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IGNITION ZEITGEIST
Ignition Zeitgeist is a handy resource for staying ahead of the cultural curve, covering the latest trends in entertainment, tech and marketing. Delivered straight to your inbox, Ignition Zeitgeist is designed for everyone who wants to stay informed, but only has time for the headlines. Whether it's the latest industry flash-in-the-pan, intriguing augurs of genuine cultural and societal change or the latest ephemeral viral sensation... Ignition Creative has you covered.
Trending… news to be aware of
Trending 1: Sesame Street heads to Netflix
The what… When the iconic kids educational television show returns for its 56th season later this year it will be to a new home. The new seriers of Sesame Street is heading to Netflix along with 90+ hours of previous content, after HBO Max chose not to renew its deal. Netflix will allow PBS stations in the U.S. to continue showing Sesame Street free of charge to ensure maximum access for young people.
Oscar the Grouch… President Trump moves to eliminate Sesame Street
Can you tell me how to stream Sesame Street… ‘Sesame Street’ heads to Netflix
Bad days happen to everyone… Sesame Street's parodies of Donald Trump
Trending 2: MAX reverts to HBO MAX
The what… Two years after a high profile rebrand of their HBO Max platform to Max, Warner Bros Discovery has decided to revert to the original name. The 2023 decision to rebrand as Max was in part driven by a desire to give the service a broader appeal.
Walk Back Decision… Warners reverses course: Changes Max’s name back to HBO Max
Quality press release... Official announcement
The Comeback... The 46 best HBO shows ranked, from ‘Succession’ to ‘Room 104’
Trending 3: Rockstar delay GTA VI
The what… The long awaited Grand Theft Auto VI has been delayed until May 2026. Originally penciled to drop in Autumn 2025 the postponement has created a seismic shock in the industry. The GTA franchise is a behemoth and the announcement of a new title influences the release strategies of any publishers planning to release games in the same window as they pivot to avoid competing with the unassailable juggernaut.
Worth the wait... Grand Theft Auto VI delayed until May 2026
Vice City… GTA VI trailer 2
Rocking the boat... Grand Theft Auto 6’s delay just affected the entire video game industry
Trending 4: Trump’s Movie Tariffs
The what… The most beautiful word in the dictionary ‘tariff’ will soon be applied to the film industry if Donald Trump has his way. In a late night post the US president took the entertainment industry by surprise when we raised the possibility of 100% tariffs on movies not made in the US.
No business like tariff business… Trump’s movie tariffs plan catches Hollywood off guard
Trending 5: Google Launches New Film and TV Production Studio
The what… Google is bringing its capital and technological prowess to the worlds of film and TV in partnership with Range Media Partners. The initiative known as ‘100 Zeros’ will focus on projects which spotlight emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and spatial computing.
A sign of things to come?… Google launches new film and TV production studio, partnering with Range Media
Six finger sums... Alphabet, Meta offer millions to partner with Hollywood on AI
Trending 6: ‘Thunderbolts*’ Flies to Solid $76M Opening
The what… Thunderbolts*, the latest offering from Marvel Studios, has proven a hit with cinemagoers. The movie which follows an unconventional team of antiheroes scored a robust opening and strong reviews. Thunderbolts* has been supported by a significant marketing campaign which has included a number of interesting activations, some of which have generated significant online buzz.
Super solid... ‘Thunderbolts*’ flies to solid $76M opening
Super interesting… ‘Thunderbolts*’ asterisk revealed: Marketing an Avengers movie that isn’t really an Avengers movie
Super geeky... Watch Sebastian Stan replace ‘Thunderbolts*’ film poster with one for ‘*The New Avengers’
Monitoring… news to keep an eye on
Monitoring 1: Entertainment / Video Game Crossovers
The what… With 40+ video game based movies currently in development and a string of recent success stories to prove the model, we’re excited to see our two favourite sectors collide and are eagerly watching to see if these crossovers can continue to realise their potential. In this section we also cover video games based on entertainment IP.
Monitoring 2: AI Marketing
The what… Where to start… AI is already having a tangible influence on the entertainment and creative sectors, with the potential for greater impact yet to come. Ignition Zeitgeist will tease out the latest meaningful developments and noteworthy uses.
Monitoring 3: TikTok
The what… it’s been hard to escape the existential drama concerning the future of TikTok in the US. With an array of high profile suitors waiting in the wings and a change of administration, it feels like there are lots of twists and turns to come.
News: TikTok fined €530m by Irish regulator for failing to guarantee China would not access user data
Insight Of The Week
The below infographic from research company mindGame Data highlights the huge appeal of the Grand Theft Auto series. The visualisation shows that GTA VI is currently generating 65% of total demand across all unreleased games. Source: mindGAME Data
Ads We Love
We love this recent content activation by tech company JBL. They have identified a trend amongst their customers who buy their PartyBox speaker only to return it after the party. The Unreturnable PartyBox was made for those who return PartyBoxes once the party's over. Luckily, nobody knows returns better than Devin Hester—pro football’s greatest return man of all time. View the ad here.
WTF Of The Week
More than two million people recently attended a free Lady Gaga concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The pop star's biggest ever concert was paid for by the city in an attempt to revitalise Rio's economy. Full story here.
And Finally
We were delighted to receive 9 nominations for the upcoming Golden Trailer Awards, including two nominations in a single category. Winners will be announced on 29th May.
