Google has entered into a multi-year partnership with Range Media Partners and launched a new film and TV production unit called "100 Zeros." Business Insider reports that the new initiative is meant to identify projects that Google can help fund or produce.
According to the report, the search giant invested some money in the 2024 horror film Cuckoo. 100 Zeros is listed as one of the film"s producers on the social film discovery platform Letterboxd. Google wants to use the opportunity to promote its products and services to the audience.
However, using marketing money to push products isn"t a moonshot. Apple has already been doing it for years with its Apple TV+ streaming service and homegrown titles, where characters can be seen using iPhones and Macs, and wearing AirPods.
Characters in future titles funded by the search giant might show a special love for Android phones and other Google devices. Moreover, the initiative aims to promote its newer offerings, such as AI tools and Immersive View, among the creative community.
On a side note, the production"s name "100 Zeros" may have been inspired by Google"s origins. The name "Google" is a misspelled version of a mathematical expression called "googol" (1 followed by 100 zeros), which was initially considered for the search engine when it was being renamed from Backrub.
Google"s ties with the entertainment industry aren"t new. It partnered with 20th Century Fox in 2018 to develop a computer vision tool called "Merlin Video" to analyze movie trailers and identify audiences’ preferences for different types of films.
The company started offering movie titles over a decade ago through Google Movies (now defunct). However, there are no plans to distribute titles through YouTube or an in-house streaming service as part of the new initiative. Google intended to collaborate with existing studios to distribute titles.
The news comes not long after Google partnered with Range Media to announce a new program called "AI On Screen" to fund short films exploring the relationship between humanity and AI. At the time, Google said some of the titles might even be turned into full-length features.
"Through our continued partnership with Range, we aim to collaborate with the Hollywood creative community in a thoughtful and productive way, upkeeping our ongoing commitment to responsibly support creative expression and explore the possibilities of technology through storytelling," a Google spokesperson told the publication.
As part of its ongoing AI push, Google worked with the Las Vegas Sphere to recreate an 86-year-old movie for its 160,000-square-foot LED screen using specially tuned versions of Gemini, Imagen, and Veo.
Source: Business Insider
Update: Google clarified in a social media post that 100 Zeros "is not a new studio" but an "initiative driven by our Platforms & Devices team which includes Android." It is working with Range to "assist the creative community in integrating cutting-edge technologies and platforms, like XR and AI, into their filmmaking."