Ad Week reports: “Interpublic Group is betting on a one-year-old AI startup to speed up marketing’s slowest step—understanding audience response. The advertising and marketing agency is partnering with Aaru to embed its real-time human behavior simulation tech directly into IPG’s end-to-end marketing platform Interact.”
Broadband TV News reports: “The number of Scripted TV Originals ordered for production by the top six global streamers fell by 24% year-on-year, according to Ampere Analysis. Apple, Amazon, Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix and Paramount+ between them reduced their first-run and renewed titles from 318 to just 242. The drop reflects the streamers’ reassessment of original content strategies amid economic uncertainty.”
GamesBeat reports: “Tilki, the AI game creation platform, has raised $2.2 million in preseed funding to democratize the making of video games. As the boundaries between traditional storytelling and interactive entertainment continue to blur, Tilki believes it can enable consumers to build video games without coding.”
Deadline reports: “Streaming collaboration is becoming one of the big industry talking points of 2025, and here’s the latest example. HBO Max and Viu are bundling their services in Southeast Asia into a single subscription, which will bring HBO shows such as The Last of Us and The White Lotus together with Viu’s original Korean and Chinese dramas.”
The Hollywood Reporter reports: “Sling TV is launching a new lost-cost offering in the streaming ecosystem. The live TV streaming service is launching a $4.99 Day Pass, $9.99 Weekend Pass and $14.99 Week Pass. The passes activate live TV instantly, which the streaming service is positioning as an attractive option for fans of football, awards shows and more.”
Games Industry Biz reports: “North American players spend an average of $325 on gaming annually, accounting for 28% of global market spending, a new report has found. Published on August 12, 2025, the report by Newzoo and Tebex analyzed player behavior and payment trends in the West. According to the findings, the West games market is seeing slowing “payer growth,” with a 1.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in North America and 3.1% CAGR in Europe between 2023 and 2027.”
TechCrunch reports: “The AI chip race narrative used to be about U.S. national security, but apparently now it’s about tariffs: Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the U.S. government 15% of the revenue they make from sales of high-end AI chips to China in exchange for licenses to sell those chips in the country, the Financial Times reported, citing anonymous sources.”
Variety reports: “Independent digital talent management firm G&B Digital Management is launching a free four-hour, in-person master class to help Hollywood industry members better understand the creator economy — and how to capitalize on it themselves. Run by G&B Digital Management’s College of Influence and hosted by G&B founder and CEO Kyle Hjelmeseth and G&B director of education Joey Gagliardi, “Flipping the Script” is described as “an intensive educational experience formulated to empower professionals in traditional entertainment with the knowledge and guidance needed to build a powerful online presence.”
Tech Funding News reports: “Earlier this year, it was reported that Meta is in discussions with several leading private credit firms to raise up to $29 billion to finance its large-scale AI data centre buildout across the US. Now, Meta has chosen Pacific Investment Management Co. (Pimco) and Blue Owl Capital Inc. to lead a $29 billion financing package for a new data centre project in rural Louisiana. This is one of the largest financings in the sector as demand for AI-ready infrastructure surges.”
AdWeek reports: “Howdy from Roku. Last week, Roku launched Howdy, an ad-free subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service for $2.99 per month, and the company thinks it’s exactly what audiences are looking for. The new platform gives subscribers unlimited access to thousands of titles and nearly 10,000 hours of entertainment from its inaugural partners, which include Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise, along with select Roku Original titles.”
