Digital – City News And Talk

Feb

20

2022

iHeartMedia Invests in Podcast Platform Sounder From Former Spotify, Google Executives

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BY J. CLARA CHAN | HollywoodReporter.ComTroy Warren for CNT #DigitaliHeart will use Sounder's automated advertising service to allow marketers to place ad spots in shows that fit with their respective brands' identities.iHeartMedia is leading a Series A investment round for Sounder, a podcast platform formed in 2019 by former Spotify and Google executives, the companies said on Wednesday.The investment will coincide with a commercial partnership between the two companies that will see iHeart’s 750+ original podcasts use Sounder’s technology to improve audience data insights and boost monetization. iHeart will also use Sounder’s automated advertising service, called Audio Data Cloud, that…

Feb

06

2022

By Troy Warren

Spotify Hits 180M Paying Subscribers Amid Joe Rogan Protests

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BY J. CLARA CHAN | HollywoodReporter.ComTroy Warren for CNT #DigitalThe audio giant shared muted subscriber growth expectations of 3 million for its next quarter as multiple artists and podcasters leave the platform.Spotify said it had 180 million paid subscribers and 406 million monthly active users to end 2021, falling within its expectations for the quarter of 177 million to 181 million paying subscribers and 400 million to 407 million monthly active users.Advertising revenue grew to 394 million euros, or around $445 million, in the fourth quarter, up 40 percent year-over-year, while total revenue hit 2.69 billion euros, or about $3.04…

Feb

05

2022

By Troy Warren

Amazon Spent $13B on Video, Music Content in 2021

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BY ALEX WEPRIN | HollywoodReporter.ComTroy Warren for CNT #Digital #EditorsPicksThe cash was spent on original shows for Prime Video and for paying musicians through Amazon Music.As the streaming video wars heat up, the amount of cash the major players spend on content is rising accordingly.According to its annual report filed Friday morning, Amazon spent $13 billion on video and music content in 2021, a $2 billion increase from 2020 when it spent $11 billion on content.“Total video and music expense includes licensing and production costs associated with content offered within Amazon Prime memberships, and costs associated with digital subscriptions and…

Feb

04

2022

By Troy Warren

Snap Reaches 319M Daily Active Users While Revenue Hits $1.3B

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BY J. CLARA CHAN | HollywoodReporter.ComTroy Warren for CNT #Digital #BusinessThe parent company of Snapchat bounced back after an earnings miss last quarter.Snap reported $1.3 billion in revenue during Q4 to close out 2021, with daily active users reaching 319 million.The parent company of Snapchat forecast it would reach $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion in revenue for the quarter, while Wall Street analysts predicted revenue would reach $1.2 billion, according to Yahoo Finance. Last quarter, Snap missed the high end of its earnings projections by $3 million, which Snap CEO Evan Spiegel attributed to privacy changes on Apple’s iOS platform,…

Jan

26

2022

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By Troy Warren

YouTube CEO: More Creators Are Making At Least $10K a Year

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BY J. CLARA CHAN | HollywoodReporter.ComTroy Warren for CNT #DigitalIn an open letter addressing YouTube's 2022 goals, Susan Wojcicki also notes the platform will increase its focus on podcasting.YouTube saw a 40 percent year-over-year increase in channels making more than $10,000 a year, according to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, as the platform promotes new efforts to allow creators to monetize their work.The latest figures were shared in an open letter on Tuesday from Wojcicki, though the executive did not disclose the exact number of channels making that yearly income in 2020 vs. 2021 to account for the 40 percent increase.…

Jan

25

2022

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By Troy Warren

TV News Joins Streaming’s Nostalgia Programming Play

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BY ALEX WEPRIN | HollywoodReporter.ComTroy Warren for CNT #Entertainment #DigitalNetworks like CBS and CNN are leaning on "iconic franchises" and "old-school" reporters in a bid to transition linear audiences to digital viewers.A TV viewer in the early 1990s looking for the latest news would likely turn on CNN, where Wolf Blitzer delivered up-to-the-minute reporting from the Middle East and Washington D.C. If it was Sunday, perhaps they would turn the dial to NBC and watch Meet the Press.As daytime turned into primetime, they might flip to Fox, where the reality TV show Cops introduced a new format to the airwaves.…

Jan

23

2022

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By Troy Warren

ABC News Sets New Podcast Push (Exclusive)

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BY ALEX WEPRIN | HollywoodReporter.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Digital A 'Good Morning America' podcast and new programming are part of the renewed audio focus. ABC News is planning a fresh podcast push, launching new series and adapting Good Morning America for audio. Beginning today, the first two hours of GMA will be available as podcasts, allowing for more portable consumption of the program, which is anchored by Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and Michael Strahan. In addition, ABC Audio will launch a new entertainment podcast, Close Up, led by journalist Kelley Carter. The podcast will break down entertainment news, and…

Jan

18

2022

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By Troy Warren

Microsoft to Buy Activision Blizzard in $68.7B Video Game Mega-Deal

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BY ALEX WEPRIN | HollywoodReporter.ComTroy Warren for CNT #Digital #Business #GamingThe sale comes as the video game publisher has grappled with its own #MeToo reckoning.Tech giant Microsoft will buy the video game publisher Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion deal that would reshape the gaming landscape.The deal, if completed, would bring together Microsoft, which owns the Xbox game platform and Xbox Game Studios (which owns Bethesda Softworks and 343 Industries, among other game publishers) and Activision, owner of the Call of Duty, Warcraft and Tony Hawk franchises, among others.Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent…

Jan

16

2022

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By Troy Warren

‘Baby Shark Dance’ Sets YouTube Record, Surpassing 10B Views

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BY KIMBERLY NORDYKE | HollywoodReporter.ComTroy Warren for CNT #DigitalIt now has 2.3 billion more views than the second-most-watched video, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito."How many times have you seen it?On Thursday, the Baby Shark Dance music video set a YouTube record.The video, which was released in June 2016, has officially become the first video ever to hit a whopping 10 billion views on YouTube, making it the most viewed video in the history of the site, according to creators The Pinkfong Co.The 10 billion threshold was breached on Thursday. As of 7 a.m., the video has 10,002,749,119 views, to…

Jan

14

2022

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By Troy Warren

Time Studios Doubles Down on NFT-Inspired Kids’ TV Content (Exclusive)

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BY ALEX WEPRIN | HollywoodReporter.ComTroy Warren for CNT #Digital #NFTThe studio division of Time is developing animated kids' shows based on NFT projects Waheed’s Smilesssvrs and Doug's Toy Boogers, following a similar deal for Pablo Stanley's Robotos.Time Studios, the film and TV production division of the media company Time (best known for its namesake magazine), is betting that the next great kids’ TV show will start with a non-fungible token.The studio’s kids and family unit is now in development on two new animated franchises based on NFT projects, one based on Waheed’s Smilesssvrs NFT collection and another based on Doug’s…

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