Transcript

Good day, listeners! This is Erika, and welcome to the ‘Just a Moment News’ podcast for January 19, 2024. We have a variety of stories to discuss today, so let’s dive right in.

First up, we have news from the world of streaming services. Amazon Prime Video has decided to discontinue support for original content from Africa and the Middle East. They’re shifting their focus towards European markets, dividing their operations into two divisions: EU Established and EU Emerging. This move comes as a surprise, especially considering Prime Video’s recent expansion efforts in Africa. However, it opens up opportunities for other streaming platforms like Showmax, Netflix, and Canal+ to increase their market share in a region that’s projected to have about 15 million video-on-demand subscribers by 2026.

Moving on to sports news, South African mixed martial arts fighter Dricus Du Plessis is gearing up for a significant middleweight title fight at UFC 297 against Sean Strickland. This fight is particularly noteworthy as Du Plessis has the chance to become the first South African UFC champion. The lead-up to the fight has been intense, with physical altercations and verbal exchanges between the two fighters. The fight is scheduled to start early Sunday morning and is expected to be a nail-biter.

In tech news, Microsoft has launched Reading Coach, a free AI-powered tool for personalized reading practice. It’s designed to enhance reading fluency and offers personalized experiences to learners. An interesting feature is the “choose your own story” option, which allows learners to create personalized narrative adventures. Although there is some skepticism regarding the effectiveness of AI in teaching reading comprehension, a recent survey found that 44% of educators believe adaptive technology is more effective than traditional methods.

In business news, Coca-Cola’s CEO has downplayed the impact of Wegovy and Ozempic on the company’s business, stating that they already have products to respond to shifts in consumer behavior. He also mentioned that the company has no plans to exit any regions, despite the ongoing conflict in places like Israel and Gaza.

In the realm of academia, OpenAI has announced a partnership with Arizona State University, granting the university complete access to ChatGPT Enterprise. This partnership aims to integrate ChatGPT into various academic areas, including coursework, tutoring, and research. Despite concerns about the use of AI chatbots in education, the university sees potential for a shift towards a more abundant use of technology in research and discovery.

In South Africa, the Police IT network was down for two days due to botched maintenance work. This disruption significantly impacted the police service’s operations, leading to a manual registration of cases. Although the network has been largely restored, the incident highlights the systemic issues faced by the State Information Technology Agency.

Lastly, fans of the show “Reacher” will be pleased to know that despite mixed reviews, Prime Video has renewed the show for a third season. The production is currently underway in Toronto, and while there’s no official release date yet, it’s expected to premiere late 2024 or early 2025.

And that’s it for today’s news roundup. This has been Erika with ‘Just a Moment News’. Have a great day, and we’ll catch up again soon.

Keywords - moment, daily, news