Today is a somber day in the entertainment industry. The Walt Disney Company, an iconic media and entertainment conglomerate, is having its second, and largest, round of three planned layoff waves this week, resulting in the closure of its streaming service Disney World and layoffs at its popular streaming service Hulu (#Disney #Hulu #Layoffs #Streaming #DisneyWorld). The move came after Disney saw a massive surge in subscribers for its Disney+ platform, reaching over 60 million worldwide. These drastic changes are part of the company’s plans to streamline its streaming operations and give its focus to Disney+. At the same time, Disney World subscribers will be offered a free month of Disney+, in an acknowledgement of their loyalty.

In addition to its streaming platform shakeup, Disney is also pushing hard into the world of AI research. At Google I/O 2023, the company showed its progress in bringingAI to its services, such as Search, Docs, Slides and more. This progress, coupled with its recent Meta open-source ImageBind AI tool focusing on predicting connections between data similar to the way humans perceive or imagine an environment, will further expand Disney’s AI capabilities.

Meanwhile, Meta, a startup focused on augmented reality, which released the ImageBind AI tool, has also been making waves. This week, they proudly announced their newest face, Czech model Eva Herzigova, who was famous for her iconic “Hello Boys” campaign for Wonderbra in 1994 (#Meta #AugmentedReality #EvaHerzigova #Model). The team at Meta is committed to representing unique and diverse talent from all over the world, and Eva is a perfect addition to their family.

As the media and entertainment industry changes rapidly, thanks to technological advancements and the rise of AI, Disney and Meta are both setting the stage for how the industry will adapt in the coming years. #Disney #Hulu #Layoffs #Streaming #DisneyWorld #Meta #AugmentedReality #EvaHerzigova #Model