The Department of Justice filed an appeal on Thursday of a judge’s order blocking a ban on TikTok downloads from going into effect. The government is trying to bar users from downloading the app on the grounds that China could obtain data on U.S. citizens, posing a security threat. But on Sept. 27, Judge Carl
Tech
Amazon and Roku haven’t reached a deal for HBO Max yet — and Peacock is still not on Fire TV. But the two over-the-top platform companies have now inked a deal to bring the Roku Channel, the free, ad-supported service with more than 100,000 titles and over 115 live/linear channels, to Fire TV devices in
Twitter tapped communications veteran Tracy McGraw, most recently with Tyler Perry Studios, to lead consumer communications and media campaigns. McGraw, as Twitter’s senior director of global consumer communications, will oversee PR for the social media giant’s product launches, partner announcements and cultural events. Based in New York, she will report to Brandon Borrman, Twitter’s VP
Microsoft joined the chorus of critics of Apple’s App Store policies, with the software giant announcing that it was adopting 10 principles “to promote choice, ensure fairness and promote innovation” in its own digital storefront for Windows. Microsoft said the principles, which will apply to the Microsoft Store in Windows 10, build on “the ideas
Apple TV Plus is joining the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, an entertainment industry group that seeks to crack down on piracy. The move represents a strengthening bond between Apple and the major studios, and draws the company deeply into industry efforts to check the flow of pirated content. Apple will be on the governing
Facebook, as part of celebrating National Coming Out Day, will premiere a special hosted by music star Demi Lovato and fashion designer Tan France of Netflix’s “Queer Eye.” “Coming Out 2020” will premiere this Friday, Oct. 9, on Facebook Watch (on the Facebook App Page). Lovato and France will be joined by LGBTQIA activists, allies,
YouTube announced a global slate of new and returning projects dedicated to amplifying Black voices and highlighting racial justice issues, including five new projects from its recently announced $100 million fund for Black creators. The lineup includes documentary series “Resist” from executive producer Patrisse Cullors (pictured above), cofounder of Black Lives Matter; an HBCU homecoming
Kevin Hart is counterprogramming against a flood of grim headlines with his first original series for Snapchat: “Coach Kev,” in which the multihyphenate acts as your mentor to dole out bursts of inspirational of positivity and wisdom. Hart is extending his Laugh Out Loud comedy brand to Snapchat with the 10-episode unscripted series, which premieres
Matthew Anderson is leaving Roku after serving as its chief marketing officer for seven years — and he’s joining James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems investment company as a strategic adviser. Anderson, a former News Corp and Sky exec, announced his exit from Roku on Monday. A Roku rep confirmed his departure but declined to comment. At
Pastry chef and online personality Claire Saffitz has officially announced that she is no longer working with Bon Appétit magazine. Saffitz, who became an internet sensation as the host of the “Gourmet Makes” series on Bon Appétit’s YouTube channel, wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday that her relationship with Condé Nast Entertainment, the media company
Facebook is now completely banning all posts related to QAnon, the bizarre pro-Trump conspiracy and disinformation movement, the company announced. “Starting today, we will remove any Facebook Pages, Groups and Instagram accounts representing QAnon, even if they contain no violent content,” the social giant said Tuesday. The pro-Donald Trump movement known as QAnon, which first
Camille Hearst has been named head of Spotify for Artists, the resource the streaming giant provides for artists and their teams to better understand and build their audiences via statistics, insights and other educational resources. In this new role, she will be responsible for managing a cross-functional team including product, tech, design, user research and
NBC Sports and Twitter are hoping for Olympic-size audience lifts through their extended content pact to cover both the postponed Tokyo Olympics set for summer 2021 and the Beijing Olympic Winter Games in February 2022. Most elements of the extended pact are the same as in the original agreement, announced last year for Tokyo 2020
Facebook is hoping the addition of Netflix to its Portal TV will spur consumers to spring for the $149 video-conferencing device this holiday season. Portal TV, which Facebook calls “the future of video calling,” is adding Netflix to a lineup of streaming services that includes Amazon Prime Video, ViacomCBS’s CBS All Access and Showtime, Dish
The ASCAP Lab announced that Living Colour founder and guitarist Vernon Reid has joined as artist in residence, and also announced the finalists from its NYC Media Lab Seed Project as well as several upcoming virtual speaking engagements. First, Reid will appear at the NYCML Summit on Friday, Oct. 9 in a keynote conversation with
Xumo, the free, ad-supported streaming TV service now owned by Comcast, wants to make the case that it’s in the same league as its two primary rivals, Fox’s Tubi and ViacomCBS’s Pluto TV. Since January, according to Xumo, its user base has soared 2.5 times to reach more than 24 million U.S. monthly active users.
Spotify has announced the debut of its Weekly Music Charts, which includes an albums chart, a new move for the streaming giant. According to the announcement, the new charts include: The Weekly Top 50 will celebrate the biggest albums and tracks in the world each week, Friday through Thursday, consisting of a US Weekly Album
Kenzo Takada, fashion designer and founder of the brand Kenzo, has died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, from COVID-19. He was 81. Takada’s death was confirmed Sunday morning by a post on the Kenzo brand Facebook page. “For half a century, Mr. Takada has been an emblematic personality in the fashion industry – always infusing creativity and
Twitter said it will suspend users who openly use the platform to express hope that President Donald Trump dies from his ongoing battle with COVID-19. The social media site pointed to a policy in place since April when commenting to Vice’s Motherboard on its ability to suspend people for their comments about Trump. Twitter’s policies
The pandemic has given YouTube “a chance to show what we’re capable of” when applying its fact-check facilities, Ben McOwen Wilson, YouTube’s regional director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told Variety this week. “I feel very proud of the way that throughout the pandemic we were able to continue to remove, at scale,
Activision Blizzard Esports CEO and Overwatch League commissioner Pete Vlastelica will leave his post for a new role within the company following next week’s Overwatch League Grand Finals, the company said in a statement on Thursday. “Pete Vlastelica, CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports and Commissioner of the Overwatch League, will transition from his role in
Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, teen digital influencers who popped to fame on TikTok, are branching in the podcast biz with a new show about themselves that’s aimed at their massive fanbase. The D’Amelio sisters, who together have nearly 200 million social media followers, are set to launch their new weekly podcast “Charli and Dixie: 2
Tim Robbins thought he’d come up with a timely idea for a new comedy. The subject of his new satire would be an unhinged billionaire-turned-president who uses the Oval Office to sow racism and division. Robbins’ film would focus on his struggles to maintain his grip on power during a tumultuous year in which he
Starting next week, you won’t need to have Disney Plus to purchase “Mulan” — but it will still cost $30. Disney debuted the live-action remake of the animated original on Sept. 4, initially available only to subscribers of Disney Plus ($6.99/month). As of next Tuesday, Oct. 6, “Mulan” will be available on multiple digital on-demand
Scener, the startup whose co-viewing watch parties are available across 10 streaming platforms (and counting) is hoping to keep up the momentum it’s seen during the COVID pandemic. Scener has been at this for more than two years. But watch parties have hit a quarantine-driven boom, with Disney Plus, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video among
Twitch, the livestreaming and gaming platform owned by Amazon, now offers users a way to avoid copyright takedowns when using music, although it has not yet licensed by major labels. The platform on Wednesday announced the beta launch of Soundtrack by Twitch, a music-streaming service within the platform that includes more than a million songs
Seven years after launching the first Chromecast, Google has at long last built a robust streaming device that will compete head-to-head with the likes of Roku, Amazon’s Fire TV and Apple TV. The internet giant today officially took the wraps off its redesigned Chromecast streaming dongle. Like its progenitors, the lightweight $50 4K-enabled device plugs
YouTube is giving music artists a new promotional vehicle to hype their latest releases with new original show “Released” — starting this week with K-pop superstars Blackpink. The video platform promises the 16-episode series will feature big-name artists every week. Each 15-minute episode, highlighting music moments from the prior week, will lead up to one
Primary Wave Music Publishing and Lava Media have announced a new business relationship that sees Primary Wave making an investment in the Lava Media businesses, including the “Lava Music” and “Lava for Good” podcasts, and providing marketing and branding support for the podcasts as well as access to Primary Wave’s roster of artists and writers.
YouTube TV customers are losing 19 Fox regional sports networks owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group as of Thursday, after Google and the broadcaster couldn’t reach terms on a renewal. Starting Oct. 1, 2020, the Fox-branded RSNs will no longer be available on YouTube TV, according to Google. In February, Google had negotiated an extension with