VentureBeat reports: “As Apple doubles down on its push into services, the tech juggernaut today announced some new stats designed to show that all is well in Cupertino.”
Billboard reports: “Spotify just took another bold step toward becoming a major podcasting player. On Wednesday (Jan. 8), the streaming giant announced the launch of Streaming Ad Insertion (SAI), a new proprietary podcast ad technology that will power advertising for Spotify’s slate of original and exclusive podcasts.”
Hollywood Reporter reports: “India became the first country in the world where the streaming video giant launched such an offering, costing $2.99 per month, to take on local rivals and drive user growth in a price-sensitive market.”
Variety reports: “With media and entertainment sectors continuing to be whipped by winds of digital disruption, many industry execs believe they need to change the ways they’ve done business — or see their companies perish.”
Hollywood Reporter reports: “On Dec. 9, Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge took aim at the “content companies” entering the direct-to-consumer streaming business. The cable executive told a roomful of investment bankers in Manhattan that these new streamers are “creating havoc in the ecosystem.”‘
The Verge reports: “In November, we talked here about how some of the threats against TikTok were starting to add up. National security officials had begun to investigate the Chinese looping video app as a potential national security threat.”
gamesindustry.biz reports: “Modern Times Group today announced that its esports subsidiaries ESL and DreamHack have signed a three-year deal with Blizzard Entertainment to run ESL Pro Tours for StarCraft II and Warcraft III: Reforged.”
Hypebot reports: “While many thought the streaming age would bring about the end of physical media as we know it, the opposite seems to be true, with not only vinyl, but other seemingly antiquated formats like cassettes also making a comeback.”
Billboard reports: “Concord Music Publishing has acquired a stake in the Pulse Music Group, and as a result will form an exclusive joint venture that will see the Pulse brand continuing with funding by Concord, which will also administer its new partner’s catalog and future signings.”
TechCrunch reports: “Facebook wants to be the arbiter of truth after all. At least when it comes to intentionally misleading deepfakes and heavily manipulated and/or synthesized media content, such as AI-generated photorealistic human faces that look like real people but aren’t.”
