Video Game Makers Don't Need Unions, Unions Need Video Game Makers

The video game industry has always had qualities that would be difficult to find in any other. Developing a video game requires one to create an experience that the consumer takes an active part in, one that must make sense to as many players as possible, while making each and every one of them feel like it is totally unique to them. Add in all the story-telling inherent to any creative work and the incredible engineering needed to make a video game, and you have an economic endeavor that sits at the perfect center of art, commerce, and science.

Spotlight

InVivo Media Group

New privately-held 360 brand & business amplification company including live music promotion, talent commercial partnership development and strategic media consulting with primary focus on the U.S. Latino & Latin American marketplaces. INVIVO Media Group has three vision pillars: scale music talent and sports content to new fans across the world, create premium live music experiences and content platforms, as well as drive media industry prioritization of and investment in U.S. Latino and Latin American talent and consumers.

OTHER ARTICLES
Solutions, Business

The rediscovered power of time-seasoned brand equity

Article | July 7, 2022

Discovery CEO David Zaslav has proposed that the new combined Discovery / Warner Media entity will be known as Warner Bros. Discovery. This is a recognition that leveraging brand equity will be crucial for the new-combined entity to successfully compete in the increasingly crowded direct-to-consumer (D2C) video streaming landscape. Zaslav is successfully absorbing a key lesson from Disney+’s meteoric rise to 103.6 million subscribers in less than two years since its launch: leverage deep consumer brand equity for D2C success.

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Technologies, Business

Netflix versus Amazon Prime Video – depth versus breadth

Article | August 3, 2022

The first half of 2021 has been a year of continued change and disruption for subscription video. The global incumbent subscription video on demand (SVOD) leaders, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, have been busy signalling to the financial markets how they intend to entrench their market dominance in light of the ongoing market acquisition pushes unleashed by the D2C disruptors following the D2C ‘big bang’ moment of Q4 2019 – Q2 2021. Netflix announced in January that it was no longer going to borrow on the financial markets to fund its day-to-day operations – specifically for its content acquisition budget, which is now driven predominately by commissioning original content for its service. This leaves the SVOD leader with $14.9 billion of outstanding long-term debt to service as it seeks to live within its means by commissioning future content from its ongoing cashflow. In Q1 2021 alone Netflix spent $500 million on servicing this debt pile versus $1.7 billion in net income generated over the same period.

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Technologies

3 Applications of AI in the Entertainment Industry

Article | February 14, 2022

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in the entertainment industry has automated time-consuming mundane tasks and increased proficiency in delivering winning content to drive engagement. Production businesses can make informed decisions on marketing and advertising because AI can examine critical data and provide important insights into consumer behavior. Let us look at three other important applications of AI in the entertainment industry: Content Personalization Made Easy Streaming websites like Spotify and Netflix contribute content that attracts a diverse audience with different tastes and choices. They are adopting AI and machine learning algorithms to analyze individual user performance and demographics to promote content that users are interested in. Such personalized content recommendations create audience engagement. AI also helps optimize video quality based on how fast the internet is in a certain place so that streaming works without buffering. Streamlined Movie Production Processes The movie production process is time-consuming and complex. Using AI can help automate processes like sound production, storyboarding, scheduling, and pre-production tasks. It can also automatically sync and group filmed clips. Machine learning has graphics and visual effects that can be used to make fictional characters look better. Subtitle Generation for International Communications Content publishing businesses need to cater to an audience from various regions. Multilingual subtitles make this interaction easier. Manual transcription is time-consuming and requires expensive human resources that businesses cannot afford. Also, human error and variable efficiency are issues that can tamper with customer experience. Any kind of delay in presenting subtitles can put the audio-video-subtitles out of sync. AI prevents such mishaps through speech and vocabulary integration in conversations using neural interfaces. Last Words Apart from the implementation of AI in entertainment, the development of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) apps will make the customer experience immersive and captivating. Moreover, AI-based chatbots can be used for promotional operations for books, films, artists, and TV shows. Platforms in the entertainment sector involve AI to efficiently enhance user engagement and production rates.

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Virtualization

This time Amazon really does have Bond in its sights

Article | May 20, 2021

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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Spotlight

InVivo Media Group

New privately-held 360 brand & business amplification company including live music promotion, talent commercial partnership development and strategic media consulting with primary focus on the U.S. Latino & Latin American marketplaces. INVIVO Media Group has three vision pillars: scale music talent and sports content to new fans across the world, create premium live music experiences and content platforms, as well as drive media industry prioritization of and investment in U.S. Latino and Latin American talent and consumers.

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Applications

ComingSoon Expands Entertainment News Coverage

PR Newswire | October 05, 2023

Evolve Media LLC, a passion-based publisher of some of the most influential internet brands since 1996, announced that its marquee entertainment site ComingSoon is continuing to grow and expand its coverage areas. ComingSoon will expand to new coverage areas, including Bollywood With traffic up 79 percent since April 2023, ComingSoon is expanding in order to continue its rapid growth since a redesign was launched in December 2022. The site is now broadening its entertainment coverage into new areas, including Indian films and television, Korean dramas, reality television, documentaries, and true crime. All of these new verticals will be easily accessible in the site's revamped navigation bar as coverage is rolled out. ComingSoon will also further commit resources to delivering top-notch anime, documentary and horror coverage, which have become key elements of the entertainment site. It will also continue to produce top-quality features and reviews that are just as engaging as they are informative, while also conducting interviews with some of Hollywood's biggest directors and stars. "Our goal is to make ComingSoon a one-stop destination for media consumers all over the world," said Todd Jacobs, Director of Content & Operations at Evolve Media. "With these strategic investments, ComingSoon will exponentially expand their global audience." "Thanks to streaming, we've seen entertainment around the globe become pop culture phenomenons," said Tyler Treese, Frontpage Editorial Manager of Evolve Media's Entertainment and Gaming Division. "International hits like Squid Game and Jawan have shown that Korea and India are producing incredible content, while anime continues to grow in popularity. We'll finally be able to cover these areas with the news coverage they deserve, and help fans figure out the next show to binge or what film to invite their friends over to watch." About Evolve Media, LLC Evolve Media is a premium publisher of leading enthusiast destinations for influential men and women. Leveraging proprietary advertising and publishing technologies, as well as hundreds of talented content professionals, Evolve Media offers premium and engaging content to its readers, while offering marketers the tools needed to execute custom, content-led marketing solutions that reach its audience of over 78 million people globally each month.

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Technologies,Media and Broadcasting

Vecima Supports Record Demand for FIFA World Cup Video Streaming

Vecima Networks Inc. | December 12, 2022

Vecima Networks Inc. (TSX: VCM) announced that its MediaScale™ unified video streaming platform is experiencing record levels of international traffic from live broadcasts and video streams for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.Vecima’s MediaScale Cache is a comprehensive multi-tiered caching solution that reduces latency and network utilization for video service providers to maximize the delivery of over-the-top and ‘TV Everywhere’ video services to their customers. Currently, the MediaScale platform is serving subscribers across more than 50 operators in six of the countries participating in the World Cup. With World Cup 2022 breaking viewership records globally, operators need the scalability and reliability of Vecima’s MediaScale platform, said Kyle Goodwin, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Content Delivery & Storage for Vecima. “The World Cup is arguably the biggest international draw in sports, so it’s critical that operators manage explosive demand while maintaining pristine video streaming. MediaScale, Vecima’s unified streaming video solution, optimizes quality of experience and efficient delivery of Live Linear, nDVR, and Time-shifted TV, and VoD services by providing market-leading solutions to ingest, produce, store, protect, and stream your valuable video content. MediaScale can expand capacity while servicing a diverse client device ecosystem, including IP-enabled set-top boxes, smartphones, tablets, and other streaming devices. “Vecima is proud to support our customers in bringing the excitement of the FIFA World Cup to their subscribers in their homes and on their mobile devices,Quality, reliability, and low latency take a front-row seat on this global sports stage. From Super Bowl LVI to the World Cup in Qatar, Vecima continues to deliver high-performance video streaming.” -Clay McCreery, Chief Operating Officer at Vecima. About Vecima Networks Vecima Networks Inc. (TSX: VCM) is leading the global evolution to the multi-gigabit, content-rich networks of the future. Our talented people deliver future-ready software, services, and integrated platforms that power broadband and video streaming networks, monitor and manage transportation, and transform experiences in homes, businesses, and everywhere people connect. We help our customers evolve their networks with cloud-based solutions that deliver ground-breaking speed, superior video quality, and exciting new services to their subscribers. There is power in connectivity – it enables people, businesses, and communities to grow and thrive. For more information, please visit www.vecima.com.

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Technologies

Pier 4 of CommonWealth Partners becomes the first in Boston to deploy fire drills for virtual reality

businesswire | January 19, 2021

Pier 4 is the first multi-occupant place of business in the city to utilize computer generated reality to direct fire drills. With numerous individuals telecommuting because of the COVID-19 pandemic, CommonWeath Partners selected to send augmented reality innovation to help guarantee all inhabitants realize how to react in a crisis at whatever point they are in the workplace. Created by AK Preparedness, a Seattle-based crisis readiness and life security organization, the new SafetyNetVR arrangement includes making a photograph sensible 3D model of a structure's inside and afterward inserting data about flights of stairs and life wellbeing hardware. Web VR fire drills permit building tenants to utilize their cell phones, tablets or PCs to investigate their environmental factors, find flights of stairs and fire dousers, and leave the structure. As clients explore their structure all through the VR experience, they can figure out how to utilize a fire douser or crisis telephones, discover what happens when the structure goes into alert, and get video-based guidance from a fireman. They can likewise find out about reacting to a wide scope of different crises. The estimation of the VR fire drills will stretch out a long ways past the COVID-19 circumstance; it will empower building inhabitants to prepare their workers on crisis rehearses whenever, instead of sitting tight for intermittent in-person trainings which may just happen once every year. AK Preparedness is a main public supplier of crisis readiness arranging, preparing, and innovation arrangements, helping a huge number of business office properties, partnerships, government associations, and private structures diminish chances through more viable life wellbeing programs. Established in 1981, AK gives crisis reaction plan improvement, on the web and portable crisis reaction apparatuses, live preparing and penetrates, tabletop works out, life security preparing recordings, and different administrations. Ward Partners LLC is a vertically incorporated, exclusive land venture, improvement and the board association. Settled in Los Angeles, CWP has resources situated all through the United States, including Boston, New York, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and San Diego.

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Applications

ComingSoon Expands Entertainment News Coverage

PR Newswire | October 05, 2023

Evolve Media LLC, a passion-based publisher of some of the most influential internet brands since 1996, announced that its marquee entertainment site ComingSoon is continuing to grow and expand its coverage areas. ComingSoon will expand to new coverage areas, including Bollywood With traffic up 79 percent since April 2023, ComingSoon is expanding in order to continue its rapid growth since a redesign was launched in December 2022. The site is now broadening its entertainment coverage into new areas, including Indian films and television, Korean dramas, reality television, documentaries, and true crime. All of these new verticals will be easily accessible in the site's revamped navigation bar as coverage is rolled out. ComingSoon will also further commit resources to delivering top-notch anime, documentary and horror coverage, which have become key elements of the entertainment site. It will also continue to produce top-quality features and reviews that are just as engaging as they are informative, while also conducting interviews with some of Hollywood's biggest directors and stars. "Our goal is to make ComingSoon a one-stop destination for media consumers all over the world," said Todd Jacobs, Director of Content & Operations at Evolve Media. "With these strategic investments, ComingSoon will exponentially expand their global audience." "Thanks to streaming, we've seen entertainment around the globe become pop culture phenomenons," said Tyler Treese, Frontpage Editorial Manager of Evolve Media's Entertainment and Gaming Division. "International hits like Squid Game and Jawan have shown that Korea and India are producing incredible content, while anime continues to grow in popularity. We'll finally be able to cover these areas with the news coverage they deserve, and help fans figure out the next show to binge or what film to invite their friends over to watch." About Evolve Media, LLC Evolve Media is a premium publisher of leading enthusiast destinations for influential men and women. Leveraging proprietary advertising and publishing technologies, as well as hundreds of talented content professionals, Evolve Media offers premium and engaging content to its readers, while offering marketers the tools needed to execute custom, content-led marketing solutions that reach its audience of over 78 million people globally each month.

Read More

Technologies,Media and Broadcasting

Vecima Supports Record Demand for FIFA World Cup Video Streaming

Vecima Networks Inc. | December 12, 2022

Vecima Networks Inc. (TSX: VCM) announced that its MediaScale™ unified video streaming platform is experiencing record levels of international traffic from live broadcasts and video streams for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.Vecima’s MediaScale Cache is a comprehensive multi-tiered caching solution that reduces latency and network utilization for video service providers to maximize the delivery of over-the-top and ‘TV Everywhere’ video services to their customers. Currently, the MediaScale platform is serving subscribers across more than 50 operators in six of the countries participating in the World Cup. With World Cup 2022 breaking viewership records globally, operators need the scalability and reliability of Vecima’s MediaScale platform, said Kyle Goodwin, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Content Delivery & Storage for Vecima. “The World Cup is arguably the biggest international draw in sports, so it’s critical that operators manage explosive demand while maintaining pristine video streaming. MediaScale, Vecima’s unified streaming video solution, optimizes quality of experience and efficient delivery of Live Linear, nDVR, and Time-shifted TV, and VoD services by providing market-leading solutions to ingest, produce, store, protect, and stream your valuable video content. MediaScale can expand capacity while servicing a diverse client device ecosystem, including IP-enabled set-top boxes, smartphones, tablets, and other streaming devices. “Vecima is proud to support our customers in bringing the excitement of the FIFA World Cup to their subscribers in their homes and on their mobile devices,Quality, reliability, and low latency take a front-row seat on this global sports stage. From Super Bowl LVI to the World Cup in Qatar, Vecima continues to deliver high-performance video streaming.” -Clay McCreery, Chief Operating Officer at Vecima. About Vecima Networks Vecima Networks Inc. (TSX: VCM) is leading the global evolution to the multi-gigabit, content-rich networks of the future. Our talented people deliver future-ready software, services, and integrated platforms that power broadband and video streaming networks, monitor and manage transportation, and transform experiences in homes, businesses, and everywhere people connect. We help our customers evolve their networks with cloud-based solutions that deliver ground-breaking speed, superior video quality, and exciting new services to their subscribers. There is power in connectivity – it enables people, businesses, and communities to grow and thrive. For more information, please visit www.vecima.com.

Read More

Technologies

Pier 4 of CommonWealth Partners becomes the first in Boston to deploy fire drills for virtual reality

businesswire | January 19, 2021

Pier 4 is the first multi-occupant place of business in the city to utilize computer generated reality to direct fire drills. With numerous individuals telecommuting because of the COVID-19 pandemic, CommonWeath Partners selected to send augmented reality innovation to help guarantee all inhabitants realize how to react in a crisis at whatever point they are in the workplace. Created by AK Preparedness, a Seattle-based crisis readiness and life security organization, the new SafetyNetVR arrangement includes making a photograph sensible 3D model of a structure's inside and afterward inserting data about flights of stairs and life wellbeing hardware. Web VR fire drills permit building tenants to utilize their cell phones, tablets or PCs to investigate their environmental factors, find flights of stairs and fire dousers, and leave the structure. As clients explore their structure all through the VR experience, they can figure out how to utilize a fire douser or crisis telephones, discover what happens when the structure goes into alert, and get video-based guidance from a fireman. They can likewise find out about reacting to a wide scope of different crises. The estimation of the VR fire drills will stretch out a long ways past the COVID-19 circumstance; it will empower building inhabitants to prepare their workers on crisis rehearses whenever, instead of sitting tight for intermittent in-person trainings which may just happen once every year. AK Preparedness is a main public supplier of crisis readiness arranging, preparing, and innovation arrangements, helping a huge number of business office properties, partnerships, government associations, and private structures diminish chances through more viable life wellbeing programs. Established in 1981, AK gives crisis reaction plan improvement, on the web and portable crisis reaction apparatuses, live preparing and penetrates, tabletop works out, life security preparing recordings, and different administrations. Ward Partners LLC is a vertically incorporated, exclusive land venture, improvement and the board association. Settled in Los Angeles, CWP has resources situated all through the United States, including Boston, New York, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and San Diego.

Read More

Events