The European Commission is weighing whether to launch an in-depth investigation into Microsoft’s $10 billion investment in OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT and other leading AI systems. At issue are EU merger rules. If the regulators find that the companies breached competition laws, it could lead to a full-scale probe and potential restrictions on the partnership.
Source: OpenAI Under Scrutiny as EU Unpacks Microsoft Deal – Decrypt
SAG-AFTRA signed a deal on Tuesday with an AI voiceover studio that sets terms for the use of artificial intelligence in video games. The union announced the deal with Replica Studios on Tuesday at CES in Las Vegas. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s executive director, said that the terms include informed consent for the use of AI to create digital voice replicas, as well as requirements for the safe storage of digital assets.
Source: SAG-AFTRA Signs Deal With Voiceover Studio for AI Use in Video Games
While custom GPTs built by OpenAI are available through the explore tab of ChatGPT Plus, the store would let users share and monetize their GPTs. OpenAI has said it plans to figure out a way to pay GPT creators based on how much their AI agents on the store are used, but it has not released any other details about the plan.
Spotify and others had pushed for both a voluntary-contribution system as well as a model wherein the tax would be spread out among radio stations, physical sales, and more. But with the efforts having failed to bring about the desired result, Antoine Monin, Spotify’s MD for France and Benelux, made clear earlier in December that his company may well pass on the new charge to subscribers.
Source: Spotify France Preps Price Increase Amid ‘Streaming Tax’ Rollout
Going into 2024, podcasting executives remain incredibly bullish on growth in the sector, with an eye to creating multiple revenue streams for creators and using artificial intelligence and video to expand the audience. While the podcast sector faced some pullback in the past year, Wondery CEO Jen Sargent and Conal Byrne, CEO of the iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group, say they believe there’s still room for the medium to expand
Source: After a Year of Pullback, Podcast Industry Hopes to Regroup In 2024 — With an AI Boost
Music streaming services have raised concerns over the French government’s proposed tax on music streaming services. Amongst the companies slamming the new plans is Spotify, which has warned that such a move may lead to the company deprioritizing France in the future. Antoine Monin, the Director General of Spotify France, expressed his dismay, labeling the tax a “monumental strategic error, which goes against the issues of economic, cultural and European technology”.
Source: Spotify and Deezer slam French government’s plans to introduce a ‘music streaming tax’ in the market
The perception, fueled by big content removals, is that streamers are ruthlessly paring back the number of movies and series available to users and at the same time raising subscription rates. But the data doesn’t back that up. Among the seven biggest subscription video-on-demand services, only one — Amazon’s Prime Video — has seen its overall catalog shrink between January 2021 and October 2023, according to an analysis by streaming aggregator Reelgood.
Source: Streaming Giants Weigh Costs of Big Licensed TV and Movie Libraries
The European Parliament on Wednesday followed the advice of its film and TV industry and did not ban geo-blocking for films and TV content across the European Union. Parliament instead opted to further assess the potential impact of a geo-blocking ban, which the audio-visual industry claims would destroy existing business models and result in billions in losses.
Source: European Parliament Votes Not to Ban Geo-Blocking for Film and TV — For Now
Epic Games scored a big win in its legal fight with Google after a jury found the internet giant operates a monopoly over Android apps. Following a monthlong trial, a jury in U.S. District Court in San Francisco issued a verdict Monday that found Google has monopoly power in Android app distribution and in-app billing services markets. In addition, the jury found that Google illegally tied its Google Play app store and its Google Play Billing payment services.
Source: Jury Finds Google App Store Is a Monopoly in Victory for Epic Games