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TikTok and FIFA are teaming up for World Cup matches. On Thursday, FIFA said its media partners will be able to broadcast parts of matches on the social platform. The preferred platform partnership will run through the end of 2026.How long the live clips will be is anyones guess because parts of matches is as specific as the announcement got. We emailed TikTok for clarification and will update this story if we learn more.FIFA said the collaboration is designed to bring fans "closer to the action. Getting more to the point, TikTok's global head of content said live sports on the platform are shown to transform fandom into measurable business results for our sports partners, with fans being 42 percent more likely to tune in to live matches after watching sports content on TikTok.TikToks World Cup content will include filters, stickers and other gamification features. FIFA will also give a select group of global TikTok creators access to press conferences and training sessions to create content. "As football grows and evolves uniting an increasing number of people so should the way it is shared and promoted," FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom wrote in the announcement.The World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19. It will take place in 16 cities across Canada, the US and Mexico.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/tiktok-will-broadcast-some-unknown-portion-of-the-2026-world-cup-live-192035507.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Have you ever wanted to save approximately three seconds and two mouse clicks when shopping online? Microsoft has something special just for you. The company just introduced something called Copilot Checkout at the NRF 2026 retail conference. This is exactly what it sounds like. It's a shopping assistant embedded within Copilot. The feature is rolling out now in the US and integrates with PayPal, Shopify, Stripe and Etsy. It lets people complete purchases directly inside of Copilot without having to withstand the grueling experience of being redirected to a retailer's website. Participating partners include Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Ashley Furniture. The retailers remain the actual merchant of record, so they'll still get customer data and all of that jazz. Microsoft controls the interface. We don't know what kind of safeguards are in place to prevent the AI from hallucinating its way into buying you a giant bounce house when you wanted to order some Bounce dryer sheets. Engadget has reached out to Microsoft to inquire about these safeguards and how exactly the money is handled. This is a pretty big moment for AI shopping. OpenAI introduced a shopping assistant several months ago that seems to work in a similar way. However, the company said that a related shopping assistant "might make mistakes about product details like price and availability" and it encouraged people to visit the merchant site for the most accurate details. Exclusive: OpenAIs push to turn ChatGPT into a personal shopping assistant is running into a familiar problem: messy product data.Read more from @AnnGehan https://t.co/atPdY1ruEa The Information (@theinformation) January 8, 2026 Microsoft is advertising Copilot Checkout as a way to avoid the merchant site entirely, so maybe all kinks have been worked out. A recent report from The Information suggests OpenAI has had trouble integrating merchant partners for its own initiative, so maybe not. It's also worth noting that automatic shopping isn't exactly a new concept. It's just the AI wrapper that's new. Remember those weird buttons from Amazon that would complete a purchase with a simple press? That was over ten years ago.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/microsoft-is-now-integrating-shopping-directly-into-copilot-181022989.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
Cute, alien-inspired companion robots are a fixture at CES, but have I ever seen one with a furry telescoping neck that's also warm to the touch? No, I can't say I have before this year. OlloBot which had possibly the cutest booth at CES 2026 is a home robot and "cyber pet" that looks something like if you put ET's head on a penguin's body, plus a splash of fur and color. Its face is essentially a large tablet that displays its expressions, pictures and videos, and allows it to communicate with people in the home. OlloBot speaks its own language, but will put text on the screen when it has a message that's meant to actually be understood. There's also a companion app where family members can message with the robot, see its diary updates and play games. Like other family-oriented robots, OlloBot is designed to capture special moments and "grow" with the people using it. Based on the interactions, it will over time develop a personality based on the Meyers-Briggs personality types. The robot responds to voice and touch, and can do tasks like make calls and help find lost objects. It will be able to control Matter-compatible smart home devices, too. All data is stored locally in a heart-shaped removable module underneath one of its flapping arms. Not only is that intended to be a privacy move, but if the robot ever breaks, the family's cyber pet (along with its "memories") can be restored by putting the old heart into a new body. OlloBot's heartCheyenne MacDonald for EngadgetAccording to a member of the OlloBot team, a Kickstarter campaign to fund the robot's production is planned for this summer. There will be two versions of OlloBot to choose from: a small one with a fixed, short neck that will cost around $1,000 and a more advanced model that can extend its neck by two feet or so (just eyeballing it) to see from different vantage points, which will run you about $2,000. At the booth, the team also showed off several outfits for OlloBot, including a plush giraffe suit and a sort of cottagecore apple and gingham outfit.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/i-cant-get-over-this-goofy-long-necked-cyber-pet-robot-at-ces-175900062.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
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