Fox Corp. announced plans to purchase streaming service Roku for $22 billion. If the deal is approved, it would provide FOX with access to more than 100 million global streaming households as well as the Roku channel and its first-party data. The move is part of Lachlan Murdoch’s vision to better compete in the streaming sector. FOX purchased free streaming service Tubi for $440 million in 2020, and last year launched FOX One, a streaming service featuring content from FOX News and other popular FOX TV networks. Read More

The Entertainment Technology Center lost an exceptional friend and Hollywood a true tech visionary when Jerry Pierce passed away April 12. Jerry was a former senior vice president at Universal Studios where he helped guide the transition from film to digital cinema projection. He was instrumental in the advancement of key areas such as DVD, high definition, electronic sell through, and copy protection. Jerry was chairman of the Inter-Society Digital Cinema Forum (ISDCF), which he helped form in 2006, and technical advisor for the National Association of Read More

Elon Musk lost a landmark lawsuit against OpenAI when a federal jury and judge found that he waited too long with claims against Sam Altman. The decision clears the way for an OpenAI IPO as major players in the AI sector – including Anthropic and SpaceX – are preparing to go public. Google unveiled a new AI-powered design and image app for Google Workspace called Pics. And AI is making its way to smart TVs. Samsung’s 2026 lineup, for example, expands enhanced AI features across numerous models. Read More

At the Cannes Film Market, Mandela Pictures and Oceanus Media Global debuted stills from the mystery horror film “Bisikan Desa Gringsing: Whispers of Fatimah” — a three-way co-production between Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia that uses virtual production technology. Creative software developer Foundry unveiled new developments on its Nuke Stage application for end-to-end virtual production, in-camera visual effects, and high-resolution playback. And Beeble’s node-based AI compositing environment Canvas is designed for complex visual effects, post production, and virtual production workflows. These stories and more in this week’s top virtual production news. Read More

Filmmakers at the Cannes Film Festival are making the argument that AI tech should serve filmmakers, rather than replace them, stressing the creative benefits of artificial intelligence. “Hell Grind,” screening at Cannes, is billed as “the world’s first 90-minute sci-fi heist feature film produced entirely using Higgsfield AI.” Cannes also includes a collection of AI-generated shorts created from magazine photos published years ago. And startup TrueShort — which produces AI vertical videos intended for smartphones — has raised $12 million from Khosla Ventures, WndrCo, General Catalyst, and others. Read More

ETC@USC hosted its second Synthetic Media Summit on March 6, convening media and technology leaders to identify AI applications and chart a detailed playbook for an AI-augmented future for human creativity. ETC partnered with Carnegie Mellon University, United Talent Agency, and Machine Cinema to deliver this timely, compelling event. While the Summit was closed to the press and presented off the record, we had an opportunity to speak with Yves Bergquist, director of AI in Media at ETC and the event’s organizer, about what’s next for artificial intelligence. Read More