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Dec 11 (Reuters) – Walt Disney said on Thursday it will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI and that the companies have agreed to bring the entertainment giant's characters to OpenAI's Sora video generation tool. As part of the three-year licensing agreement, Sora will be able to generate short, user-prompted social videos that draw on more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters. A selection of the videos made by users will also be available for streaming on the Disney+ platform. Disney will also use OpenAI's application programming interfaces to build new products and tools, becoming a major customer of the ChatGPT maker. It will also deploy ChatGPT for its employees, the companies said. (Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)

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Dec 11 (Reuters) – Entertainment giant Disney said on Thursday it will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI and that the companies have reached an agreement to bring Disney characters to OpenAI's Sora video generation tool. (Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Elvira Pollina COLOGNO MONZESE, Italy, Dec 11 (Reuters) – Pier Silvio Berlusconi, chief executive of European broadcaster MFE-MediaForEurope, said he would prefer Paramount’s Skydance rather than Netflix as a buyer for Warner Bros Discovery, arguing the move would boost competition in the streaming industry. Paramount Skydance has launched a hostile bid worth $108.4 billion for Warner Bros Discovery, challenging a rival offer from Netflix, in a battle that is rattling the global entertainment industry. "It would mean that instead of three major over-the-top players – Netflix, Amazon and Disney– there would be four, adding another competitor for them,"  Berlusconi said at a press briefing at MFE's headquarters near Milan late on Wednesday. The growing dominance of global streaming platforms is eroding Europe’s traditional broadcasting industry, siphoning off viewers and advertising budgets. Controlled by Italy’s Berlusconi family, MFE has been an active player in a wave of consolidation sweeping Europe’s broadcasting sector this year, as part of a strategy it sees as vital to withstand global video platforms by building an advertising-funded European champion. The Milan-listed company, which runs TV operations in Italy and Spain, in September secured control of German rival ProSiebenSat.1 after a 1.4 billion euro bid. Recently it also  bought a stake in Portuguese media firm Impresa.  The  MFE CEO, the eldest son of the late Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, struck a cautious tone over advertising sales in the final quarter of the year, a crucial moment for broadcasters as they seek to capture corporate advertising spending in the run-up to Christmas. "We are not in a position to make forecasts because the economic and advertising outlook in Italy, Spain and Germany is challenging. It’s not a good quarter,” he said, adding he still expected to post an annual profit and to distribute a dividend similar to the past year. Berlusconi said MFE will now focus on turning around ProSiebenSat.1 with a new business plan that includes cost cuts but no layoffs. Asked about new potential deals in France and Britain, the executive said ideally both markets, where MFE explored acquisitions in the past,  fit MFE's strategy but the company needs to move forward step by step after making a big leap this year.   (Reporting by Elvira PollinaEditing by Keith Weir)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Elvira Pollina COLOGNO MONZESE, Italy, Dec 11 (Reuters) – Pier Silvio Berlusconi, chief executive of European broadcaster MFE-MediaForEurope, said he would prefer Paramount’s Skydance rather than Netflix as a buyer for Warner Bros Discovery, arguing the move would boost competition in the streaming industry. Paramount Skydance has launched a hostile bid worth $108.4 billion for Warner Bros Discovery, challenging a rival offer from Netflix, in a battle that is rattling the global entertainment industry. "It would mean that instead of three major over-the-top players – Netflix, Amazon and Disney– there would be four, adding another competitor for them,"  Berlusconi said at a press briefing at MFE's headquarters near Milan late on Wednesday. The growing dominance of global streaming platforms is eroding Europe’s traditional broadcasting industry, siphoning off viewers and advertising budgets. Controlled by Italy’s Berlusconi family, MFE has been an active player in a wave of consolidation sweeping Europe’s broadcasting sector this year, as part of a strategy it sees as vital to withstand global video platforms by building an advertising-funded European champion. The Milan-listed company, which runs TV operations in Italy and Spain, in September secured control of German rival ProSiebenSat.1 after a 1.4 billion euro bid. Recently it also  bought a stake in Portuguese media firm Impresa.  The  MFE CEO, the eldest son of the late Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, struck a cautious tone over advertising sales in the final quarter of the year, a crucial moment for broadcasters as they seek to capture corporate advertising spending in the run-up to Christmas. "We are not in a position to make forecasts because the economic and advertising outlook in Italy, Spain and Germany is challenging. It’s not a good quarter,” he said, adding he still expected to post an annual profit and to distribute a dividend similar to the past year. Berlusconi said MFE will now focus on turning around ProSiebenSat.1 with a new business plan that includes cost cuts but no layoffs. Asked about new potential deals in France and Britain, the executive said ideally both markets, where MFE explored acquisitions in the past,  fit MFE's strategy but the company needs to move forward step by step after making a big leap this year.   (Reporting by Elvira PollinaEditing by Keith Weir)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES, Dec 10 (Reuters) – For James Cameron, following the release of the 2025 movie “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” it’s imperative to cut costs for future “Avatar” franchise films.  If the Canadian and New Zealand filmmaker can’t find a way to make the cost of production “cheaper,” he may be “doing something else” before getting to the fourth and fifth “Avatar” films that he’s previously announced plans for.  “There are many, many variables ahead of us before we can talk about four and five and beyond," he told Reuters.  "It’s a universe, like the (George) Lucas universe, for example, it’s open-ended. I’ve only imagined a few more stories. Maybe it continues. Maybe it doesn’t,” he added. "Avatar: Fire and Ash," distributed by Disney, is scheduled to debut in movie theaters on December 19, continuing the saga of the blue Na'vi people. Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully, and Zoe Saldana portrays his wife, Neytiri. All three of the “Avatar” films that have been completed utilize advanced motion capture technology, requiring large-scale budgets.  Cameron worries that with the popularization of streaming platforms, less people will see films in the movie theaters, including his “Avatar” projects. However, he remains optimistic.  “I still think people want to go have that deeper, more profound experience that you have when you can’t pause it (a movie). The second you can pause it, you lose that,” the Oscar-winner said.  For the cast members, it was meaningful to find emotional connections to their characters to keep themselves immersed in the fictional world.  “I plastered burn victims all over my trailer, which was horrific,” said Oona Chaplin, who portrays the new antagonist named Varang, the Na'vi leader of the volcano-dwelling clan.  While she said she doesn’t think she would do that again, it did help her channel some of her character’s anger and grief.  Similarly, Zoe Saldaña, who reprises her role as Neytiri, said that being a real-life mother helped her channel Neytiri’s grief after losing a child. Cameron applauded each actors’ authentic performance, noting that “Avatar” does not use any generative AI (artificial intelligence) to develop films.  “We have not historically used generative AI on “Avatar” films. I think the broad public doesn’t know how we’ve made these movies. They think it’s some kind of computer thing and now AI,” he added.  While the idea of synthetic actors replacing human actors worries the “Titanic” director, he does see the value in using AI as a supplementary tool to support creative endeavors.   (Reporting by Danielle Broadway, Editing by William Maclean)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES, Dec 10 (Reuters) – For James Cameron, following the release of the 2025 movie “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” it’s imperative to cut costs for future “Avatar” franchise films.  If the Canadian and New Zealand filmmaker can’t find a way to make the cost of production “cheaper,” he may be “doing something else” before getting to the fourth and fifth “Avatar” films that he’s previously announced plans for.  “There are many, many variables ahead of us before we can talk about four and five and beyond," he told Reuters.  "It’s a universe, like the (George) Lucas universe, for example, it’s open-ended. I’ve only imagined a few more stories. Maybe it continues. Maybe it doesn’t,” he added. "Avatar: Fire and Ash," distributed by Disney, is scheduled to debut in movie theaters on December 19, continuing the saga of the blue Na'vi people. Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully, and Zoe Saldana portrays his wife, Neytiri. All three of the “Avatar” films that have been completed utilize advanced motion capture technology, requiring large-scale budgets.  Cameron worries that with the popularization of streaming platforms, less people will see films in the movie theaters, including his “Avatar” projects. However, he remains optimistic.  “I still think people want to go have that deeper, more profound experience that you have when you can’t pause it (a movie). The second you can pause it, you lose that,” the Oscar-winner said.  For the cast members, it was meaningful to find emotional connections to their characters to keep themselves immersed in the fictional world.  “I plastered burn victims all over my trailer, which was horrific,” said Oona Chaplin, who portrays the new antagonist named Varang, the Na'vi leader of the volcano-dwelling clan.  While she said she doesn’t think she would do that again, it did help her channel some of her character’s anger and grief.  Similarly, Zoe Saldaña, who reprises her role as Neytiri, said that being a real-life mother helped her channel Neytiri’s grief after losing a child. Cameron applauded each actors’ authentic performance, noting that “Avatar” does not use any generative AI (artificial intelligence) to develop films.  “We have not historically used generative AI on “Avatar” films. I think the broad public doesn’t know how we’ve made these movies. They think it’s some kind of computer thing and now AI,” he added.  While the idea of synthetic actors replacing human actors worries the “Titanic” director, he does see the value in using AI as a supplementary tool to support creative endeavors.   (Reporting by Danielle Broadway, Editing by William Maclean)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

COPENHAGEN, Dec 10 (Reuters) – Iceland will not take part in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, the country's public broadcaster RUV said on Wednesday, after organiser the European Broadcasting Union last week cleared Israel's participation. The decision to allow Israel to take part in the next Eurovision, which will be held in Vienna in May, earlier prompted Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia to withdraw in protest, citing Israel's conduct in the Gaza war. "It is clear from the public debate in this country and the reaction to the EBU's decision last week that there will be neither joy nor peace regarding RUV's participation," the broadcaster's Director General Stefan Eiriksson said in a statement. Iceland was among the countries that had requested a vote last week on Israel's participation. But the European Broadcasting Union, or EBU, decided not to call a vote on Israel's participation, saying it had instead passed new rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest. Iceland has never won the song contest but came second in 1999 and 2009. The Eurovision Song Contest dates back to 1956 and reaches around 160 million viewers, according to the EBU. (Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Copenhagen and Essi Lehto in Helsinki, editing by Terje Solsvik)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)