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.
Sony Music warns tech companies over ‘unauthorized’ use of its content to train AI
Sony Music Group has sent letters to more than 700 tech companies and music streaming services to warn them not to use its music to train AI without explicit permission.…
Netflix to take on Google and Amazon by building its own ad server
The announcement signifies a significant shake-up in the streaming giant’s advertising approach.
Back in February, Google paused its AI-powered chatbot Gemini’s ability to generate images of people after users complained of historical inaccuracies. Told to depict “a Roman legion,” for example, Gemini would show…
Google TV to launch AI-generated movie descriptions
Gemini, the company’s family of generative AI models, will enhance the smart TV operating system so it can generate descriptions for movies and TV shows.
Google Veo, a serious swing at AI-generated video, debuts at Google I/O 2024
Veo can capture different visual and cinematic styles, including shots of landscapes and timelapses, and make edits and adjustments to already-generated footage.
Veo can generate few-seconds-long 1080p video clips given a text prompt.
AI startup Runway’s second annual AI Film Festival showcased movies that incorporated AI tech in some fashion, from backgrounds to animations.
The problem is not the media, but the message.
Reddit locks down its public data in new content policy, says use now requires a contract
The newly announced “Public Content Policy” will now join Reddit’s existing privacy policy and content policy to guide how Reddit’s data is being accessed and used by commercial entities and…
NBA champion Kyle Kuzma looks to bring his team mentality to Scrum Ventures
Kyle Kuzma is a lot of things. He’s a forward for the Washington Wizards NBA team and a 2020 NBA champion. He’s also a style icon — depending on who…
TechCrunch Minute: Audible deploys AI-narrated audiobooks. Can it replace the human touch?
AI is coming for audiobooks, and that is not an entirely bad thing. But it is a cause of concern in the realm of audio titles and the folks who…
Tubi calls on indie filmmakers and their fans to help beef up original content library
Tubi, the ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox, launched a new beta program on Tuesday called “Stubios,” inviting aspiring filmmakers to submit their original content. Notably, applicants will receive feedback…
Whether you love or hate celebrity culture, the Met Gala is an event. Those less jaded among us get to see all of the biggest stars take their boldest fashion…
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The Kendrick-Drake feud shows how technology is changing rap battles
It seems we’re all in agreement: Kendrick Lamar defeated Drake in one of the most engrossing rap battles of the decade. To add insult to injury, Drake also threw himself into legal hot water when he deepfaked the late rapper Tupac. The tension between Lamar and Drake goes back decades,…
TechCrunch Minute: Spotify’s move to paywall lyrics is putting pressure on free users
Spotify’s slow movement to put lyrics behind its paid service wall in its music service are about as popular as you would expect. Precise details of the update are evolving…
Following various reports citing frustrated posts from users on Reddit, Spotify is quietly confirming the change.
Online course platform Kajabi allows creators to build their own branded apps
Kajabi, the video and web hosting platform for content creators to sell online courses, announced Thursday the official launch of its no-code branded mobile app offering, letting users host their…
A harsh truth: As bad as North American wildfires have grown over the past several years, things are only going to get worse. Climate change continues to accelerate the issue,…
Audible to test using Prime Video data for audiobook recommendations as Spotify competition heats up
Amazon has historically operated audiobook marketplace Audible as a separate entity, unconnected to the retailer’s broader goals and ambitions. Today, that’s changing a bit with the launch of a test…
beehiiv attracts $33M to make its newsletter publishing platform more sticky
With the number of people using e-mail globally approaching 5 billion, newsletters delivered regularly into people’s inboxes continue to look like a sticky way of getting attention for whatever it…
OpenAI inks strategic tie-up with UK’s Financial Times, including content use
OpenAI, maker of the viral AI chatbot ChatGPT, has netted another news licensing deal in Europe, adding London’s Financial Times to a growing list of publishers it’s paying for content…
AI may be inching its way into the newsroom, as outlets like Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Gizmodo, VentureBeat, CNET and others have experimented with articles written by AI. But while most…
Area man, Twilio co-founder Jeff Lawson, buys The Onion
Jeff Lawson, co-founder and recently departed CEO of Twilio, is the proud new owner of satirical online newspaper The Onion.
India’s JioCinema offers Hollywood streaming for a penny a day to box out Netflix and Prime Video
JioCinema introduced new monthly subscription plan on Thursday, with the lowest tier costing just 35 cents.
Diddo’s new funding will bring its shoppable TV API to streaming platforms
The company has developed an API that uses proprietary computer vision AI technology to identify products in TV shows and movies.
X, the company formerly known as Twitter, is launching a dedicated TV app for videos uploaded to the social network soon. X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced on Tuesday that the…
Firefly, Adobe’s family of generative AI models, doesn’t have the best reputation among creatives. The Firefly image-generation model in particular has been derided as underwhelming and flawed compared to Midjourney,…
Tinder gets a ‘Share My Date’ feature for users to send date plans to their curious friends
It’s not uncommon for people to screenshot dating profiles and send them to their friends and loved ones, either to get feedback or to let them know who they’re seeing…
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Your Android phone could have stalkerware — here’s how to remove it
This simple guide helps you identify and remove common consumer-grade spyware apps from your Android phone.
VerSe, the parent firm of Indian news aggregator app Dailyhunt, has acquired the popular digital newsstand firm Magzter, which competes with Apple News+.
