TwitchCon is headed to Europe next year, doubling the number of Twitch-focused conventions the streaming company puts on in 2019. TwitchCon Europe will run from April 13 to 14 at Berlin’s CityCube. The location was selected, Twitch said, because of it’s centralized location and Germany’s status as “one of the top performing countries in terms
Tech
Mark Zuckerberg says he’s not going anywhere. In an interview with CNN that aired Tuesday evening, the embattled Facebook chief, when asked if he would step aside as chairman, replied, “That’s not the plan.” Critics of the social giant have stepped up calls for Zuckerberg to resign following an explosive report by the New York
November 21, 2018 5:00AM PT [embedded content] Syfy Digital is using virtual reality (VR) to promote George R.R. Martin’s upcoming sci-fi series “Nightflyers”: The network’s digital arm released a three-part miniseries of 360-degree videos on YouTube as well as syfy.com this week. The three-parter is complementary to the show, which is set to premiere on Syfy
YouTube has been aggressively vocal in its opposition to the European Copyright directive, which was approved by the European Parliament in September — particularly its Article 13, which makes the platform YouTube legally responsible for any copyright-infringing material uploaded by its users. As the European Parliament negotiates with the European Council and Commission to finalize
Will Hollywood star power get consumers to open their wallets for virtual reality (VR)? We may soon find out, thanks to “The Limit,” a new VR featurette from filmmaker Robert Rodriguez that was released for major VR headsets Tuesday. Starring Michelle Rodriguez and featuring “The Walking Dead” star Norman Reedus, “The Limit” is a 20-minute
November 20, 2018 10:00AM PT “Pokémon Go” and “Ingress Prime” developer Niantic is partnering with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to promote world travel through its augmented reality games, it announced on Tuesday. Niantic wants to foster exploration and build awareness of global destinations by getting players to engage with real-world locations in
Patrick Walker, Facebook’s director of media partnerships for the EMEA region, said Tuesday that the company had “made a number of mistakes” and “learned the hard way” during recent crises as it tried to balance access to its platform with screening harmful content and messages. Walker said that there had “been a huge upswell of
November 20, 2018 9:28AM PT Snapchat’s corporate parent Snap is getting ready to release a new version of its Spectacles eyewear, according to a new Cheddar report. The new model will cost $350, and feature two cameras instead of one, according to the report, which also states that Snap is aiming for a release by
After nearly 80 years, the monthly print edition of Condé Nast’s Glamour women’s magazine is ending. Glamour’s last regularly published print edition, the January 2019 issue, is scheduled to hit newsstands next week, the company announced Tuesday. It’s another move by Condé Nast away from declining print businesses to pivot to a mostly digital future,
November 20, 2018 7:09AM PT Amazon has emerged as a bidder for the 22 Fox regional sports networks that Disney must divest as a condition of its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, according to a report by CNBC. Amazon has been steadily getting more active in the sports arena as it expands its video and
The holidays and the inevitable big sales of Black Friday and Cyber Monday are upon us and that means lots of discounts on gaming goodies. In this post, we’ve put together some of the better deals you can find for Windows PC gamers. There are discounts on peripherals, graphics cards, monitors, mice, keyboards, laptops, and
Nielsen has picked its new CEO: David Kenny, previously head of IBM’s artificial-intelligence unit and former chief exec of the Weather Company. Kenny succeeds 22-year Nielsen veteran Mitch Barns, who as previously announced is retiring from the media-measurement company. Barns, who had been CEO since 2013, will step down as chief executive officer on Dec.
A little over three months ago, short-form social video app Musical.ly was shut down — and millions of users were forced to switch to TikTok, a similar app from Chinese internet giant Bytedance, which acquired Musical.ly last year. Since then, TikTok has been gaining momentum in the U.S. and across the globe. The app, which
Got a cord cutter or Netfix lover on your holiday shopping list? Or maybe you want to treat yourself with a smart display for your kitchen? Whether it’s for others or yourself, this year’s Black Friday deals once again include many bargains for streaming devices and internet-connected audio gear. Here are some of the best
November 19, 2018 2:11PM PT Netflix is trying to get as much bang out of its soon-to-expire Disney deal as possible. In the U.S. and Canada, Netflix will debut Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. The streamer announced the premiere date for “Avengers: Infinity War” in a tweet Monday. But Netflix’s deal with
November 19, 2018 10:28AM PT Pandora is bringing its paid premium tier to Amazon’s Echo speakers. The Oakland, Calif.-based music service announced Monday that owners of Amazon’s Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Show devices are now able to access the premium service with voice commands. This includes the ability to request single songs, whole albums
Oren Katzeff is joining Condé Nast as the new president of Condé Nast Entertainment, after serving as head of programming at Tastemade for the last five years. Katzeff will oversee Condé Nast Entertainment’s film and TV production slate and its digital-video production and distribution. Katzeff will be based in New York and report to Condé
Instagram launched a new crackdown on users who inflate their follower counts and engagement metrics using unauthorized third-party apps. On Monday (Nov. 19), the photo- and video-sharing app said it will begin purging fake followers, as well as likes and comments, from user accounts that Instagram has found to have employed third-party apps that violate
November 19, 2018 9:50AM PT Apple has slashed the production of all of its 3 new iPhone models in recent weeks, according to a new Wall Street Journal report. Particularly hard hit is the iPhone XR, which has seen order cut-backs twice since its introduction in September, according to the Journal. Apple didn’t immediately respond
Consolidation in the digital-media sector is looming as an inevitable outcome — and BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti said he’s interested in joining forces with other companies through potential mergers and acquisitions. Peretti’s theory is that if BuzzFeed were combined with other media companies, the new entity would be able to get better economic terms for
“House of Cards,” in the sixth and final season of Netflix’s political thriller, is off to a slower start than its penultimate run last year. Netflix released all eight episodes of season 6 on Nov. 2, starring Robin Wright as President Claire Underwood, who navigates new political machinations and scandals — as well as demons
Discovery inked its first deal for free, ad-supported internet VOD distribution in a pact with Pluto TV, set to launch select programming from six of the cabler’s networks on the platform later this month. Discovery is an investor in Pluto, through Discovery’s acquisition of prior investor Scripps Networks Interactive. Under the multiyear, non-exclusive content deal
Computers aren’t going to replace creative pros — but machine learning and artificial intelligence can be powerful tools in the storytelling process. That’s the takeaway from Lexus’ newest ad, which it’s billing as the advertising industry’s first commercial scripted by artificial intelligence. The 60-second spot was directed by Oscar-winner Kevin Macdonald, working from a script that
Virtual reality (VR) and its sibling augmented reality (AR) both have become exciting outlets for creators looking to immerse their audience into their stories. And this week, some of the best storytellers in the industry released their latest films for headsets, phones and tablets: CREDIT: Courtesy of Baobab Studios “Crow: The Legend” Baobab Studios’ latest
Microsoft is working on two new cost-cutting Xbox One consoles — one with a disc drive and one without — for next year, according to a report from Thurrott. The news comes the day after Variety first reported that Sony would not be attending next year’s E3, a move that could be tied to the
The Gameband, a smartwatch packed with retro mini-games that hit its $75,000 Kickstarter goal in less than a day early last year, is officially dead, the project creator tells Variety. Feargal Mac Conuladh said that those involved in the Kickstarter, which went on to receive $500,000 in support, will not be “going forward” with the smartwatch’s development,
November 16, 2018 10:04AM PT Facebook has been testing social video co-viewing in Messenger, according to code snippets discovered by Twitter user Ananay Arora. The feature seems to be similar to Facebook’s Watch Party, which launched globally this summer. In Messenger, the new feature allows users to invite their friends to watch a video together.
What’s next for Ken Jeong after “Crazy Rich Asians”? For one thing, kibitzing with a ton of Santas. The actor-comedian is starring in “Ken Jeong Cracks Christmas,” a half-hour YouTube original comedy special set to premiere Dec. 12. It will be available free to watch on BuzzFeed’s YouTube channel. The special is presented by YouTube
Embattled Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has strongly denied that the company engaged a PR firm to smear rivals and creative fake news about the social media giant that has been at the center of the national storm about fake news. CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell landed the first interview with Sandberg following a damning New York
Netflix has launched trials of a lower-cost streaming plan, priced at around $4 per month — which will let you watch only on mobile devices. The mobile-only tests are running in select countries, including Malaysia, Netflix said, and may not become widely available. The trials are aimed at appealing to smartphone-centric users in Asia and