iWorld
LaLiga weekend brings new record for Barcelona and mixed feelings for Torres and Isco
Mumbai: Barcelona set another record and took a further step towards the 2017/18 title in a LaLiga weekend which also brought bittersweet moments for Fernando Torres of Atletico Madrid and Isco of Real Madrid.
LaLiga leaders Barca were pushed all the way by Valencia at the Camp Nou on Saturday, but Brazil star Philippe Coutinho assisted goals for teammates Luis Suarez and Samuel Umtiti, and Dani Parejo’s penalty was not enough Los Che. A 39th consecutive game unbeaten saw the Blaugrana set a new all-time LaLiga record – and they now have an 11 point lead with just five games remaining.
Atletico remain second, with Sunday afternoon’s 3-0 victory at home to Levante seeing Diego Simeone’s side into the Champions League for a sixth consecutive year. Angel Correa and Antoine Griezmann put the Rojiblancos in charge, before soon to depart fans’ hero ‘El Niño’
Torres entered as a substitute and netted his 100th career LaLiga goal.
Madrid jumped over Valencia into fourth spot by winning 2-1 at Malaga on Sunday evening, with Isco man of the match against his hometown club. The Malaga-born playmaker pointedly did not celebrate after curling in a 25 yard free kick, or when later setting up the second for teammate Casemiro. Diego Rolan’s injury time strike was not much consolation for the bottom side.
The weekend began Friday, with Real Betis taking a firm hold of fifth place thanks to Joaquin Sanchez producing one of the assists of the season. The 36 year old Verdiblanco captain carried the ball at pace from his own half before playing in Loren Moron for the only goal at Girona.
Sixth placed Villarreal went 2-0 up at Sevilla on Saturday afternoon through Daniel Raba’s header and Carlos Bacca’s goal against his old club. But the seventh placed Andalusians hit back through Nolito’s volley and Steven N’Zonzi’s long ranger as both clubs remained in likely Europa League spots.
Celta Vigo’s European qualification chances took a blow as they lost 1-0 at Leganes on Saturday afternoon, with Miguel Angel Guerrero converting Nabil El Zhar’s cross. Alaves’ Swedish striker John Guidetti’s low strike after just four minutes decided Sunday lunchtime’s Basque derbi at Eibar. Later that day, Uruguayan defender Damian Suarez’s 35 yard free kick secured the three points as Getafe beat Espanyol to climb into the top half.
In the relegation battle, Deportivo La Coruna gave themselves hope after Clarence Seedorf’s side edged a five goal thriller at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday evening, with Depor captain Adrian Lopez scoring twice for a second consecutive game. Las Palmas’ chances of survival were hit by a 0-1 loss at home to Real Sociedad, with winger Mikel Oyarzabal netting.
A midweek round of LaLiga games begins Tuesday with Deportivo hosting Sevilla, leaders Barcelona at Celta and Leganes visiting Villarreal that same evening. Wednesday sees Athletic Club coming to Madrid’s Bernabeu, Valencia at home to Getafe, and Espanyol against Eibar at Cornella el-Prat.
Thursday brings Atletico’s Griezmann back at his former club Real Sociedad, Girona at Alaves, Levante aiming to move closer to safety at home to Malaga, and Las Palmas really needing a win at Betis
iWorld
WPP Opendoor and Snapchat launch AI Lens for Prime Video India
Generative AI Lens personalises content discovery with real-time user integration.
MUMBAI: In the age of main characters, Prime Video is handing users the script and the spotlight. WPP Opendoor, WPP’s dedicated Amazon unit, has teamed up with Snapchat to roll out an India-first generative AI-powered Lens for Prime Video’s latest campaign, ‘Stories for Your Every Era… it’s on Amazon Prime’. The activation taps into the rising “era-core” trend, where identities shift with moods, moments and mindsets and content is expected to keep up.
The Lens does exactly that. Using generative AI, it places users directly into the worlds of popular Prime Video titles such as Maxton Hall, Beast Games, The Boys and The Traitors, embedding their faces into key visuals in real time. The result is less browsing, more becoming.
The idea is rooted in a behavioural shift: audiences increasingly see themselves as the centre of their own narratives, especially on social platforms. By turning viewers into participants, the campaign blurs the line between content discovery and content experience.
It also introduces a layer of personalisation that goes beyond algorithms. Whether someone identifies with a “trust no-one era” or an “infinite aura era”, the Lens curates recommendations that align with that evolving identity making discovery feel intuitive rather than instructed.
This marks a shift in how streaming platforms approach engagement. Instead of pushing titles, the focus is on pulling users into the story itself transforming passive scrolling into interactive storytelling.
The collaboration also underscores how platforms like Snapchat are becoming key playgrounds for content marketing, particularly when paired with emerging technologies like generative AI. The format is native, immersive and built for participation three things traditional discovery often struggles to deliver.
In a crowded streaming landscape, where attention is the real currency, Prime Video’s bet is clear, if viewers feel like the story is about them, they are far more likely to press play.
