigate the rare opportunities and unique challenges that come with wealth. That commitment will only be strengthened and enhanced with Cresset," said Doug Raetz, CEO of TRUE. "As we've worked closely with Cresset, it has become clear that the entire Cresset team shares our goals and values. It's an excellent cultural fit, and we are excited to explore new ways to create and deliver success stories for our clients," added TRUE COO Heather Goodman. "When we first met the TRUE team several years ago, we found kindred spirits in terms of how we believe clients should be treated and the positive impact wealth can have," said Avy Stein, Cresset Co-Founder and Co-Chairman. "Our mutual dedication to providing access to a full suite of sophisticated family office services and private investment opportunities makes this an ideal partnership." About TRUE Capital Management Founded in 2007, TRUE Capital Management is a wealth management firm that specializes in guiding its diverse roster of clients to financial security and generational wealth. The firm has built a reputation for serving high-profile clients across all major sports worldwide, the global entertainment industry, and entrepreneurs innovating in our ever-evolving business world. About Cresset Cresset is an independent, award-winning multi-family office and private investment firm with nearly $33 billion in assets under management (as of 5/02/2023). Cresset serves the unique needs of entrepreneurs, CEO founders, wealth creators, executives, and partners, as well as high-net-worth and multi-generational families. Our goal is to deliver a new paradigm for wealth management, allowing clients to pursue what matters most to them.

Read More

Business

Entravision adds Entravision Plus for Local Hispanic Reach Optimization

Entravision | February 21, 2023

Entravision, an advertising, media, and technology solutions provider, has recently launched its new solution Entravision Plus, enhancing the local Hispanic reach of companies through connected TV, CTV, and over-the-top OTT, streaming. It leverages performance-based data insights from Spanish-language publishers to optimize digital advertising outcomes. It has added Entravision Plus to its full suite of digital solutions for OTT, CTV, digital audio ads, display ads, SEM, digital out-of-home, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Ads, Branded Content and Email Marketing, along with its television and radio services. It was found that about 90% of Hispanic consumers stream video on smart devices. This data is approximately 10% more than the video streaming behavior of non-Hispanic consumers. Additionally, on average, the Hispanic consumer spends about 26 hours per month on online video-watch. This states that they spend approximately seven hours more watching videos online than U.S. consumers on average. These statistics show that the rising Latino local household consumers can be targeted and reached through television advertising and Entravision Plus online video products. General Manager of Entravision US Digital, Jessica Martinez, said, “Advertisers need to reach their consumers. We can now offer our clients the ability to reach consumers not only through our television and radio assets, but also through an array of digital products.” She added, “Entravision Plus – our newest offering – provides advertisers with unique targeting, competitive ad separation and insightful analytics to reach all segments of the Latino consumers. We are excited to provide this premium solution, along with television and radio, to meet the needs of an evolving market. By leveraging Entravision Plus, we anticipate that our customers’ businesses will stand out and grow faster than ever before.” (Source – Business Wire) About Entravision Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Entravision, an advertising company, provides solutions for digital marketing, social commerce, CTV, application performance, audio programmatic services, Latam, VAS, user acquisition, growth, marketing automation, local marketing, content marketing, data services, mobile advertising and marketing, and media networking. It has been connecting advertising brands with consumers through media, ad tech, commerce and advertising solutions on different platforms and publishers. It partners with companies like TelevisaUnivision, LinkedIn, Spotify, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Grab for sales operations and financial and commercial services.

Read More

Technologies, Solutions

Deezer Announces Long-term Partnership with Sonos

Deezer | February 20, 2023

Deezer, an independent music streaming platform, has recently announced its long-term partnership with Sonos, empowering the brand's radio streaming service, Sonos Radio, and subscription service, Sonos Radio, with a large music catalog designed according to the choices of Sonos' customers. In addition, it focuses on partnership-led expansion for business growth in the U.S. and global markets. Deezer will deliver key services like about 90 million music tracks catalog, business intelligence and data, reporting and royalty management, licensing, metadata and strategic collaboration for monetization and growth for Sonos Radio and Sonos Radio H.D. In addition, as a key innovation partner to Sonos, it is launching a high-definition streaming offering and a new application interface with Sonos Voice Control. It features an A.I.-based engine recommendation, Flow, on the Sonos interface, enabling listeners to play music based on their moods. Both companies would serve Germany, France, the U.K., and the U.S. with other countries worldwide. Additionally, it will support continuous innovation to enhance the Sonos music experience, discovering new ways to search for music and soundtrack that customers would love to listen to. CEO of Deezer, Jeronimo Folgueira, said, "This is the start of a very exciting journey for Deezer and Sonos. Through this partnership Deezer can reach new listeners in major markets around the world, including the U.S." He added, "Sonos has revolutionized the way we enjoy music and audio in our homes, with exceptional multi-room speakers, fantastic sound quality and thoughtfully curated Sonos Radio services. We can't wait to play a key role in expanding this great customer offering." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) CEO of Sonos, Patrick Spence, said, "Delivering a best in class branded content experience for our customers is an essential part of our long-term growth strategy and Deezer continues to be an excellent partner for supporting our ambitious goals to help the world listen better." He added, "As a pioneer in music streaming, Deezer has a proven track record in developing and growing a music service globally and I look forward to working together to improve the overall listening experience for our customers." (Source – Cision PR Newswire) About Deezer Headquartered in Paris, Deezer, a music platform, has been connecting technology, music, and innovation since 2007. It supports more than 80 hardware integrations and 45 partners worldwide with its partnership-based market expansion strategy. It strives for a competitive product, innovation, and expertise for the editorial and music industry. It offers services for content curation, artist relations, streaming technology, lossless HiFi audio, live streaming, recommendation technology, music for home space, mobile, music streaming, social music, and the internet. Providing about 90 million tracks in 180 countries, it defines standards in the music industry.

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Events