Instagram has released a standalone video editing tool called Edits that is being described as a full-fledged suite that also has camera capabilities. The resulting content can be released on any social platform, not just those from Meta Platforms, though an Instagram account is required to access Edits. Available worldwide for iOS and Android, Edits is positioned as a way for social videographers to level-up their Instagram or Facebook Reels, but also as a tool for professionals who want a simple mobile solution for short-form videos. Edits also offers analytics so creators can see how their work is performing. Continue reading Instagram ‘Edits’ Video App Is Released for iOS and Android

ByteDance is testing TikTok for Artists, a free feature performers can use to manage music and mesh with fans. Aimed at generating exposure and building engagement, the feature also provides analytics — from fan insights to performance metrics and trend reports. The Artists platform is now being tested in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and New Zealand. Though the U.S. deadline for ByteDance to remove TikTok from Chinese control was extended by 75 days (a second time) from April 5 to June 19, the social media app’s future here is more uncertain than ever. Continue reading ByteDance Tests TikTok for Artists with Its U.S. Fate in Limbo

Vimeo is launching Vimeo Streaming, a turnkey platform that allows businesses, creators, and just about anyone to create and monetize their own branded streaming service. The announcement was timed to the 2025 NAB Show. Vimeo suggests the new offering — described as “a technological leap forward for content and media businesses” — is the next generation of its existing over-the-top product that is already helping creators earn $429 million per month. The approach is similar to YouTube with more design flexibility and brand control, but living on the Web, outside the cozy confines of social media with its built-in audiences. Continue reading Vimeo Streaming Helps Creators Build Subscription Platforms

Substack has enabled video publishing directly from within the Substack app. The move is designed to increase user engagement while helping its authors monetize, including with smartphones. Each video post can be formatted to reach subscribers instantly through email, app notifications, or both. “With millions of weekly active users and 1 million posts discovered daily, the Substack app has become the leading driver of subscriber and revenue growth for publishers building sustainable, independent businesses,” the company claims. The Substack network has also become a discovery ecosystem, helping creators find potential subscribers. Continue reading Substack Now Lets Creators Monetize with Video Publishing

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Pro, a $200 per month subscription plan that provides unlimited access to the full version of o1, its new large reasoning model, and all other OpenAI models. The toolkit includes o1-mini, GPT-4o and Advanced Voice. It also includes the new o1 pro mode, “a version of o1 that uses more compute to think harder and provide even better answers to the hardest problems,” OpenAI explains, describing the high-end subscription plan as a path to “research-grade intelligence” for a way for scientists, engineers, enterprise, academics and others who use AI to accelerate productivity. Continue reading OpenAI Announces $200 Monthly Subscription for ChatGPT Pro

Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) announced the availability of its next-gen Cloud TV platform designed for global broadcasters and video service providers. Cloud TV provides companies with a system for delivering a multi-platform TV experience across broadcast and OTT via the cloud. The company promises a streamlined experience that will help broadcasters, content owners and distributors “limit costs, reduce duplicative efforts, and monetize more effectively.” In addition to tools for transcoding, content processing, distribution, and managing metadata, Cloud TV also addresses areas such as advertising, subscriptions and analytics. Continue reading Comcast Announces Its Next-Generation Cloud TV Platform

In its first week of public beta, Anthropic’s “Computer Use” feature is gaining immediate traction, helping people do research and complete coding tasks. Claude works autonomously in Computer Use mode, suggesting broad implications for future productivity and workforce goals. Coming on the heels of OpenAI’s Swarm framework, these early forays into independent AI assistants seem to indicate that implementing such systems will be an area of focus for businesses in 2025. Claude can “see” what’s onscreen and use its “judgment” to adapt to different tasks, segueing across workflows and software. Continue reading Anthropic’s AI Agents for Claude Sonnet Increase Productivity

Amazon is transferring its OpenSearch platform to the Linux Foundation’s new OpenSearch Software Foundation. By handing a third-party the open-source project it has developed internally since 2021, Amazon hopes to accelerate collaboration in data-driven search and analytics, an area of focus due to the proliferation of model training. Not to be confused with commercial search (Google, Bing), engines like OpenSearch are geared toward enterprise and academia. Because it is licensed under Apache 2.0, OpenSearch is a viable starting point for organizations that customize internal platforms for searching, monitoring and analyzing large volumes of data. Continue reading AWS Transfers OpenSearch Stewardship to Linux Foundation

Meta is rolling out new Threads features for brands and creators in its continued push to take market and audience share from X. Although the Threads social networking platform still does not accept advertising, it is clearly working to create a brand friendly environment as it prepares to launch paid media. The platform has added insight tools that measure content performance across age, gender and geography. Also new is the ability to reorder columns and to save up to 100 drafts per account. Scheduled posts are “coming soon.” The new features are available for web users and are being explored for mobile. Continue reading Meta’s Threads Offers Analytics as it Prepares to Accept Ads

TikTok is widely launching its promotional discovery feature, TikTok Spotlight, which lets marketers tap into its vaunted “For You” feed. Movie studios, TV networks and streamers are invited to promote their products adjacent to For You feed content identified as having related interest. “TikTok Spotlight identifies applicable TikToks on our platform and attributes an anchor link” that “drives audiences to a dedicated landing page where they can discover more details,” like synopsis, cast, and user-generated content. Users can link to streaming platforms, digital storefronts or theater ticket sales “directly from the landing page.” Continue reading TikTok Spotlight Offers Studios, Networks New Marketing Tool

Google-owned video giant YouTube is experimenting with a new mid-roll advertising format that aims to be less disruptive for live-streaming viewers. YouTube is testing the new format, which positions ads alongside a live stream using a picture-in-picture feature. Currently, the ad breaks occupy the full screen, cutting abruptly from the content in progress, which can be disruptive. With the new format viewers can keep their eyes on live content during the ad break. YouTube’s mid-roll PiP ad tests are part of its fight against ad blockers, use of which has seen some viewers cut off from the platform. Continue reading YouTube Testing a New Ad Model for Live-Streaming Viewers

OpenAI has acquired Rockset, a database firm that provides real-time analytics, indexing and search capabilities. Rockset will help OpenAI enable its customers to better leverage their own data as they build and utilize intelligent applications. Rockset technology will be integrated into the retrieval infrastructure across OpenAI products, with members of Rockset’s San Mateo, California-based team joining the staff of OpenAI, which is headquartered in San Francisco. This is the second major purchase for OpenAI, following last year’s acquisition of New York-based AI design studio Global Illumination. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Continue reading OpenAI to Expand Data Indexing, Analysis with Rockset Tech

Nielsen will begin measuring the performance of Lionsgate‘s MovieSphere channel (available on 18 streaming platforms), making it the first major FAST service to get a deep dive regularly disseminated to clients by the analytics firm. Nielsen also collects data from Roku, Peacock, Pluto and Tubi, compiling them as part of the macro view in its monthly trends report “The Gauge.” Detailed MovieSphere data will now be collected and distributed to Nielsen’s ad buyer clients along with the material they receive for traditional networks. Lionsgate launched MovieSphere in 2020, serving-up free movies in AVOD and linear formats. Continue reading MovieSphere Is First Major FAST Channel Measured by Nielsen

New York-based Qloo has raised $25 million to fund an artificial intelligence-powered analytics engine. Drawing on consumer behavioral data from around the globe, Qloo uses proprietary algorithms to filter through more than half a billion attributes, including brands, music, film, TV, podcasts, dining, travel and more. Qloo’s AI models “are capable of identifying trillions of connections between these entities,” the company says, listing Netflix, Michelin and Samsung among those already using the service to find connections between customers who frequent Starbucks and the kind of movies they like. Continue reading Qloo Raises $25M for Ad-Targeting Using AI Taste Predictions

Spotify and Apple are running neck-and-neck in U.S. podcasting, with various surveys showing one or the other in first place. Not wanting to be shown up by Apple, which launched new creators tools this week, Spotify followed suit at the Podcast Movement conference in Denver, announcing customization features and a new audience performance dashboard. For the first time, podcasters will be able to customize parts of their podcast landing page, adding a bio and social media handles. “Spotify is working to build a more robust podcast ecosystem that serves creators, listeners, and advertisers at scale,” said Austin Lamon, director of podcasts. Continue reading Spotify Upgrades Podcast Customization, Audience Analytics