Media & Entertainment
Media & Entertainment tech news covers everything from Big Tech to streaming services to mobile apps. We dissect startups entering App Stores, social media, the creator economy and more.
Spotify is introducing a new “Basic” streaming plan in the United States, the company announced on Friday. The new plan costs $10.99 per month and includes all of the benefits…
YouTube confirms crackdown on VPN users accessing cheaper Premium plans
YouTube appears to be taking a firm stance against Premium subscribers who attempt to use a VPN (virtual private network) to access cheaper subscription prices in other countries. This week,…
DeepMind says that it sees the tech, V2A (short for “video-to-audio”), as an essential piece of the AI-generated media puzzle.
The race to high-quality, AI-generated videos is heating up. On Monday, Runway, a company building generative AI tools geared toward film and image content creators, unveiled Gen-3 Alpha. The company’s latest…
YouTube is testing another way to combat ad blockers
YouTube continues its efforts to circumvent ad blockers. Earlier this week, ad blocker SponsorBlock posted that the Google-owned video service is testing out server-side ad injection with a limited number…
YouTube creators can now test multiple video thumbnails
YouTube announced this week the rollout of “Thumbnail Test & Compare,” a new tool for creators to see which thumbnail performs the best. The feature first launched to select creators…
AI news reader Particle adds publishing partners and $10.9M in new funding
Particle announced it has partnered with news organization Reuters to collaborate on new business models and experiments in monetization.
Apple TV+ introduces InSight, a new feature similar to Amazon’s X-Ray, at WWDC 2024
To use InSight, Apple TV+ subscribers can swipe down on their remote to bring up a display with actor names and character information in real time.
Twitch DJs will now have to pay music labels to play songs in livestreams
Twitch has come up with a solution for the ongoing copyright issues that DJs encounter on the platform. The company announced Thursday a new program that enables DJs to stream…
Punk singer Shira Yevin pushes for fair pay with InPink, a women-focused job marketplace
It’s been 20 years since Shira Yevin, the lead singer of punk band Shiragirl drove a pink RV into the Vans Warped Tour grounds, the now-defunct punk rock festival notorious…
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Amazon buys Indian video streaming service MX Player
Amazon has agreed to acquire key assets of Indian video streaming service MX Player from the local media powerhouse Times Internet, the latest step by the e-commerce giant to make its services and brand popular in smaller cities and towns in the key overseas market. The two firms reached a…
Cartwheel helps animators go from zero to basic movement, so creating a scene or character with elementary motions like taking a step, swatting a fly or sitting down is easier.
Discord and TuneIn partner to bring live radio to the social platform
Audio streaming service TuneIn is teaming up with Discord to bring free live radio to the platform. This is TuneIn’s first collaboration with a social platform and one that is…
Storyblok raises $80M to add more AI to its ‘headless’ CMS aimed at non-technical people
The startup targets the middle ground between platforms that offer rigid templates, and those that facilitate a full-control approach.
Malicious actors are abusing generative AI music tools to create homophobic, racist, and propagandistic songs — and publishing guides instructing others how to do so as well. According to ActiveFence,…
Spotify to increase premium pricing in the US to $11.99 per month
Spotify has announced it’s hiking subscriptions for customers in the U.S., the second such price increase in the space of a year. The music-streaming giant reports that premium pricing will…
Spotify offers Car Thing refunds as it faces lawsuit over bricking the streaming device
Though Spotify never shared official numbers, it’s likely that Car Thing underperformed or was just not worth continued investment in today’s tighter economic market.
Amazon is rolling out AI voice search to Fire TV devices
Amazon is rolling out its AI voice search feature to Alexa, which lets it answer open-ended questions about content.
Alex Taub, a longtime founder with multiple exits under his belt, believes it’s time to disrupt the meme industry. “I have this big thesis that meme tech is going to…
MoviePass co-founders speak their truth in HBO’s new documentary
HBO’s new documentary, “MoviePass, MovieCrash,” tells a story that many of us know about: how MoviePass, the subscription-based movie ticketing startup, was a catastrophic failure. After a series of mishaps…
Spotify hikes subscription price in France by 1.2% to match new music-streaming tax
Spotify has hiked its premium subscription in France by an eye-watering €0.13, in response to a new music-streaming tax.
How Maven’s AI-run ‘serendipity network’ can make social media interesting again
Everything in society can feel geared toward optimization — whether that’s standardized testing or artificial intelligence algorithms. We’re taught to know what outcome you want to achieve, and find the…
Ticketmaster antitrust lawsuit could give new hope to ticketing startups
The United States Department of Justice and 30 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster, for alleged monopolistic practices. Live Nation and…
Spotify’s addition of its AI DJ feature, which introduces personalized song selections to users, was the company’s first step into an AI future. Now, Spotify is developing an alternative version…
Autodesk — the 3D tools behemoth — has acquired Wonder Dynamics, a startup that lets creators quickly and easily make complex characters and visual effects using AI-powered image analysis. The…
Spotify’s ‘Listening Party’ feature falls short of expectations
It’s been three years since Spotify acquired live audio startup Betty Labs, and yet the music streaming service isn’t leveraging the technology to its fullest potential — at least not…
“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine.”
NYC-Dublin real-time video portal reopens with some fixes to prevent inappropriate behavior
When putting a video portal in a public park in the middle of New York City, some inappropriate behavior will likely occur. The Portal, the vision of Lithuanian artist and…
Hollywood agency CAA aims to help stars manage their own AI likenesses
Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of the top entertainment and sports talent agencies, is hoping to be at the forefront of AI protection services for celebrities in Hollywood. With many…
YouTube TV’s ‘multiview’ feature is now available on Android phones and tablets
YouTube TV has announced that its multiview feature for watching four streams at once is now available on Android phones and tablets. The Android launch comes two months after YouTube…
