Tech

January 2, 2020 6:32PM PT Just days after Mariah Carey’s Twitter account was hacked by the hacker group known as Chuckling Squad, it appears “Uncut Gems” star Adam Sandler’s has been improperly accessed as well. The hacker this time retweeted tweets from several accounts, but focused primarily on the handle @iNuBLoM, which was also referenced

“Fortnite” remained the biggest game of the year for 2019 in terms of revenue, raking in an impressive $1.8 billion — a decline of 25% off a record-setting $2.4 billion take a year earlier, according to research firm SuperData. Overall, digital games revenue reached $109.4 billion in 2019, up 3% year-over-year, Nielsen-owned SuperData reported. “Gaming

The Golden Globes red carpet will roll out again on Facebook, which reupped its deal as the exclusive live-streaming partner for the 2020 awards’ official pre-show this Sunday. Facebook, for the third year running, teamed with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Dick Clark Prods. for “HFPA Presents Globes Red Carpet Live.” The pre-show is

Coming off a year of momentous change, home entertainment executives expect more disruption in 2020 but predict studios’ rental and sell-through businesses can coexist alongside the streaming boom. Streaming has clearly become the dominant force, with two more high-profile subscription streaming services scheduled to launch in 2020. Comcast/NBCUniversal in April will bow Peacock, with more

“Friends” is no longer there for you if you’re a Netflix subscriber in the U.S. Netflix’s un-friending has left the popular ’90s-era sitcom in streaming limbo: “Friends” will not be available to stream in the United States until the spring 2020 launch of WarnerMedia’s HBO Max, which secured exclusive domestic streaming rights to all 236

December 31, 2019 3:39PM PT On the one year anniversary of Mariah Carey’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve performance, the legendary singer’s Twitter account has been hacked. A user appearing to jokingly claim numerous identities and Twitter handles began tweeting from Carey’s account at 3:23 p.m. PT, posting that “Eminem can still hold this p—y….” Another

Justin Bieber is planning for a big 2020, announcing a new single and docuseries, “Justin Bieber: Seasons,” to premiere on Jan. 27 on YouTube. The 10-part series will premiere two episodes weekly — on Mondays and Wednesdays — each of which cost the video streaming giant upwards of $2 million each, according to insiders privy

Here’s how to live-stream the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration in New York City for free online — without any commercials and with no TV required. The 2020 New Year’s Eve live-stream will be available free worldwide on the web and mobile devices at TimesSquareNYC.org, TimesSquareBall.net, and Livestream.com/2020. In addition, it will be live-streamed

Documentary series “Justin Bieber: Seasons,” premiering exclusively on YouTube next month, promises fans a raw and revealing look at the making of the pop star’s first new album in over four years. “Seasons” is slated to bow Jan. 27 at 12 p.m. ET with new episodes launching each Monday and Wednesday at noon ET. The

Jan Kounen, the Netherlands-born French film filmmaker whose best-known credits are “Dobermann‎” and “Blueberry,” has delivered his most personal work so far with “Ayahuasca,” a virtual reality experience exploring shamanic medicine from the Peruvian jungle. Produced by France’s leading VR outfit Altas V (“Gloomy Eyes,” “Spheres”), Luxembourg’s A_Bahn and Small studios, “Ayahuasca” was created by

“Stranger Things 3,” “The Witcher” and “The Umbrella Academy” were among the most popular series offered on Netflix in 2019, the streaming giant has confirmed. Netflix has issued a series of top 10 “most popular” lists for its content in various genres, breaking down the movies, series, nonfiction programs, documentaries, comedy specials, kids and family

Netflix released lists of its most popular content in Japan, Korea, India and Malaysia on Monday, showing that a mix of American shows and local language content best captured hearts and eyeballs in Asia this year — with Michael Bay’s “6 Underground” the only title that proved a top hit in all territories. Netflix said

The battle for gaming creators has cost Amazon’s Twitch another notable streamer: Corinna Kopf, a popular Instagram model, digital influencer and “Fortnite” Twitch streamer with millions of followers, is moving to Facebook Gaming under an exclusive agreement. On Facebook, Kopf’s first stream is scheduled to take place Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. PT at facebook.com/gaming/corinnakopff.

Comcast is in advanced discussions to acquire Xumo, a free, ad-supported streaming service owned by Panasonic and Meredith Corp., the Wall Street Journal reported. Xumo has been shopping itself for months and had previously engaged in talks with prospective buyers including Sinclair Broadcast Group, Variety reported earlier this year. Comcast already has a commercial deal with

December 26, 2019 11:55AM PT Disney. Apple. WarnerMedia. NBCUniversal. This quartet’s streaming launches that began in late 2019 spell out the D.A.W.N. of a new era: U.S. companies are driving a big shift in where video entertainment will be accessible digitally. Disney Plus had been announced long before 2019, but key details about it such

Here are the trends that captured headlines this year — from the rise of the streaming wars and podcasting, to digital-media consolidation and the growing backlash against Big Tech. 1. Big-Media Streamers Assemble The new multibillion-dollar battle fronts in streaming video became sharply drawn in 2019. Disney roared the loudest, with the debut of Disney

This past Saturday afternoon, e-sports star Benjamin Lupo set off on a mission to raise $2 million in 24 hours for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The 32-year-old husband and father from Omaha, Neb. is better known as DrLupo to the 3.5 million followers that have made him one of the most popular personalities on

In what is being billed as a first, Italian state broadcaster RAI has scored a significant boost to its RaiPlay streaming service by using an original, live variety show hosted by a hot local entertainer to attract viewers. Rosario Fiorello’s live music and comedy show, called “Viva RaiPlay,” just wrapped a six-week run on pubcaster’s

A pair of Pokémon games is hopping exclusively to Facebook. The social network on Monday launched “Pokémon Tower Battle” and “Pokémon Medallion Battle” — the first time the Pokémon Company is bringing games based on the mini-monster franchise to the Facebook Gaming platform. “Pokémon Tower Battle” is available worldwide while “Pokémon Medallion Battle” is initially

A recent survey conducted by National Public Radio noted that, five years ago, 80% of the U.S. population’s listening hours were spent on music, with 20% dedicated to spoken word; this past year, music’s share is down to 76%, with spoken word growing to 24%. Credit the latter’s growth in part to the podcast boom.

Dish Network’s Sling TV is the latest over-the-top internet TV service to raises prices — with a 20% increase for both its Blue and Orange programming packages to $30 per month. The higher pricing for Sling TV, a $5-per-month hike for both bundles, is effective for new customers starting Monday (Dec. 23). Existing customers will

Comcast and Lionsgate have set a complex deal that calls for a significant shift in carriage terms for Starz after the “Power” series finale airs in February. Comcast and Lionsgate had been publicly sparring over carriage negotiations for Lionsgate’s Starz premium channel group, sparking anger from fans of the long-running crime drama that is set

Nearly five years after Dish Network launched Sling TV, the service is adding Fox News Channel — one of the most popular U.S. cable channels — to one of its baseline packages. Fox Corporation announced a deal with Dish to launch Fox News, the distinctly pro-Donald Trump cable newser — and Fox Business Network on

Sports betting giant DraftKings is set to become a public company after setting a merger agreement with Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corp., the public acquisition vehicle headed by industry veterans Harry Sloan and Jeff Sagansky. The deal calls for a three-way combination between DraftKings, Diamond Eagle and SBTech, which provides betting and gaming technologies. Existing investors

December 23, 2019 1:18AM PT Streaming giant, Netflix has ordered new South Korean original series “The Silent Sea” on which Korean star Jung Woo-sung (“The King”) will serve as executive producer. “Silent Sea” is a mystery sci-fi thriller that is set in a precarious future where Earth is running out of water, Netflix said. Based on

Fox Corporation is bringing its trio of streaming services — Fox Now, Fox Sports and Fox News Channel’s Fox Nation subscription package — to Samsung Electronics’ smart TVs. The company’s Fox Now and Fox Sports apps are live as of Friday on 2017-2019 Samsung Smart TV models, and Fox Nation will launch next week on

A&E-backed video aggregator Littlstar has teamed up with Whistle, New Form, Silver.tv and others to launch premium content channels for its paying subscribers. The new partnerships will bring esports and other types of short-form content to the PlayStation and VR devices supported by Littlstar. The new partnerships will get Littlstar subscribers access to the entire

‘Tis the season to experiment with digital multicast channels. Sony Pictures Television is looking to spruce up the programming on its GetTV multicast channel, which mines the studio’s vault with blocks of vintage movies and TV series. Starting next year, Sony plans to add a block of superhero, sci-fi and action-themed movies and TV shows

Social-media star Cameron Dallas is heading to the New York City’s Great White Way. Dallas will make his Broadway debut when he joins the cast of the “Mean Girls” musical in the role of Aaron Samuels. He will play a four-week run starting Tuesday, Jan. 14, at the August Wilson Theatre in Times Square. The

December 20, 2019 8:21AM PT Twitter said it fixed a critical security vulnerability in its app for Android that could allow a hacker to take over a user’s account — and send tweets or direct messages as well as see private account info. In a tweet Friday, Twitter’s support team urged Android users to “update