The CBD Industry Just Shed 1,000 Brands. Here’s Why Analysts Still See Strong Growth Ahead

The boom happened--to the tune of 562% growth in a single year--and the bust was inevitable, with analysts last summer predicting "an extinction event" in the U.S. CBD market that would wipe out some of the 3,000 brands in the space. That forecast turned out to be accurate, according to a new Brightfield Group report...

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Facebook Details Olympics Initiatives Across Its Family of Apps

The last notes of Friday's Opening Ceremony have faded, and Facebook's family of applications is ready for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. Facebook rolled out a hub that includes: highlights from official Olympic broadcast partners; overviews of athletes and teams; explainers on competitions that are new to the Games; Olympics history; and posts...

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AI Tool Shows How Machine Learning Could Make Video Editing More Efficient

A new AI tool is attempting to harness some of the recent advancements made in machine learning's video production capacities behind a sleek user interface. Sequel, a program from startup Runway ML, brings together various machine learning-enabled video editing functions like color correction, instant masking and video generation into a web-based app....

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Facebook Brings Cloud Games to iOS via a Web App

Apple may have indirectly provided the inspiration for the route Facebook took to bring cloud games to iOS. In just one of several instances where Facebook and Apple have butted heads, the social network released a stand-alone Facebook Gaming application for iOS last August--minus the games. The two companies were unable to reach an agreement...

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Dick’s Sporting Goods Aims to Empower Women Athletes Across America With Olympic Tie-In Ad

With the Olympics underway, retailer Dick's Sporting Goods has released a wide-ranging campaign that continues its message of empowering women athletes in local communities across America. Created by agency Anomaly, "There She Is" features several women as they participate in their chosen sports set to the classic Bert Parks song of the same name. The...

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Cleveland Indians Are Now Cleveland Guardians

Indians are not Cleveland's mascot. On Friday morning, Cleveland's Major League Baseball team replaced the Native American moniker and imagery it had used since 1915 and adopted a new identity. It followed a decision by the National Football League's Washington, D.C. franchise to remove an offensive name and Native imagery last year. A video posted...

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How the Pandemic Accelerated Restaurants’ Digital Transformation

Blaze Pizza is a fast casual chain known for customization, with a choice of five doughs and 45 toppings. So when the pandemic hit, and customers couldn't stand at the counter to make those selections, an unexpected error occurred frequently with online orders: Customers confused the chopped garlic with roasted garlic. That led to lots...

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Here’s Why You Might Have to Pay to Watch US Olympic Men’s Basketball

The Tokyo Summer Olympics finally kick off today after a year-long delay, but fans of men's basketball seeking to stream the Olympic Men's team's match-up against France on Sunday may find themselves bumping up against a paywall when they look to tune in. That's because Peacock, which is making a wide swath of its Olympics...

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OOH Ad Platform Receives $30 Million in Series B Funding From Lamar Advertising

In another sign the out-of-home advertising market is returning to pre-pandemic levels, Vistar Media, an automated platform for digital ads, received $30 million in Series B funding from Lamar Advertising Company, an outdoor advertising firm that operates billboards, logo signs and transit displays in the U.S. and Canada. "We knew that out of home would...

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Netflix Stunt Brings Horror Movie to Life on the Streets of Milan

"Everyone is entitled to one good scare" claims Sherrif Brackett from John Carpenter's seminal horror movie Halloween. But judging from the reactions of the victims of Netflix's stunt to scare the public to promote its new Italian film A Classic Horror Story, maybe not everyone agrees. The movie, released on Netflix on July 14 and...

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