Together with
Music video mania. Did you catch the VMAs last night? ICYMI, music’s biggest stars rolled out to the red carpet for 2023’s MTV Video Music Awards — everyone from Taylor Swift and SZA to Doja Cat and BLACKPINK. But perhaps the biggest showstopper of the night was a rare NSYNC reunion (shout-out to all the ‘90s kids out there). Truly tearin’ up our hearts.
In other news… Las Vegas’ new 4D venue, TKO rings the NYSE bell, and the scoop on Michelin stars.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Courtesy of Sphere
Las Vegas’ Sphere is already bringing in eyeballs
The Future. Billionaire scion James Dolan’s Sphere at the Venetian (full name thanks to a land bridge that’ll connect the arena to the resort) is preparing for one of the buzziest debuts in recent live event history. The project, which ballooned to $2.3 billion due to COVID cost overruns, has a lot riding on it for parent company Sphere Entertainment Co., but it already has the makings of a Vegas success story. Still, expanding the eye-popping concept to new destinations may prove harder than imagined.
Havin’ a ball
Here’s an eye-opener on what to expect from The Sphere, per Bloomberg.
The arena. The 4D venue has 17,500 seats made to mimic human skin (to not mess up sound quality), an interior plastered with “the highest-resolution LED screens on Earth,” and high-def sound that can allegedly pick up even the most nuanced sounds.
The tech. A new camera system, dubbed “Big Sky,” was developed to capture images for the array of big screen, while a proprietary algorithm ensures everyone will be able to hear musicians the same way, no matter where they are in the arena.
The entertainment. Sphere will host high-profile residencies, starting with U2 (who were paid handsomely) on September 29th, while the first film made for the arena, Darren Aronofsky’s Postcard From Earth, will premiere on October 6th.
The exterior. The arena’s “exosphere” has already become a conversation starter thanks to its wild projections (eyeballs, jack o’ lanterns, etc.). Brands can also book ad space for $650,000 per week.
So, will Dolan pull off his ambitious dream project? According to Arena Digest’s Kevin Reichard, who’s had a preview, “It’s just so far advanced in terms of capabilities, I don’t have any baseline comparison.”
We look forward to getting a peek.
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SPORTS
Those who fight together go public together // Illustration by Kate Walker
TKO rings the NYSE bell
The Future. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel’s newly created fight empire has officially entered the ring… er… public markets. With the intention of not just increasing the footprint of both UFC and WWE but also expanding the divisions’ media output (films, docs, and social content), TKO may supercharge the amount of fighting talent who can become bonafide stars like Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, and Dave Bautista.
Fight empire
TKO Group, the tie-up between WWE and UFC, went public on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol TKO.
Emanuel is the company’s CEO, while WWE’s Vince McMahon is executive chairman and UFC’s Dana White remains CEO of the UFC Division.
The company is valued at $21 billion, but Endeavor (which has 51% ownership) said its results will be reported under its Owned Sports Properties Segment, which includes Professional Bull Riding and Euroleague Basketball.
The new fighting sports giant — which Endeavor president Mark Shapiro says is a complimentary relationship with WWE being more “family-centric,” while UFC is more international and college-age — will reportedly reach viewers in 180 countries and put on more than 350 annual events. Essentially, there’s TKO, and then there’s everyone else.
That’ll be catnip when it comes time to renew broadcast and streaming rights in the coming years (WWE with Fox, and NBCUniversal and UFC with ESPN). In the media landscape, Endeavor will now be the ringleader.
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Social labor
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Here are just a few examples of the kind of tools YouAi gives you access to:
The Social Media Strategist analyzes your current social presence and offers strategic recommendations.
The Blog Post Generator spits out blog posts on any topic in your unique voice.
The Video Script Generator creates a script for your videos in seconds.
FOOD & DRINK
Courtesy of Michelin Guide
Michelin Stars are a high-priced dish
The Future. There’s no plaudit in the food industry quite like a Michelin Star, but NYT reports the pressure to monetize and expand the influence of the brand has led to what some allege is a pay-for-possibly-play scheme. But as Michelin grows the number of its influential offerings, more restauranters will likely lobby for their cities’ tourism boards to pony up rather than get off the hyped (and pressure-filled) merry-go-round.
Privileged tastes
Top chefs in new Michelin destinations like Florida and Colorado are frustrated they won’t end up with a star because of tourism economics.
In Florida, $1.5 million from state and city tourism budgets made sure only restaurants from Miami, Tampa, and Orlando were eligible for stars.
In Colorado, the in-the-works Michelin Guide is only considering restaurants in Denver, Boulder, Aspen, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Snowmass thanks to payments from their tourism boards.
Those scenarios mimic 2019’s updated California guide, which only started to include LA after Visit California paid Michelin $600,000 for its inspectors to take a drive south of the Bay Area and wine country.
Gwendal Poullennec, Michelin’s director of the guides, admits the company does accept “partnership” money from tourism boards, hotels, and food corporations to cover costs (which used to be subsidized by physical guide sales) but stresses the payments have no bearing on what regions and restaurants are selected.
But it’s clear it does have an effect on what restaurants are ultimately considered — a bit of a fib when the Colorado guide markets its “anonymous Inspectors combed the Centennial State for the most delicious spots.”
Yet, with international visitors to Colorado spending five times more than domestic ones, Colorado may not mind the controversy.
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Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Media, Music, & Entertainment
Backed by SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, a California bill that would give striking workers unemployment benefits has passed its first gauntlet to the governor’s desk — the state assembly. Read more → deadline
Western Europe is set to overtake North America in the number of homes that have at least one streaming subscription in 2024, putting it just behind Asia. Read more → thr
Renowned authors like Michael Chabon, David Henry Hwang, and Rachel Louise Snyder are suing OpenAI for copyright infringement over ChatGPT’s ability to generate works trained on their writing. Read more → forbes
Fashion & E-Commerce
Amazon is rolling out a supply chain service that allows merchants to deliver their goods directly to retail stores and warehouses — let’s call it B2B Prime. Read more → bof
Crocs is collabing with DreamWorks Animation on the ugliest pair of Shrek-inspired clogs… and you can bet they’re going to sell out quickly when they drop. Read more → complex
eBay is getting into the fashion consignment market, competing directly with thredUP and The RealReal. Read more → bof
Tech, Web3, & AI
A cyberattack shut down slot machines and hotel room access across MGM Resort locations worldwide. Read more → nyt
Flawless AI has hired Google vet Tim Carter as its VP of Ecosystems, overseeing its newly announced Artistic Rights Treasury Group — a system for tracking, labeling, controlling, and compensating for copyrighted material used by generative AI systems. Read more → variety
Bryan Johnson, the 46-year-old tech millionaire who’s trying to live forever through biohacking (and at one point, mainlining his son’s blood), says he’s a slave to a proprietary longevity algorithm he calls “Blueprint.” Read more → rollingstone
Creator Economy
After what feels like an endless press cycle, TikTok Shop is finally live in the US and ready for endless scrollers’ retail dollars. Read more → nyt
Patreon CEO Jack Conte says he wants the company to facilitate your group chats. Read more → insider
Generative AI platforms selling services for allegedly Turn It In-proof essays are going viral on TikTok and IG just as the school year starts. Read more → fastcompany
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Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Melody Song. Copy edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.