Ex-DAZN Japan President Takashi Nakamura Joins Dubbing Platform Camb.AI To Launch APAC Office
Camb.AI, which owns an AI-powered multilingual translation tool, has launched in Asia due to the significant growth in the media and entertainment sector in the continent over the past decade. Nakamura experienced much of that, having been sports streamer DAZN's Japan President and Managing Director for seven years between 2015 and 2022.
More from Deadline
Senators Introduce Bill To Restrict AI Companies' Unauthorized Use Of Copyrighted Works For Training Models
Ian Rankin's 'Rebus' Gets S2; DAZN Ligue 1, Serie A Deals; Paradigm Signs Filmmaker & Comedian - Global Briefs
SAG-AFTRA Overwhelmingly Approves Video Game Agreement, Marking Official End To Nearly Yearlong Strike
Camb.AI's speech-to-speech translation tech, which is available in more than 150 languages, will allow Asia-Pacific content creators in Japan, Korea, Indonesia and other major territories to access easy-to-use AI dubbing tools in their content.
The real-time voice translation tech preserves the speaker's original tone and intonation while translating the words into multiple languages and accents. It was initially used for live sports broadcasting – an area Nakamura knows well – but has since been employed far more broadly, on the likes of Nayla Al Khaja-directed psychological thriller's Three.
Camb.AI has now worked with the likes of the Australian Open, MBC Group, Comcast/NBCUniversal, Eurovision Sport, IMAX, Ligue 1, MLS and NASCAR, and counts Comcast NBCUniversal Sports Tech among its investors, having raised a total of $15.1M to date.
Nakamura begins his tenure with a deal in place with ads and marketing giant Dentsu, as it expands its content overseas. That pact begins with a radio show featuring actor Shinnosuke Tachibana talking about Japanese culture, translated into English and Chinese.
'APAC represents a major opportunity and priority for us, with the breadth and depth of its content industry, from sports to entertainment,' said Akshat Prakash, co-founder and CTO of Camb.AI. 'We're thrilled to welcome Takashi Nakamura to lead our efforts in the region.
'His expansive industry expertise and pioneering work with DAZN Japan makes him uniquely capable of driving our mission forward, particularly in the area of multilingual real-time translation in sports. His connections and insights are expected to play a significant role in promoting the adoption of Camb.AI's technology both domestically and internationally.'
'I am honored to join the Camb.AI team in its mission to globalize content through localization, including real-time translation of sports and live entertainment,' added Nakamura. 'Asian markets have consistently been at the forefront of content creation and tech innovation, making it the perfect place for Camb.AI to expand and grow within the global market.'
Best of Deadline
Everything We Know About Season 3 Of 'Euphoria' So Far
'Wednesday' Season 2: Everything We Know About The Cast, Premiere Date & More
Everything We Know About 'Only Murders In The Building' Season 5 So Far
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
16 minutes ago
- Forbes
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 Regains Foldable Throne After Years
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is so thin Ben Sin Over a 12-month stretch between 2019 and 2020, Samsung invented the foldable phone industry that we know today. In 2019, it was the South Korean tech giant which released the first functional, useable foldable phone (I had to add the descriptive caveats because a now-bankrupted Chinese company named Royole had rushed out a foldable phone before Samsung, but it was only sold in China and did not operate too well), and then a year later, Samsung also released the first flip phone style compact foldable. Fold 7 in the hand Ben Sin But while Samsung pioneered the tech, Chinese brands soon took that idea and began engineering superior foldable hardware. Starting in 2021, when Huawei released the Mate X2, all the way to last year, when Oppo released the Find N5, Chinese foldable phones were flat out superior in hardware in almost every way that mattered: they were thinner, lighter, with bigger batteries, bigger camera sensors, and screens with a less prominent crease at the folding point. Samsung's 2022 foldable, Fold 4 (left) next to Xiaomi's 2022 foldable (right). Look at the difference in thickness. Yet Xiaomi's foldable had a larger battery and better cameras. Ben Sin It took a few years, but Samsung has finally stepped up, and its new Galaxy Z Fold 7 features hardware that more than catches up — and even surpasses — the competition. Significantly thinner compared to last generation The new Fold 7 (left) next to the Fold 6 Ben Sin The biggest change to the Fold 7 is that it has slimmed down drastically. Last year's Fold 6 measured 12.2mm thick when folded. This year's Fold 7 measures just 8.9mm, which is either the number one or two thinnest in the industry right now (Honor is claiming to be thinner at 8.8mm but there have been some disputes). The three latest foldable phones right now Ben Sin If you compare the Fold 7 just against previous Samsung foldables, the new thinness is absolutely jaw-dropping. The phone is also much lighter, at 217g, compared to 239g last year. From worst crease to arguably best crease Samsung's Fold 7 also reduces the display crease at the folding point. The crease is still noticeable if you actively look for it, but it is not as deep or jarring as previous generations of Samsung foldables. Fold 7 screen Ben Sin The method by which Samsung used to reduce the crease appears to be the exact same method Chinese brands have been using for years: allowing a small amount of space in the hinge for the screen to fold in a curved form instead of a straight fold. (The below marketing image is from Chinese brands OPPO/OnePlus, but Samsung's hinge uses this same mechanism to reduce the crease). This is a marketing image released by OPPO/OnePlus for its foldable phone two years ago. But Samsung's hinge now uses this same mechanism. OnePlus But to my eyes, Samsung's Fold 7 crease is even less noticeable (shallower) than the crease in all my other Chinese foldable phones. I feel like the crease in my Honor Magic V5 and Vivo X Fold 5 (both just as new as the Fold 7), has slightly deeper grooves at the folding point. In other words, Samsung's crease went from the worst in the industry to the best. This isn't new tech, however I need to make clear here that almost every improvement the Fold 7 has made -- slimming down, reducing crease -- are not new tech, and in fact, Samsung is merely catching up to the Chinese competition. For me, who has seen all the latest Chinese foldables, the Fold 7 makes me think "about time" more than "wow this is so amazing." Fold 7 in the hand Ben Sin However, Chinese foldables are not available worldwide (they're virtually non-existent in North America and South Korea). So for people who have only seen Samsung's foldables in the past, the Fold 7 will appear very, very impressive to them. Other bits make the Fold 7 the most polished foldable Fold 7 in folded form Ben Sin In addition to the new slimdown and display, the Fold 7 brings back the best-in-class hinge (which has always been a strength of Samsung foldables). The Fold 7 is also powered by a special edition of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite that's a bit over-clocked, so it is technically the most powerful silicon in the Android realm right now. Add all these things together, and one can make a case that the Samsung Fold 7 hardware is the best in the industry. This was something I could not say from 2021 to 2024. The camera system of the Fold 7, however, are just solid, but unremarkable. There's a new 200-megapixel main camera that can grab some good looking images, but the 10-megapixel 3X zoom lens is dated, and falls behind the Periscope cameras offered by Chinese competition. The 12-megapixel ultrawide is solid if shooting under good lighting scenarios. Overall, Samsung's camera system is fine for a foldable, but does fall behind Vivo's last two generation of foldable cameras. Fold 7 Ben Sin Battery capacity is also on the low side compared to the competition, at 4,400 mAh. Other foldables, like the Honor Magic V5 or Vivo X Fold 5, pack batteries north of 5,500 mAh in a similar form factor. That's because Chinese brands use a new battery tech known as silicon carbon that is more energy-dense. Samsung has so far avoided using this new battery tech. Considering Samsung's past history with batteries, it is understandable why the company is cautious, but I do need to point out Chinese foldables have been using these batteries for two years and I have not heard any reports of them malfunctioning. Still, the Fold 7 battery life should be enough to last an average Joe all day. I am a heavy user who is always outside (I do not work a 9-5, and I do not like to sit at home), and this phone could still last me about 10 hours of use. For a less active person, who's stuck in the office 8-9 hours a day, or who drives everywhere, the Fold 7 will be able to finish their entire day with enough juice to spare. The Fold 7 is a hit at home in Korea, and will be worldwide Reports out of South Korea show the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a major hit in its home country, as it has shattered Samsung's pre-order records. And I think the Fold 7 will have similar success worldwide (maybe except inside China, where Samsung has almost no market presence). Fold 7's outside screen next to the Fold 6. Ben Sin Despite Chinese foldables being clearly superior the past few years, various factors (some out of their control) have prevented Chinese foldables from reaching mainstream appeal. Samsung's superior brand power, marketing, and physical retail presence has kept its outdated foldables the last couple years afloat; now that Samsung actually has up-to-date, bleeding edge hardware? I expect the Fold 7 to be a hit from U.K. to Germany, Hong Kong to Singapore. As a tech reviewer, I must still say: about time, Samsung. Now let's not wait four years until your next hardware push.
Associated Press
16 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Emailed job application supposedly from Xavi was bogus, Indian soccer federation says
India's soccer federation has dispelled speculation Xavi Hernández had applied to coach its national team, saying the job application it apparently received from the former Barcelona player was bogus. The All India Football Federation said Saturday that it had received emailed job applications from senders claiming to be Xavi and Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, but that neither was genuine. Indian media reported that Xavi had applied for the role. Xavi has been without a team since being let go by Barcelona in June 2024. Guardiola, one of the top coaches in the sport, is under contract with City through June 2027. India is looking to replace Spanish coach Manolo Márquez after he left the position by mutual consent earlier this month following just one win in eight games, and less than a year in the job. The federation said Saturday that it has narrowed a group of 170 applicants to three unnamed finalists. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
CEO of Russia-backed Indian refiner Nayara resigns after EU sanctions, sources say
(Refiles to fix formatting) By Nidhi Verma NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Russia-backed Indian refiner Nayara Energy has named a new chief executive after its previous CEO resigned following European Union sanctions that targeted the company, four sources with knowledge of the matter said on Friday. The reshuffle at the top is the latest disruption for the company since the EU announced a new round of sanctions last Friday directed at Russia over its war in Ukraine. This week, a tanker carrying Russian Urals crude was diverted away from Nayara's Vadinar port to unload its cargo at another port in western India, Reuters reported. That came after two other tankers skipped loading refined products from Vadinar, Reuters reported. Mumbai-based Nayara has appointed company veteran Sergey Denisov as chief executive to replace Alessandro des Dorides, the sources said. Denisov's appointment was decided at a board meeting on Wednesday, they said. Nayara Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Des Dorides, who joined Nayara Energy in April 2024, for a three-year term, did not immediately respond to a message sent on LinkedIn. In its announcement of his appointment last year, Nayara described Des Dorides as a 24-year veteran of the energy industry. He left Italian major Eni in 2019 after about six months as head of oil trading and operations. Denisov has been with Nayara since 2017. His LinkedIn profile describes him as Nayara's chief development officer. In recent days, Nayara's website has no longer carried pages listing its leadership. The company is one of India's two major private-sector refiners, along with the larger Reliance Industries. The pair have been India's biggest buyers of discounted Russian crude. Nayara, which operates India's third-biggest refinery at Vadinar in western Gujarat state, typically exports at least four million barrels of refined products per month, including diesel, jet fuel, gasoline and naphtha. It also operates more than 6,000 fuel stations. The 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) Vadinar refinery is equivalent to nearly 8% of India's total refining capacity of about 5.2 million bpd. Nayara Energy has criticised the EU's "unjust and unilateral" decision to impose sanctions. Russia's Rosneft holds a 49.13% stake in Nayara and a similar stake is owned by a consortium, Kesani Enterprises Co Ltd, led by Italy's Mareterra Group and Russian investment group United Capital Partners, according to a 2024 note by India's CARE Ratings agency. India, which has become the top importer of seaborne Russian oil in the aftermath of Moscow's Ukraine invasion, has also criticised the EU's sanctions. Rosneft, which said the sanctions on Nayara were unjustified and illegal, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
