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(Reuters) -Fox Corp beat estimates for quarterly revenue on Thursday, boosted by strong advertising sales at its free streaming platform Tubi. Advertising revenue grew 6% in the quarter, primarily due to continued digital growth at Tubi and stronger ratings and pricing across Fox's news and NFL broadcasts. The results highlight the company's continued reliance on digital growth and live programming to offset pressure from a soft cable TV market and rising content costs. Tubi continued to be a bright spot for Fox, widening the company's footprint in the fast-growing ad-supported streaming market and pulling in younger, cord-cutting viewers who are turning away from traditional television. The company's first-quarter revenue rose 5% to $3.74 billion, compared with the estimates of $3.57 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. (Reporting by Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)

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By Rishabh Jaiswal (Reuters) -Universal Music Group said on Wednesday it has settled a copyright infringement case with artificial intelligence company Udio and that the two firms will collaborate on a new suite of creative products. Under the agreement, the companies will launch a platform next year that leverages generative AI trained on authorized and licensed music. UMG Chairman Sir Lucian Grainge said the agreements "demonstrate our commitment to do what's right by our artists and songwriters, whether that means embracing new technologies, developing new business models, diversifying revenue streams or beyond." Udio CEO Andrew Sanchez said the companies are "building the technological and business landscape that will fundamentally expand what's possible in music creation and engagement." In 2024, major record labels Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Records had sued Udio and another AI firm called Suno, accusing them of committing mass copyright infringement by using the labels' recordings to train music-generating AI systems.  The labels alleged that the AI companies copied hundreds of songs from some of the world's most popular musicians to teach their systems to create music that will "directly compete with, cheapen, and ultimately drown out" human artists. At the time, Suno and Udio argued that using copyrighted sound recordings to train their systems qualified as fair use under U.S. copyright law and described the lawsuits as attempts to stifle independent competition. The lawsuit is one of several high-stakes cases brought by copyright owners including authors, news outlets and visual artists against tech companies for allegedly using their work without permission to train AI. Sony and Warner's cases against Udio are still ongoing, as are all three labels' cases against Suno. UMG is the world's biggest music label, and its catalogue of artists also includes Taylor Swift, BTS, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and Lady Gaga. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru and Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Michael Perry)

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

(Reuters) -Universal Music Group said on Wednesday it has settled a copyright infringement case with artificial intelligence company Udio and that the two firms will collaborate on a new suite of creative products. Under the agreement, the companies will launch a platform next year that leverages generative AI trained on authorized and licensed music. In 2024, major record labels Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Records had sued Udio and another AI firm called Suno, accusing them of committing mass copyright infringement by using the labels' recordings to train music-generating AI systems. The labels alleged that the AI companies copied hundreds of songs from some of the world's most popular musicians to teach their systems to create music that will "directly compete with, cheapen, and ultimately drown out" human artists. At the time, Suno and Udio argued that using copyrighted sound recordings to train their systems qualified as fair use under U.S. copyright law and described the lawsuits as attempts to stifle independent competition. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Manhattan dismissed rapper Drake's defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us" against UMG, which releases both artists' music. Lamar and Drake had been engaged in a long-running feud with several high-profile diss tracks against each other. UMG is the world's biggest music label, and its catalogue of artists also includes Taylor Swift, BTS, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and Lady Gaga. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

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

(Reuters) -Universal Music Group said on Wednesday it has settled a copyright infringement case with artificial intelligence company Udio and that the two firms will collaborate on a new suite of creative products. In 2024, major record labels Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Records had sued Udio and another AI firm called Suno, accusing them of committing mass copyright infringement by using the labels' recordings to train music-generating AI systems. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

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

(Reuters) -Universal Music Group said on Wednesday it has settled a copyright infringement case with artificial intelligence company Udio and that the two firms will collaborate on a new suite of creative products. In 2024, major record labels Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Records had sued Udio and another AI firm called Suno, accusing them of committing mass copyright infringement by using the labels' recordings to train music-generating AI systems. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

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

(Reuters) -Universal Music Group said on Wednesday it has settled a copyright infringement case with artificial intelligence company Udio and that the two firms will collaborate on a new suite of creative products. In 2024, major record labels Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Records had sued Udio and another AI firm called Suno, accusing them of committing mass copyright infringement by using the labels' recordings to train music-generating AI systems. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

(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 Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -The superstar rapper Drake is appealing the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's Grammy-winning diss track "Not Like Us," according to a court filing on Wednesday. Drake will ask the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan to overturn the October 9 dismissal by U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas. UMG releases Drake's and Lamar's music. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Drake's appeal, but has said it was pleased with the dismissal. Drake, whose given name is Aubrey Drake Graham, sued UMG in January over its promotion of "Not Like Us," saying the song deceives listeners into believing the false accusation that he is a pedophile. The lawsuit follows a decade-long feud in which Drake and Lamar released diss tracks said to target each other. Lamar is not a defendant. In dismissing the case, Vargas said Lamar's lyrics were not defamatory because they amounted to opinion. "Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts," Vargas wrote. The appeals process could last at least several months. "Not Like Us" won Grammy Awards in February for record and song of the year, and spent three weeks atop Billboard's Hot 100. Lamar performed it at this year's Super Bowl halftime show. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

(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 Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -The superstar rapper Drake is appealing the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's Grammy-winning diss track "Not Like Us," according to a court filing on Wednesday. Drake will ask the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan to overturn the October 9 dismissal by U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas. UMG releases Drake's and Lamar's music. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Drake's appeal, but has said it was pleased with the dismissal. Drake, whose given name is Aubrey Drake Graham, sued UMG in January over its promotion of "Not Like Us," saying the song deceives listeners into believing the false accusation that he is a pedophile. The lawsuit follows a decade-long feud in which Drake and Lamar released diss tracks said to target each other. Lamar is not a defendant. In dismissing the case, Vargas said Lamar's lyrics were not defamatory because they amounted to opinion. "Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts," Vargas wrote. The appeals process could last at least several months. "Not Like Us" won Grammy Awards in February for record and song of the year, and spent three weeks atop Billboard's Hot 100. Lamar performed it at this year's Super Bowl halftime show. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

(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 Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -The superstar rapper Drake is appealing the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's Grammy-winning diss track "Not Like Us," according to a court filing on Wednesday. Drake will ask the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan to overturn the October 9 dismissal by U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas. UMG releases Drake's and Lamar's music. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Drake's appeal, but has said it was pleased with the dismissal. Drake, whose given name is Aubrey Drake Graham, sued UMG in January over its promotion of "Not Like Us," saying the song deceives listeners into believing the false accusation that he is a pedophile. The lawsuit follows a decade-long feud in which Drake and Lamar released diss tracks said to target each other. Lamar is not a defendant. In dismissing the case, Vargas said Lamar's lyrics were not defamatory because they amounted to opinion. "Although the accusation that Plaintiff is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and offensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reasonable listener to believe that 'Not Like Us' imparts verifiable facts," Vargas wrote. The appeals process could last at least several months. "Not Like Us" won Grammy Awards in February for record and song of the year, and spent three weeks atop Billboard's Hot 100. Lamar performed it at this year's Super Bowl halftime show. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

(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 Hanna Rantala LONDON (Reuters) -Netflix fantasy series "The Witcher" returns to screens after more than two years with a new lead actor and a fresh tone, its makers say. The new instalment, which starts streaming on Thursday, sees Australian actor Liam Hemsworth taking over the role of Geralt of Rivia from Henry Cavill, who played the monster hunter since the series began in 2019 and stepped down after 2023's season three. The show is based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski's books, and follows Geralt as he hunts monsters in a fantasy realm known as the Continent. "It was definitely an interesting decision to make, it's a unique situation," Hemsworth said of taking over the role mid-series. "It wasn't lost on me that there's a massive, passionate fan base that really care about this character and this world. As a fan myself, I felt like I could bring something to it and I wanted to do justice to this world." Hemsworth came to the project with "a lot of ideas", hoping to inject some levity into Geralt's storyline. "I'm playing my interpretation of what I think is going to be beneficial to this world, this story and his journey," he told Reuters. Creator Lauren Schmidt Hissrich said season four strikes a balance between the dry sense of humour brought by Hemsworth and "super dark moments". "It feels like a refresh for the show," she said. "Liam brings a new energy and everyone rose to meet that, including how the show looks, how it sounds, how it moves." In season four, Geralt, who was last seen separated from princess Ciri and sorceress Yennefer, teams up with new travel companions and makes emotional connections. "Matrix" actor Laurence Fishburne is another addition, playing vampire Regis. New to the fantasy genre, Fishburne was drawn by the diversity he saw in earlier seasons. "The way that they cast this world was very non-traditional. This world looks like the world that we all live in," he said. Season four was filmed with the fifth and final season. Together they cover Sapkowski's three remaining novels "Baptism of Fire", "The Tower of the Swallow" and "Lady of the Lake". (Reporting by Hanna Rantala;Editing by Alison Williams)

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