International
Cinedigm acquires New Video for $ 14 million
MUMBAI: Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp., the global leader in digital cinema, has decided to acquire leading entertainment distributor New Video Group, Inc. for $14 million in upfront consideration. This in addition to the additional earn out potential of up to $6 million over three years tied to the future financial results of the Cinedigm Entertainment Group.
The upfront consideration will be paid with $10 million of cash from Cinedigm‘s balance sheet and $4 million of Cinedigm stock issued at the trailing 10 day volume weighted average price.
“Cinedigm is now a fully integrated distributor of independent films and specialty content,” said Cinedigm Chairman and CEO Chris McGurk. “Over the past year, we have analyzed many companies in the digital distribution space for home and mobile entertainment and determined that New Video is the best partner for us. New Video‘s highly regarded management team, led by Susan Margolin and Steve Savage, is entrepreneurial, forward-looking and innovative.
Their tremendous success in the ever-evolving digital space, combined with their expertise in content acquisition, sales and marketing and distribution of traditional packaged goods, puts them clearly ahead of the pack. Our new distribution capabilities will provide a unique, one stop end-to-end digital distribution solution for independent content providers and financiers. And for our shareholders, this accretive acquisition solidifies Cinedigm‘s stated goal to expand our low risk, high reward fee-for-service content distribution business to complement our industry leading VPF servicing and software businesses,” he said.
The acquisition of New Video will create a new full service end-to-end digital releasing studio, enabling the Company to acquire and distribute independent films and specialty content both theatrically and through digital, mobile and home media platforms.
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.
