Happy Friday!
Our favorite news this week is Oprah and Barack Obama's "In-Person" interview. It is very interesting to see how TV companies are levelling up production technology to respond to the constraints of COVID-19.
Thanks to the combination of live streaming and green screen technology, Oprah and Barack Obama were able to have a “face to face” interview sitting in the same cozy living room, when in fact Oprah was in her home in Santa Barbara and Obama was in a studio in Washington. We certainly enjoyed watching it!
This week saw more innovation in shopping tools but from non-obvious sources. Microsoft Edge added a price comparison feature to its Edge browser, and Flipboard is adding curated daily deals to make its shopping experiences easy and enjoyable.
HBO Max has had an eventful week! Having finally reached a deal with Amazon to distribute the streaming service on Amazon Fire devices, it has also announced that the upcoming blockbuster movie Wonder Woman 1984 will premiere in the HBO Max app at no extra cost to subscribers, on the same day it comes to cinemas. And fans of Conan O'Brien can expect to see a new weekly variety show coming to HBO Max soon.
Also, interactive video takes a giant leap into mainstream TV, with Comcast launching an interactive livestream around its reality show The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on its X1 and Flex platforms. This experience is based on technology developed by interactive video company Watchwith, which Comcast acquired in 2017.
Until next week!
'Galaxy's Edge' lets you choose your own 'Star Wars' VR adventure
And finally...
VR storytelling has just been kicked up a notch with Galaxy's Edge VR adventure.
Tales from the Galaxy's Edge launched on the Oculus Quest store immerses players in the universe of Star Wars and gives them the freedom to play it however they like!