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@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-10-23 21:50:47

EA strikes a partnership with Stability AI to build game developer tools that serve as "smarter paintbrushes" (Jennifer Maas/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Electronic Arts Partners With Stability AI
Video game giant Electronic Arts has struck a new partnership with generative tech company Stability AI

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-24 18:40:49

Disney crosses the $6B milestone at the box office for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic; no other studio has managed to reach $6B since 2015 (Rebecca Rubin/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/box-offi

Disney Crosses $6 Billion at Global Box Office
Disney surpassed a major box office milestone, crossing the $6 billion mark globally.

@stefan@gardenstate.social
2025-10-24 03:34:10

Excited for a The Mitchells vs. the Machines sequel!
#movies

Mitchells vs Machines 2 in Works at Sony Animation, Netflix
Sony Pictures Animation is developing a sequel to its 2021 Oscar-nominated feature "The Mitchells vs. the Machines," with Netflix set to distribute.

@LillyHerself@Mastodon.social
2025-11-24 12:43:08

Goodbye Udo Kier
variety.com/2025/film/news/udo

Udo Kier Dead: 'Andy Warhol's Frankenstein' Star Was 81
Udo Kier, a German actor who collaborated with everyone from Andy Warhol to Lars von Trier to Madonna, died on Sunday morning. He was 81.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-24 13:25:43

Trump says Stephen Colbert is a "pathetic trainwreck" and "CBS should, 'put him to sleep,' NOW"; earlier CBS aired the Kennedy Center Honors, hosted by Trump (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/donal

Trump Attacks Colbert & Says CBS Should Cancel His Show Now: 'Put Him to Sleep'
Donald Trump urged CBS to cancel Stephen Colbert's show 'NOW,' responding to a Dec. 8 rerun in which Colbert mocked his Kennedy Center takeover.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-24 18:46:00

A look at CBS News in the first weeks of Bari Weiss as EIC: weak 60 Minutes ratings, union members' concerns, outreach for potential new anchors, and more (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/bari-

Bari Weiss' Early Weeks at CBS News: '60 Minutes' Miss, Talent Hunt
Bari Weiss has been active in her early weeks at CBS News, but it's not clear her proclivity for snaring newsmakers will translate into revenue

@nelson@tech.lgbt
2025-11-24 02:22:12

RIP Udo Kier. I loved him in many things but he's particularly great opposite River Phoenix in My Own Private Idaho. Later he appeared again with Keanu Reeves in Johnny Mnemonic.
Perhaps it is time to watch Spermula in honor of his divers oeuvre. I think he had a lot of fun in his career.

@simon_brooke@mastodon.scot
2025-10-24 12:03:03

From a friend in #Gaza on the food situation today:
"For the variety of foods, there are not a lot of items. For example, no meats, no chicken, no eggs. If we find them, the price is insane. For example if we want to bring two chickens for my family, I think we need more than 130$."
If you are supporting families in Gaza, please keep doing it. If you're not yet supporting fa…

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-23 23:20:45

Comcast extends Mike Cavanagh's contract through January 1, 2029, and grants a ~$35M performance-based stock package; he's set to become co-CEO in January 2026 (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/comca

Comcast Extends Michael Cavanagh Contract Through 2029, Gets $35M Stock Award
Michael Cavanagh, as he's set to assume the role of Comcast's co-CEO on Jan. 2, extended his employment contract with the cable and media conglomerate that runs through Jan. 1, 2029.

@paulbusch@mstdn.ca
2025-10-24 12:26:07

Here's the 2nd scary location, a famous hotel haunted by a variety of former staff and guests. Pro travel tip - don't go into any room that has blood seeping from under the door...
nuvomagazine.com/culture/canad

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-10-21 13:30:44

HBO Max raises prices across all plans: Basic With Ads increases by $1/month to $10.99, Standard by $1.50/month to $18.49, and Premium by $2/month to $22.99 (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/hbo-m

HBO Max Raises Prices Across All Plans Effective Immediately
It's going to cost you more to watch HBO Max, after the streaming platform raised its prices just a year after its last hikes.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-24 09:40:40

Universal's Wicked: For Good debuted with $150M in North America and $76M overseas in its opening weekend, the biggest global opening for a musical adaptation (Rebecca Rubin/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/box-offi

Wicked 2 Box Office: For Good Sets Record for Broadway Adaptation
"Wicked: For Good" was No. 1 with $150 million and set a record for Broadway adaptations.

@memeorandum@universeodon.com
2025-10-20 20:20:40

Kenny Loggins Slams Donald Trump for Using 'Danger Zone' in AI Video Bombing No Kings Protesters With Poop: 'I Request That My Recording Is Removed Immediately' (Ellise Shafer/Variety)
variety.com/2025/music/news/ke
memeorandum.com/251020/p100#a2

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-23 11:31:04

TelevisaUnivision reports Q3 revenue down 3% YoY to $1.3B and $90.5M net income, down from $190.3M YoY; subscription and licensing revenue rose 3% YoY to $493M (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/telev

TelevisaUnivision Sees 3Q Profit Dip Due in Part to Ad Shortfall
TelevisaUnivision Sees 3Q Profit Dip Due in Part to Advertising Shortfall

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-11-24 14:40:52

Amazon unveils its Autonomous Threat Analysis system, born from a 2024 internal hackathon, to use AI agents competing in teams to identify vulnerabilities (Lily Hay Newman/Wired)
wired.com/story/amazon-autonom

Amazon Is Using Specialized AI Agents for Deep Bug Hunting
Born out of an internal hackathon, Amazon’s Autonomous Threat Analysis system uses a variety of specialized AI agents to detect weaknesses and propose fixes to the company’s platforms.

@Defiance@sfba.social
2025-10-17 00:25:41

My favorite guitarist 😔
#RIP Space Ace
Ace Frehley, Kiss Lead Guitarist, Dies at 74
variety.com/2025/music/news/ac

Ace Frehley, Kiss Lead Guitarist, Dies at 74
Paul 'Ace' Frehley, lead guitarist and cofounder of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Kiss, has died. He was 74.

@jerome@jasette.facil.services
2025-10-17 13:30:50

US TV rights for #F1 will go to Apple TV
It seems like they are keeping #F1TV but details are sparse on pricing

Apple TV, Formula 1 US Streaming Deal Estimated Worth $750 Million
Apple and Formula 1 announced a five-year agreement under which all F1 races will be available exclusively on Apple TV in the U.S. beginning in 2026.

@saraislet@infosec.exchange
2025-10-22 01:56:50

★ Do you get excited or upset about AWS SCPs, or GCP Org Policies?
★ Do you have experience developing software to solve cloud security challenges?
★ Do you downplay your cloud security knowledge but actually you know a lot of niche oddities of cloud IAM?
★ Do you like working in diverse security teams that care about your wellbeing?
★ Do you want to get paid to work on cloud security for one of the most sophisticated AWS environments in the world?
I'm hiring a…

Security Software Engineer (L5), Cloud Infrastructure Security | USA - Remote | Netflix
Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services, with over 300 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time. Netflix operates our streaming service control plane on Amazon Web Services, which has led to one of the largest and most sophisticated AWS environments in the world. C…

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-20 22:56:05

Q&A with Variety's new publisher and co-president, Dea Lawrence, on her career, on AI and digital creators being "crucial" for the outlet, and more (Matt Donnelly/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/news/dea

Variety's Publisher and Co-President Dea Lawrence Sets Her Agenda
Top Variety business executive Dea Lawrence talks about her plans to push the venerable brand forward.

@cdarwin@c.im
2025-12-20 16:43:10

The justice department’s release of a cherry-picked subset of highly redacted Epstein files on Friday
signaled how the agency is trying to bury and obfuscate Donald Trump’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
theguardian.com/us-news/2025/d

Trickle release of Epstein files on a Friday signals move to bury Trump ties
The justice department is using a variety of tactics to try to obfuscate the US president’s connection to the sex offender

@grumpybozo@toad.social
2025-12-21 17:09:54

I’m old enough that it took me years to adopt a screen name. I had been given something of an embarrassing nickname (Dr. Bill) on various BBS’s because of my tendency to expound at length and in depth on a variety of topics.
I adopted the one I’ve stuck with since when I needed to have an AIM account for reasons. No one has ever questioned my choice. I could make a trademark case for it if necessary. @…

@yaya@jorts.horse
2025-10-14 22:39:30

variety.com/2025/tv/global/the
INBETWEENERS COMING BACK WHAT YEAR IS IT WHERE AM I

The Inbetweeners Are Back: Hit Brit Comedy Set for Return
Hit Brit teen comedy The Inbetweeners is set to return as original creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley strike deal with Banijay

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-11-19 21:03:03

Amazon launches a Video Recaps feature on Prime Video that uses AI to summarize a show's key plot points with snippets and music, available in beta for US users (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Amazon's Prime Video Launches AI-Generated Video Recaps
Amazon's AI-generated Video Recaps on Prime Video provide 'comprehensive season recaps' to bring viewers up to speed on their favorite shows.

@metacurity@infosec.exchange
2025-12-10 11:14:41

Oh my
Paramount Pictures X Account Hacked to Read ‘Proud Arm of the Fascist Regime’
variety.com/2025/film/news/par

Paramount X/Twitter Account Hacked to Read 'Proud Arm of the Fascist Regime'
The official account for Paramount Pictures on X was seemingly hacked, to alter the account's bio as "Proud arm of the fascist regime."

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-22 21:10:35

A spate of unforced errors by Bari Weiss has kept scrutiny high on CBS News, as Paramount tries to acquire WBD and can ill afford negative attention (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/bari-

Bari Weiss' CBS News Gaffes Pile Up as Paramount Tries to Woo Warner
Bari Weiss continues to make unorthodox maneuvers at CBS News that undermine the news division. Could they hurt Paramount's quest to buy Warner?

@aardrian@toot.cafe
2025-10-20 21:46:11

I, too, think some of the efforts of the CSSWG have gotten ahead of the use cases and I, too, think catching our breath would be good.
“Chris’ Corner: Stage 2”
blog.codepen.io/2025/10/20/chr

If we’re entering an era where CSS innovation slows down a little and we catch our breath with Stage 2 sorta features and figuring out what to do with these new features, I’m cool with that. Sorta like… • We’ve got corner-shape, so what can we actually do with it? • We’ve got @layer now, how do we actually get it into a project? • We’ve got View Transitions now, maybe we actually need to scope them for variety of real-world situations.
@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-12-18 17:55:49

Netflix hires ESPN anchor Elle Duncan as its first on-air host for live sports and cultural events; she has appeared on SportsCenter, College GameDay, and more (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/netfl

Netflix Hires ESPN Anchor Elle Duncan as First Sports On-Air Host
Netflix Hires ESPN anchor and TV sports veteran Elle Duncan as its first on-air sports host.

@memeorandum@universeodon.com
2025-12-15 05:20:37

Rob Reiner, Legendary Comedic Actor and 'Princess Bride' Director, Found Dead in His Home (Chris Morris/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/news/rob
memeorandum.com/251215/p6#a251

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-21 13:30:43

HBO Max raises prices across all plans: Basic With Ads increases by $1/month to $10.99, Standard by $1.50/month to $18.49, and Premium by $2/month to $22.99 (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/hbo-m

HBO Max Raises Prices Across All Plans Effective Immediately
It's going to cost you more to watch HBO Max, after the streaming platform raised its prices just a year after its last hikes.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-21 05:30:43

Channel 4 reveals that the anchor who narrates and appears throughout a special titled "Will AI Take My Job?" was AI-generated, a first for British television (Ethan Shanfeld/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/ai-ne…

AI News Anchor Debuts on Channel 4 in British TV Stunt
An AI-generated news anchor appeared on Britain's Channel 4 in a stunt proving the dangers of artificial intelligence.

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-12-17 07:15:52

Sources: Disney has been hesitant to license its IP to Roblox because it doesn't consider it a safe platform, bucking the trend followed by Netflix and others (Jennifer Maas/Variety)
variety.com/2025/gaming/news/r

Roblox and Fortnite Team With Hollywood: Brand Collabs, Safety Issues
How Roblox and Fortnite are being utilized by Hollywood studios to spread brand awareness, even as safety proves to be an issue.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-21 14:15:43

ProSiebenSat.1 appoints MFE-MediaForEurope CFO Marco Giordani as its new CEO, succeeding Bert Habets, as MFE integrates the German TV group into its business (Nick Vivarelli/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/global/pro

ProSiebenSat.1 Boss Bert Habets Steps Down in Shakeup
ProSiebenSat.1 boss Bert Habets has stepped down in a management shakeup with the board Names Berlusconi-Backed Marco Giordani New CEO Following Takeover

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-21 12:55:58

Eros Innovation, an AI and IP company which owns 12K film titles and 100K AI-ready characters, closed ~$150M in capital and acquisitions at a $2B valuation (Naman Ramachandran/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Eros Innovation Secures $150 Million, Expands AI-Media Platform
Eros Innovation has closed $150 million in capital and strategic acquisitions as the company continues its transformation into an AI-driven platform.

@memeorandum@universeodon.com
2025-12-14 03:41:03

Big Advertisers Appear Wary of CBS News' Bari Weiss Town Hall Format (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/adver
memeorandum.com/251213/p63#a25

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-10-16 12:15:55

Spotify partners with Sony Music Group, WMG, UMG, Merlin, and Believe to develop "responsible" AI products and is building a generative AI research lab (Steven J. Horowitz/Variety)
variety.com/2025/music/news/sp

Spotify Partners With Sony, Universal, Warner to Develop AI Products
Spotify has announced a partnership with Sony, Universal, Warner and more to develop AI music products intended to empower artists and songwriters.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-20 17:25:39

David Rohde, a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize who left The New Yorker in 2023 to join NBC News, moves to MSNBC as its senior national security reporter (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/david

David Rohde Will Jump to MSNBC From NBC News
David Rohde Will Jump to MSNBC From NBC News

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-10-14 08:30:51

TiVo confirms that it exited the hardware business on October 1 when it stopped selling DVRs, but says it will continue to offer support for the products (Michael Schneider/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/tivo-

TiVo Has Stopped Selling DVRs, Exits the Hardware Business
TiVo officially stopped selling its DVR boxes on October 1 as it gets out of the hardware business after 26 years.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-19 17:01:49

The Kansas City Chiefs launch Foolish Club Studios, a first for an NFL team, to produce scripted and unscripted content that "might only be sports-adjacent" (Jennifer Maas/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/kansa

Kansas City Chiefs In-House Studio Plans: TV and Film Content
The Kansas City Chiefs are the undisputed NFL team of choice for Swifties — but the team’s ultimate goal is total world fandom domination.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-19 20:55:54

Amazon launches a Video Recaps feature on Prime Video that uses AI to summarize a show's key plot points with snippets and music, available in beta for US users (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Amazon's Prime Video Launches AI-Generated Video Recaps
Amazon's AI-generated Video Recaps on Prime Video provide 'comprehensive season recaps' to bring viewers up to speed on their favorite shows.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-19 15:45:46

Spotify expands Song Credits to include all contributors to a track, like engineers and mixers, and launches SongDNA, a map showing connections between songs (Steven J. Horowitz/Variety)
variety.com/2025/music/news/sp

Spotify Expands Song Credits, Introduces New Audio Features
Spotify announced plans to expand song credits and introduce new features for a deeper listening experience.

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-12-13 02:56:54

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)
variety.com/2025/film/news/goo

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.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-17 19:10:39

Vue CEO Tim Richards criticizes Netflix's deal giving Imax a two-week exclusive run for the Narnia film, arguing it undermines the theatrical ecosystem (Alex Ritman/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/news/vue

Vue Cinemas Boss Slams IMAX Over Netflix's Exclusive Narnia Deal
In a letter shared with Variety, Vue CEO Tim Richards has criticised the exclusive deal IMAX signed with Netflix over Greta Gerwig's Narnia

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-12-11 14:59:29

Disney sends Google a cease-and-desist, accusing Google of copyright infringement on a "massive scale" and using AI to "exploit and distribute" the content (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Disney Accuses Google of Using AI to Engage in Copyright Infringement on 'Massive Scale'
Disney is accusing Google of copyright infringement on a "massive scale" using AI models and services to "commercially exploit and distribute" infringing images and videos.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-18 18:15:46

Sources: Paramount Skydance formed an investment consortium with the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi to submit a $71B bid for WBD (Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/news/par

Paramount Bid for WB Discovery Backed by Saudis, Qatar and Abu Dhabi
Paramount has formed an investment consortium with the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi to submit a $71 billion bid for WBD.

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-11-11 18:40:52

Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine partner with ElevenLabs to create AI versions of their voices for its Iconic Voice Marketplace; McConaughey also invests (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine Ink ElevenLabs AI Voice Deals
Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine have teamed with AI audio company ElevenLabs to produce virtual replications of their famous voices.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-18 15:11:05

Sources: Paramount Skydance plans to begin mass layoffs the week of October 27, cutting around 2,000 US jobs as part of its $2B cost-cutting initiative (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/param

Paramount Skydance Mass Layoffs to Start Week of Oct. 27
Paramount Skydance will lay off about 2,000 U.S. employees under David Ellison's new management regime starting the week of Oct. 27.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-18 13:31:04

NBCU plans to add Arrival Ads, live ads that play when users turn on Peacock, and use AI to search live sports events for the optimal moment to place ads (Cynthia Littleton/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/nbcun

NBCUniversal Unveils 'Arrival Ads' for Peacock
NBCUniversal will incorporate 'Arrival Ads' for those who sign on to Peacock, among a host of other new ad-tech elements unveiled by the company.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-19 00:56:00

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) agree to buy WildBrain's 41% stake in Peanuts Holdings for ~$457M, raising Sony's slice to 80% (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/news/son

Sony to Own Control of Peanuts in $457 Million Deal With WildBrain
Sony will own 80% of Peanuts Holdings after acquiring the 41% stake in the entity from WildBrain.

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-12-10 17:06:03

TikTok launches a podcast series called TikTok in the Mix, featuring four 30-minute episodes streamed live on TikTok; the first episode stars Demi Lovato (Jem Aswad/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

TikTok Announces Live Podcast Series, Launching With Demi Lovato
TikTok is launching a live podcast series called 'TikTok in the Mix' that premieres on Thursday with special guest Demi Lovato.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-18 17:40:53

Netflix hires ESPN anchor Elle Duncan as its first on-air host for live sports and cultural events; she has appeared on SportsCenter, College GameDay, and more (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/netfl

Netflix Hires ESPN Anchor Elle Duncan as First Sports On-Air Host
Netflix Hires ESPN anchor and TV sports veteran Elle Duncan as its first on-air sports host.

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-12-10 16:31:03

YouTube TV plans to launch over 10 genre-specific, cheaper YouTube TV Plans in early 2026, including a Sports Plan featuring ESPN Unlimited and Fox Sports 1 (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/youtu

YouTube TV Plans Launching in 2026 With 10+ Genre-Specific Packages
In early 2026, YouTube plans to launch YouTube TV Plans, over 10 genre-specific packages including a sports tier with ESPN, FS1 and NBC Sports Network.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-17 22:06:08

How Lionsgate built a roster of about 15 TikTok movie fans to make "fan edits" to market movies, using language that feels "native to the platform" (Ethan Shanfeld/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/news/lio

Lionsgate Uses TikTok Fan Edits to Market Movies
Hollywood studios like Lionsgate have started using fan edits on TikTok for official marketing campaigns.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-17 13:40:39

Hearst Networks commissions a 10-episode AI-led series from Particle6, the creator of AI character Tilly Norwood, for The History Channel in the Netherlands (Alex Ritman/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/global/til

Company Behind Tilly Norwood Unveils AI-Led Series Commission
Hearst Networks has commissioned Particle6 to make a 10-episode, short-form series for The History Channel in the Netherlands

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-12-08 20:30:47

Letterboxd plans to launch its Video Store film rental platform on December 10, offering curated indie titles in 23 countries, including the US, UK, and France (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Letterboxd Video Store Sets Launch Date With Exclusive Films
Letterboxd Video Store is launching Dec. 10 with films available to rent in 23 countries, including some exclusive indie titles.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-17 07:15:48

Sources: Disney has been hesitant to license its IP to Roblox because it doesn't consider it a safe platform, bucking the trend followed by Netflix and others (Jennifer Maas/Variety)
variety.com/2025/gaming/news/r

Roblox and Fortnite Team With Hollywood: Brand Collabs, Safety Issues
How Roblox and Fortnite are being utilized by Hollywood studios to spread brand awareness, even as safety proves to be an issue.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-17 17:15:49

Netflix signs a deal with Barstool Sports to stream video versions of three podcasts, initially in the US; full video episodes will be removed from YouTube (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/netfl

Netflix Signs Deal With Dave Portnoy's Barstool Sports for Podcasts
Netflix clinched a multiyear pact with Dave Portnoy's Barstool Sports giving the streaming giant exclusive rights to video versions of a trio of its popular podcasts.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-17 15:34:38

Paramount reaffirms its $30/share all-cash bid after WBD's board officially rejected it, saying its bid offers "superior value and certainty" for shareholders (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/news/par

Paramount Sticks to $30/Share Offer for WBD After Board Rejects Bid
David Ellison's Paramount Skydance is signaling that it will fight for the hearts and minds of Warner Bros. Discovery with the $30/share offer it has already put forward -- and that it won't go higher.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-17 09:35:46

UCLA study: among the most-watched streaming series in 2024, 80% of lead actors were white and white men accounted for 79% of all show creators, vs. 77% in 2023 (Payton Turkeltaub/Variety)
variety.com/2025/streaming/new

Hollywood Diversity Report: Underrepresented Stories Grow on Streaming
The Hollywood Diversity Report for 2024 streaming TV from UCLA reported fewer leading roles for women and women of color than in 2023.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-17 18:11:05

India's JioStar reports gross revenue of $815M for the quarter ending September 30 and $149M profit after tax; JioHotstar averaged 400M monthly active users (Naman Ramachandran/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/jiost

India's JioStar Hits $2 Billion Revenue With 400 Million Users
JioStar reports $2 billion in half-year revenue with 400 million streaming users as India-England cricket draws 170 million viewers.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-17 15:01:21

SEC filing: WBD says the Ellisons offered David Zaslav a compensation package of several hundred million dollars, which Zaslav said was inappropriate to discuss (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/news/ins

Inside the Fractious WBD-Paramount Deal Talks Between Ellison, Zaslav
WBD presented a chronology of events and meetings that occurred, leading to its deal to sell Warner Bros. studios and HBO Max to Netflix, following by David Ellison’s hostile takeover bid and the WBD board’s official rejection of the $30/share bid on Dec. 17.

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-10-01 13:20:14

Amazon unveils updates to Luna, including adding AAA games like Hogwarts Legacy and new GameNight original party games, available to Prime subscribers (Jennifer Maas/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Amazon Prime Gaming's Luna Changes, Execs on AAA Video Games
Amazon is revamping its cloud-gaming service Luna to offer a wide variety of top-tier games.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-16 22:22:40

E.W. Scripps' board unanimously rejects Sinclair's unsolicited acquisition proposal of $7 per share in cash and stock, offered in November (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/scrip

Scripps Rejects Sinclair Unsolicited Acquisition Offer
The board of E.W. Scripps Co. unanimously rejected the unsolicited acquisition proposal submitted by Sinclair, the second-biggest U.S. TV station owner groups.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-16 13:35:55

CBS News' Standards chief Claudia Milne announces her departure, becoming the first senior executive to leave since the arrival of Bari Weiss as EIC (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/cbs-n

CBS News' Standards Chief Claudia Milne Exits
CBS News' standards and practices chief, Claudia Milne, announced she would exit the Paramount Skydance news unit as it comes under intense scrutiny

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-12-03 13:10:36

Spotify unveils 2025's top 50 most popular US podcasts, led by The Joe Rogan Experience for the fifth consecutive year; 24 of the top 50 now offer video content (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Spotify Wrapped Top 50 Podcasts of 2025 Unveiled
Spotify, as part of Spotify Wrapped, released the top 50 podcasts of 2025 -- with Joe Rogan coming in at No. 1 for the fifth straight year.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-16 12:20:52

Spotify partners with Sony Music Group, WMG, UMG, Merlin, and Believe to develop "responsible" AI products and is building a generative AI research lab (Steven J. Horowitz/Variety)
variety.com/2025/music/news/sp

Spotify Partners With Sony, Universal, Warner to Develop AI Products
Spotify has announced a partnership with Sony, Universal, Warner and more to develop AI music products intended to empower artists and songwriters.

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-11-01 14:35:57

ESPN plans to make its College Gameday telecast available on host Pat McAfee's X account, as Disney and YouTube TV continue to spar over a new carriage deal (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/disne

ESPN Puts College GameDay on X as Disney-YouTube TV Clash Continues
ESPN Puts College GameDay on X as Disney-YouTube TV Clash Continues

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-15 04:30:36

Acclaimed actor and director Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele Singer were found dead in their home; LAPD is investigating the deaths as a homicide (Chris Morris/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/news/rob

Rob Reiner Dead: 'The Princess Bride' Director Found Dead With Wife
Rob Reiner, director of 'The Princess Bride' and 'This Is Spinal Tap,' has been found dead at 78.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-15 09:01:30

As viewers move online, animation studios are forced to find new ways to finance their work; YouTube is emerging as a testing ground and launchpad for originals (Ben Croll/Variety)
variety.com/2025/biz/global/an

YouTube is Reshaping a Global Animation Industry in Flux
To reach audiences migrating online, producers must develop new financing and distribution models beyond traditional broadcaster support.

@Techmeme@techhub.social
2025-10-01 11:40:57

Spotify and Amazon Ads announce a global partnership to give advertisers using Amazon DSP programmatic access to Spotify's streaming audio and video inventory (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Spotify Opens Up Ad Inventory to Amazon DSP
Amazon Ads and Spotify announced a deal giving advertisers using Amazon DSP programmatic access to Spotify's streaming ad inventory.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-15 15:10:49

MSNBC says President Rebecca Kutler has been diagnosed with breast cancer but she has a good prognosis for recovery and expects to be away for only a few weeks (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/msnbc

MSNBC President Rebecca Cutler Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis
MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler has been diagnosed with breast cancer but has a good prognosis for recovery and expects to be away for only a few weeks.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-14 10:45:33

Major brands were replaced by direct-response advertisers during commercial breaks of CBS News' December 13 town hall with Erika Kirk, moderated by Bari Weiss (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/adver

Big Advertisers Appear Wary of CBS News' Bari Weiss Town Hall Format
Many major advertisers appeared to sit out a new CBS News town hall format moderated by Bari Weiss and featuring a conversation with Erika Kirk

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-15 01:31:09

Google and Disney's agreement gives YouTube TV users access to ESPN's full lineup of sports, including ESPN Unlimited, at no additional cost by the end of 2026 (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/youtu

YouTube TV and Disney Reach Deal Ending Two-Week Blackout of ESPN, ABC
ESPN, ABC and other Disney TV networks are coming back to YouTube TV, after the media conglomerate and Google reached a deal on pricing and terms for a renewed carriage deal.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-14 08:30:43

TiVo confirms that it exited the hardware business on October 1 when it stopped selling DVRs, but says it will continue to offer support for the products (Michael Schneider/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/tivo-

TiVo Has Stopped Selling DVRs, Exits the Hardware Business
TiVo officially stopped selling its DVR boxes on October 1 as it gets out of the hardware business after 26 years.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-13 11:52:33

Disney reports Q4 revenue up 3% YoY to $22.5B, entertainment revenue up 19% YoY to $4.7B, DTC revenue up 8% YoY, 196M Disney and Hulu subscribers, up 12.4M QoQ (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/disne

Disney+, Hulu Add 12.4 Million Subscribers Amid Kimmel Controversy
Disney+ added 3.8 million subscribers and Hulu added 8.6 million in the September 2025 quarter, amid threats of user cancellations over Jimmy Kimmel's brief suspension by ABC.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-13 02:51:05

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)
variety.com/2025/film/news/goo

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.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-12 14:20:45

Tubi announces its first slate of creator-led shows, including with YouTuber Joey Graceffa, as it seeks to expand emerging talent's access to Hollywood (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Tubi Creator Series Slate Includes Joey Graceffa's Escape the Night
Fox Corp.'s Tubi announced its first slate of exclusive creator series from Joey Graceffa, KevOnStage, Rock Squad, TheOneShu, Bigg Jah and Dan & Riya.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-12 12:21:03

Tencent Music reports Q3 revenue up 20.6% YoY to $1.19B, online music services revenue up 27.2% YoY to $979M, and subscription revenue up 17.2% YoY to $632M (Naman Ramachandran/Variety)
variety.com/2025/music/news/te

Tencent Music Entertainment Reports 27% Revenue Growth in Q3
China's Tencent Music Entertainment Group reported strong Q3 financial results, with online music service revenues climbing 27.2% to $979 million.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-12 12:40:32

Netflix's Ted Sarandos and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro plan to launch a stop-motion studio for training and research, located at the Gobelins school in Paris (Elsa Keslassy/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/global/t

Ted Sarandos and Guillermo del Toro Unveil Stop-Motion Studio Plans
Guillermo del Toro and Netflix boss Ted Sarandos have unveiled plans for a stop-motion studio which will be built at France's Gobelins school.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-11 17:45:46

Paramount Skydance plans to increase Paramount prices in the US starting January 15; monthly rates will rise $1, ad-supported tier will rise $30 to $90/year (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/param

Paramount+ to Hike U.S. Prices in First Quarter of 2026
David Ellison's Paramount Skydance is planning to spend more on content -- and at the same time, it's going to charge more for streaming.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-11 09:45:43

Major streaming platforms are increasingly adopting "pause ads", which appear when viewers pause content and can include full-screen, interactive formats (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/big-s

Big Streamers Bet on Increasingly Aggressive ‘Pause Ads’
Big streamers are placing more focus on aggressive "pause ads" that pop on screen after a viewer calls for a halt in the action.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-11 22:30:57

In a message to members, the WGA says Disney's licensing deal with OpenAI "appears to sanction" OpenAI's "theft of our work", and it plans to meet with Disney (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Disney’s OpenAI Deal 'Appears to Sanction' AI Company's 'Theft of Our Work,' WGA Says
The Writers Guild of America said that Disney's huge licensing deal with OpenAI appears to "sanction" the AI company's "theft of our work."

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-11 15:01:44

Disney sends Google a cease-and-desist, accusing Google of copyright infringement on a "massive scale" and using AI to "exploit and distribute" the content (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Disney Accuses Google of Using AI to Engage in Copyright Infringement on 'Massive Scale'
Disney is accusing Google of copyright infringement on a "massive scale" using AI models and services to "commercially exploit and distribute" infringing images and videos.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-11 17:20:47

Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine partner with ElevenLabs to create AI versions of their voices for its Iconic Voice Marketplace; McConaughey also invests (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine Ink ElevenLabs AI Voice Deals
Matthew McConaughey and Michael Caine have teamed with AI audio company ElevenLabs to produce virtual replications of their famous voices.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-11 05:01:19

Sony Music reports Q2 revenue up 21% YoY to ~$3.51B, operating income up 28% to ~$749M; Sony Pictures' revenue down 3% to ~$2.24B, operating income fell to $90M (Naman Ramachandran/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/news/son

Sony Lifts Forecast as Music Division Soars on ‘Demon Slayer’ Boom
Sony Group Corporation lifted its annual earnings forecast after posting double-digit profit growth for the July–September quarter.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-10 17:25:59

TikTok launches a podcast series called TikTok in the Mix, featuring four 30-minute episodes streamed live on TikTok; the first episode stars Demi Lovato (Jem Aswad/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

TikTok Announces Live Podcast Series, Launching With Demi Lovato
TikTok is launching a live podcast series called 'TikTok in the Mix' that premieres on Thursday with special guest Demi Lovato.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-10 12:45:43

BBC Chair Samir Shah apologizes for an "error of judgement", saying the Panorama edit "did give the impression of a direct call for violent action" (Ellise Shafer/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/globa

BBC Chair Apologizes for Editing Trump Speech: 'Error of Judgement'
BBC chair Samir Shah apologized to the U.K. culture, media and sport committee following a scandal around the editing of a Trump speech in "Panorama."

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-10 10:45:54

The UK's Channel 4 names Priya Dogra as CEO, starting March 2026, replacing Alex Mahon, who stepped down after eight years; Dogra currently works for Sky (Nick Vivarelli/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/global/pri

Priya Dogra Appointed Chief Executive of U.K. Broadcaster Channel 4 
Priya Dogra has been appointed chief executive of U.K. public service broadcaster Channel 4 

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-10 16:15:52

YouTube TV plans to launch over 10 genre-specific, cheaper YouTube TV Plans in early 2026, including a Sports Plan featuring ESPN Unlimited and Fox Sports 1 (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/youtu

YouTube TV Plans Launching in 2026 With 10+ Genre-Specific Packages
In early 2026, YouTube plans to launch YouTube TV Plans, over 10 genre-specific packages including a sports tier with ESPN, FS1 and NBC Sports Network.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-09 16:01:13

Duolingo launches a five-episode anime series in collaboration with Titmouse, premiering October 13 on YouTube, as a marketing campaign (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Why Duolingo Is Launching Its Own Anime Series 'The Final Test'
Duolingo has cast Duo, its lovable and plucky owl mascot, as the star of the company's first-ever anime series, '最後の決戦 (The Final Test).

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-09 22:15:44

An interview with Pluribus creator Vince Gilligan on why he choose Apple TV for his show, the AI disclaimer in the credits, Tilly Norwood, and more (Ethan Shanfeld/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/pluri

‘Pluribus’ Explained by Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn
Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn unpack the first two episodes of 'Pluribus' and slam AI: 'Silicon Valley' has 'f---ed up the world.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-09 14:25:39

Megyn Kelly will spearhead her own channel on SiriusXM as part of a multiyear deal, starting November 4; she is currently on Sirius' Triumph channel (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/megyn

Megyn Kelly to Lead Her Own Sirius XM Channel in New Multi-Year Deal
Megyn Kelly will lead her own SiriusXM channel starting in November

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-08 20:10:46

Sources: Anderson Cooper has signed a new deal with CNN (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/ander

Anderson Cooper Will Stay at CNN After Striking New Deal
Anderson Cooper has renewed a deal to stay at CNN, a move that may not have been expected as news outlets scrutinize top anchor salaries

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-08 15:15:41

Netflix scores the most 2026 Golden Globe nominations, with 35 nominations across film and TV; Warner Bros. and HBO got a combined 31 nominations (Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/awards/g

Golden Globe Nominations 2026: Full List of Nominees
See the 2026 Golden Globe nominations, where 'One Battle After Another' and 'White Lotus' lead film and TV.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-08 17:15:35

Rachel Tashjian, most recently the fashion critic for The Washington Post, joins CNN as a senior style reporter for a new digital product (Brian Steinberg/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/cnn-r

CNN Hire Washington Post Fashioin Critic Rachel Tashjian
CNN hires Rachel Tashjian, who has been fashion critic at The Washington Post, as the Warner Bros. Discovery outlet seeks new digital presence

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-08 07:01:07

A look at the auction for the Oscars' TV rights, as sources say Netflix is out, NBCUniversal gains ground, and YouTube and ABC remain active bidders (Matt Donnelly/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/news/osc

Oscar TV Rights Auction: NBCUniversal Leads Charge to Nab Telecast
NBCUniversal is in the lead to nab TV rights to the Oscars starting in 2029 as the Motion Picture Academy shops around for a new deal.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-08 20:40:43

Ted Sarandos says Paramount's "move was entirely expected", but Netflix is "super confident" that it will get the WBD deal "across the line and finish" (Cynthia Littleton/Variety)
variety.com/2025/biz/news/ted-

Netflix CEOs 'Super-Confident' of Closing Warner Bros. Discovery Deal
Netflix's co-CEOs projected confidence about closing Netflix's takeover of Warner Bros. and HBO Max despite Paramount's hostile bid for the studio.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-12-08 20:35:44

Letterboxd plans to launch its Video Store film rental platform on December 10, offering curated indie titles in 23 countries, including the US, UK, and France (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Letterboxd Video Store Sets Launch Date With Exclusive Films
Letterboxd Video Store is launching Dec. 10 with films available to rent in 23 countries, including some exclusive indie titles.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-10-07 14:30:45

Amazon Prime Video quietly takes down James Bond artwork after facing a backlash for digitally removing guns from the posters (Alex Ritman/Variety)
variety.com/2025/film/global/a…

Amazon Removes Guns From James Bond Art, Replaces Pics After Backlash
Amazon received backlash from 007 fans after airbrushing out James Bond's gun in new artwork, so quietly took the images down

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-07 09:16:01

An interview with SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin on 2026 AMPTP talks, the Jimmy Kimmel suspension, Tilly Norwood AI controversy, the microdrama boom, and more (Cynthia Littleton/Variety)
variety.com/2025/tv/news/sean-

SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin Talks AI, Tilly Norwood, Jimmy Kimmel
Sean Astin sounds the alarm on the unchecked spread of AI content in his first extended inteview since his election as president of SAG-AFTRA.

@Mediagazer@mstdn.social
2025-11-06 14:30:58

Amazon signs a deal that gives its DSP access to iHeartMedia's streaming music and livestream radio now and to its podcasts and broadcast radio stations in 2026 (Todd Spangler/Variety)
variety.com/2025/digital/news/

Amazon DSP, iHeartMedia Deal for Programmatic Audio Ads
Amazon DSP is letting advertisers get audio spots in front of more ears through an expanded pact with iHeartMedia for programmatic ads.