Tech

After COVID stalled nearly all productions last year, Netflix is expected to boost content spending on an amortized basis by a healthy 26% in 2021 to $13.6 billion — and the streamer’s budget could hit $18.9 billion by 2025, as it increasingly shifts the mix toward originals. That’s according to the latest estimates from S&P

In today’s podcast news roundup, Apple TV Plus sets a sidekick podcast for “Foundation” hosted by Jason Concepcion with David S. Goyer; Showtime preps “Dexter” podcast for special event series; Ellen Pompeo’s podcast gets a premiere date; House Beautiful sets its first-ever podcast about famous haunted homes; and more. DATES Apple TV Plus will premiere

Former TV journalist John Stossel is demanding at least $2 million in damages from Facebook in a lawsuit he filed against the social media giant, alleging the company defamed him by appending fact-checking labels to two videos he posted about climate change. In a statement to Variety, a Facebook spokesperson said, “We believe this case

Spotify inked an exclusive deal for a podcast hosted by Lauren Simmons, who famously was once the youngest person to work as a full-time stock trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. In the podcast, “Mind Body Wealth With Lauren Simmons,” she sits down for conversations with guests from across various industries

Facebook CTO Mike “Schrep” Schroepfer will resign from the post sometime in 2022, after 13 years leading technology operations for the biggest social media company in the world. Facebook said Schroepfer will become a “senior fellow” at the company next year, working on initiatives such as recruiting and developing technical talent and “fostering the company’s

Snapchat cut the payout amounts for creators’ viral videos in the Spotlight section because the program was producing too much “copycat content,” according to Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Originally, Snapchat said it paid out more than $1 million per day to the top Spotlight contributors, allocated based on engagement with their content. Starting in June,

The music of Billie Eilish is coming to Oculus Quest 2 and Rift platforms, with the trailblazing artist releasing a Beat Saber Music Pack that serves up ten of her biggest hits on Sept. 21. A trailer for the Beat Saber pack shows headset-wearing VR users moving to Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever.” After the choreographed

New Line Cinema founder Bob Shaye has signed on as a strategic investor to Brat TV, a digital studio that specializes in producing scripted series for Gen Z audiences. Shaye, who will also join Brat’s board of directors, is best known as the creative force behind some of the most memorable cinematic franchises, including “Lord

Comcast has launched a new wireless streaming device — the XiOne — that will become the company’s standard platform across the globe. In Europe, the XiOne is enabling the first delivery of video services over internet protocol for Sky customers. It’s currently available in Italy and Germany to Sky Q customers, and Comcast is beginning

In today’s podcast news roundup, Reese’s Book Club gets embedded with Google’s voice assistant; Apple Podcasts adds new content-discovery features; Warner Bros. TV takes “Bachelor Nation” and “Band of Mothers Podcast” shows to Audacy; the 2022 Ambies awards open for nominations; and more. PROGRAMMING Google inked a deal with Reese Witherspoon and her media company,

Calm is ramping up original kids content, as the meditation and mental-wellness app company looks to persuade more parents to shell out $70 for an annual subscription — with a roster of celebs and new characters to help their young’uns chill out and get to sleep. The app, first launched in 2012, already has material

As the pandemic marches on, audiences are doubling down on streaming and still very hungry for their favorite genres of entertainment. At Variety’s Entertainment and Technology Summit presented by City National Bank from Sept. 22-23, industry experts will break down the impact of the continuing pandemic and other forces on viewing habits and content creation

Viaplay, NENT Group’s leading Scandinavian streaming service, is set to launch in five new markets: U.K., Canada, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The company began expanding its international footprint last year with a rollout in the U.S. and Poland, among other countries. The streamer’s launch in the U.K. is scheduled for the second half of 2022,

It’s been a long time coming, but the U.K. Government’s response to the recent report into the economics of music streaming has finally arrived. However, anyone hoping for a neat conclusion to the fierce debate that has pitted labels against artists and songwriters will be disappointed. Indeed, if this was a soccer match, it would

Disney Plus global paid subscribers will increase by “low single-digit millions of subscribers” for the quarter ending September 2021, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said — marking a slowdown from recent periods for the Mouse House’s flagship streamer. Sub growth in Disney Plus core markets (excluding Hotstar) will continue both domestically and internationally in the current

After months of strong words, the National Music Publishers’ Association and livestreaming platform Twitch have announced an agreement to work together “to build productive partnerships between the service and music publishers,” according to the announcement. While the arrangement falls short of a licensing deal, it at least is a step toward a more productive relationship

Fans who can’t wait to get their ears on the new slate of Marvel podcasts can subscribe to Marvel Podcasts Unlimited, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts, from SiriusXM and Marvel Entertainment. Marvel Podcasts Unlimited is available as a paid subscription exclusively through the Marvel channel on Apple Podcasts for $3.99 per month (U.S.) after a

AT&T CEO John Stankey said the decision to spin off WarnerMedia — and merge it with Discovery — came down to his belief that investors have undervalued the media division under the telco’s ownership. About WarnerMedia, he said, “It’s trading right now like a cable network asset,” speaking Tuesday at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference.

Just in time for Halloween, supernatural comedy podcast series “Haunt the Johnsons” — starring Aisha Dee as a teen with paranormal powers who moves to the most-haunted town in America — is coming to Audible. The 16-episode scripted series launches exclusively as an Audible Original on Oct. 7. In addition to Dee (“The Bold Type”),

Bloody Disgusting, the horror fandom and entertainment outfit first launched 20 years ago, is under new ownership: Streaming media company Cinedigm has acquired Bloody Disgusting to beef up its horror portfolio. The amount Cinedigm is paying for Bloody Disgusting in the cash-and-stock deal was not disclosed, but Cinedigm said it expects the acquisition will be

Influencer marketing platform company CreatorIQ is acquiring analytics provider Tribe Dynamics in a deal worth around $70 million, sources tell Variety. For marketers, the deal combines Tribe Dynamics’ analytics and benchmarking solutions — which have focused on beauty and fashion brands — with the ability to make those insights actionable through CreatorIQ’s Creator Intelligence Cloud,

Netflix is launching an entirely free plan — with a more limited content selection, available only on Android phones — first in Kenya. The streaming company’s hope is that by offering a 100% free tier, which includes about one-fourth of the content available in its paid-streaming plans in Kenya, more people will try out the

Cumulus Media has named two executives, Doug Cohn and Bruce Gilbert, to newly created positions across Music & Entertainment and Sports, respectively, to lead new content development across the company’s platforms, including broadcasting, podcasting, streaming, social media, digital, and live events, the company announced Monday (Sept. 20). Both will report to Brian Philips, executive vice

Twitter disclosed a binding agreement to settle a class-action lawsuit, under which the social network will pay $809.5 million to resolve claims it provided misleading user-engagement info to investors. The original lawsuit, filed in 2016 by a Twitter shareholder, alleged Dorsey and others including former CEO Dick Costolo and board member Evan Williams hid facts

Roku, gearing up for the 2021 holiday shopping season, unveiled the all-new Roku Streaming Stick 4K — priced at $50, the same as its previous-generation model. It’s also releasing the Roku OS 10.5 operating system with a bunch of enhancements, including new voice controls for Netflix and Spotify. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K is up

NBC is showing the love to freshman drama “Ordinary Joe” with the launch of a unique partnership with Pinterest. The network is collaborating with Pinterest to help users explore their “what if” journey, coinciding with the Sept. 20 premiere of “Ordinary Joe.” The deal marks the first time the image-sharing social network is combining an

Hearst Television is officially launching its bouquet of “Very Local” over-the-top streaming TV channels, spanning all 26 U.S. media markets it operates in — another bid by a legacy media company looking to reach younger viewers who aren’t watching TV the way Americans used to. The debut of Very Local comes after several months of

Pandemic-set thriller “Lockdown” is to be offered as a non-fungible token prior to its theatrical release in November. NFTs, which allow proof of originality and authenticity even for something infinitely copiable such as software, digital images or video, are taking the art world by storm. The film’s producers Phoenix Waters Productions and AMM Global have

The 2021 Met Gala may not have taken place on the traditional first Monday in May, but the glamorous fundraiser was certainly one to remember, with Vogue touting record breaking digital engagement around the event. Vogue was simultaneously the engine behind and the primary benefactor of a massive amount of audience attention for this year’s

WarnerMedia is trying to help offset the loss of about 5 million HBO subscribers who had signed up through Amazon in the U.S. with an aggressive discount offer on HBO Max. As of Sept. 15, HBO subscriptions through Amazon Prime Video Channels officially shut down. But WarnerMedia is angling to get those customers back: Starting