PRODUCTS
iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited | June 28, 2022
iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited ("iClick" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: ICLK), a leading enterprise and marketing cloud platform in China that empowers worldwide brands with full-stack consumer lifecycle solutions, announced the launch of Arohar, its proprietary live streaming enhancement mobile application that integrates AI, AR and interactive 3D avatars to bring a brand new metaverse-based live streaming experience to users. iClick's flagship product, Arohar, for KOL promotion in overseas markets represents a new SaaS paradigm for live streaming.
According to the global consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers ("PwC"), the metaverse-related market is estimated to reach USD467.4 billion by 2025. Featuring immersive virtual backgrounds and effects, and the ability to create real-time facial animation avatars through AR technology, Arohar's all-in-one livestreaming solution marks iClick's first step into the metaverse market. Arohar currently enables users to access Meta and other overseas metaverse platforms, and future upgrades will help accelerate the development of the metaverse ecosystem and promote the transformation of the live streaming industry.
Arohar brings exciting new features to livestreaming including 3D avatars with AR facial micro-expression tracking and real-time facial animation and immersive virtual backgrounds through the AI image processing technology. Arohar is able to instantly detect the physical features of the live streamer and generate a clear virtual likeness and background without a green screen. Through these innovations, Arohar delivers a cutting-edge metaverse livestreaming experience that allows users to enjoy eight key features:
Access to high quality virtual backgrounds;
Create real-time animated 3D avatars;
Enhance facial features with beauty and makeup filters;
Use multi-scene switching to ensure smooth and attractive live streaming;
Remote control of live streaming via App or Bluetooth;
Share mobile game streams with friends and fans seamlessly via screen sharing;
Enhance live streams through built-in massive live streaming resources;
Support live streaming to multiple social media platforms such as Facebook Live, YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Instagram and more.
"We are very excited to announce the overseas launch of Arohar, a breakthrough solution that empowers metaverse livestreaming under our 'SaaS+X' business model. Arohar will be a key driver in our overseas market strategy as we focus on innovation to drive robust growth. iClick will continue to seek business opportunities in the metaverse while further accelerating the development of our SaaS product matrix to address brands' challenges in the face of rapidly evolving business models and market."
-Frankie Ho, iClick's President of International Business
About iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited
Founded in 2009, iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited (NASDAQ: ICLK) is a leading enterprise and marketing cloud platform in China. iClick's mission is to empower worldwide brands to unlock the enormous market potential of smart retail. With its leading proprietary technologies, iClick's full suite of data-driven solutions helps brands drive significant business growth and profitability throughout the full consumer lifecycle. Headquartered in Hong Kong, iClick currently operates in eleven locations across Asia and Europe. For more information, please visit https://ir.i-click.com.
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BUSINESS
Mythical Games | June 20, 2022
Next-generation blockchain gaming studio Mythical Games has announced a partnership with Kakao Games, South Korea’s leading publisher of online and mobile games. Moving forward, Mythical will integrate and support the BORANETWORK – an affiliate of Kakao Games and its proprietary blockchain and layer 2 ecosystem – as both entities continue their expansion in Asia.Mythical Games’ Web3 ecosystem allows players, creators, and artists to enjoy a frictionless gaming experience through ownership of a digital game collection. Earlier this month, Mythical announced a first-of-its kind partnership with the NFL to release the league’s first blockchain-based game. Its flagship game, Blankos Block Party, recently partnered with fashion brand Burberry and electronic music artist Deadmau5.
In addition to the integration, Mythical will be joining BORA’s node validator and governance committee, a major milestone for both parties as they continue to expand to global markets.
"We are thrilled to be joining the BORA node validator and governance committee. We see BORA not only as a next-generation blockchain, but also as a leader in bringing entertainment to Web3 in Korea – giving them a unique edge that no other protocol has. With Mythical's expansion into Seoul earlier this year, we are keen to strategically align with leaders in the region.”
-Rudy Koch, Co-Founder at Mythical Games
BORANETWORK CBO Young-joon Lim said, We're thrilled to be working with Mythical Games and welcome their onboarding on BORA. Mythical Games is a pioneer and visionary in Web3 building 'play and own' game economies," and added, “We will explore cross-promotion opportunities and potential collaborations in order to create synergy between each platform.
About Mythical Games
Acknowledged by Forbes’ Disruptive Technology Companies To Watch in 2019 and Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2021, Mythical is a next-generation games technology company creating a Web3 gaming ecosystem by leveraging blockchain technology and playable NFTs for tools that enable players, creators, artists, brands, and game developers to become stakeholders and owners in new “play and own” game economies.
Led by gaming industry veterans, the team specializes in building games around player-owned economies and has helped develop major franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, Marvel Strike Force, and Skylanders.
Mythical Platform protects gamers that may be new to blockchain through a custodial wallet for their digital items, while allowing advanced players the freedom to link their own wallets via bridges between the Mythical Chain and public mainnets. With its “gamers-first” focus, the Mythical Platform ensures players don’t need to dive into the intricacies of blockchain to enjoy ownership of their digital collections and have a great game experience.
About Kakao Games
Kakao Games is a leading publisher of online and mobile games. Founded in 2016, it is responsible for publishing a variety of games, including Krafton's PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (available in Korea), Kong Studios' Guardian Tales (available in Korea, North America, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania), XL Games’ Moonlight Sculptor (available in Korea, North America, Europe, and Taiwan), and its newest addition, Lion Heart Studio's ‘Odin: Valhalla Rising’ (available in Korea and Taiwan). Kakao Games is expanding its business to the blockchain market and Web3 gaming ecosystem.
About METABORA
METABORA is an affiliate of Kakao Games and the parent company of BORANETWORK focused on game development and blockchain-based gaming ecosystems. Its portfolio includes mobile games such as ‘Friends Popcorn,’ ‘Friends Town,’ and ‘Friends Shot’ based on Kakao Friends intellectual property (IP). METABORA is expanding its platform beyond traditional gaming to focus on the development of blockchain technology and the Metaverse.
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APPLICATIONS
Bluetooth SIG | June 09, 2022
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the trade association that oversees Bluetooth® technology, announced a new consumer brand for an upcoming audio broadcasting capability based on Bluetooth technology. This new capability, previously known as Audio Sharing, is now Auracast™ broadcast audio. Auracast™ broadcast audio enables an audio transmitter, such as a smartphone, laptop, television, or public address system to broadcast audio to an unlimited number of nearby Bluetooth audio receivers, including speakers, earbuds, or hearing devices.
“The impact of Bluetooth audio has been massive. A simple, wireless audio connection between two Bluetooth devices has helped make our roads safer, our lives more productive, and our relationship with music, podcasts, video streaming, and all types of personal audio more convenient and joyful, The launch of Auracast™ broadcast audio will trigger another massive change in the wireless audio market. The ability to broadcast and share audio using Bluetooth technology will reshape personal audio and enable public venues and spaces to deliver audio experiences that will improve visitor satisfaction and increase accessibility.”
-Mark Powell, CEO of the Bluetooth SIG.
Bluetooth technology is extending its track record of innovation with the launch of Auracast™ broadcast audio,” said Peter Liu, System Architect, Pixel Ecosystem Products at Google. “We are proud to work with the Bluetooth SIG and are excited to see this capability provide consumers with new, imaginative ways to connect with each other and hear their world.
Auracast™ broadcast audio will deliver life-changing audio experiences that will enhance the way we engage with others and the world around us. We will be able to:
Share Our Audio: Auracast™ broadcast audio will let us invite others to share in our audio experience, helping bring us closer together. When using wireless earbuds to listen to a song or movie playing on a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, Auracast™ broadcast audio will allow family or friends to join in and listen using their own Auracast™ enabled Bluetooth earbuds or hearing device.
The ability to pair your smartphone to your earbuds or headphones using Bluetooth technology has brought new levels of enjoyment and convenience to personal audio and is now a part of the fabric of our lives,” said Zeng Xuezhong, Senior Vice President and President of Smart Phone Department, Xiaomi Corporation. “The introduction of Auracast™ broadcast audio will enable us to move from personal wireless listening experiences to shared wireless listening experiences, unlocking the full potential of wireless audio and bringing even more value and delight to our customers.
Unmute Our World: With Auracast™ broadcast audio, we will be able to fully enjoy televisions in public spaces, unmuting what was once silent and creating a more complete watching experience. Silent televisions in public venues like airports, gymnasiums, restaurants, and waiting rooms will be able to broadcast audio that any visitor with Auracast™ enabled Bluetooth earbuds or hearing aids will be able to hear.
Hear Our Best: Auracast™ broadcast audio will allow us to hear our best in the places we go. When visiting a public venue such as a transit center, cinema, conference center, or house of worship, visitors will be able to receive audio broadcasts from the public address system directly into their Auracast™ enabled Bluetooth earbuds or hearing device. Travelers at an airport, for instance, will be able to receive essential flight announcements such as gate changes, boarding schedules, and other travel information directly to their personal audio device. When used in this manner, Auracast™ broadcast audio will function as the next-generation assistive listening system (ALS) technology.
While current assistive listening systems, such as inductive loops, have been providing great benefit to people with hearing loss, they suffer from a number of challenges that have limited their deployment, including poor quality, high cost, and lack of privacy,” said Nick Hunn, CTO of WiFore. “Auracast™ broadcast audio is well positioned to become an advanced, new assistive listening system that will be significantly easier and lower cost to deploy while offering higher audio quality and greater privacy, improving audio accessibility and promoting better living through better hearing.
“Hearing and understanding speech in various environments can be a daily struggle for people with any degree of hearing loss,” says Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America. “Audio quality innovations can benefit everyone, while also improving communication access to those with hearing loss. Having choices in technology to meet the varying needs of people with hearing loss is critical. The advent of technologies like Auracast™ broadcast audio has the potential to give people who wear hearing aids and cochlear implants an important new option for hearing access in their everyday lives.”
Auracast™ broadcast audio is set to transform the way the world engages with wireless audio, enabling innovative new user experiences while delivering the next generation of assistive listening technology across a wide range of public venues,” says Andrew Zignani, Research Director at ABI Research. “ABI Research expects the wireless and assistive listening industries to rapidly embrace LE Audio and Auracast™ technology, enabling more and more people to share their audio experiences with others, tune in to public broadcasts, and provide people with hearing loss an easy to use, standardized, interoperable, and consistent assistive listening experience.
Availability and More Information
The Bluetooth specifications that define Auracast™ broadcast audio are part of the Bluetooth LE Audio specification suite and are expected to be released within the next few months. Audio product developers and venue operators can learn more about Auracast™ broadcast audio at www.bluetooth.com/auracast. For media kits, please visit: www.bluetooth.com/media/auracast.
About the Bluetooth SIG
Formed in 1998, the Bluetooth SIG is the not-for-profit trade association that oversees Bluetooth® technology. In support of more than 38,000 member companies, the Bluetooth SIG facilitates the collaboration of its members to create new and enhanced specifications that expand the technology, drives global interoperability via a world-class product qualification program, and grows the brand by increasing the awareness, understanding, and adoption of Bluetooth technology.
About Bluetooth® Technology
With 5 billion products shipping each year, Bluetooth technology is the global standard for simple, secure wireless connections. Since its formation in 1998, the Bluetooth community has continued to expand the capabilities of Bluetooth technology — powering innovation, creating new markets, and redefining communication worldwide. Today, Bluetooth is the wireless technology of choice for developers in many solution areas, including audio streaming, data transfer, location services, and large-scale device networks.
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SOLUTIONS
DTS | May 16, 2022
DTS®, a global leader in next-generation audio, imaging and sensing technology, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Xperi Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: XPER) (“Xperi”), and ARD, the association of Germany’s regional public service broadcasters, announced the integration of the ARD broadcasters into DTS AutoStage, the first global, in-vehicle hybrid radio platform to be commercialized around the world.ARD’s public broadcasting stations, which reach more than 52 million people and represent more than 74% of all radio listening in Germany, will be integrated, free of charge, in the DTS AutoStage ecosystem. DTS AutoStage increases consumer content engagement with bold and immersive imagery, station logos, songs, comprehensive artist and album information and more, all while making the broadcasters’ content more personalized and easier to find. DTS AutoStage also enables continued station listening from local broadcast stations when the vehicle drives out of broadcast range.
“As ARD, we are committed to providing our listeners with a progressive radio experience, and we are happy to partner with DTS AutoStage to achieve that goal, We are looking forward to integrating with partners to help our broadcasters meet the needs of our listeners in the rapidly evolving connected vehicle landscape. Editorial control and user-simplification are important for us and we are happy that DTS AutoStage offers broadcasters those features while enabling a broad and consistent content delivery.”
-Alexander Sasse, Head of ARD Partner Management Audio and Voice
The ARD/DTS AutoStage integration offers seamless, accurate and consistent delivery of all ARD broadcaster metadata in the vehicle dashboard, with the key benefit that the stations can manage their services, station information and streams all in one place. ARD and DTS AutoStage systems support broadcaster services to provide security, reliability and data compatibility with car companies.
“We are pleased to join with ARD to deliver the most innovative, visually-immersive in-vehicle entertainment experience to Germany’s owners of vehicles supporting the DTS AutoStage platform, such as the latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class, EQS and others,”
-Gereon Joachim, vice president, automotive sales and strategy for EMEA, at Xperi.
Joe D’Angelo, senior vice president, broadcast at Xperi further stated, We know that providing the digital dashboard’s best content and maintaining editorial control is critical to broadcasters, and our system has been designed to facilitate just this. Keeping radio front, center and aggressively competitive in the dash is key to our platform. We know that this is exactly what consumers want, and we are proud to deliver it1.
According to D’Angelo, the DTS AutoStage platform has been purpose-built to support radio broadcasters around the world. The team behind DTS AutoStage, which is currently available in 60 countries, has unrivaled expertise in content management, delivery and content use compliance. DTS AutoStage is ISO 9001 certified and its content is sourced from more than 80,000 radio stations, 100,000 plus broadcasts, more than 40 million tracks, four million albums, one million artist bios and more – all aggregated, curated and personalized to create the richest and most relevant in-vehicle radio listening experience.
The partnership with ARD continues DTS AutoStage’s momentum as it expands into mass market vehicles globally. DTS AutoStage already has content partnerships with major broadcast groups and aggregators around the world, including:, BBC, Bauer, Cumulus, Global Radio, NPO, Audacy, Beasley, Cox Media, radiko, Radio Maria, FM World and many others.
Xperi’s automotive technologies are designed to improve the in-vehicle experience and, in addition to DTS AutoStage, include DTS AutoSense and HD Radio. DTS AutoSense comprises occupancy and driver monitoring systems implemented at the edge. HD Radio, now available in more than 85 million automobiles, is the most successfully deployed commercial digital radio system worldwide.
About DTS, Inc.
Since 1993, DTS has been dedicated to making the world sound better. Through its pioneering audio solutions for mobile devices, home theater systems, cinema and beyond, DTS provides incredibly high-quality, immersive and engaging audio experiences to listeners everywhere. Now, DTS is also powering imaging and sensing technologies as well. For more information, please visit www.dts.com.
About Xperi Holding Corporation
Xperi invents, develops, and delivers technologies that enable extraordinary experiences. Xperi technologies, delivered via its brands (Adeia, DTS, HD Radio, IMAX Enhanced, TiVo), and by its startup, Perceive, make entertainment more entertaining, and smart devices smarter. Xperi technologies are integrated into billions of consumer devices, media platforms, and semiconductors worldwide, driving increased value for partners, customers and consumers.
Xperi, Adeia, DTS, IMAX Enhanced, HD Radio, Perceive, TiVo and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of affiliated companies of Xperi Holding Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other company, brand and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
About ARD
ARD stands for "Association of Public Broadcasting Corporations in the Federal Republic of Germany." This consortium includes nine self-governing, publicly funded regional broadcasters serving Germany’s 16 federal states and airing approximately 250 hours of television and 1,500 hours of radio programming per day. In an online world dominated by commercial offerings, ARD provides trustworthy journalism unencumbered by the constraints of advertising and sponsorship. ARD’s online world comprises a broad range of topics such as news, sports and business, as well as shows about the arts and documentaries, to name but a few. It also gives access to ARD’s central on demand services, the ARD Mediathek and the ARD Audiothek.
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