Tech

BTS’ release of “Dynamite,” their first English-language single, has sparked a 300% increase in the number of people listening to the K-pop group for the first time on Spotify, the platform revealed on Thursday (Sept. 17). Already a hit at radio, where the song saw more than 8,000 spins between Sept. 4 and Sept. 10,

The complex wrangling over what happens next to TikTok — which has become a geopolitical football punted around by the Trump administration — continues apace. As a separate entity TikTok, the popular short-form video app, would file for an initial public offering on a U.S. stock exchange within a year after majority control is transferred

UPDATED: Instagram was evidently hit by widespread technical problems Thursday, with users reporting issues including the inability to log in or access their feed. The issues appeared to be mostly resolved in under an hour, with Facebook blaming an errant network-configuration change. According to DownDetector.com, user reports of errors on Instagram began spiking just after

YouTube generally bans content with hate speech, bullying and nudity, among other categories that violate its community guidelines. However, it makes some exceptions — allowing such otherwise prohibited content if YouTube deems the videos to have “educational, documentary, scientific or artistic” merit. The Google-owned video giant has been accused of inconsistently applying its policies to

Jaden Smith is hosting a new Snapchat original series, “The Solution Committee,” which taps young activists and celebrity friends to explore ways to effect social and racial justice — and urge viewers to vote. The show will premiere exclusively on Snapchat on Sept. 21, one day before National Voter Registration Day. “The Solution Committee” is

Tucker Carlson hit back at Facebook, complaining that the social giant “censored” a clip from his Fox News program on Facebook and Instagram that promoted a COVID-19 conspiracy theory. On Wednesday, Facebook and Instagram placed warning labels over video posts from “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that said, “This post repeats information about COVID-19 that has been

The English Premier League, soccer’s most lucrative club championship, will return to screens in China from this weekend. A new deal has been struck with Tencent Sports. The deal replaces one that the EPL canceled at the beginning of the month, after licensee PPTV failed to keep up license payments. The English season has only

Beatport and Twitch have announced a partnership that will enable Beatport to bring more exclusive music and programming to its Twitch channel. With over 140,000 followers, Beatport has seen 48 million views on marathon livestream events like ReConnect (to benefit COVID-19 Relief) and a fundraiser for the Beirut explosion, as well as festival partnerships including

The 2020 holiday season’s game console showdown is set. The PlayStation 5 next-gen system will roll out starting in North America and Japan on Nov. 12, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced today. That will be followed by Europe and additional regions on Nov. 19. The PS5 Digital Edition will be available for a recommended retail price

Amazon Music is now offering millions of episodes of free podcasts and has set a slate of original programming coming to the platform — representing a major new rival to Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The free podcasts are available on all tiers of Amazon Music for no additional cost and have first launched for customers

Samuel L. Jackson’s profanity-laced persona on the Alexa voice assistant is getting a major [expletive deleted] upgrade. The actor’s voice skill on Alexa, which Amazon introduced a year ago, is adding over 30,000 new phrases on the platform with new jokes, roasts, stories and other content. Based on popular demand, that includes five times the

Facebook is launching new line of wearables: The social giant is developing the “next generation” of smart glasses, in partnership with European eyewear company EssilorLuxottica. The first product under the multiyear pact will be branded Ray-Ban, scheduled to launch in 2021. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the pact during the Facebook Connect virtual conference, where

Facebook is still trying to make its $2 billion acquisition of Oculus more than six years ago pay bigger dividends. The social giant’s Oculus virtual-reality division has taken the wraps off Quest 2: a new version of its standalone wireless VR headset that delivers higher performance and higher video resolution than its predecessor. The Quest

Variety Business Intelligence and industry-focused social network Stage 32 have partnered on plans to increase networking and educational opportunities for VBI subscribers. VBI’s Variety Insight, which offers data and analytics surrounding the entertainment industry, and Stage 32, a social network for members of the industry, created the promotional partnership to offer their services to users

The latest project for “Old Town Road” rapper Lil Nas X isn’t a song or an album; it’s a children’s book. The artist Tweeted on Tuesday that “C is for Country,” his upcoming picture book, will arrive on Jan. 5 of next year. “i’m dropping the best kids book of all time soon!,” his tweet

Kim Kardashian West is among several celebrities who have joined the #StopProfitForHate campaign targeted at Facebook, telling followers that she will suspend her use of Facebook and Instagram accounts on Wednesday in protest. “I can’t sit by and stay silent while these platforms continue to allow the spreading of hate, propaganda and misinformation — created

The Michael B. Jordan-starring animated series “Gen:Lock” has increased representation and inclusion in its writers room for the show’s upcoming second season, producers Rooster Teeth and Outlier Society have announced. Daniel Dominguez, Maasai Singleton, Evan Narcisse, Kristle Peluso and Gavin Hignight make up the writers room for the second season of the series, which will

Jean Chi is joining Spotify in the newly created role of global head of podcast business affairs, as the audio and music streaming continues to bulk up on podcasts, the company said Monday. At Spotify, Chi will oversee the dealmaking process for the company’s Spotify Studios, Gimlet, Parcast, and Ringer operations, assuming the leadership of

Spain’s San Sebastian Film Festival will host the second edition of its Zinemaldia Startup Challenge this year. Dedicated to entrepreneurs and new or emerging startups proposing novel technologies meant to impact the audiovisual industry, it will be held online Sept. 25 and include presentations from each of the five finalists and a soon to be

With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping everyone indoors for most of the year, it’s no secret that streaming has skyrocketed on a global scale. Though content is typically key; in an environment where all platforms are producing quality content, what makes a streaming service stand out? In an episode of the Variety Streaming Room presented by

YouTube is launching YouTube Shorts: a new tool for creating and sharing short-form videos up to 15 seconds long, a format popularized by TikTok. The move by YouTube to copy TikTok comes as the future of TikTok remains uncertain. Oracle emerged as the top bidder to become the “technology partner” for TikTok, under a deal

Sony Interactive Entertainment released its latest spot for the PlayStation 5 on Monday, the second in its global marketing campaign leading up to the new console’s launch. The ad, dubbed “The Edge,” shows a young man in a fishing boat riding through the sea before he’s seemingly transported to a more mythical version of the

The COVID crisis has kept people apart physically — and with social-distancing norms, a wave of services is pushing out “watch party” features, letting their users virtually stream video together with friends. The latest entrant: Facebook Messenger, the social giant’s chat app, which is launching a new free Watch Together feature lets up to eight

ViacomCBS is offloading CNET Media Group in a $500 million deal with digital-marketing company Red Ventures, which announced the deal Monday. Under the deal, CNET Media Group EVP and GM Mark Larkin, along with the unit’s senior execs, will remain with Red Ventures following the acquisition. The CNET sale is expected to close in the

TikTok star Addison Rae Easterling has been cast in the upcoming remake of the 1999 teen comedy “She’s All That.” The gender-swapped reboot, titled “He’s All That,” has been in the works for years and recently started to gain traction again. Mark Waters, the filmmaker behind “Mean Girls” and “Freaky Friday,” is set to direct.

After six years at Condé Nast Entertainment, Joe Sabia is stepping down as the division’s SVP of creative development. Sabia, best known as the creator and host of Vogue’s “73 Questions” interview series, told Variety he is departing the media and publishing company on good terms. He said he’s setting up shop as an independent

“Valorant,” Riot Games’ 5v5 competitive shooter, is still mapping out its nascent esports scene following its debut in early June. But players, talent and even major corporations are already making a push for women to get involved in the esport on the ground floor. This past Sunday, Nerd Street Gamers and Comcast’s Spectacor Gaming held

Rainn Wilson has made the pivot from a “slacktivist” to a full-on fighter for a more sustainable future – and through his YouTube series “An Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change,” “The Office” star hopes to inspire others to do the same. In the six-episode series, from his digital media company SoulPancake, Wilson experiences the effects

Pro gaming superstar and streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is coming back to Twitch, under a multiyear deal to livestream exclusively on the Amazon-owned platform. Ninja will launch his first livestream in more than a year on his Twitch channel — which has 15 million followers — on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 12 p.m. PT/3:00 p.m.

Next year’s CES, the world’s biggest consumer-technology trade show, has been pushed back a few days in January 2021, the Consumer Technology Association announced. CTA also announced Verizon chairman/CEO Hans Vestberg as the kickoff keynoter for the online-only event. Originally, CES 2021 was scheduled to run Jan. 6-9, 2021, in the trade show and conference’s