Amazon Prime Video introduces AI-powered video recaps for original series, New Dutch AI time‑travel series from Tilly Norwood creators
Beta Film launches AI startup Chapter41 with industry veterans
Beta Film, the Munich-based powerhouse in film and TV production and global sales, has joined forces with industry executives Hannes Jakobsen, Dominik Böhm, and Lars Stark to launch Chapter41, a Berlin-based artificial intelligence startup. The venture targets three core areas: content generation and production, consulting services, and workflow optimisation. Chapter41 will develop generative AI tools and products, while offering consultancy and training to help creatives and companies master the technology. Specializing in AI-generated video, it will collaborate with Beta and Drive on projects, extending services to the wider industry. Beta described the launch as recognition of AI’s pivotal role in entertainment, blending its production expertise with cutting-edge innovation to reshape storytelling and efficiency.
New Dutch AI time‑travel series from Tilly Norwood creators
Particle6, the studio behind synthetic performer Tilly Norwood, has announced Straten van Toen (Streets of the Past), an AI-driven short-form series for History Channel Netherlands. The 10-part programme, produced with Hearst Networks, features Dutch historian and Curse of Oak Island star Corjan Mol, who uses AI to step back into the Netherlands’ historic streets, squares, and canals. Eline van der Velden of Particle6 said the series draws on paintings, engravings, and photos for authenticity, blending real and imagined figures to recount key events.
Kevin Reilly to helm AI startup Kartel as entertainment and tech worlds converge
Kevin Reilly, the veteran television executive known for his leadership roles at NBC, Fox, and Turner, is taking over as CEO of Kartel, a Beverly Hills-based AI company. Kartel, which bills itself as a “creative engineering company” building AI systems for Fortune 500 firms, agencies, and studios, emerged earlier this year after raising $2 million in funding. Reilly’s appointment signals Kartel’s ambition to raise its profile within the competitive entertainment AI landscape. The announcement, made on Kartel’s website Tuesday evening, arrives amid a wave of legacy Hollywood talent backing tech ventures, following Matthew McConaughey’s recent investment in audio-AI firm ElevenLabs.
Disney+ eyes user-generated AI videos despite IP lawsuits
Disney+ could soon host short-form videos created by users with artificial intelligence, in a sharp pivot for the company, long protective of its intellectual property. CEO Bob Iger revealed during the latest earnings call that Disney has held “productive conversations” with AI partners to enable such content on the platform. The move marks a surprising departure for the entertainment giant, which has pursued cease-and-desist orders against Character.AI and copyright lawsuits against Midjourney and Hailuo over alleged infringement. Iger stressed any partnership would safeguard Disney’s IP, potentially turning the platform into a lucrative hub for controlled AI creations featuring its characters.
AI set to reshape film and TV production from script to screen
Artificial intelligence promises to revolutionise every phase of television and film production, potentially transforming not just how stories are told, but who gets to tell them. As demand for video content surges, US adults now spend almost seven hours daily watching across platforms, stagnant budgets, lengthy production schedules, and fierce competition for viewers’ increasingly fragmented attention challenge traditional media. Generative AI could prove as influential as the advent of streaming, altering creative workflows at every stage. In preproduction, AI tools accelerate processes like storyboarding, 3D set modelling, and camera path planning, reducing the costly time spent on physical shoots and reshoots. Adobe’s Firefly Foundry demonstrates a future of IP-secure, tailor-made AI models designed to suit specific studios or projects. On set, postproduction benefits from AI-driven automation of visual effects such as de-aging, dialogue replacement, and cosmetic fixes, tasks once remarkably labour-intensive. As industry insiders note, many VFX sequences now involve AI tools streamlining processes that were formerly manual and costly. Marketing and audience engagement also stand to be reshaped. Automated trailer editing and AI-assisted audience testing represent low-risk arenas where studios are beginning to deploy generative AI to refine promotional materials and better reach target demographics.
Amazon Prime Video introduces AI-powered video recaps for original series
Amazon is expanding its use of artificial intelligence on Prime Video by launching AI-generated video recaps of select original series, adding sight, sound, and motion to its existing text-based summaries. The new feature, announced on Wednesday, offers comprehensive season overviews with “theatrical-quality video” combining AI-synced narration, dialogue clips, and music to succinctly summarize key plot points. Now in beta, Video Recaps are available for English-language originals, including Fallout, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Upload, Bosch, and The Rig in the United States. Initially accessible on connected TV devices, Amazon plans to extend support to other platforms in the coming months.
Eros Innovation raises $150m to power AI media platform
Eros Innovation has secured around $150m in funding and acquisitions to accelerate its shift into an AI-driven media and entertainment platform, now valued at $2bn. The deal includes a $50m lead investment from Plenitude Capital and $100m spent on film, music, and AI assets. At the core is Eros GenAI, a multimodal foundation model trained on 1.5 trillion cinematic, musical, and cultural tokens, developed with IIT Chennai for scalability across markets. The platform enables AI video generation and editing, voice dubbing, lip-sync, generative music, and avatar creation, powering tools from creator apps to virtual experiences. The funding bolsters Eros’s ecosystem of over 80 million subscribers, 12,000 films, and plans for an Eros Universe Super App, combining AI, tokenized content, and immersive formats for global creators and audiences.
