Victor Wembanyama Spurs Ticket Sales in San Antonio
Spurs season ticket interest is up after the NBA franchise secured the No. 1 pick and the right to draft top prospect Victor Wembanyama first. As of Wednesday at 2 p.m. 2,136 new season ticket membership deposits were placed since the Spurs won the lottery Tuesday night.
Disney Abandons Plans for New $1B Florida Campus
Disney is forgoing plans to open up a new employee campus in Lake Nona, Florida, amid rising tensions with governor Ron DeSantis. Citing “changing business conditions” and the return of CEO Bob Iger, chairman of Disney’s parks, experiences and products division Josh D’Amaro notified employees Thursday, announcing that the company will not move forward with construction of the campus and as such, will renounce the request that more than 2,000 staffers relocate to Florida. “This was not an easy decision to make, but I believe it is the right one,” a portion of D’Amaro memo read.
ChatGPT Is Coming for iPhones
The AI takeover is upon us. OpenAI announced on Thursday that its wildly popular app ChatGPT will be available to iPhone users via the app store. The company also confirmed that an Android version is in development and will be “coming soon.” UBS anticipates that the company will continue to explode, projecting that it will be worth $90 billion by 2025.
Manny Machado to Invest in San Diego MLS team
On Thursday, Major League Soccer announced the arrival of its 30th expansion team, and it’s got a famous face as part of its ownership group. Per the league, San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado has signed on as a backer for the soon-to-be-named San Diego franchise. “I am grateful for the opportunity to join the San Diego MLS ownership group. I continue to plant roots in this amazing community that means so much to me and build upon my connection with the incredible fans,” said Machado. Machado iinked an 11-year, $350 million extension with the Padres in February, and that could be enough to keep the 30-year-old in southern California for the remainder of his pro career.
Metro Boomin Reveals He’s Behind the Upcoming ‘Spiderverse’ Soundtrack
On Wednesday, producer Metro Boomin confirmed his involvement in the sequel to the 2018 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse film. The highly anticipated second installment, titled Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, premieres in theaters June 2, the same day Metro Boomin’s project will drop. The St. Louis native is also expected to have a cameo in the flick, appearing as an alternative form of Spider-Man. The film also stars Oscar Isaac, Bryan Tyree Henry, Jake Johnson and Shameik Moore reprising his role as Miles Moralses/Spider-Man.
Natalia Bryant Scores Internship With Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment
Natalia Bryant, the eldest daughter of Kobe Bryant, is keeping busy over the next few months. On Thursday, it was revealed that the USC sophomore is interning for Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour. Queen B credited everyone that helped make the tour come to life, and Bryant’s name is listed under the Parkwood Entertainment portion.
Boardroom’s Vinciane Ngomsi has the complete story on Natalia Bryant’s exciting summer.
Netflix’s Ad-tier Subscription Option Drives Sales Surge, Boosts Stock
After a challenging 2022, 2023 is looking up for Netflix. The streaming giant announced on Wednesday that its foray into ad sales has driven the company’s revenue up, attracting more than 5 million new subscribers, 25% of whom opted into the newest offering. The option allows for a lower monthly subscription rate through the addition of ads to its original and curated programming. In response, the stock leapt nearly 10% during trading on Thursday. Netflix revealed the numbers as part of its debut upfront event during which they teased upcoming content for potential advertisers.