International
Seven companies take part first round of MGM bid
MUMBAI: With a non-binding offer expected soon from Fox, seven companies have placed offers to buy MGM in the first round bidding exercise.
Warner Bros., Lionsgate and Elliott Management — an investor in producer Relativity Media — were among those who made first-round offers. It will be learnt next week if they have made it into a second round or not.
All first-round offers, part of a solicitation process launched last month by MGM consultant Moelis & Co., fell short of the $2 billion target for selling the Lion. But with those holding $3.7 billion in MGM debt pressing for a change in ownership, a lesser sum might work out things.
First-round offers were allowed only on the entire studio. It‘s unclear if a la carte bidding on select MGM assets or on film rights to the James Bond franchise would be allowed in the next round.
Lionsgate is considered likely to file a second-round bid for the entire company. So far, the mini-major has offered $1.5 billion to buy the studio, it is learnt.
None of the first-round offers was well detailed, hence the debt holders will be anxious to get a better sense of the seriousness of those bidders.
Lion owners include Providence Equity, TPG Capital, Sony, Comcast, DLJ Merchant and Quadrangle.Companies reviewing MGM financial data have included Fox, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, Liberty Media, AT&T, Summit Entertainment, Reliance Big Entertainment and Elliott.
International
Utopai Studios unveils 4K three-minute video generation for PAI platform
New Story Agent and editing tools aim to streamline AI-led filmmaking workflows
MUMBAI: Utopai Studios has announced a major upgrade to its PAI storytelling AI platform, introducing what it claims is an industry-first capability to generate three-minute videos in 4K resolution, alongside enhancements to its Story Agent feature.
The update, rolling out from April 15, expands the platform’s capabilities across the filmmaking process, from early concept development to post-production. The company said the new features are designed to help filmmakers maintain continuity across characters, scenes and visual styles, a key challenge in AI-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the release is a next-generation model that enables more structured narrative development, allowing creators to move more seamlessly from idea to execution. With tools such as multi-shot sequencing and multi-turn editing, the platform aims to give both studios and independent creators greater control over complex storytelling workflows.
Commenting on the launch, Utopai Studios co-founder and CTO Jie Yang said, “The next phase of AI in media will not be defined by isolated tools, but by systems that can carry story, continuity and collaboration across the full creative process.” He added that the update is a step towards enabling more practical, end-to-end narrative development at a professional level.
Echoing this, Utopai Studios co-founder and chief scientific officer Zijian He said, “Generative video is opening the door to a new production model, where creative ambition is less constrained by traditional cost and complexity.” He noted that the platform combines multimodal models with iterative editing to give creators more speed, control and consistency.
The company said PAI is already being used in professional film and television productions, particularly in Hollywood, for tasks such as pre-visualisation, scene design and post-production refinements. The latest update adds features including improved voice options, character consistency, unlimited editing and more flexible asset management.
Utopai also emphasised that its models are not trained on copyrighted material, positioning the platform as a cleaner alternative for creators and rights holders navigating the evolving AI landscape.
As AI continues to reshape content creation, Utopai’s latest push signals a shift from standalone tools to integrated systems, aiming to make high-quality filmmaking faster, more flexible and increasingly accessible.
