Tech

Max Cutler, one of Spotify’s most senior podcast execs, is departing the streamer after nearly four years with the company. Cutler, who has served as Spotify’s VP, head of talk creator content and partnerships, will be leaving the company to “return his entrepreneurial roots” and form a start-up venture, according to a source close to

Blumhouse is sinking its horror chops into the video-game biz. The media company on Tuesday announced the launch of Blumhouse Games, a new subsidiary that will produce and publish “indie budget” video games (below $10 million) “in the spirit of its film business” in a way that will “enable innovation and push creative boundaries.” The

New Disney+ original series “The Good Mothers,” which provides a fresh female take on the Calabrian mob, marks a case of truly organic collaboration between the U.K. and Italy to ensure that a great story didn’t risk losing an iota of authenticity.  The show, which is competing in the “Berlinale Series” section, depicts the Calabrian mob through

J.K. Rowling claims people have deeply misunderstood her position on transgender women — and the best-selling author says she’s not preoccupied with how the controversy will affect her legacy. Rowling, speaking on the topic for the podcast “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling,” said she “never meant to upset anyone” with comments broadly seen as

Pornhub is back on Instagram after the Meta-owned social network appears to have reversed its ban on the sex site. As of Sunday (Feb. 19), Pornhub’s account on Instagram, where it has 12.9 million followers, had been reinstated. That came after Instagram in early September 2022 banned Pornhub, with a spokesperson for Meta citing the

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg is taking a page from Elon Musk: The social giant is rolling out “Meta Verified,” a subscription service for Instagram and Facebook users that includes a verified blue check-mark badge and other perks. Meta Verified starts at $11.99/month on web or $14.99/month on Apple’s iOS. The company will launch the service in

Atlas V, the Emmy-award winning VR company, is expanding into the U.S. with the strategic appointment of Michael Masukawa. The banner has just been signed by CAA and is aiming to build a presence in the U.S. Atlas was just nominated for three Emmy awards and won one with its interactive animation “Madrid Noir.” Atlas

Here is Elon Musk’s latest cash-generating idea for Twitter, or at least an attempt to incrementally reduce operating expenses: Next month, the service will restrict access to the simplest form of two-factor authentication — which provides a second layer of security to confirm a user’s login credentials — to Twitter Blue subscribers. Twitter on Friday

During the pandemic, podcasts boomed with popularity, with alternative platforms like Clubhouse, Anchor and YouTube adding to the discussion. Around the globe, more than 400 million podcasts listeners have tuned into over 2 million independent podcasts for all sorts of content. Yup, you read it right – over 2 million podcasts! Why are they are

Barstool Sports is now fully owned by casino operator and entertainment company Penn Entertainment, which Friday completed its previously announced acquisition of the property. Penn said it paid $388 million for the 64% stake in Barstool did not already own. In January 2020, Penn Entertainment, then known as Penn National Gaming, paid $163 million for a

Karl Jacobs, a digital creator and streamer known for his close collaborations with internet superstar MrBeast, is set to make his debut as a featured creator at VidCon Anaheim 2023. As part of his programming, Jacobs will record a live episode of his podcast “Banter” with co-hosts Sapnap and GeorgeNotFound, in addition to doing a

Susan Wojcicki is stepping down as CEO of YouTube after nine years — and 24 years at Google, which she joined as one of its first employees back when it was in start-up mode. Wojcicki announced her departure in a memo to YouTube staff Thursday. Neal Mohan, currently chief product officer at YouTube, will replace

Paradiso Media, the leading French podcast company launched three years ago, is set to produce several film and TV adaptations in partnerships with well-established players. Paradiso, which is kicking off its second fundraising round, has optioned seven podcasts for film and television. The banner has teamed with Cinefrance, the studio behind Cannes’ Directors Fortnight title “Falcon Lake,”

Roku’s fourth-quarter 2022 earnings came in above previously lowered expectations, as the company continued to see growth in its platform business. The streaming device and platform company posted revenue of $867.1 million, essentially flat year over year, and a net loss of $237.2 million (or $1.70 per share) for the period compared with net income

With “Fast X” only a little over three months away, Universal put the pedal to the metal for the film’s unveiling last week. The first “Fast X” trailer nabbed roughly 295 million views globally in its first 72 hours of availability, a source close to Universal confirmed to Variety. Universal drummed up anticipation for “Fast

J.K. Rowling, nearly two years after she ignited a firestorm over her comments widely perceived as denigrating transgender women, is speaking out about the controversy in a new podcast — and claims that fans have “profoundly” misunderstood her point of view. In the forthcoming podcast, “The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling,” Rowling says, “What has

Marne Levine, who currently serves as Meta’s chief business officer, is leaving the internet company after 13 years. According to Meta, Levine will step down from the CBO role on Feb. 21, 2023, and will remain an employee until she departs in the summer. During her tenure at Meta, Levine served as VP of global

Jalen Hurts’ Philadelphia Eagles will beat Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs by a two-touchdown margin in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, according to this year’s prognostication by EA Sports’ Madden NFL 23. The Eagles will defeat the Chiefs by a score of 31-17 in the 2023 Super Bowl, per simulations run by the popular NFL

One of my favorite things about the music industry is that it is in constant motion, forever transforming to the beat of technology and innovation. But culture eats technology for breakfast, and when you mix the two, you get magic: music. As the business evolves, it’s important to take a closer look at the impact

Naples-set prison drama “Mare Fuori” (“The Sea Beyond”) is becoming a major pop culture phenomenon in Italy where the third season of the show is scoring record-breaking ratings just as previous instalments play in more than 20 international territories. “The Sea Beyond” is set in a youth detention center overlooking the bay of Naples where

PODCAST After revealing a film prequel and series to A.A. Milne’s beloved book “Winnie-the-Pooh,” Baboon Animation (“Angry Birds,” “Gigantosaurus”) has set a five-property podcast deal with GoKidGo, starting with “Stories from Pooh Corner” (working title). The podcast, like the feature, will explore the characters’ young lives before the tales in the book took place and

News Corp, parent of media outlets including the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones, announced plans to cut headcount by 5%, eliminating about 1,250 positions, with its CEO citing “obvious global challenges.” The media and publishing company, led by exec chairman Rupert Murdoch, said the job cuts would occur in this calendar year. News Corp

Yahoo is the latest in the digital media sector to slash jobs — planning to cut more than 1,600 employees from its ad-tech division, as it phases out its supply side platform. The company expects to reduce the workforce of its ad-tech division, previously called Yahoo For Business, by nearly 50% by the end of

With Bob Iger back in the CEO seat at Disney, will he look to grab full ownership of Hulu from Comcast — or will the company sell its stake as it looks to refocus its streaming portfolio? Iger, not yet 90 days in his reprise as Disney’s CEO, was noncommittal on the question of Hulu’s

Bestselling author, podcast host, social media sensation, life coach and former monk Jay Shetty is expanding his media footprint, now launching a talent agency, Variety has learned exclusively. Shetty, along with partners Rula Zaabri, Brittany Louks and Blaire Zierke, has announced the formation of House of 1212, a full-service, purpose-driven talent agency that will represent

Now streaming on Vizio TVs: Your top vacation moments — or any personal pics or videos from your camera roll. Vizio, a value-priced leader in the U.S. TV market, is launching a public beta version of VizioGram, a feature that allows you to share photos and videos via its mobile app to select internet-connected Vizio

Bob Iger is back as Disney’s CEO — and swinging the axe. Disney will reduce its workforce by 7,000 employees in a bid to cut costs, Iger said Wednesday on the company’s earnings call for the year-end 2022 quarter. The figure represents 3.2% of Disney’s total headcount of about 220,000 worldwide as of Oct. 1,

Disney+ lost a net 2.4 million subscribers in the last three months of 2022 — marking the streaming service’s first decline since launching in late 2020 — while the Mouse House’s quarterly earnings topped Wall Street estimates, thanks to a surge in revenue at Disney’s theme parks. The results are Bob Iger’s first back in

Netflix’s crackdown on sharing passwords with individuals outside an account member’s household is expanding to four new countries — and the streaming giant said it’s going to start blocking devices that attempt to access a Netflix account without properly paying. Starting Wednesday (Feb. 8), Netflix is launching a “buy an extra member” option in Canada,

If reenacting deadly challenges from Netflix’s “Squid Game” with your pals sounds like a rollicking night out, you’re in luck. Sandbox VR, an operator of location-based virtual reality experiences, announced a partnership with Netflix to create a “fully immersive” VR experience based on the extremely violent “Squid Game” thriller from South Korea. The Sandbox VR