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YouTube wants to benefit from AI-generated music without the copyright headaches
YouTube's new principles for AI-generated music welcome the technology, but also play nicely with labels protecting their copyrights.
'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' sets box office records as the highest grossing video game movie
Global sales reached over $377 million.
Netflix extends exclusive rights to Universal's animated films in the US
Universal and Netflix signed a multi-year licensing agreement for Illumination's and Dreamworks' animated films.
Amazon locks down some exclusive streaming rights for Universal movies
Films like 'Jurassic World: Dominion' will ping-pong between Peacock and Prime Video.
Universal's films will make their TV debut on Peacock
Starting in 2022, Universal's movies will be available on Peacock first instead of on HBO.
'Boss Baby' sequel hits Peacock and theaters simultaneously on July 2nd
Universal helped bring the movie theater business back from COVID-19 with F9, but it's doing things differently with 'The Boss Baby: Family Business.'
'Dracula' and six other horror classics will stream for free on YouTube
Universal is making seven horror movie classics available for free on YouTube for a week, including 'Dracula' and 'Frankenstein.'
Universal’s latest theater deal brings some movies to streaming faster
Universal Pictures has forged a partnership with Cinemark to make theatrical exclusivity more realistic in the midst of a pandemic. Back in July, the movie studio struck a similar deal with AMC, which will make films available much earlier through streaming/video-on-demand services. The terms with Cinemark’s are a bit different, though.
Universal's deal with AMC shortens theatrical exclusivity to 17 days
The new deal covers Universal films, as well as features from its specialty label, Focus Features.
‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ hits cinemas and on-demand September 1st
Party on demand, dude.
As cinephiles shelter, studios are catching on to virtual movie nights
Compared to a Twitter Watch Party, a Netflix Party is a more intimate affair.
'Cats' is getting new special effects while it's still in theaters
You've seen movies receive visual touch-ups in special edition re-releases, but Universal is trying something new: it's updating a movie while it's still in the middle of its initial theatrical run. The media giant has informed theaters that it's giving them a new version of Cats that delivers "some improved visual effects," according to a memo Hollywood Reporter saw. Insiders talking to the publication said that director Tom Hooper wanted to alter some of the effects after rushing to get the movie ready in time for its December 16th premiere screening.
Recommended Reading: Fighting deepfakes
Top AI researchers race to detect 'deepfake' videos: 'We are outgunned' Drew Harwell, The Washington Post The 2016 US presidential election was plagued by fake news and election meddling across the internet. With the rise of so-called deepfake technology, fact-checkers and arbiters of truth face a new challenge. And as The Washington Post reports, researchers aren't ready to separate the real from the fabricated in 2020.
Universal Pictures will master new and existing titles in HDR10+
Now that Samsung has established HDR10+ as a viable and accessible alternative to Dolby Vision HDR, it's looking to bring more HDR content to viewers. To do so, Samsung is partnering with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) to master a selection of new releases and existing movies and shows with the standard. Not only will we soon have more HDR10+ hardware, we'll also have something to watch on it.
Music labels sue Cox again for allegedly ignoring piracy
Music labels really, really aren't a fan of Cox's internet service. Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. have sued Cox again for contributing to copyright infringement after it allegedly refused to take "reasonable measures" to fight piracy. While internet providers are supposed to terminate the accounts of users who ignore warnings against bootlegging music, Cox only ever conducted "soft terminations" (temporary disconnections) and warned some users over 100 times. It even instituted a cap on the volume of accepted copyright complaints and cut back on the number of anti-piracy staffers, according to the labels.
Facebook could take on Musical.ly with singing-focused Talent Show
If you've been pining for a new way to show off your singing chops, you're in luck. Facebook is apparently developing a new show that will have users record their performances and send them in as an audition. According to researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who found the feature in the Facebook app's code, there's a new interface to find popular songs and then record your own rendition of the tune. Wong says that the feature "feels like a cross between Musical.ly and Fifteen Million Merits from Black Mirror."
The next 'Doom' movie won't play in theaters
Do you remember the original Doom movie from 2005? You'd be forgiven if you didn't -- while it had recognizable stars (most notably Dwayne Johnson), it was a critical and commercial flop that only really found life after it left the big screen. However, that isn't stopping Hollywood from giving it another shot. After years of rumors, NBCUniversal has confirmed to Variety that a new Doom movie is in the works, no doubt meant to capitalize on the game series' revival. Actress Nina Bergman has already revealed that she'll play a role in the movie, which reportedly has a "super cool director."
Netflix rescues sci-fi movie 'Extinction' from oblivion
The Cloverfield Paradox isn't the only sci-fi movie Netflix has saved from Hollywood purgatory. Variety has discovered that Netflix bought the worldwide rights to Extinction, a sci-fi thriller from Universal starring Lizzy Caplan and Michael Pena. The studio was originally slated to have released the alien invasion flick on January 26th, but took it off its release schedule just two months prior -- not exactly a resounding vote of confidence. The title is expected to premiere on Netflix sometime later in 2018.
Shigeru Miyamoto will co-produce a 'Mario' animated movie
Nintendo's third big announcement of the evening (after Switch Online and Mario Kart Tour) comes right back to its main star, Mario, and the news that he will star in an animated movie. Confirming earlier rumors, Shigeru Miyamoto is listed as co-producer along with Illumination Entertainment (Despicable Me, Minions, Ice Age) head Chris Meledandri, but the announcement didn't mention other details like a title or release date. The press release notes that Universal Pictures is co-financing the project and will handle worldwide distribution, and it seems ripe for a tie-in with theme park plans both companies are working on. The big question now is if it will live up/down (depending on how you feel about it) to the reputation of 1993's Super Mario Bros. movie.
YouTube reportedly curbing musician criticism with promotion deals
YouTube has always had a rocky relationship with the music industry, and the struggle looks set to continue following reports that the video streaming service is effectively bribing artists to keep their criticisms to themselves. According to sources cited by Bloomberg, YouTube has given a number of musicians several hundred thousand dollars for promotional support, on the promise that they don't say negative things about the site.
