A new Netflix Italian original series titled “Fedeltà,” which translates as “Faithfulness,” has begun shooting in Milan. The relationship drama follows a couple in their thirties contending with the consequences of presumed betrayals. The six-episode show is based on a bestseller by author Marco Missiroli, who won Italy’s top literary prize, the Premio Strega, in
Tech
Spotify and filmmaker Ava DuVernay signed a multiyear deal for a slate of exclusive podcast shows, the latest high-profile podcast pact for the audio streamer. Spotify and DuVernay will develop and produce exclusive original audio programming through Array, DuVernay’s multiplatform arts and social impact collective, in concert with Spotify’s Gimlet studio. The scripted and unscripted
The question of whether Donald Trump will ever be allowed back on Facebook or Instagram — after he incited a mob of supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol earlier this month — will be decided by the social network company’s Oversight Board. On Jan. 7, the day after the attack in D.C., Facebook said it
President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris ostensibly were the main attractions on Inauguration Day. But Amanda Gorman stole the show with her reading of uplifting poem “The Hill We Climb,” becoming an overnight media and internet star. The work by Gorman, 22, the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration, focused on themes
Pluto TV, the free streaming service owned by ViacomCBS Networks International, is set to launch in France on Feb. 8 as it aims to grow its presence further across Europe. The service, which doesn’t require a registration, will boast 40 curated channels for French audiences with a library of content from ViacomCBS brands, as well
As President Joe Biden gained access to the official @POTUS Twitter account on Wednesday, he followed just 12 users – one of them being Chrissy Teigen. Wake Up to Politics newsletter author Gabe Fleisher was the first to point out that Biden had followed Teigen alongside several of his aides, Vice President Kamala Harris, Second
As the United States transitions under a new presidency, the 10-day People’s Inauguration kicks off Jan. 21 and calls on everyday people to commit to reimagining and rebuilding the country. “In the wake of violence, insurrection and white supremacist terror, we are coming together to make our commitment to building a multi-racial America where we
On Jan. 28, Emmy Award-winner Matthew Rhys (“The Americans,” “Perry Mason”), will bring “Playing Burton” to life on Audible Theater. The award-winning one-man show explores the life of the international icon of stage and screen Richard Burton, told from the perspective of the Welsh megastar. Adapting the classic show for Audible’s theatrical storytelling initiative has
President Biden, less than an hour after his swearing in, posted his first official tweet from the @POTUS account after Twitter transferred it from Trump’s control. “There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face,” Biden said in the post, time-stamped at 12:36 p.m. ET Wednesday. “That’s why today,
2020 may have been a breakout year for Roku, but it’s really just setting the stage for what’s to come next for the upstart streaming company. Despite much bigger competitors like Amazon and Google, Roku saw its stock rocket 150% over the past 12 months on the strength of a dominant position among connected devices
Netflix shares saw their biggest single-day gains in four years after the streamer reported strong Q4 subscriber growth that topped Wall Street expectations. The company also said it was “very close” to achieving sustainable positive free cash flow and that it was contemplating stock buybacks. Bullish investors pushed Netflix stock up more than 14% in
Are you feeling lucky? Netflix is officially bringing “shuffle play” to customers worldwide this year — letting subscribers turn over the decision of what to watch next to the streamer’s algorithms. Netflix announced plans to roll out the feature, which it has been widely testing on connected TV platforms since last summer, to all customers
Wattpad, the user-generated fiction platform and entertainment company, announced that it agreed to be acquired by Korean internet conglomerate Naver, parent of digital comics platform Webtoon, in a deal worth more than $600 million. Seoul-based Naver plans to acquire Wattpad in a cash and stock transaction valued at more than $600 million, subject to customary
Netflix powered past the 200 million subscriber mark in 2020 to cap its biggest-ever year of growth, driven by viewership gains during COVID-19. In the fourth quarter of 2020, Netflix added 8.51 million paid streaming subscribers, about 2.5 million more than expected, to stand at 203.7 million worldwide at the end of the year. Netflix
Unofficial reports began trickling out a few days ago, but now it’s official: Drake has become the first artist ever to surpass 50 billion combined streams on Spotify, a rep for the streaming service confirmed to Variety. Drake himself didn’t wait for official confirmation, posting the news on his Instagram Story over the long holiday
Cinedigm continues its rollup of niche streaming brands: The company has acquired the assets of Fandor, a subscription-streaming service with a catalog of 4,600 films that has been in hibernation mode for the last two years. In late 2018, Fandor laid off nearly all of its employees and reorganized as a new entity that was
ViacomCBS has set March 4 as the launch date for Paramount Plus, the company’s effort to join the direct-to-consumer streaming revolution alongside its larger rivals. The subscription service will debut on that date in the U.S. and Latin America. ViacomCBS will host a virtual investor presentation on Feb. 24 to detail the company’s evolving streaming
A slew of celebs and influential podcasters will join the 2021 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards to celebrate the best creators, organizations and shows of the year. The kudocast, to be livestreamed and broadcast Jan. 21, will feature special guest appearances from Will Ferrell, Aaron Mahnke, Adam Devine, Anders Holm, Baratunde Thurston, Blake Anderson, Bowen Yang &
Fund manager and investment research firm Grizzly Reports has issued a warning about DouYu, a Chinese live streaming company that is listed on New York’s NASDAQ stock exchange. The report alleges that the site has benefited from and encouraged its users to host online lottery operations that are illegal in mainland China. Chinese regulators are
President Trump’s permanent ban from Twitter helped eliminate huge clouds of misinformation that were polluting social-media networks, according to new research. From Jan. 9-15, misinformation about election fraud on social networks plummeted around 73%, from 2.5 million to 688,000 posts, according to data from social-analytics firm Zignal Labs, as cited by a Washington Post report.
As new musical genres gain popularity, they are often acknowledged with their own genre-specific Billboard charts. Over the years, disco and reggae are among the musical genres awarded their own tallies. An old musical genre is going viral on TikTok, starting with Scotland’s Nathan Evans’ posting of the 19th century shanty “Wellerman” during the last
Far-right social media personality Tim Gionet, also known as “Baked Alaska,” has been arrested by the FBI following his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, according to the Associated Press. Gionet was arrested in Houston, Texas on Saturday for “knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority”
James Murdoch, the son of Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch, has spoken out against “media property owners” that spread disinformation leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. In an interview with the Financial Times on Friday, Murdoch said that the attack on the Capitol is a consequence of the election disinformation championed by
NBCUniversal’s newest sitcom series “Mr. Mayor,” a comedic, skeptical take on city government co-created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, opened to solid numbers in its Thursday night debut on Jan. 7. One week after the premiere, and ratings in the key, adults ages 18-49 demographic haven’t just undergone a substantial increase— they’ve quadrupled, from
Apple hasn’t revealed how many customers have signed up for Apple TV Plus — but it clearly wants to hold on to them as it continues to bulk up the streaming service’s content lineup. The tech giant is extending the free-access period for Apple TV Plus customers who have signed up through its 12-month free
Despite the extraordinary circumstances of 2020, TikTok has transformed the pop culture landscape in recent months. At its core, the application simply strives to inspire creativity and bring joy to users, said TikTok’s Vice President of Global Business Solutions Blake Chandlee. While this mission has not changed, Chandlee shared that he was personally struck by
In a reshuffling of Snap’s content group, the Snapchat owner has promoted Ben Schwerin to the newly expanded role as SVP, content and partnerships. And in another executive change, chief strategy officer Jared Grusd — the former HuffPost CEO who joined Snap more than two years ago — is shifting into an advisory role at
Apple chief Tim Cook said posts on right-wing social app Parler represented “incitement to violence” that warranted its removal from the App Store. In an interview to air on Fox Broadcasting’s “Fox News Sunday” this Sunday (Jan. 17), Cook told anchor Chris Wallace that Apple “looked at the incitement to violence that was on there
UPDATED: Shares of Spotify took a hit after analysts at Citi downgraded the stock because the audio-streaming giant hasn’t shown “any material benefit” from its $800 million-plus investment in podcasting content and tech. Spotify’s stock price was down more than 6% Friday, outpacing smaller declines in the broader market. In 2020, shares of the company
Tencent Music Entertainment, which is already China’s biggest online music platform, is planning on getting bigger through the proposed acquisition of Lazy Audio. Among the current owners are financial investors, the company’s management and fellow Tencent group company China Literature. New York Stock Exchange-listed Tencent Music has agreed to pay up to $415 million (RMB2.7