Latest Digital
Spotify Hikes Prices of Premium Plans Again as Streaming Inflation Continues
Spotify is hiking the prices of its premium plans for the second time in a year, a sign that streaming inflation is still running hot. The music streaming giant said Monday that it is adjusting the prices for all of its premium plans, with the individual plan rising by $1 per month to $11.99, the […]
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Netflix’s Jake Paul-Mike Tyson Match “Postponed” After Tyson Suffers Ulcer Flare-Up
Netflix’s upcoming live boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul is being postponed. Most Valuable Promotions, which organized the event, said that the July 20 event would have to be postponed at the behest of Tyson’s medical team. “During a follow-up consultation on Thursday with medical professionals on his recent ulcer flare-up, the recommendation […]
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Wanna Go Viral? Dare to Take a Seat on Shannon Sharpe’s Couch
Shannon Sharpe arrives promptly at noon at the South Beverly Grill, a short drive from his home in Holmby Hills. He is 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, a wall of muscle sheathed in black athleisure wear. He slides into his favorite booth, orders a cranberry ginger ale and offers a hello — friendly but guarded — […]
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Elon Musk’s AI Startup Raises $6B
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup has raised a huge Series B funding round. The company, xAI, says that it has secured $6 billion in a new round of funding that values it at $24 billion. Investors in the round include Fidelity, Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and […]
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Ted Sarandos Indicates Netflix Won’t Add “Breaking News,” Credits Algorithm for ‘Baby Reindeer’ Success
While Netflix has expanded the type of programming it offers, most recently venturing into live sports and other events, co-CEO Ted Sarandos has indicated in a new interview that news is not for Netflix. “We don’t do breaking news and that kind of thing, because I think there’s a lot of other outlets for it. […]
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Yeardley Smith’s Paperclip Ltd. Launches Podcast Network Audio 99 (Exclusive)
Yeardley Smith, known for her voice work on The Simpsons and her crime-centric audio shows, is launching a new podcast network through her company Paperclip Ltd. The network, entitled Audio 99, will operate as a subsidiary of Paperclip Ltd., which Smith founded in 2014 with Ben Cornwell. Smith is known for voicing Lisa Simpson on […]
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Vivek Ramaswamy Acquires Activist Stake in BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed has an activist investor, and it is a familiar name to close followers of Republican politics. Vivek Ramaswamy, the entrepreneur who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has acquired a significant stake in the digital media company, with an SEC filing indicating that he intends to pursue an activist approach. […]
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Inside YouTube’s Brandcast: Billie Eilish, Roger Goodell, AI Talk and Lots of Creators
If there has been a consistent message from YouTube over the past couple of years, it has been built around its vast ecosystem of creators. More recently, that has been joined by artificial intelligence, with the Google-owned video platform rolling out generative AI tools for creators, and for advertising partners. So it is no shock […]
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‘Cheers,’ ESPN Hobey Baker Podcasts Among Titles Announced at IAB Upfront
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) held their 2024 Podcast Upfront in New York on Thursday, May 9. IAB gathered brands, agencies and media buyers to provide an exclusive glimpse into upcoming podcast programing. The event, of which The Hollywood Reporter was a media sponsor, included presentations from Wondery, iHeartPodcasts, Acast, NPR, SiriusXM Media, Libsyn Ads, […]
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Apple Apologizes for iPad Pro Ad After Criticism: “We Missed the Mark”
Apple is apologizing for an iPad Pro ad that was widely criticized when it debuted earlier this week. The dystopian spot, titled “Crush,” shows several instruments, including a guitar and piano, being crushed by a hydraulic press. Also among the items being smashed flat are balls that look like emojis and an Angry Birds statue. […]
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Jon Stewart Adds Comedy Central Podcast to ‘Daily Show’ Duties
Jon Stewart is adding another hosting gig to his Daily Show plate — though this one isn’t on camera. Stewart, who returned to The Daily Show for a once-a-week turn behind the desk in February, will host a podcast for Comedy Central beginning in June. It will be called The Weekly Show and will essentially bea […]
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Amazon Set to Debut Remote-Enabled Shoppable Ads As It Readies Inaugural Upfront
It’s about to get a lot easier to buy something on Amazon while watching a TV show, movie, or live sporting event on Prime Video. Ahead of its inaugural upfront presentation to advertisers next week, Amazon says that it plans to roll out three new ad formats that will emphasize shoppability, including the ability for […]
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Nintendo Says It Will Unveil Next-Generation Nintendo Switch By March 2025
A new Nintendo Switch video game console is in the horizon… but don’t expect any news in the next few months. Nintendo reported quarterly earnings on Tuesday, and in conjunction with that news, the company released a statement from its president Shuntaro Furukawa addressing rumors that a new Switch could debut at this summer’s Nintendo Direct […]
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‘Dune’ VFX House DNEG Teams With Dimension on LED Volume Stages in London, Rome
DNEG, the London-headquartered visual effects and animation house that has won Oscars for the likes of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and has also worked on The Last of Us and season 4 of Stranger Things, among others – unveiled the launch of a new unit dubbed DNEG 360, which is operated by real-time production firm Dimension Studio. The partners also unveiled what they […]
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YouTube Delivers $8.1B In Quarterly Ad Revenue, Beating Wall Street Expectations
Even as linear TV continues to struggle, the video advertising market on YouTube continues to grow. The Google-owned video platform on Thursday reported advertising revenue of $8.1 billion in Q1 2024, up more than 20% from $6.7 billion in the Q1 quarter a year ago. Wall Street estimates were for YouTube ad revenue of $7.7 […]
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Warner Bros. Discovery Jumps Into Data-Driven Advertising Business With New Tool Olli
With linear TV in flux and streaming on the rise, Warner Bros. Discovery is the latest media company to launch a first-party data platform to try and change how TV and video advertising is bought, sold, and measured. The company on Thursday announced “Olli,” its first-party data solution for marketers, giving them a single touchpoint […]
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