Did IP Kill the Movie Star? + The End of Coding as a Job?
Social media = smoking? + Anime vs. AI
The Agenda:
Opinion
Did IP kill the movie star? [Hollywood, IP]
The end of coding as a job? [Tech, AI]
YouTube moves closer to becoming TV. [Tech, Media]
Facebook no product roadmap?! [Tech]
US surgeon general warns about social media and teens. [Tech Regulation]
AI + Photoshop. [AI]
Anime vs. AI. [Japan, AI]
Sony may move more into IP and… image sensors. [Japan, IP]
Famous Chinese director to direct gaming IP TV show. [IP, Gaming]
Fast and Furious, the female version. [IP, Hollywood]
A lot of older people play games, too. [Gaming]
Atari buys a ton of IP. [Gaming]
The end of e-sports? [Gaming]
Monday Motivation
Stay the course! (Tina Turner)
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Opinion
Did IP kill the movie star? [Hollywood, IP]
I discussed this in one of the earlier issues of this newsletter, and it may be a recurring theme going forward. Recently, Variety published an article with the eye-catching title, “‘We Used to Treat Movie Stars Like Gods’: Hollywood Grapples With Loss of Young Star Power”. The article considers several factors, such as the collapse of the DVD industry, new tech like streaming, and, of course, IP, and in particular, the shift in promoting IP over stars. I’d add that people’s attention is just fragmented in general, as mobile Internet and UCG has made the war for eyeballs a complete free-for-all. The optimist in me thinks, given proper distribution, the best stuff will still rise to the top. Anyway, this existential questioning about movie stars comes at a time when AI looms on the horizon, and with it the potential hollowing out of Hollywood writers and actors, at least for “generic content”, as I talked about last week. Since Cross Platform and the RG app are all about IP, you know what my bias is regarding where things are going.
[The importance of IP in the digital economy.]
Tech
The end of coding as a job? [Tech, AI]
A potential existential crisis for movie stars, a potential existential crisis for coders. Last month, Business Insider published an article about how software engineers have been the group affected the most by the recent tech layoffs, and also published a thought piece about how gen AI can replace a lot of coding jobs. I had linked to this article previously and talked about premiumization, but this time I want to highlight that it also discusses how coding in particular is at risk being automated. Although that US Labor Department report I mentioned last week talked about positive prospects for software developers, that’s more of managerial role than a programmer, in my view. So, similar to other white-collar jobs and creative jobs, a hollowing out of the middle? I’m curious if it’s an easy transition for coders to get into cybersecurity.
YouTube moves closer to becoming TV. [Tech, Media]
Is it me or are there more ads on YouTube? Anyway, there’s been quite the newsflow on YT recently. Per Digiday, YouTube is “becoming a lot more like TV, and is emblematic of how the definition of TV is changing.” Last year, YT became the most watched service on TV screens in the US, overtaking Netflix, even as YT itself becomes more of TV company - ex. by broadcasting sports, and introducing non-skippable 30s ads. Though advertisers may not want their brands shown next to “non-premium” content on YT, but, on the other hand, YT is a major destination for younger audiences…
Meanwhile, YT ad revenue has been slipping recently, and, at the same time, the company is doing some cracking down on adblockers. Recently, the WSJ did a profile on YT and its new CEO, Neal Mohan. The two key points that interested me was that 1) YT’s costs and profitability are not public (as many of you know, I can’t wrap my head around how expensive user-generated streaming video is), and 2) YT’s ad rates are lower than streamers and TV, whose audiences have more spending power. I’m curious about the demographics that comprise these audiences…
What about the entertainment IP angle? Nothing so far on that end, though I would like to point out that YT had tried it years before with YouTube Red, with the only massively successful IP coming out from that being Cobra Kai, IMO, which ended up on Netflix. While YouTuber-led shows didn’t appear to do as well. This is part of my thesis that audiences are consuming different kinds of media for different purposes.
Facebook no product roadmap?! [Tech]
Saw this on Bloomberg Technology, that’s apparently what some people are saying, may or may not be true. Watch about 42 minutes in.
Tech Regulation
US surgeon general warns about social media and teens. [Tech Regulation]
In the midst of the ongoing global teen mental health crisis, the US surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on what may be negative effects of social media on youth mental health. While the advisory does acknowledge that further research is needed and there are many factors that come into play, it also says there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with youth mental health issues. The new smoking?
AI
AI + Photoshop. [AI]
I talked about Adobe’s gen AI product, Firefly, previously. Now, the company is integrating Firefly into its cloud product, starting with Photoshop. Looks incredibly useful, but, as I’ve said before, gen AI is constrained by its data, so, in cases where you don’t like the assets gen AI generates, I guess you’d still have to draw things yourself…
Japan
Anime vs. AI. [Japan, AI]
A lot of newsflow too about Japanese media and the reaction to gen AI. Key points (also thanks to The Otaku Experience for some of these!):
Japanese UGC sites DLsite, Ci-en, pixiv FANBOX, and Fantia have put up temporary bans/restrictions on AI art, though no end-date, so far. Also, as a reminder, there was backlash vs. Netflix’s anime short that had AI-generated backgrounds.
Most Japanese artists are concerned about gen AI, including the issue about rights infringement. Some are demanding laws that would address such issues.
Voice actors and musicians are concerned as well, as one association also requests protective laws.
On the other hand, editors at Weekly Shōnen Jump and Jump+ have co-developed an AI tool for manga creators to cut down on time to fit script into speech bubbles. Oh my god, I would totally use that.
Sony may move more into IP and… image sensors. [Japan, IP]
Per the FT, Sony, which I had previously opined as having transformed into an IP company, is considering spinning off its financial services division to fund investments in entertainment and… image sensors? What?
I’ve talked about Sony’s IP strategy before, but the image sensor investments make sense when you learn that image sensors are a component of smartphone cameras, and smartphones are the largest segment of the image sensor market.
Therefore, in my view, Sony is pursing a “barbell” strategy in entertainment, positioning itself in both the entertainment IP end and the influencer end. In particular, it is positioning itself upstream in both markets, by providing 1) IP to platforms (streamers, gaming, etc.), and 2) tech to influencers.
Meanwhile, Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida spoke admiringly about Nintendo’s Super Mario IP, and also stated that “[a] lovable IP can survive 30, 50, or 100 years. That is something we would like to make investment into for sustainable growth[.]”
[The importance of IP in the digital economy.]
IP
Famous Chinese director to direct gaming IP TV show. [IP, Gaming]
Zhang Yimou - yes, that Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Hero, opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, multiple award-winner) will be directing a TV series about… e-sports and League of Legends. More on e-sports below.
Fast and Furious, the female version. [IP, Hollywood]
According to Vin Diesel, even as the current Fast and Furious movie franchise wraps up, spinoffs are in the works, including one with a female-led cast.
[Evolving the IP.]
Gaming
A lot of older people play games, too. [Gaming]
45% of people over 50, in the US!
Atari buys a ton of IP. [Gaming]
Going cross-platform with old school games!
[The importance of IP in the digital economy.]
The end of e-sports? [Gaming]
Via the NYT, the economics of e-sports do not appear positive, at least currently.
Monday Motivation
RIP, Tina Turner. Despite all the hardships in her life, the talented musician succeeded against all odds.
Many of us have had it much better than Tina Turner, so there’s no excuse. Stay on course. I would add, stay the course and make sure you’re on the right course by looking at things objectively. If you have determined that you are objectively on the right course, then stick to it and grind past so many people who will try to drag you down.
GO FOR IT! REACH YOUR GOAL!