Solutions
Media and Entertainment | September 14, 2023
Entertainment technology industry leader IMAX Corporation® (NYSE: IMAX) and PFT, the creator of AI-powered technology solutions for the Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry, today announced plans to expand their strategic relationship beyond theatrical and into the streaming ecosystem.
Under the arrangement, IMAX will expand access to its Stream Smart™ technology to PFT customers across Europe, Asia, and Australia. The expanded partnership will dramatically increase the global availability of Stream Smart™, which helps streaming platforms deliver maximum picture quality while significantly reducing distribution and storage costs.
"We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with IMAX, an industry trailblazer with a remarkable legacy of revolutionizing the global entertainment industry," said Ramki Sankaranarayanan, Global CEO of PFT. "For over a decade, CLEAR®, our flagship product, has spearheaded digital packaging and delivery services for prominent streaming platforms worldwide. CLEAR® & Stream Smart will help optimize our customers' encoding pipeline, so they deliver better streaming quality while optimizing CDN & storage costs."
"Many of Hollywood's biggest streaming platforms use Stream Smart™ to ensure quality and reduce costs, and we're excited to work with our partners at PFT to extend the reach of our technologies throughout key markets in Europe, Asia, and Australia," said Vikram Arumilli, General Manager of Streaming and Consumer Technology at IMAX. "Our suite of streaming technology products, including Stream Smart™, provides a best-in-class service for direct-to-consumer broadcast and streaming companies, and PFT's' ability to leverage this for their customers is a win-win for both organizations."
PFT and its parent company, DNEG, are industry leaders providing a full suite of technology and creative solutions, including IMAX post-production and 3D mastering.
IMAX and DNEG joined forces in 2022 for post-production, which included Indian films like Jawan, Pathaan, and RRR. This extended partnership will build upon the established theatrical relationship between IMAX and DNEG to develop a comprehensive video optimization solution. Stream Smart™ is an enterprise software product designed to deliver the best image quality and optimize delivery to unlock cost savings. This product was built from cutting-edge scientific advancements, state-of-the-art engineering, trusted studio relationships, and rooted in a real-world at-scale Emmy®-winning collaboration with Disney Streaming Services and SSIMWAVE.
Stream Smart™ will be the centerpiece of the IMAX showcase at IBC 2023. Sign up to meet with PFT and IMAX Streaming & Consumer Technology group at IBC:
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture, and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX systems to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, making IMAX's network among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.
IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles, with additional offices in London, Dublin, Tokyo, and Shanghai. As of June 30, 2023, there were 1,718 IMAX systems (1,638 commercial multiplexes, 12 commercial destinations, 68 institutional) operating in 87 countries and territories. Shares of IMAX China Holding, Inc., a subsidiary of IMAX Corporation, trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code "1970."
About Prime Focus Technologies
Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) is the creator of CLEAR® and CLEAR® AI. It offers streaming platforms, studios, and broadcasters transformational AI-led technology and media services powered by the cloud that help them lower their Total Cost of Operations (TCOP) by automating their content supply chain. PFT works with major companies like Walt Disney-owned Star TV, Channel 4, ITV, Sinclair Broadcast Group, A&E Networks, Warner Media, PBS, CBS Television Studios, 20th Century Fox Television Studios, Lionsgate, Showtime, HBO, NBCU, TERN International, Disney+ Hotstar, BCCI, Indian Premier League and more.
About DNEG
DNEG (www.dneg.com) is a world-leading visual entertainment services company for the creation of feature film, television, and multiplatform content, with worldwide offices and studios across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
DNEG's critically acclaimed work has earned the company seven Academy Awards® for Best Visual Effects and numerous BAFTA and Primetime EMMY® Awards for its high-quality VFX work. Current and upcoming DNEG projects on behalf of its Hollywood and global studio and production company partners include Spy Kids Armageddon (September 2023), No One Will Save You (September 2023), The Gilded Age S2 (October 2023), Nyad (November 2023), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 2023), Lift (January 2024), Dune: Part Two (March 2024), Mickey 17 (March 2024), Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (April 2024), Garfield (May 2024), Borderlands (August 2024), Furiosa (2024), That Christmas, Coyote vs. Acme, The Gorge, and Animal Friends.
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Products, Industry Market
Businesswire | July 10, 2023
Exploding Kittens, a leading gaming and entertainment company, announced the launch of its newest title Without Fail, a game of seemingly easy challenges made horribly difficult by the other players. Each challenge entails physical activity, props, and betting on other players’ abilities, making Without Fail the perfect, socially engaging addition to any game night.
“We’ve always said our goal at Exploding Kittens is to not only make entertaining games, but to make the players themselves more entertaining,” said Elan Lee, Co-Creator and CEO of Exploding Kittens. “Without Fail’s brand new challenge mechanics take that concept to a new level. Every challenge starts out simple, but quickly gets harder and sometimes impossible as your friends try to outbid each other on what they think you’re capable of.”
The party game offers 150 challenges, involving props like a blindfold, cups and balls, dice, pens, and more – all provided in the game box. The challenges are simple, but there’s a catch. Before a player begins a challenge, their friends bet on how difficult the challenge can be made without failing. The friend who makes the challenge the hardest becomes that player's teammate, and they both score if the player can successfully complete the challenge. However, if they upped the stakes too high and the challenger fails, then all other players earn a point, and the challenger and their teammate both lose points. Success is based entirely on whether players are good judges of their friends’ abilities.
“As we've been seeing more games get noticed on social media, we knew we wanted to make a game that was as fun to watch as it is to play,” said Carol Mertz, Senior Game Designer at Exploding Kittens. “Without Fail is meant to incorporate everyone — players and audience alike — to get folks laughing and having a great time whether they're in the room or seeing it on TikTok.”
Best for players 10 and up, Without Fail is ideal for group entertainment but can be played with as few as 2 players. Easy to learn with a 20-minute play time, the game’s endless variations and hysterical curveballs keep players coming back for more. Without Fail provides an entirely new gameplay experience each time, not only due to the number of challenges but because the betting and execution vary each round.
Without Fail is available now at ExplodingKittens.com for $24.99. The game will also be available in-store and online at Walmart starting July 29 and Target starting July 30. To see more of the hilarious gameplay, check out #WithoutFailGame on social media.
About Exploding Kittens
Exploding Kittens is a leading game and entertainment company with a mission to inspire people to connect, laugh, and play fun games in the physical world. To date, Exploding Kittens is the #1 most-backed project in Kickstarter history and has sold over 25 million games. Started by former Xbox game designer Elan Lee and The Oatmeal’s founder Matthew Inman, Exploding Kittens and its family of games seek to reshape traditional game night into an entertaining person-to-person experience. Today, there are nearly 30 games available for purchase, an exclusive Exploding Kittens mobile game for Netflix subscribers, a free-to-play app, Kitty Letter, and an Exploding Kittens mobile app available iOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch as well as an animated Netflix series titled ‘Exploding Kittens’ launching later this year.
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Media and Broadcasting
businesswire | August 07, 2023
Endava, a global provider of digital transformation, agile development and intelligent automation services, announced today the acquisition of TLM Partners, Inc together with its subsidiaries (“TLM” or the “Monsters”).
TLM provides outsourced development services across design, engineering and art/animation for PC and console video games and other digital entertainment. TLM has particular expertise in highly complex areas of cross-play, middleware, physics, engine-level tools and technical art.
TLM brings a leadership team with decades of video game industry experience and deep relationships with a wide array of platform partners (such as Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Unreal, Crytek) and with clients in the US and around the world including prominent games publishers and developers such as Microsoft, Sony, Take-Two Interactive, Activision Blizzard, WB Games, Riot Games, Turtle Rock Studios, and Ascendant Studios. TLM is credited as a co-developer on many AAA franchises including Immortals of Aveum, Call of Duty, Marvel's Midnight Suns, Gotham Knights, and Back4Blood.
The combination of TLM’s game-focused heritage and Endava’s immersive interaction expertise and scaled enterprise engineering gives Endava a powerful edge to capture opportunities in the global gaming industry.
“The Monsters are an exciting addition to the Endava family and they bring highly talented people, AAA clients and strong growth prospects. Their gaming focus fits neatly into our industry vertical led organisation and their specific capabilities complement our own very well,” said John Cotterell, Endava’s CEO. “With the convergence of video game and immersive experiences and payments within cloud environments, Endava’s now enhanced ability to deliver in each of these arenas is a potent offering that can unlock innovation and value for our clients.”
Jake Hawley, founder and CEO of TLM, commented, “While exploring commercial partnering with Endava we soon saw that a merger would be great for us both. Together we have an unrivalled range of cutting-edge capabilities as well as global scale to take on the most ambitious projects. I feel very excited about the opportunities this merger opens up for our people and clients and the amazing new player experiences we can help create.”
ABOUT ENDAVA
Endava is reimagining the relationship between people and technology. By leveraging next-generation technologies, our agile, multi-disciplinary teams provide a combination of product & technology strategies, intelligent experiences, and world class engineering to help clients become digital, experience-driven businesses by assisting them in their journey from idea generation to development and deployment of products, platforms and solutions. Endava collaborates with its clients, seamlessly integrating with their teams, catalysing ideation and delivering robust solutions.
Endava services clients in Payments and Financial Services, TMT, Consumer Products, Retail, Mobility and Healthcare. As of March 31, 2023, 11,742, Endavans served clients from locations in Asia-Pacific, Middle East, North America and Western Europe and delivery locations in Argentina, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Uruguay and Vietnam.
AboutTLM Partners
Enterprise, Mid-tier, and Indie game developers come to TLM Partners for our dedicated staff of development talent we endearingly call MONSTERS. Whether you are looking to hire 1 dev or a team of 100, TLM Partners has the skills, technical expertise, and ‘monster’ power to execute your vision…on time AND on budget.
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Technologies
prnewswire | August 11, 2023
Cineverse Corp, a global streaming technology and entertainment company with one of the world's largest portfolios of streaming channels and content library, today announced that it has reached a FAST focused content deal with The Preview Channel™, a linear entertainment AVOD channel that programs the latest, trending motion picture, television and streaming previews and the best in behind-the-scenes entertainment and interviews featuring the most popular stars, biggest franchises, hit movies and shows.
The Preview Channel™ has carved out a popular niche with short-form, mostly Hollywood studio produced content that is updated and refreshed daily. "William Sager, CEO of TPC said "We couldn't be more delighted to have partnered with Cineverse. The Preview Channel™ is developing a devoted and loyal fan base and is performing exceptionally well in a very crowded OTT marketplace."
Cineverse had initially been operating The Preview Channel's advertising business and recently expanded its pact to include full channel distribution so the popular service could scale rapidly.
"We have seen extraordinary and immediate results from their advertising inventory and thought it made complete sense to expand our relationship immediately," said Russell Sneider, Senior VP of Brand Partnerships at Cineverse.
The deal includes utilizing Cineverse's proprietary Matchpoint™ technology and advertising tools to manage and cost-effectively deliver advertising to the channel.
ABOUT CINEVERSE
Cineverse is a global streaming technology and entertainment company with one of the world's largest portfolios of owned and operated streaming channels, all powered by its advanced, proprietary technology platform. Cineverse currently features enthusiast brands for subscription video on demand (SVOD), transactional video on demand (TVOD), advertising-based video on demand (AVOD) and free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels. Cineverse entertains consumers around the globe by providing premium feature film and television series, enthusiast streaming channels and technology services to some of the world's largest media, retail and technology companies.
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