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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: Disney gets a new CEO after Bob Iger’s departure
The what… Josh D’Amaro, head of Disney’s highly successful parks division, is set to take over from Bob Iger as the next chief executive of The Walt Disney Company. Dana Walden, who leads Disney’s television and streaming operations and was widely seen as the other top candidate for the CEO position, will step into the role of president and chief creative officer.
So Long, Farewell… Disney names parks boss Josh D’Amaro as new CEO to replace Bob Iger
You’ve Got A Friend In Me… New Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro lays out his priorities in first memo to staff
Trending 2: The 98th Academy Awards
The what… The 98th Oscars, helmed once again by Conan O’Brien, delivered a night filled with long-awaited triumphs, surprising turns, and memorable highlights that will be talked about for years to come. In a ceremony marked by its unpredictability, One Battle After Another and Sinners emerged with notable wins, while Timothée Chalamet was left waiting for his big moment.
Fire And Ash... The winners and losers of the 2026 Oscars
Host Supreme... Conan O’Brien does it again — this time, for the cinephiles
One Award After Another... The complete list of winners and nominees
Trending 3: Phil Spencer leaving XBOX
The what… After close to four decades with the company behind Xbox, including 12 years leading its gaming division, Phil Spencer is stepping down as CEO of Microsoft Gaming. He will remain with the company in an advisory role until the end of the year. Taking over the CEO position is Asha Sharma, who most recently served as president of product development within Microsoft’s CoreAI unit. Before joining Microsoft in 2024, she held the role of chief operating officer at Instacart and earlier worked as a vice president of product at Meta.
METAmorphosis... Xbox shake-Up: Phil Spencer exiting as CEO of Microsoft Games Group, Asha Sharma set as successor
Xtraodinary tenure... Phil Spencer was good for Xbox, but his legacy is complicated
Maybe Phil was just Xasperated… Todd Howard would really have preferred not to announce The Elder Scrolls 6 a full 8 years ago
Trending 4: AI’s assault on the world of film continues
The what… Generative AI’s expansion into the creative industries has ignited a heated clash, with critics describing it as a flood of hollow slop and the web feeling increasingly overwhelmed by machine-produced material. Hollywood hasn’t been spared either, with many high-profile film industry figures openly condemning the growing use of the technology.
Paineful... Darren Aronofsky’s AI-generated show contains garbled neural gore, even just in the teaser trailer
Changing Lanes... Why did Ben Affleck start an AI company in secret?
In pace requiescat... A movie will resurrect Val Kilmer with AI
Ars gratia artis... AI “filmmaker” gets funding, begs for ideas on what to actually make
Trending 5: Project Hail Mary heads for the stars
The what… Ryan Gosling’s new Sci-Fi comedy Project Hail Mary has garnered the best domestic opening ever for an Amazon MGM Studios movie achieving $80m at the US box office. The movie also secured the best opening for Lord and Miller as directors (ahead of Lego Movie‘s $69M opening) and Gosling’s second-best opening after Barbie ($162M). Worldwide, Project Hail Mary achieved an impressive $141m.
Coneheads... What ‘Project Hail Mary’ gets right – and wrong – about astrophysics, according to an astrophysicist
A New Hope... Project Hail Mary is the ultimate 'Hopecore' space movie
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.
Monitoring 4: Acquisitions, Mergers and Partnerships
The what… are they aren’t they? Who is courting who? Never shy of getting down in the gutter like a pap waiting outside the Ivy, Ignition brings you the latest conscious couplings, shippings and unrequited loves.
Insight Of The Month
The Oscars drew 17.9 million viewers on Sunday night, a 9 percent decline from last year’s broadcast, according to Nielsen. The ratings bucked the trend of a four-year rise for the Oscars. It was also the first time in several years that viewership fell for all three major award shows (The Oscars, Grammy Awards and Golden Globe Awards). Read more here.
Tool Of The Month
Our good friends at Big Games Machine recently shared a useful new tool developed by Yodo 1 Games called IPVerse. The data intelligence platform was designed for game developers to research and identify IP that fits their licensing, partnership and marketing objectives, but is useful for any entertainment brand looking for potential IP collaborations. IPVerse is free to use and can be accessed here.
Source: Yodo 1 Games (IPVerse)
Don’t Believe Everything You See On The Internet…
Recent research by the Press Gazette has revealed a new wave of likely fake and AI-generated “experts” appearing in UK media outlets. The study analysed 50 articles each from five UK news brands that included ‘expert’ quotes.
From a total sample of 250 articles published across The Sun, Daily Express, Mirror, Daily Mail and Daily Star in 2025 and late 2024, the researchers found that 27 of the cited experts either do not exist, cannot be verified or traced online, or were not named at all. Read more here.
Source: Press Gazette
Don’t Believe Everything You See On The Internet… 2
US actress Zendaya has reacted with a mix of amusement and confusion to viral images that appear to show her wedding to fellow actor Tom Holland. Dozens of the AI-generated pictures have circulated online, with many people reportedly believing they are real, she said during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s chat show.
She explained that while she was out in public, people approached her saying her “wedding photos” looked beautiful—prompting her to respond: “Babe, they’re AI. They’re not real.” Read more here.
Source: BBC
Ads We Love
A Day in the Life of an Ensh*ttificator - Norwegian Consumer Council
The Norwegian Consumer Council has created a dark comedy video, all in the name of ‘enshittification’, coined by writer Cory Doctorow to describe the rapid decline in quality of digital platforms.
The council’s report, Breaking Free: Pathways to a fair technological future, digs into this degraded environment and urges regulation.
The council and 70 consumer groups in Europe and the US are sending a letter to policymakers in the EU/EEA, UK and the US. View the ad here.
Source: Ad News
