JioCinema smashes Hotstar's IPL record; new Mac models rumoured at Apple's WWDC

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JioCinema set a new global record for concurrent views during a live-streamed event, yesterday, attracting more than 33 million simultaneous viewers for the Indian Premier League cricket tournament finale, surpassing the previous record held by Disney's Hotstar, TechCrunch reports.

Hotstar's record of 25.3 million concurrent viewers had remained unchallenged for years. Viacom18, which secured the digital rights for IPL in a $3 billion bidding war against Disney, offered free streaming of the tournament through its JioCinema app. The move is seen as a potential game-changer in the South Asian streaming landscape.

Viacom18's JioCinema app is reshaping the region's streaming sector by offering free access to the immensely popular IPL. In addition, the company recently introduced a premium tier and clinched deals with Warner Bros. and NBCUniversal to enhance its content offerings. Despite the competition, Disney continues to find success.

It garnered a cumulative view count of 482 million for the initial 66 IPL matches, broadcasting the games through satellite TV in India. The battle for viewership and revenue within the streaming industry continues to evolve as platforms navigate the complexities of reach and profitability.

Apple is expected to introduce new Mac models at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
  
Although WWDC is primarily focused on software, it has historically seen the launch of new Macs and related technologies. Gurman suggests that Apple will facilitate the purchase of these new models by expanding its trade-in program to include the Mac Studio, 13-inch M2 MacBook Air, and 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro.
 
Trade-ins for these current-gen versions are anticipated to begin on June 5, the same day as the start of WWDC.
 
A Japanese public-private partnership is set to embark on an ambitious project aimed at beaming solar energy from space to ground-based receiving stations as early as 2025, engadget reports. The initiative, led by JAXA, Japan's equivalent of NASA, builds upon previous successes in wireless power transmission.
  
In 2015, JAXA scientists achieved a significant milestone by successfully beaming 1.8 kilowatts of power wirelessly at a distance of 50 meters, enough to power an electric kettle. Now, the project envisions the deployment of a series of small satellites into orbit, which will collect solar energy and transmit it to receiving stations located hundreds of miles away on Earth's surface.
 
The goal is to create a satellite array capable of generating 1 gigawatt of power, equivalent to the output of a nuclear reactor. However, this ambitious endeavour is estimated to cost $7 billion with existing technologies.
 
Toyota Motor Corp has become the first automaker to enter a racing car powered by liquid hydrogen into an official race, Japan Today reports. The move is part of Toyota's efforts to promote hydrogen as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels.
  
Hydrogen-powered vehicles do not emit carbon dioxide when burned. Toyota believes that offering a variety of green vehicles, including hybrids and hydrogen-powered cars like their mass-produced Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is more effective in reducing carbon footprints than solely focusing on electric vehicles.
 
The race at Fuji Speedway in Japan aims to test the functionality and address challenges of using liquid hydrogen as a fuel source.
 
The Private Shares Fund, a US-based asset management firm, has lowered the fair value of edtech unicorn Eruditus by 9% in the first quarter of 2023, Moneycontrol reports. The fund, which holds a 0.2% stake in Eruditus, now values the company at $2.9 billion, down from its previous valuation of $3.2 billion.
  
The move reflects a trend of declining valuations among technology firms globally. The Private Shares Fund is unable to assess Eruditus' valuation due to its limited stake in the company. Eruditus has not responded to inquiries regarding the markdown.

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