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  • OpenAI to Shut Down Sora Video App, Derailing $1 Billion Deal with Disney

    OpenAI to Shut Down Sora Video App, Derailing $1 Billion Deal with Disney

    In brief

    • OpenAI says it will shut down the Sora AI video-generation app and API.
    • Sora evolved from a text‑to‑video tool tied to ChatGPT into a full‑blown social video platform.
    • The shutdown also appears to end a reported $1 billion Disney investment tied to licensing major characters.

    OpenAI will shut down Sora, its AI video-generation platform that allowed users to create short videos from text prompts, as it pivots to “world simulation research to advance robotics,” the company told Decrypt on Tuesday.

    The decision to end its standalone generative video product appears to also disrupt a planned entertainment partnership with Disney tied to the app.

    “As we continue to focus on our roadmap to AGI and the compute needed to deliver agentic AI capabilities, we’re making the tough decision to discontinue supporting Sora as a consumer app and API offerings,” the company added.

    No changes will be made to the AI Image Generator inside ChatGPT, OpenAI confirmed.

    OpenAI said it will share more information soon, including timelines for shutting down the app and its API and details on how users can preserve their work.

    The fallout from OpenAI’s announcement has been swift.

    A proposed $1 billion investment from Disney connected to Sora is no longer moving forward after OpenAI announced it would shut down the app, according to a report by Deadline.

    OpenAI first introduced Sora in February 2024 as a text‑to‑video model that could turn written prompts into short clips.

    The company later expanded the technology with Sora 2, a more advanced model released alongside a standalone Sora mobile app.

    “When we released Sora, our goal was to teach AI to understand and simulate the physical world in motion,” the company said. “We will continue to prioritize longer-term world simulation research, especially as it pertains to robotics and helping people solve problems that require real-world interaction.

    While OpenAI’s entry into video generation was highly anticipated, it became a consistent money drain for the company, reportedly costing about $15 million per day.

    The Sora iOS app introduced a social-style video feed where users could generate and share AI-created clips.

    It also included “cameos,” a feature that allowed users to insert themselves into AI-generated scenes after recording a short video to capture their likeness and voice.

    Sora quickly drew scrutiny as it became widely available.

    Legal experts warned the system could recreate recognizable characters and copyrighted franchises, raising intellectual property concerns.

    Researchers also warned that Sora could be used to spread misinformation, noting that the system produced realistic-looking news footage depicting events that never happened, including of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wearing a cat suit.

    Critics also argued that tools like Sora, designed to generate and distribute low-quality synthetic media, also known as AI slop, could flood the internet.

    In December, OpenAI and Disney announced a three-year agreement that would have allowed the company to license roughly 250 Disney characters from franchises including Frozen, Star Wars, and Marvel for use in AI-generated videos.

    “This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly to promote innovation that benefits society, respect the importance of creativity, and help works reach vast new audiences,” Altman said in a statement at the time.

    Disney said it respects OpenAI’s decision to exit the video-generation business and will continue exploring other ways to work with generative AI.

    “We appreciate the constructive collaboration between our teams and what we learned from it, and we will continue to engage with AI platforms to find new ways to meet fans where they are while responsibly embracing new technologies that respect IP and the rights of creators,” a Disney spokesperson reportedly said.

    Editor’s note: Adds comments from OpenAI

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  • Duffy to Speak About Sexual Assault, Kidnapping and Absence From Music for First Time in Disney+ Documentary

    Duffy to Speak About Sexual Assault, Kidnapping and Absence From Music for First Time in Disney+ Documentary

    Duffy, the Welsh singer-songwriter who had a massive hit with “Mercy” in 2008 and then retreated from the limelight, is set to tell her story in a new Disney+ documentary.

    The announcement was made at Series Mania on Wednesday by Angela Jain, Disney+’s head of content for EMEA, in a keynote address. In 2020, Duffy revealed in a social media post that she had stepped away from music in 2011 after being kidnapped and raped.

    Duffy “disappeared off the face of the earth and hasn’t really spoken about what happened in that time, other than about five or six years ago in a social media post,” Jain said, calling the feature-length doc a “really powerful project.”

    “She has entrusted us with her story, so we really have a huge responsibility to handle this with care and sensitivity, because she’s speaking about what happened to her for the first time,” she added. Production is starting soon on the documentary.

    After the initial revelation, Duffy shared details of the kidnapping in a 3,000-word post on her website. “It was my birthday, I was drugged at a restaurant, I was drugged then for four weeks and travelled to a foreign country,” she wrote. The perpetrator, whose name she did not reveal, “made veiled confessions of wanting to kill me.”

    Duffy continued: “It didn’t feel safe to go to the police. I felt if anything went wrong, I would be dead, and he would have killed me. I could not risk being mishandled or it being all over the news during my danger. I really had to follow what instincts I had.”

    She eventually did tell the police, but said in the post that she has felt “petrified” ever since. Of a potential return to music, Duffy said at the time: “I’m doing this to be freed, for all of me to be freed. What follows remains to be seen.”

  • Tom Brady, Jason Kelce, Charles Barkley Among 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Nominees (FULL LIST)

    Tom Brady, Jason Kelce, Charles Barkley Among 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards Nominees (FULL LIST)

    Alex Rodriguez, Tom Brady, Jason Kelce, Richard Sherman, J.J. Watt and Charles Barkley are among the on-screen sports talent landing nominations for the 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards. The full list of nominees, announced Wednesday by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, is led by ESPN, which earned 62 nominations (bolstered by programs including “E60”).

    This Sports Emmys eligibility period covers the calendar 2025 year.

    “From the intensity of live competition to the depth of long-form storytelling, this year’s Sports Emmy nominees capture the full spectrum of what makes sports television so powerful,” said Amy Schmelzer, Head of Sports Emmys, in a statement. “These creators are not only advancing the craft through technical and creative excellence, but also deepening the connection between fans and the moments that define our culture. We look forward to celebrating the meaningful impact they continue to have on audiences everywhere.”

    The Sports Emmys’ 47 categories include Outstanding Live Special, Outstanding Studio Host, Event Analyst, and Emerging On-Air Talent, among others.

    “This class of Sports Emmys nominees showcases the dynamic evolution of sports television, pushing creative boundaries and redefining how stories are told on and off the field,” said NATAS president/CEO Adam Sharp. “As sports programming continues to rank among the most popular and valuable content in media — dominating television viewership and driving streaming growth — these nominees represent the best of the industry. Whether through groundbreaking technical innovation or compelling, character-driven storytelling, we are proud to recognize their outstanding achievements at this year’s Sports Emmy Awards.”

    Host and lifetime achievement honoree will be announced later. The Sports Emmys will take place on Tuesday, May 26, at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York.

    Here are this year’s nominations:

    Outstanding Live Sports Special: Championship Event
    College Football Playoff: National Championship (ESPN [Two Circles])
    Fox MLB: World Series – Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Dodgers (Fox)
    The Masters (CBS)
    NBA Finals (ESPN)
    Super Bowl LX (NBC | Peacock)

    Outstanding Live Sports Special: Non-Championship Event
    Fox MLB: The 95th All-Star Game (Fox)
    151st Kentucky Derby (NBC | Peacock)
    Monsters Funday Football (ESPN [Beyond Sports | Pixar | NFL])
    NHL in ASL: 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series (NHL Productions)
    NHL on ESPN: 4 Nations Face-Off (ESPN)

    Outstanding Live Sports Series
    Fox NFL (Fox)
    Monday Night Football (ESPN | ABC)
    Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli (ESPN [Omaha Productions])
    Sunday Night Football (NBC | Peacock)
    Thursday Night Football (Prime Video [Amazon MGM Studios])

    Outstanding Sports Playoff Coverage
    College Football Playoff (ESPN)
    Fox MLB: The American League Playoffs (Fox | FS1)
    Fox NFL: The NFC Playoffs (Fox)
    NBC NFL Playoffs (NBC | Peacock)
    NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (CBS | TNT)

    Outstanding Edited Sports Event Coverage
    4 Nations Face-Off: Unveiled (NHL Productions [NHL Productions | Radan Films | NHLPA])
    NFL Game Day All Access: Super Bowl LX (YouTube [NFL Films])
    Official Film of the 2025 Masters (CBS)
    Road To The Super Bowl (NBC [NFL Films])
    UFC The Walk: Topuria vs Oliveria (UFC)

    Outstanding Edited Sports Special
    E60: Paid to Play – Understanding College Sports in 2025 (ESPN)
    The Hall of Fame Knocks Class of 2026 (NFL Network)
    The Madhouse – NASCAR’s Return Into Bowman Gray Stadium (FS1 [Fox Sports Films | NASCAR Studios])
    Not So Fast, My Friend: A Lee Corso Special (ESPN)
    Welcome to the NHL: Meet The Prospects (NHL Productions)

    Outstanding Edited Sports Series: Hosted
    E60 (ESPN)
    Eli Manning Presents: The Undercovers – Baker Mayfield | Justin Jefferson | Micah Parsons (Prime Video [Amazon MGM Studios | Range Media | Ten Till])
    NFL Films Presents (FS1 [NFL Films])
    Pablo Torre Finds Out (Meadowlark Media)
    TNT Sports Conversations (TruTV)

    Outstanding ESports Championship Coverage
    2025 Apex Legends Global Series Championship (ESL FACEIT Group)
    2025 Call of Duty League Championship Weekend – OpTic Texas vs Vancouver Surge (ESL FACEIT Group)
    League of Legends Worlds 2025 Final – T1 Esports vs KT Rolster (LoL Esports [Riot Games])
    VALORANT Champions 2025 Grand Final – NRG vs Fnatic (Valorant Esports [Riot Games])

    Outstanding Sports Documentary: Short
    Final Finishers (East 89th St Productions [Tribeca Studios | Bluff Road Films])
    Home Turn (NASCAR Productions [Bluefoot Entertainment])
    NFL Explained: Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show (NFL Media Group)
    NFL Films Presents: The Arctic Challenge (FS1 [NFL Films])
    The Shuffle (HBO Max [NFL Films])

    Outstanding Sports Documentary: Long
    Butterfly in a Blizzard (Bracing For Impact, LLC [Flagship Independent | Big Lift Media])
    Champions Of The Golden Valley (Olympics.com [XTR Studios | Sturgefilm | Tideshift | Optimist | Taleem])
    Clemente (The History Channel [Vinegar Hill | Uninterrupted | Vantage Pictures | Cookie Jar & a Dream Studios | APX Content Ventures | The History Channel])
    E60: Southpaw – The Life and Legacy of Jim Abbott (ESPN)
    Elway (Netflix [Skydance Sports | NFL Films | Omaha Productions | MakeMake Productions])
    Surviving Ohio State (HBO Max [Sports Illustrated Studios | 101 Studios | Smokehouse Pictures])

    Outstanding Sports Documentary Series
    Alex vs ARod (HBO Max [Religion of Sports])
    Allen Iv3rson (Prime Video [Amazon MGM Studios | Unanimous Media | NBA Entertainment | Jersey Legends (a division of Authentic Studios)])
    America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys (Netflix [Skydance Sports | NFL Films | Stardust Frames Productions | Netflix])
    Believers: Boston Red Sox (ESPN [Religion of Sports | Artists Equity])
    Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel (Prime Video [Amazon MGM Studios | Unrealistic Ideas])

    Outstanding Sports Documentary Series: Serialized
    Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues (Whisper TV [Religion of Sports])
    The Clubhouse: A Year with the Red Sox (Netflix [One Potato Productions | Boardwalk Pictures])
    Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Netflix [Box to Box])
    Full Court Press (ESPN [ESPN | Omaha Productions | Words + Pictures])
    Quarterback (Netflix [NFL Films | Omaha Productions | 2PM Productions])
    WWE: Unreal (Netflix [Omaha Productions | NFL Films | Skydance Sports | WWE])

    Outstanding Sports Studio Show: Daily
    First Things First (FS1)
    NBA Today (ESPN)
    NFL LIVE (ESPN)
    The Pat McAfee Show (ESPN)
    SportsCenter (ESPN)

    Outstanding Sports Studio Show: Weekly
    College GameDay (ESPN)
    Inside the NBA on TNT (TNT)
    Monday Night Countdown (ESPN)
    The NFL Today (CBS)
    Thursday Night Football (Prime Video [Amazon MGM Studios])

    Outstanding Sports Studio Show: Limited Run
    College GameDay – College Football Playoff (ESPN)
    Football Night in America: NFL Postseason (NBC | Peacock)
    Fox MLB: The Postseason (Fox | FS1)
    Inside the NBA Playoffs on TNT (TNT)
    Road to the Final Four (CBS | TNT)

    Outstanding Sports Journalism
    Aspiration: Pablo Torre Finds Out (Meadowlark Media)
    Kobe: The Making of a Legend (CNN Originals)
    Save: The Katie Meyer Story (E60 [ESPN])
    What Is Riley Gaines Hiding?: Pablo Torre Finds Out (Meadowlark Media)

    Outstanding Sports Feature: Short Form
    All Heart — Fox CFB: Big Noon Kickoff (Fox)
    Behan Strong — NCAA March Madness (CBS)
    Faces Forever Young — World Figure Skating Championships (NBC | Peacock)
    Just Getting Started — Fox CFB: Big Noon Kickoff (Fox)
    Luckie — College GameDay (ESPN)
    RJ — Fox MLB: The Postseason (Fox)
    A World Away — College GameDay (ESPN)

    Outstanding Sports Feature: Long Form
    Chuskit & Saldon: Frozen Dreams of Ladakh (Olympics.com [XTR Studios])
    Girl Climber (Red Bull Studios [Louder than Eleven])
    Imillaskate: The Cholita Skaters of Bolivia (Optimist [Pachamama Sabia])
    Ride With Me (Golf Central Live from The Open [Golf Channel])
    SC Featured: Love, Abby (SportsCenter [ESPN])
    Tim Green – A Voice Reclaimed (NFL Films Presents [FS1])

    Outstanding Sports Open/Tease
    America’s Game — Super Bowl LX (NBC | Peacock)
    America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys (Netflix [Skydance Sports | NFL Films | Stardust Frames Productions | Netflix])
    Brick by Brick — Fox IndyCar: The 109th Indianapolis 500 (Fox)
    Celtics City (HBO Max [Ringer Films | Words + Pictures | Left/Right | NBA Entertainment])
    The Harder Choice — The 126th Army-Navy Game (CBS)
    Nerves at Augusta National — The Masters (CBS)

    Outstanding Interactive Experience: Sports
    Fan Optionality on Prime Video (Prime Video Sports [Prime Video | Amazon MGM Studios])
    NASCAR Driver Cam on HBO Max (HBO Max)
    The NBA Experience on Peacock (Peacock)
    NHL in ASL (NHL Productions)
    SportsCenter For You (ESPN [WSC Sports | Google])

    Outstanding Digital Innovation: Sports
    MLB App in XR (MLB)
    NFL on NBC Madden NFL Cast (Peacock)
    Prime Insights (Prime Video [Amazon MGM Studios])
    VIP — Yankee Stadium (Apple TV [SoHi Media])
    World of Red Bull in Apple Immersive (Red Bull Media House, NA [Apple])

    Outstanding Technical Team: Sports Event
    College Football Playoff National Championship (ESPN)
    Fox IndyCar: The 109th Indianapolis 500 (Fox | FS1)
    Fox MLB: World Series – Toronto Blue Jays vs Los Angeles Dodgers (Fox | FS1)
    The Masters (CBS)
    Super Bowl LX (NBC | Peacock)

    Outstanding Technical Team: Sports Studio
    College GameDay – College Football (ESPN)
    Fox NFL (Fox)
    NBA on Prime Video (Amazon MGM Studios)
    NFL Draft (ESPN)

    Outstanding Sports Camera Work: Short Form
    Brick by Brick — Fox IndyCar: The 109th Indianapolis 500 (Fox)
    The Harder Choice (The 126th Army-Navy Game [CBS])
    151st Kentucky Derby (NBC | Peacock)
    A Parisian Rhythm with Omar Sy — Roland-Garros on TNT Sports (TNT | TruTV)
    Silent Super Bowl — NFL Films Presents (FS1 [NFL Films])

    Outstanding Sports Camera Work: Long Form
    America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys (Netflix [Skydance Sports | NFL Films | Stardust Frames Productions | Netflix])
    Celtics City (HBO Max [Ringer Films | Words + Pictures | Left/Right | NBA Entertainment])
    Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel (Unrealistic Ideas [Amazon MGM Studios | Unrealistic Ideas])
    I Skied Down Mount Everest (Red Bull Media House GmbH [East Studio])
    Raise The Flags: 50 Years of Buccaneers Football (Heroes & Fables [NFL Films | Skydance Sports | Prime Video Sports | Tampa Bay Buccaneers])
    Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills — Hard Knocks (HBO Max [NFL Films])

    Outstanding Sports Editing: Short Form
    4 Nations Face-Off: For Crest and Country — NHL on ESPN (ESPN)
    The Bay — NBA All-Star on TNT (TNT)
    Brick by Brick — IndyCar: The 109th Indianapolis 500 (Fox)
    It’s Time — NHL Stanley Cup Final on TNT (TNT)
    A Parisian Rhythm with Omar Sy — Roland-Garros on TNT Sports (TNT | truTV)
    Stanley Cup Playoffs Opening Round: Devils vs Hurricanes – Snap Shot (NHL on ESPN [ESPN])

    Outstanding Sports Editing: Long Form
    American Thunder: NASCAR at Le Mans (NASCAR Studios [Amazon MGM Studios | NASCAR Studios])
    America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys (Netflix [Skydance Sports | NFL Films | Stardust Frames Productions | Netflix])
    Butterfly in a Blizzard (Bracing For Impact, LLC [Flagship Independent | Big Lift Media])
    Celtics City (HBO Max [Ringer Films | Words + Pictures | Left/Right | NBA Entertainment])
    Saquon (NFL Films [Amazon MGM Studios | NFL Films | Skydance Sports | Expanded Media | LBI Entertainment | Vision26 Studios])
    We Beat the Dream Team (TNT | HBO Max [USA Basketball | NBA Entertainment | Blue Ox Films])
    WWE: Unreal (Netflix [Omaha Productions | NFL Films | Skydance Sports | WWE | Netflix])

    The Dick Schaap Outstanding Sports Writing Award: Short Form
    Brick by Brick — IndyCar: The 109th Indianapolis 500 (Fox)
    Choices – Lee Corso’s Final Headgear Pick — College GameDay (ESPN)
    It’s Time — NHL Stanley Cup Final on TNT (TNT)
    151st Kentucky Derby (NBC | Peacock)
    In Motion and Memory — IndyCar: The 109th Indianapolis 500 (Fox)
    Wimbledon (ESPN)

    Outstanding Sports Writing: Long Form
    Above the Tide: 20 Years After Katrina — E60 (ESPN)
    Celtics City (HBO Max [Ringer Films | Words + Pictures | Left/Right | NBA Entertainment])
    Going Inside (TNT)
    In Season with the NFC East — Hard Knocks (HBO Max [NFL Films])
    The Superdome At 50 — NFL Films Presents (FS1 [NFL Films])

    Outstanding Music Direction: Sports
    Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East (HBO Max [NFL Films])
    Home Turn: Daytona Beach, FL (NASCAR Studios [Bluefoot Entertainment])
    Memphis to the Mountain: Acclimatization | Elevation (Andscape [Sender Films])
    NCAA Final Four: San Antonio – Unwritten Reimagined (CBS [Sony Music])
    NHL Stanley Cup Final on TNT: It’s Time (TNT)
    Surviving Ohio State (HBO Max [Sports Illustrated Studios | 101 Studios | Smokehouse Pictures])
    Thursday Night Football (Amazon MGM Studios [Amazon MGM Studios])

    Outstanding Sports Audio/Sound: Live Event
    Apple TV: Friday Night Baseball (Apple TV [MLB Network])
    Fox MLB (Fox | FS1)
    Fox NASCAR (Fox | FS1)
    Fox NFL (Fox)
    Sunday Night Football (NBC | Peacock)

    Outstanding Sports Audio/Sound: Post-Produced
    Believers: Boston Red Sox (ESPN [ESPN | Religion of Sports | Artists Equity])
    Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel (Unrealistic Ideas [Amazon MGM Studios | Unrealistic Ideas])
    E60: Above the Tide – 20 Years After Katrina (ESPN)
    Earnhardt: Dale (Imagine Documentaries [Amazon MGM Studios | Imagine Documentaries | Everyone Else | NASCAR Studios | Dirty Mo Media])
    Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills (HBO Max [NFL Films])
    NHL Stanley Cup Final on TNT: It’s Time (TNT)

    Outstanding Sports Graphic Design: Event/Show
    Fox NFL (Fox)
    Monsters Funday Football (ESPN [Beyond Sports | Big Studios | Pixar])
    NBA on NBC & Peacock (NBC | Peacock)
    NBA on Prime Video (Amazon MGM Studios [Amazon MGM Studios])
    Thursday Night Football (Amazon MGM Studios [Amazon MGM Studios])

    Outstanding Sports Graphic Design: Specialty
    Believers: Boston Red Sox (ESPN [ESPN | Religion of Sports | Artists Equity])
    MLB Now Open (MLB Network)
    NFL on CBS: The Evolution of the Big Head – Merging Human Artistry with AI Innovation (CBS)
    NFL Slimetime (Nickelodeon)
    WWE: Unreal (Netflix [Omaha Productions | NFL Films | Skydance Sports | WWE | Netflix])

    Outstanding Studio Or Production Design/Art Direction: Sports
    Celtics City (HBO Max [Ringer Films | Words + Pictures | Left/Right | NBA Entertainment])
    Fox NFL Sunday: Case of the Missing Best Team | The Dynasty Blueprint | The Waiting Room (Fox)
    Monsters Funday Football (ESPN [Beyond Sports | Big Studios | Pixar])
    NBA on Prime Video (Amazon MGM Studios [Amazon MGM Studios])
    NFL Slimetime (Nickelodeon)
    The NFL Today: The Virtual Time Machine – Rebuilding the Legacy of The NFL Today (CBS)

    The George Wensel Technical Achievement Award
    College Football – POVORA Wireless Tilt Control CapCam: Stabilized CapCam with Remote Tilt Control (ESPN [Povora])
    Fox IndyCar: Augmented Reality (Fox | FS1)
    Fox MLB: The Postseason – UmpCam AR Strike Zone System (MLB | Major League Baseball [Fox Sports | Bolt6 | Virtual Eye])
    The Last Crescendo – The 4th Judge: First-Ever AI Power Boxing Judge (DAZN)
    TGL Presented by SoFi: SmartPin Cam (ABC | ESPN | ESPN2 | ESPN+)
    2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo – AIQ: Where Data Meets Dirt (Teton Ridge)

    Outstanding Promotional Announcement: Sports
    City of Fury – Fatal Fury in Times Square (BigTime Creative Shop [Truffle])
    ESPN Sports Forever (ESPN | ESPN+ [Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners | ESPN Creative Studio | Division7 | The Herd])
    Fastest Racing on Earth — Fox IndyCar (Fox | FS1 | FS2 | Fox News | Fox Business | BTN | Deportes | [Special Group | Biscuit Filmworks | Cabin Edit | Eleven Sound | Ethos | Pariah | New Math])
    Milan-Cortina Olympics on NBC & Peacock (NBC | Peacock)
    NBA on NBC & Peacock (NBC | Peacock)
    Unforgettable Awaits – 2025 NBA Finals (Warner Brothers Discovery)

    Outstanding Public Service Content: Sports
    Champion – Super Bowl LX (National Football League [72andSunny | Morton Jankel Zander, Inc.])
    ESPN Take Back Sports Movement (ESPN)
    Line ‘Em Up (JOAN Creative [JOAN Studios])
    Notre Dame: What Would You Fight For? (NBC | Peacock)

    Outstanding Sports Personality: Studio Host
    Rece Davis (ESPN)
    Rich Eisen (NFL Network)
    Ernie Johnson (TNT | CBS)
    Scott Van Pelt (ESPN)
    Laura Rutledge (ESPN)
    Kate Scott (CBS | Paramount+)

    Outstanding Sports Personality: Studio Analyst
    Charles Barkley (TNT)
    Clark Kellogg (CBS | TNT)
    Mina Kimes (ESPN)
    Pedro Martinez (TNT)
    Candace Parker (TNT | TBS)
    Alex Rodriguez (Fox | FS1)

    Outstanding Sports Personality: Play-By-Play
    Joe Buck (ESPN)
    Joe Davis (Fox | FS1 | NFL Network)
    Ian Eagle (CBS | TNT | Netflix | Amazon)
    Jim Nantz (CBS)
    Mike Tirico (NBC | Peacock)

    Outstanding Sports Personality: Event Analyst
    Troy Aikman (ESPN)
    Tom Brady (Fox)
    Cris Collinsworth (NBC | Peacock)
    Greg Olsen (Fox | NFL Network)
    Bill Raftery (CBS | TNT | Fox)

    Outstanding Sports Personality: Sideline Reporter
    Tom Rinaldi (Fox | FS1)
    Holly Rowe (ESPN)
    Laura Rutledge (ESPN)
    Lisa Salters (ESPN)
    Tracy Wolfson (CBS | TNT)

    Outstanding Sports Personality: Emerging On-Air Talent
    Andraya Carter (ESPN)
    Katie George (ESPN)
    Jason Kelce (ESPN)
    Matt Ryan (CBS | Paramount+ | Netflix)
    Richard Sherman (Prime Video)
    J.J. Watt (CBS)

    Outstanding Sports On-Air Personality In Spanish
    Andrés Cantor (Telemundo | Universo | Peacock)
    Carolina Guillén (ESPN)
    Miguel Gurwitz (Telemundo | Universo | Peacock)
    Fernando Palomo (ESPN)
    Sammy Sadovnik (MLS Productions)

    Outstanding Sports Studio Show In Spanish
    Ahora o Nunca (ESPN)
    ESPN FC (ESPN)
    Fútbol Picante (ESPN)
    Linea de 4 (Univision | TUDN)
    Premier League Extra (Telemundo | Universo | Peacock)
    Rumbo Al Mundial (Telemundo | Universo | Peacock)

    Outstanding Sports Feature Story In Spanish
    Atxa Delgado — Mundo Originals (Mundo NFL [SWAY | Cobra Films])
    Greenland: Venezia (ESPN)
    Los Colores del Istmo — Mundo Originals (Mundo NFL [SWAY | Cobra Films])
    María Llena Eres de Fuerza (ESPN)
    SC Reportajes: Rafael Campos — SportsCenter (ESPN)

  • Sennheiser’s owners want to sell its consumer headphone business

    Hearing aid company Sonova has put its Sennheiser consumer audio division on the auction block less than five years after acquiring it, the company announced on Reddit. “Today Sonova announced they intend to divest the business and will focus on Hearing Care,” Sonova wrote, adding it intends to find “the right new owner.”

    Sennheiser’s consumer audio division mainly manufactures high-end headphones like the HD 400, HD 500, HD 600 and HD 800 series and recently launched the HDB 630, $500 wireless headphones aimed at audiophiles. The company’s most (in)famous lineup is the HE series, which includes the $55,000 HE 90 and €89,990 HE 1.

    Sonova originally purchased Sennheiser with the intent of expanding its demographic to younger customers. At the time, it said “even if [young people] don’t have hearing loss, most of them will gradually get hearing loss with age, and devices like Sennheiser’s allow us to have earlier consumer access to such people.” For its part, Sennheiser said it wanted to relinquish its consumer business in order to focus on its pro audio, business and Neumann (high-end microphone) divisions that it still owns.

    Things apparently didn’t go to plan, though. Sonova’s Sennheiser division’s sales in the last half-year declined significantly year-over-year and the company was hit with a €6 million fine over its retail pricing practices (that occurred prior to the acquisition). However, the company’s recent products have been praised by the audiophile community as a return to previous form, with Engadget’s audio reviewer Billy Steele calling the HDB 630 “a sonic marvel.”

  • Ring adds 4K to its battery-powered video doorbells

    Ring has today announced a spec bump to its battery-powered video doorbells for all those folks who can’t wire their units to power. The flagship Battery Doorbell Pro (2nd gen) gets 4K video, with 10x zoom and the promise of far longer time between recharges than the previous model. At the same time, it’s bringing 2K imaging to its lower-end battery doorbells, the Battery Doorbell Plus and Battery Doorbell (2nd gen). The former, as fitting its higher price, gets a quick-release battery pack, while both models get 2K video and 6x zoom. Naturally, these features are already available on Ring’s wired products, the bulk of which were announced back in September 2025.

    The company is also aware that swapping out batteries isn’t ideal if you really need a doorbell to work all of the time. That’s why it’s also launching a new Solar Charger which integrates into the mount, keeping your doorbell running for longer between trips to the wall outlet. There’s also a bigger Solar Panel, which pumps out more juice than its smaller sibling, and can be mounted in a wider variety of places. All of the above are available to pre-order from today, and are priced as follows: Pro ($250), Plus ($180), Battery Doorbell ($100), Solar Charger ($50), Solar Panel ($60).

  • Monument Bank to tokenized 250 million pounds of retail deposits in UK first

    Monument Bank to tokenized 250 million pounds of retail deposits in UK first

    Monument Bank said it plans to tokenise up to 250 million pounds ($335 million) of retail customer deposits on the Midnight network in what it described as the first such move by a U.K.-regulated bank on a public blockchain.

    The London-based challenger bank said the deposits will remain interest-bearing, fully backed by Monument and redeemable one-for-one in pounds sterling. They will also remain covered by the U.K.’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

    The move marks is a step in the push to bring tokenized financial products into regulated banking. While banks in the U.K. and elsewhere have explored tokenized deposits, most work to date has focused on institutional use or closed networks.

    Monument is pitching this effort at retail customers, starting with clients with investable assets between 50,000 pounds and 5 million pounds, the so-called mass-affluent, according to asset manager St. James’s Place.

    Monument, which says it has more than 100,000 customers and about 7 billion pounds in deposits, said the first phase will mirror savings balances on Midnight’s privacy-focused blockchain.

    Later phases are meant to add tokenized investment products such as private market and commodity funds, followed by lending against those holdings inside the Monument app.

    Midnight Foundation, which was developed by Shielded Technologies, a company linked to Cardano creator Input Output, is providing the blockchain infrastructure.

    Monument said the system is designed so transaction data remains visible only to the bank and its customers, while operating within existing U.K. banking protections and compliance rules.

    The announcement also points to a wider play. Monument said affiliate Monument Technology plans to offer tokenized deposit functionality through its Banking-as-a-Service platform. That could allow other institutions to adopt the same model.

  • Bitcoin Exchange Binance Announces Listing of This Altcoin on its Futures Trading Platform! Here Are the Details

    Bitcoin Exchange Binance Announces Listing of This Altcoin on its Futures Trading Platform! Here Are the Details

    Binance, continuing to increase its product diversity in cryptocurrency derivatives markets, has announced that it will offer yet another new futures contract to its users.

    According to the announcement from the exchange, the BSBUSDT perpetual futures contract will be launched on the Binance Futures platform on March 25, 2026, at 2:45 PM.

    The new contract aims to offer investors more trading options and improve the trading experience on the platform. The BSBUSDT contract will provide leverage up to 10x. The underlying asset of the contract is $BSB, the native token of the Block Street project.

    Block Street is described as a project aiming to provide a unified liquidity layer for on-chain capital markets. The infrastructure developed within this framework is said to aim at enabling more efficient liquidity flow between different financial instruments.

    The new futures contract will use $USDT as the settlement asset. The minimum transaction amount is set at 1 $BSB, while the minimum transaction value is 5 $USDT. The price increment is stated as 0.00001, and the funding rate will range between +2% and -2%. Funding payments will be made every four hours.

    The contract, which can be traded 24/7 on the platform, also stands out with its multi-asset mode support. Binance emphasizes that users should carefully evaluate the risks before trading, reminding them that high-leverage trading carries significant risks.

    *This is not investment advice.

  • CFTC Unveils Innovation Task Force Focused on Crypto, AI and Prediction Markets

    CFTC Unveils Innovation Task Force Focused on Crypto, AI and Prediction Markets

    In brief

    • The CFTC introduced an Innovation Task Force designed to help create a clear regulatory framework for derivatives markets in crypto, AI, and prediction markets.
    • The task force is the latest endeavor from the regulator that aims to support innovation while making America the home for the “future of finance.”
    • The task force will coordinate with other federal agencies like the SEC and its own Crypto Task Force.

    The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) wants to create clear rules within U.S. derivatives markets for those building with new technologies, and has unveiled a new task force to help do so. 

    The newly established CFTC Innovation Task Force will work alongside the Commission to develop those frameworks specifically for builders in crypto and blockchain, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, and prediction markets. 

    “By establishing a clear regulatory framework for innovators building on the new frontier of finance, we can foster responsible innovation at home and ensure American market participants are not left on the sidelines,” said CFTC Chairman Michael Selig, in a statement. 

    The task force will be led by Selig’s senior advisor, Michael J. Passalacqua, and said it will coordinate with agencies like the SEC and the SEC’s Crypto Task Force on innovation initiatives. 

    “Under Chairman Selig, the Innovation Task Force (ITF) will provide clarity to builders by advancing the CFTC’s innovation agenda across crypto, AI, and prediction markets,” Passalacqua posted on X. 

    The regulator has been busy in March, particularly as it relates to its relationship with prediction markets and their rapid growth. Under Selig’s leadership, it recently published a letter that guided registered exchanges on compliance and product requirements for event contracts, those used on prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. 

    The CFTC is also inviting public comment about whether or not it needs to amend or write new rules on prediction market oversight.

    Those moves come amid intensifying scrutiny around prediction markets, highlighted by a push by Democratic lawmakers and concerns over insider trading and event contracts tied to things like terrorism and war. 

    To that end, both Kalshi and Polymarket made public moves on Monday to address insider trading on their platforms. For Kalshi, that meant adding preemptive screening for politicians and individuals working in sports and ensuring they cannot trade on markets related to them. 

    Similarly, Polymarket took steps to clarify its rules around insider trading as it enhanced its market integrity terms. 

    The regulator has remained adamant that it is the governing body for prediction markets, with Chairman Selig recently saying to those that challenge the CFTC over jurisdiction—including states—that his agency would “see you in court.” 

    The remark comes as states begin to challenge prediction markets over their offerings, like in Arizona, where the state filed charges against Kalshi for allegedly running an illegal gambling operation. Also last week, Nevada secured a temporary ban against Kalshi, blocking the startup from offering sports, politics, and entertainment event contracts in the state for at least 14 days.

    Earlier this month, the CFTC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Major League Baseball, which will see the parties work together to limit markets that may pose “integrity risk.” 

    Beyond prediction markets, the CFTC made a major ruling last week that gives self-custodial wallet Phantom the ability to offer its users access to derivatives markets without registering as a broker. 

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  • Russian Hacker Jailed for 81 Months Over $9M Ransomware Attacks

    Russian Hacker Jailed for 81 Months Over $9M Ransomware Attacks

    In brief

    • A U.S. court has sentenced Russian citizen Aleksei Volkov to 81 months in prison for his role in ransomware attacks causing over $9 million in actual losses.
    • Volkov operated as an “initial access broker,” finding vulnerabilities and selling unauthorized access to ransomware groups who then encrypted victims’ data.
    • The 26-year-old must pay $9.2 million in restitution to victims and forfeit equipment used in the crimes.

    A court in the Southern District of Indiana sentenced Russian citizen Aleksei Volkov, 26, to 81 months in prison Monday for assisting major cybercrime groups including the Yanluowang ransomware group in attacks that caused over $9 million in actual losses and over $24 million in intended losses across the United States.

    Volkov, of St. Petersburg, Russia, operated as an “initial access broker”—a specialist who gains unauthorized access to corporate networks and sells that access to other threat actors, according to court documents. His buyers used the access to deploy ransomware that encrypted victims’ data, then demanded cryptocurrency payments—”sometimes in the tens of millions of dollars”—in exchange for restoring access and not publishing stolen data on leak sites.

    On November 25, 2025, Volkov pleaded guilty to four counts from the Southern District of Indiana indictment—unlawful transfer of a means of identification, trafficking in access information, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft—plus two counts from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania indictment for conspiracy to commit computer fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Police in Rome, Italy, had arrested Volkov before his extradition to the United States.

    As part of his plea agreement, Volkov admitted that he and co-conspirators “demanded tens of millions of dollars in ransom and received millions,” with Volkov receiving a share of cryptocurrency ransom payments. The court ordered him to pay full restitution including almost $9.2 million to known victims and to forfeit equipment used in his crimes.

    Ransomware and crypto

    Ransomware, often leveraging cryptocurrency for payment, remains a challenge for the crypto space. Per Chainalysis’ 2026 Crypto Crime Report, on-chain ransomware payments totaled $820 million in 2025, down 8% year-on-year, while claimed attacks increased by 50% and the median ransom payment grew 368% year-over-year to nearly $60,000.

    In recent months, ransomware developers have turned to blockchain smart contracts as a distribution channel, including the DeadLock ransomware strain that leverages Polygon smart contracts for proxy server address rotation and distribution, and EtherHiding, which targets BNB Smart Chain and Ethereum smart contracts.

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  • OpenAI pulls AI video app Sora as concerns grow on deepfake videos

    OpenAI pulls AI video app Sora as concerns grow on deepfake videos

    This is first big step by the ChatGPT maker to focus its business on potentially more lucrative areas, such as coding tools.

    Published On 25 Mar 2026

    OpenAI is shutting down its social media app Sora, which went viral towards the end of last year as a place to share short-form videos generated by artificial intelligence but also raised alarms in Hollywood and elsewhere.

    OpenAI said in a brief social media message on Tuesday that it was “saying goodbye to the Sora app” and that it would share more soon about how to preserve what users had already created on the app.

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    “What you made with Sora mattered, and we know this news is disappointing,” it said.

    The company behind ChatGPT released Sora in September as an attempt to capture the attention, and potentially advertising dollars, that follow short-form videos on TikTok, YouTube or Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook.

    But a growing chorus of advocacy groups, academics and experts expressed concerns about the dangers of letting people create AI videos on just about anything they can type into a prompt, leading to the proliferation of nonconsensual images and realistic deepfakes in a sea of less harmful “AI slop”.

    OpenAI was forced to crack down on AI creations of public figures – among them, Michael Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr and Mister Rogers – doing outlandish things, but only after an outcry from family estates and an actors’ union.

    Disney, which made a deal with OpenAI last year to bring its characters to Sora, said in a statement on Tuesday that it respects “OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere”.

    But Disney did not see the move coming, the Reuters news agency reported.

    On Monday evening, Walt Disney and OpenAI teams were working together on a project linked to Sora. Just 30 minutes after the meeting, the Disney team was blindsided with word that OpenAI was dropping the tool altogether, a person familiar with the matter said.

    OpenAI announced the move publicly on Tuesday.

    “It was a big rug-pull,” according to the person, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter.

    Messy process

    The move is the first big step by the ChatGPT maker to focus its business on potentially more lucrative areas, such as coding tools and corporate customers.

    But the abrupt cancellation of Sora illustrates how messy the streamlining process may become as OpenAI prepares for a stock market debut that could come as early as later this year.

    The Sora decision means the end of a blockbuster $1bn deal between Disney and the ChatGPT maker that was announced a little more than three months ago. As part of the three-year deal, Disney said it would invest $1bn in OpenAI and lend more than 200 of its iconic characters to be used in short, AI-generated videos.

    But the transaction between the companies never closed, two other people familiar with the matter said, and no money changed hands.