AI-generated Willy Wonka event ends up with tears, police

Even regular Willy Wonka is kind of creepy, but apparently an event group called the House of Illuminati found a way to make the story even more upsetting. At a pop-up advertised as an “immersive experience” in Glasgow, Scotland, parents and children were dismayed to discover that the images promoting the event were simply AI generated fabrications, while the actual experience was something more like an empty warehouse with a few awkward lollipop statues. “Wouldn’t recommend this company for anything,” said one parent. 850 refunds were issued.

Lying AI ads for a Willy Wonka attraction led to crying children and a visit from the cops

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55% of Americans think they are at least “somewhat” cool — which celebrities do they say the same for?

Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Jordan, and John, Paul, George, and Ringo all make the cut.

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$135B 🎥

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Netflix on Tuesday announced that it has spent more than $135 billion on licensing and original film and TV over the past decade.

“While other entertainment companies pull back, we’re leaning in — spending tens of billions of dollars on content every year, investing in production facilities from Spain to New Jersey,” co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in a blog post accompanying a new interactive site called “The Netflix Effect.”

According to Netflix, the company has contributed $325 billion to the global economy in that time, creating more than 425,000 jobs.

As Sherwood News has previously reported, Netflix continues to increase its content spend, but that investment has notably slowed in recent years when weighed against revenue, dropping from a content spend ratio of $0.72 per $1 of revenue in December 2019 to $0.40 per $1 in March. This year, the company has projected a content spend of $20 billion, up 10% year over year. The company’s annual revenue forecast is between $50.7 billion and $51.7 billion.

All that spending has paid off for Netflix, too: the streamer has pulled in more than $46 billion in profit over the past decade.

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Ask.com just quietly shut down after almost 30 years in operation

The search engine follows a spate of Y2K sites to the digital graveyard as AI bots take over the query space.

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Disney is no longer considering spinning off ESPN, reports Business Insider

Disney’s new CEO, Josh D’Amaro, is said to have decided against spinning off sports giant ESPN, according to reporting by Business Insider.

The House of Mouse may still seek other partners to take minority stakes in ESPN, per the report. The NFL gained a 10% stake in the company last year in a deal that saw ESPN acquire NFL Network.

There’s been an ongoing push for several years to spin off ESPN, both inside Disney and from analysts and activist investors. Earlier this year, ESPN Chair Jimmy Pitaro downplayed rumors that emerged amid D’Amaro’s takeover, saying he’s heard the rumor since “the day [he] started at ESPN eight years ago.”

Disney shares were essentially flat in after-hours trading following the report.

Disney has decided to keep ESPN

Disney shares were essentially flat in after-hours trading following the report.

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