Observed Signal · Jul 12, 2023 · Product Launch · Source: OnlineMarketing.de · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Meta Launches Avatars for Real-Time Video Calls
Meta has expanded its avatar features across its platforms, enabling real-time video calls via user avatars on Facebook and Instagram, following earlier avatar rollouts on WhatsApp. The company also introduced avatar stickers for Instagram and Facebook Stories, Reels, Facebook comments, and Messenger 1:1 threads, and added options to create avatars from selfies with standardized avatar appearances across Meta apps. Meta notes that more than a billion Meta Avatars have been created, underscoring avatars as a core part of its metaverse and digital-identity strategy. The update aligns with broader trends around AI-generated avatars and virtual interactions within Meta’s ecosystem.
New avatar feature release across Meta platforms; potential impact on user engagement
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Meta rolled out avatar-based real-time video calling on Facebook and Instagram.
- Avatars were recently launched on WhatsApp.
- Avatar stickers were added for Stories and Reels on Instagram and Facebook, Facebook comments, and 1:1 Messenger threads and Instagram Direct Messages.
- Meta introduced selfie-based avatar creation and standardized avatar appearance across Meta apps.
- Meta says over one billion Meta Avatars have been created.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mappedOntology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Google launches unified agentic AI for Gemini
At a Google Cloud event on Thursday, Google announced it is bringing agentic AI to its Gemini assistant, launching a unified agent that can autonomously plan and execute tasks on behalf of users. Aimed initially at businesses, the agent can connect to internal systems and external tools, use custom skills, and even choose from third-party models like Anthropic's Claude. It will have its own Workspace account with an email address, and will write its own audit trail. Early testers include On, Shopify, and PayPal. Gemini has over 1 billion monthly active users, and nearly 90% of Fortune 100 companies use Gemini Enterprise.
AWNY, Jupiter Fest Spotlight Agentic Ads and Open Web
Advertising Week New York and the inaugural Jupiter Festival Miami highlighted the industry's shift toward agentic advertising and anxieties about the open web's future. Major announcements included TikTok's off-platform ad expansion and a new AI shopping agent, Meta's AI campaign assistant testing, and OpenAI's visual ads introduction. Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery closed, forming Skydance. Key themes were the threat of AI to publisher traffic, the rise of AI visibility tools, the early stage of agentic media buying, unsolved cross-platform measurement, and the booming sports and retail media sectors. Deals included PubX's acquisition of Compliant and a $5 million Series A, and OpenAI's reported $30 billion round talks with BlackRock and UAE investors.
ICANN Receives 1,615 New Top-Level Domain Applications
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has accepted applications for new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) for the first time since 2012. A total of 1,615 applications were submitted by 481 applicants, with a strong focus on AI-related domains. Ten companies, including Meta and OpenAI, applied for .agent, seven for .agi, and six for .asi. Meta filed 21 applications, including .instagram and .threads, while OpenAI filed 15, including .chatgpt and .codex. German entities like Adidas, Biontech, and Allianz also applied for brand-specific domains. The application fee can be up to $227,000 per domain. The article also highlights the financial success of country-code TLDs like .ai, which earned Anguilla about €59 million by November 2025.
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