Tootfinder

Is Our Computers Learning?
"The name on your account must exactly match the name on your reservations to ensure that you receive mileage credit and other benefits."
Global Entry number matches, passport number matches, date of birth matches, but no, if there's a difference in the name, including that usually optional middle initial and/or full middle name, I'm sorry, we were too busy training LLMs to handle basic fucking database 101.

Fanatics, the Michael Rubin-led sports company, partners with OBB Media to launch Fanatics Studios, starting with a Tom Brady docuseries (Alex Weprin/The Hollywood Reporter)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/busi…

Sports Powerhouse Fanatics Pushes Into Entertainment With Launch of Fanatics Studios
The joint venture with OBB Media is launching with a Tom Brady docuseries, a deal to produce the ESPY Awards and deals with LA28, MLB and the WWE.

YouTuber Markiplier's self-funded horror film Iron Lung debuted at No. 2 at the US box office with $22M after a fan campaign helped land it on 2,500 screens (Megan Farokhmanesh/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/movies/markiplier-iron-lung-movie.…

A YouTuber’s Film Beat ‘Melania’ at the Box Office. Here’s How.
“Iron Lung,” a horror movie directed and funded by the video creator known as Markiplier, pulled in $22 million in its first weekend after fans across the country requested screenings.

TikTok plans to launch TikTok Radio, a live audio channel that blends creator content and music, on March 13 on the iHeartRadio app and on 28 US stations (Todd Spangler/Variety)
https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/tiktok-radio-podcast-network-ihea…

TikTok Radio and Podcasts Launching With iHeartMedia
TikTok and iHeartMedia are launching TikTok Radio on the free iHeartRadio app and on 28 broadcast stations, plus a slate of creator podcasts, after TikTok's deal with SiriusXM ended last year.

An interview with Dave Jorgenson, who launched WaPo's TikTok channel in 2019, about taking WaPo's video audience with him, launching long-form content, and more (Alice Brooker/Press Gazette)
https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/

How Dave Jorgenson took the Washington Post video audience with him
A former senior video producer of The Washington Post has said one of the reasons he left was because video was not “getting the support”.  

Google has removed dozens of AI videos from YouTube that depicted Disney characters, after Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter flagging the links (Gene Maddaus/Variety)
https://variety.com/2025/film/news/google-removes-ai-videos-disney…

Google Removes AI Videos of Disney Characters After Cease and Desist
Google has taken down dozens of AI-generated videos of Disney-owned characters after the studio sent a cease and desist letter on Wednesday.

Axios' Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen reflect upon their 20 years as media entrepreneurs together and how the media landscape changed since Politico's 2007 launch (Axios)
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/13/politico-founders-axios-media-vandehei-allen

Behind the Curtain: 20 years of media revolution
We alone didn't start this fire. But we surely lit or fanned it — and then had front-row seats to witness the blaze.

TikTok partners with Apple to let users with an Apple Music subscription play full songs on TikTok without leaving the app, along with a Listening Party feature (Steven J. Horowitz/Variety)
https://variety.com/2026/music/news/apple-…

TikTok Teams With Apple Music to Allow Users to Stream Full Songs
Apple Music and TikTok have partnered to launch a feature that allows users of the latter to stream full songs on platform.

Google's video production unit, 100 Zeros, and Range Media Partners are launching a slate of vertical microdramas with dozens of scripted and non-scripted shows (Payton Turkeltaub/Variety)
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/range-media-partners-google-m…

Range Media Partners and Google Launch Microdramas Initiative
Range Media Partners and Google’s premium production initiative, 100 Zeros, is adding a range of microdramas to its roster

Report: AI-generated music uploads account for <1% of total streams; AI-adoption is strongest in functional and low-stakes settings such as background music (Advanced Television)
https://www.advanced-television.com/2026/02/12/report…

Report: How the music Industry is battling AI music flood
The music industry has long been defined by an extreme winner-takes-all dynamic. A small number of tracks, artists, and platforms account for the majority of li