In October 2019, the $5 billion entertainment complex and mega-mall American Dream opened in East Rutherford, New Jersey, after about two decades of planning.
Then, the pandemic hit. It reopened again in October 2020 at a time when most Americans had shifted to online shopping for a safer experience.
Now that vaccines are readily available, American Dream developer Paul Ghermezian and his team are hoping customers will look for that in-person experience that they missed throughout 2020. Not only does the mall boast stores at all price ranges, from Hermes to Zara, but it also is home to the DreamWorks Water Park, the Nickelodeon Universe theme park, and the Big Snow indoor ski slope, among other attractions. As the holiday shopping season gets in full swing, he's hoping people will stop by for gifts as well as to take advantage of the special events and deals American Dream will offer.
Disney content has gone dark on YouTube TV, leaving subscribers of the Google-owned live streaming platform without access to major networks like ESPN and ABC. That’s because the companies have failed to reach a new licensing deal to keep Disney channels on YouTube TV. Depending on how long it lasts, the dispute could particularly impact coverage of U.S. college football matchups over the weekend — on top of other news and entertainment disruptions that have already arrived. In the meantime, YouTube TV subscribers who want to watch Disney channels could have little choice other than turning to the company’s own platforms, which come with their own price tags.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
