Category: Entertainment Technology

Ampd Energy partners with Select to reduce emissions in central London | Press Releases | Asia

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Ampd Energy, an Earthshot Prize finalist that has pioneered the use of battery energy storage systems in urban construction, that their flagship product has been launched in the UK, deployed to London’s Olympia Redevelopment. In partnership with Laing O’Rourke, principal contractor for the Olympia Redevelopment, and subsidiary Select, the “Enertainer” has powered three cranes at the construction project in the six weeks since it’s deployment in December. 

With over 130 of the smart batteries live across building sites in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia, the Enertainer is a plug and play device designed for the electrification of construction.

Providing clean, quiet and fully automated energy delivery, it enables construction to transition away from fossil fuels. Thirty times quieter than a diesel generator, the Enertainer is designed for the tough, dynamic and space-constrained needs of construction sites.

In the six weeks since the Enertainer has been operational the advanced energy storage system has introduced significant financial and environmental advantages; over the life of the project, an Enertainer will be more cost effective than using diesel generators, as well as saving space and manpower time. 

According to the IEA, the combined building and construction sector is responsible for 30 per cent of total global final energy consumption and 27 per cent of total emissions in the overall energy sector. Compared to fossil fuel generators, the Enertainer reduces carbon footprints by up to 90 per cent, is significantly quieter, emits zero air pollutants, and eliminates diesel handling and usage risks. 

With very few moving parts, the Enertainer has minimal maintenance and zero refuelling downtime. By replacing diesel with electricity from the grid network, the Enertainer can also realise significant cost-savings as well as operational benefits for construction sites in the UK and around the

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Rise of the Machines: How Technology is Transforming Sport

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Looking to the future, Irwin says his new skeleton-tracking system could result in more decisions by video assistant referee; handballs in soccer, for example. “We’re tracking where the ball hits the hand, the distance between the player and the ball, and the speed of the ball. And we can we provide this information to the referee. We won’t make the decision for them but we can give them more information so they can make a better-informed decision.

This raises the question of whether human referees and officials will eventually become extinct. Irwin thinks not, citing tennis as an example. He explains how Hawk-Eye enabled professional tennis to be staged soon after the global Covid pandemic since it precluded the need for multiple officials on the court’s edge, checking every line call. Even then, the chair umpire was still essential as a supervisor of the machines.

“The more we can automate and objectify things the better,” Irwin adds. “But I think it’s good to have that human aspect, and we’ve got the technology to support them.”

And, lest we forget, technology is not 100 per cent reliable either. In Gaelic football’s 2022 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final between Derry and Galway, Hawk-Eye was suspended at half-time after wrongly ruling that a point-scoring kick from Derry’s Shane Walsh had missed the target. The referee initially called it correctly. Then he changed his mind after the Hawk-Eye verdict. Finally, following a further video review, the point was reinstated.

Even when sports officiating is totally faultless, there is still another human element that technology cannot control. As Irwin says: “I’m a soccer fan myself. And fans don’t always want the right decisions. They just want the decisions that are right for their team.”

Holding the line

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,

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Sapphire Sport Again Convenes Big Names in Sport, Business and Entertainment to Raise Oversubscribed $181M Second Fund Platform taking AUM to ~$300M(1)

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LPs include City Football Group, Sinclair, AEG, MSG Sports, Bank of Montreal and Team Ownership Across Major Global Sporting Leagues

New Fund Vehicle to Focus on Early-Stage Tech Companies Tapping into the Next Generation of Consumer Behavior 

NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Sapphire Sport, an early-stage investment platform at the intersection of technology, sport, media and entertainment, has convened several new investors to join existing LPs from their first fund platform to announce an oversubscribed $181M second fund vehicle (2) backed by major names across sport, business and media. Following its $117M initial fund vehicle (3) announced in January 2019, which includes investments in companies like Overtime, Tonal and Fevo, this new effort will continue to focus on Seed to Series B companies powering the next generation of consumer behavior across media, digital commerce, gaming, health and human performance, culture and community.

Co-founded and led by Doug Higgins and Michael Spirito, Sapphire Sport pairs technology investment experience with a unique LP base of iconic brands across global sport, business and media. Participation includes returning investors like anchor City Football Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group, adidas, Anschutz Entertainment Group, Bank of Montreal, Intersect Capital, the ownership of the Indiana Pacers, WISE Ventures (the investment fund of the Wilf family), Jeff Vinik (owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning) and Skyland Partners, among others. New investors include Madison Square Garden Sports, Arctos Partners, Pentland Group, Gametime Capital, Stephen Kaplan (Chairman of Nalpak Capital), Stephen Pagliuca (Co-Chairman of Bain Capital, co-owner of the Boston Celtics), David Blitzer (owner of several teams) and CAZ Investments, among others. 

“When we launched Sapphire Sport in 2019, we believed that the sport, media and entertainment industries would be better served by an institutional investment approach to the sector, one that brought the

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IMAX China Reports Second Highest CNY Four-Day IMAX box office total of RMB 161 million

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SHANGHAI, Jan. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — IMAX China box office over the Chinese New Year period held strong with record Day 3 and Day 4 box office results as moviegoers continue to flock to theaters over the holiday period. IMAX China grossed 161million RMB in four days, an increase of 42 % over the same period last year and the second-highest four-day Chinese New Year opening ever. In addition, IMAX’s market share for the holiday period to date was 3.5 %, an increase of 86.3bps points over last year.

The 2023 Chinese New Year film line-up is one of the strongest and most diverse in recent years, with IMAX featuring 4 out of the top 5 films, including “The Wandering Earth 2” （Filmed for IMAX）, “Full River Red”, “Deep Sea”, and “Hidden Blade”. The positive reaction from Chinese moviegoers to this year’s films is a key driver in the recovery of cinema attendance. The Wandering Earth 2″ also opened in 31 IMAX theatres in North America on 22 January, with IMAX accounting for 30% of the film’s three-day gross USD 340k.

IMAX theaters in China will continue to feature Chinese New Year’s titles throughout the holiday and into February. Disney/Lightstorm’s “Avatar: The Way of Water”, the second highest-grossing IMAX film in China with more than $50 million, will continue its successful run in China. Disney/Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” will also debut in China on Feb 7 and Feb 17 respectively.

About IMAX Corporation

IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture, and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you’ve never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theaters to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and,

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NY AG’s office calls on Madison Square Garden to explain use of facial recognition to bar lawyers from venues

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Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com

New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office wants Madison Square Garden Entertainment CEO James Dolan to explain reports that he is using facial recognition software at MSG and other venues he owns to identify and bar entry of attorneys who work at law firms representing anyone in litigation against him.

In a letter sent to MSGE lawyers on Wednesday, Kyle S. Rapiñan of the AG’s office’s Civil Rights Bureau cited reports of the company’s practice of denying admission to venues including Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, affecting thousands of lawyers in roughly 90 law firms.

“We write to raise concerns that the Policy may violate the New York Civil Rights Law and other city, state, and federal laws prohibiting discrimination and retaliation for engaging in protected activity. Such practices certainly run counter to the spirit and purpose of such laws, and laws promoting equal access to the courts,” the letter said.

Rapiñan explained that not allowing lawyers to enter MSGE venues if they have connections to litigation against the company, could “dissuade such lawyers from taking on legitimate cases, including sexual harassment or employment discrimination claims.” He also said that trying to dissuade people from bringing discrimination claims or encouraging people to drop existing lawsuits so they can enter the venues for entertainment events could be in violation of city or state laws against retaliation.

JUDGE SLAMS JAMES DOLAN FOR ‘TOTALLY CRAZY’ FACIAL RECOGNITION BAN ON LEGAL FOES FROM VENUES

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 05: An exterior view of Madison Square Garden prior to the game between the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues on December 05, 2022 in New York City.  ((Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) / Getty Images)

The letter also raised issues with the

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