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TL;DR
In a hurry? Here's our pick of the top news items of the week.
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Apple is going to allow third-party app stores on the iPad in the EU starting this week. (Tech Crunch)
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OpenAI is releasing a new model called o1, the first in a planned series of “reasoning” models that have been trained to answer more complex questions. (The Verge)
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Social media's role in travel is moving beyond inspiration - 34% of US travelers feel very comfortable booking directly through social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, particularly younger travelers. (Skift)
Audiences
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With the U.S. TikTok sell-off bill looming, half of Americans don’t actually believe TikTok will be banned in the country. (Social Media Today)
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US consumers are spending more on experiences such as entertainment, adventure travel, and personalized excursions. (Skift)
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Almost two-thirds of US streaming consumers have been to the movies two or more times in the past six months. (Variety)
Platforms
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With DM usage on the rise, Instagram is adding some new DM engagement features, including drawing tools and stickers. (Social Media Today)
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Snapchat now serves 1.5M users in New Zealand every month, around 30% of their total population. (Social Media Today)
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The Australian federal government has promised legislation to impose a minimum age to use social media platforms by the end of this year. (ABC)
Content
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Both of Australia's major winter sports competitions, the NRL and AFL, have recorded their most watched seasons ever across Foxtel's platforms. (Mumbrella)
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The 2024 MTV Video Music Awards scored its biggest audience in four years, averaging 4.09M viewers across MTV, 11 other Paramount-owned cable channels and UniMas. (THR)
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The NFL set a Week 1 viewership record with 21M average viewers on television and digital platforms. (USA Today)
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In part thanks to Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever have topped 1M viewers in 19 of 36 games. (Athlon Sports)
Tech &
AI-
Meta is making its AI info label less visible on content edited or modified by AI tools. (Tech Crunch)
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Google’s NotebookLM app can now generate audio discussions with two AI hosts about the documents you’ve given it. (The Verge)
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Samsung, Qualcomm and Google are developing a pair of mixed reality smart glasses that link to the wearer’s smartphone. (The Verge)
Location-based
entertainment-
TikTok is the Official Platform Partner for the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, which will see the app incorporate a range of themed activations and promotions to help users celebrate the event. (Social Media Today)
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The Location Based Entertainment market is projected to reach $11.8B by 2028, with demand for advanced technologies like AR and VR expected to drive the growth. (Yahoo)
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New York City residents accounted for just 6% of the 9/11 Museum's visitors over the last year, while tristate area residents made up 20%. (Gothamist)
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Dollywood has won five world’s best awards at Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Awards and won a sixth award giving it “legend” status. (Interpark)
Travel &
hospitality-
Radisson launched Radisson Flights, a service letting guests book flights and hotels together, streamlining the travel planning process. (HospitalityNet)
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Greece is cracking down on tourism by tightening regulations on short-term vacation rentals and cruise ship traffic. (FT)
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United Airlines is adding free Starlink Wi-Fi to all of its planes starting in 2025. (The Verge)
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Experiential hospitality is on the rise as brands use storytelling and immersive environments to create unique guest experiences that foster deeper brand connections and enhance market differentiation. (Premier)
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A remote Australian town has become a magnet for Malaysian tourists after a popular Malaysian YouTuber filmed a video there that has amassed 1M views. (Travel Weekly)
Gaming
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Netflix Games surpassed 210M lifetime downloads, and Grand Theft Auto games alone accounts for 36.6M. (Games Industry)
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Roblox is on a mission towards 1B daily active users and capturing "10% of all gaming revenue." (Pocket Gamer)
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Apple confirmed all its new iPhone 16s play AAA games and there is no iPhone Pro required. (Eurogamer)
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Karol G's five-part interactive concert on Fortnite was the last stop after her Mañana Será Bonito Tour. (Variety)
