Tech

“Friends” was the No. 1 most popular show on U.S. streaming services in the past week, according to new data — coming after news of series star Matthew Perry‘s death. For the week of Oct. 30-Nov. 5, “Friends” (which is available on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max) was the top-ranked TV show among American viewers, according

Crunchyroll, the Sony-owned anime streamer, is getting its game on — adopting a strategy similar to Netflix’s foray into the video-game space. On Tuesday (Nov. 7), Crunchyroll launched Game Vault, which provides unlimited access to a collection of mobile games selected with anime fans in mind. The perk is available worldwide to customers of Crunchyroll‘s

Elon Musk famously is a huge video-game fan. But gaming companies apparently aren’t fans of what Musk is doing with X, the social network formerly called Twitter. Sony said it is removing support for Elon Musk’s X/Twitter from its PlayStation game consoles, effective next week. The company announced the change in a notice posted Monday

People who showed up to Yuga Labs‘ recent three-day event celebrating a collection of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs have reported eye and skin irritation, potentially from UV light used at the event. Yuga Labs’ ApeFest, held Nov. 3-5 in Hong Kong, included a brightly lit party held on Saturday. Several of those who attended

YouTube is testing a new AI-powered chatbot that can converse with viewers to let them “dive deeper into the content they are watching.” The new conversational tool on YouTube will provide “answers to questions about the video you’re watching, recommendations for related content, and more, all without interrupting playback,” YouTube announced. The “YouChat” feature is

Apple has promoted Zach Kahn, who previously managed the tech giant’s podcast and audiobooks PR, to lead public relations for content on Vision Pro, the company’s forthcoming AR/VR headset. According to his LinkedIn bio, Kahn will head communications for apps, services and entertainment on Apple Vision Pro, which is slated to feature apps for Apple TV

Jeff Bezos is relocating to Miami, moving away from Seattle — which has been his home since he founded Amazon in 1994 out of his garage. Bezos announced the decision to move to Miami in an Instagram post Thursday. He explained that his parents (who “have always been my biggest supporters”) recently moved back to

A federal jury convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy related to the collapse of the cryptocurrency company. The charges carry a maximum prison term of 110 years, according to federal prosecutors. The jury verdict Thursday came after a trial of a little over a month in federal court in

Apple‘s services segment continues to record healthy gains, increasing 16.3% for the September quarter to reach a record $22.3 billion, while it also reported a 2.8% lift in iPhone sales. Overall, Apple posted revenue of $89.50 billion (down 1%) and net income of $22.96 billion (up 11%), translating to earnings per share of $1.46, for

Warner Bros. Discovery‘s tagline for Max is “The One to Watch.” But if you want to watch 4K Ultra HD movies or TV shows — or stream content on more than two devices at once — you’ll have to pay extra starting next month. Max this week began notifying subscribers to its standard ad-free plan,

Apparently, totaling a super-expensive luxury car can get you noticed in Hollywood. Cody Detwiler, the YouTube creator behind automotive DIY, stunts and vlog channel WhistlinDiesel, has signed with CAA. Detwiler, alongside partner Matt McGuire, will next focus on expanding Nashville, Tenn.-based WhistlinDiesel into new genres, premium content, consumer products and other areas, according to CAA.

Trevor Noah is entering his next act as a podcast host. The former host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” launches his deep-dive interview show, a Spotify original podcast, next week. In each episode of the new podcast, Noah will have an extended discussion with a single guest. For now, he’s keeping mum on who

Isabela Merced and Christopher Briney star in “Influencer,” an Audible original YA psychological thriller about a murderous social-media personality. “Influencer,” which premieres Nov. 2 (available at this link), is the first audio project under a multi-project deal Audible inked with production house Temple Hill Entertainment, whose films have included the Twilight Saga, the Maze Runner

Roku shares popped after the streaming-platform company beat Wall Street expectations for the third quarter of 2023 on the top line. But in providing forward-looking guidance, Roku told investors that the macroeconomic environment remains “uncertain.” The company reported Q3 revenue of $912 million, up 20%, and a net loss of $330 million (or $2.33 per

Heather Dietrick, CEO of IAC‘s Daily Beast, is leaving the news and opinion website at the end of 2023, Variety has learned. Dietrick has been hired as chief media officer at Outside Interactive, whose 13 editorial brands include Outside Magazine, Backpacker, Ski, Climbing, Yoga Journal, Velo, Pinkbike and Triathlete. She will remain with the Daily

Scarlett Johansson has taken legal action against an AI app that used her name and likeness in an online advertisement without permission. Johansson appeared in a 22-second ad posted on X/Twitter by an artificial intelligence image-generating app called Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar. Representatives for the actor confirmed to Variety that Johansson is not

Hartbeat, the production and media company founded by Kevin Hart, said CEO Thai Randolph will step down to “pursue new endeavors.” Randolph, who has been with Hartbeat for nearly seven years, will remain a strategic adviser to Hart, who as chairman of the L.A.-based company will serve as interim CEO until a permanent successor is

Former TV news anchors Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes are going to tell their story — as well as discuss the news of the day — in a new podcast from iHeartMedia. In January, ABC News parted ways with Robach and Holmes, who had co-anchored the “GMA3” block of “Good Morning America,” after the revelation

Media and publishing company Condé Nast will lay off upwards of 300 employees, representing 5% of its headcount, and take other cost-reduction measures as it looks to improve efficiency. Condé Nast says it has more than 6,000 employees, meaning the job cuts will eliminate more than 300 roles. The cutbacks were announced by CEO Roger

A year ago, tech mogul Elon Musk griped that he was “obviously overpaying” for Twitter in the $44 billion deal that the social network sued him to complete. Now we know how inflated Musk believe his bid was: X, the new name of Twitter, on Monday informed employees eligible for stock grants that they would

Matthew Perry‘s Chandler Bing — the most sarcastic of the “Friends” sextet — is the No. 1 favorite character of the sitcom’s fans, according to votes on ranking site Ranker. Based on 169,000 total votes, Bing tops the list of the best characters on “Friends,” per Ranker. He’s followed by Joey Tribbiani (played by Matt

Marketers, mark you calendar: Google is bringing YouTube‘s Brandcast back to New York City during TV’s upfront ad-sales season for 2024 for a third year running. Next year’s YouTube Brandcast will be held Wednesday, May 15, 2024, starting at 6 p.m. at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. It’s the second year the platform’s sales event

President Biden issued an executive order Monday aimed at establishing new safeguards governing the use of AI while also promoting U.S. interests in the artificial-intelligence field. The executive order — the first such U.S. regulations explicitly aimed at artificial intelligence — “establishes new standards for AI safety and security, protects Americans’ privacy, advances equity and

Remember Twitter? That was Elon Musk‘s favorite social-networking service. He was such a fan that he made a $44 billion bid for the company, then tried to renege on the deal when tech stocks swooned in 2022 before he was forced to consummate the pact after Twitter sued him. The tech mogul closed the debt-burdened

Amazon kept the cash register ringing in the third quarter, including a strong 26% uptick in advertising revenue, turning in results that came in above Wall Street forecasts. Overall, Amazon reported Q3 revenue of $143.1 billion, up 13%, and net income up more than threefold to $9.88 billion (94 cents per share). The quarter included sales

Tech giant Meta’s advertising business is roaring back, as the parent of Facebook and Instagram exceeded Wall Street’s third-quarter 2023 earnings forecasts. Meta reported Q3 revenue of $34.15 billion, up 23%, and net income more than doubling to $11.58 billion (or $4.39 per share). The results come after the company suffered year-over-year revenue declines in

Music icon Dolly Parton is featured in a new four-part series, “What Would Dolly Do? Radio,” premiering Oct. 25 on Apple Music and available on Apple Podcasts. As she prepares for her latest evolution with the release of her first rock album, “Rockstar,” due out Nov. 17, the 77-year-old Parton talks about her life and

A giant in the world of podcasting needs a “sonic signature.” So when the prolific publisher Wondery decided it was time to brand its product by establishing an unforgettable signature, its leaders hired the creative-design firm, Made Music, behind the iconic static-screen clip that opens every HBO show. Wondery CEO Jen Sargent recalls that the

Apple has hiked the price of its Apple TV+ streaming service for the second time in a year. The tech giant updated the pricing info for Apple TV+, along with its Apple Arcade and Apple News+ subscription services and Apple One bundles, on its website Wednesday. The new price of Apple TV+ is $9.99/month in

Michael Eisen, a professor at UC Berkeley, said he was fired as the editor of eLife, a medical and life sciences academic journal, after he praised the “moral clarity” of an article about the Israel-Hamas war published by satirical website The Onion. “I have been informed that I am being replaced as the Editor in