Rodri, Bonmatí Claim 2024 Ballon d’Or Awards; Hayes Wins Women’s Coach of Year
The prestigious Ballon d’Or award celebrates the best men’s and women’s footballer of the season, and this year’s honorees are none other than Manchester City’s Rodri and Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmatí. Bonmatí, who takes home the Ballon d’Or Féminin for the second straight season, won the Women’s Nation League title with Spain and, at the club level, the UWCL trophy with Barcelona. Meanwhile, Rodri is a reigning Premier League champion with Man City, and he also helped Spain win its fourth European Championship over the summer. Elsewhere at the award ceremony on Monday, Emma Hayes won the first-ever Women’s Coach of the Year award for her final season with Chelsea, which included her seventh Super League crown, as well as the start of her tenure with the US Women’s National Team.
UMG Aims to Create Ethical AI Tools with New KLAY Partnership
Universal Music Group shared Monday that it has entered a strategic partnership with Los Angeles-based AI music firm KLAY Vision to develop new tools for artists within the music industry. “Building generative AI music models ethically and fully respectful of copyright, as well as name and likeness rights, will dramatically lessen the threat to human creators and stand the greatest opportunity to be transformational, creating significant new avenues for creativity and future monetization of copyrights,” the release states. UMG also boasts partnerships with ProRata.AI, YouTube/Google, Endel, BandLabs, SoundLabs, and Roland.
World Series Draws Record Viewership in Japan, Younger Audience Increase in the US
Baseball fans across the globe are fully locked in to the World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers, as MLB revealed Monday that a combined 29.7 million average viewers in the US and Japan tuned in for the first two games. Game 2 of the series turned out to be the most-watched MLB postseason ever in Japan with 15.9 million average viewers, which is also the second-most watched MLB contest ever in the country after Shoehei Ohtani and Co. playing in Seoul, South Korea, earlier this season, which drew 18.7 million average viewers. Additionally, a younger US audience is tuning in to this year’s Fall Classic, with viewership in the 18- to 34-year-old range increasing 93% from last year.
Method Man Teams Up with PLL on ‘Five Boroughs Collection’
Method Man is the face of a new capsule by the Premier Lacrosse League that celebrates New York City’s deep connection with the sport. The Five Boroughs Collection is “made to highlight and give back to the players and organizations who continue to do the work for the love of the game,” per the website. The lucky clubs receiving PLL and Champion-branded merch are Harlem Lacrosse, Bronx Lacrosse, Brooklyn Lacrosse, Hempstead Lacrosse, and City Lax. Consisting of hoodies, tees, and headgear, the Five Boroughs Collection is available to shop now.
Jon Stewart Extends Deal to Host ‘Daily Show’ Through December 2025
Jon Stewart will continue hosting The Daily Show each Monday through December 2025, Paramount Global announced on Monday. Stewart will also remain an executive producer for the rest of the week as the show rotates between other hosts. Since returning to his post in January after parting ways with the series in 2016, Stewart has yet another Emmy in the Outstanding Talk Series category, a category he won for 10 straight years from 2003 to 2012.
Netflix Reveals ‘Moments’ Feature, Allowing Users to Share Scenes on Social
Netflix announced Monday that it has added a new feature that allows users to share scenes from movies and TV shows directly to various social media apps. Called Moments, members can bookmark a scene while watching on their phone and save it directly to their My Netflix tab for easy access later. Subscribers can also share their favorite parts on social media via a button embedded in the app. The streaming service highlights the new feature in an accompanying global campaign that featured Cardi B, Simone Biles, and Giancarlo Esposito. Available on the iOS app as of Monday, an option for Android will soon follow.
Jordan Brand Unveils New Shoe with Help from Rhyne Howard, Kiki Rice, & More
Jordan Brand is capitalizing on the growth of women’s basketball with the arrival of a new sneaker silhouette. Called the Jordan Heir Series, the new shoe was created with the input and feedback of some of Jordan Brand’s biggest WNBA and college hoopers, such as Rhyne Howard, Jordin Canada, Kiki Rice, and Kiyomi McMiller. “Put simply: The women’s game is compelling young people all over the world to play basketball like she does, and the Heir Series channels that inspiration into a silhouette every athlete can use to level up,” said the press release. The lowest shoe in the company’s basketball lineup, the sneaker is made for players of all levels, regardless of whether one is a novice or experienced. The Jordan Brand Heir Series silhouette retails for $110 and is available now.
Eastside Golf to Host Celebrity Pro-Am Ahead of Rolling Loud Miami
Lifestyle brand Eastside Golf and Rolling Loud are teaming up again to highlight the relationship between golf and hip-hop with an extensive partnership at Rolling Loud Miami later this year. The Rolling Loud Invitational will be a celebrity pro-am tournament scheduled for Dec. 12 ahead of the music festival happening Dec. 13-15 at Hard Rock Stadium. Proceeds from The Rolling Loud Invitational will go toward schools within the City of Miami Gardens and support national HBCU golf programs.
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