Technology

Jul
05
2021
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By Troy Warren
Switching from Android to iPhone shows me what my friends really think

Switching from Android to iPhone shows me what my friends really think

Digital, Technology, ,
Mike Sorrentino | CNET.Com Troy Warren for CNT When I chose to switch to iPhone from using an Android phone last month, I didn't think it was going to matter very much. Over the last few years while using Android phones, contacting friends and family has been easy because there are so many non-Apple services that let you text and video chat in 2021. While I was about to get access to iMessage and FaceTime with the switch, I considered it to be solely a perk of having an an iOS device. Surely, I thought, we'd moved past whether someone was a "green bubble" or a "blue bubble" in a…
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Jul
04
2021
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By Troy Warren
Instagram to Lean Into Video Amid “Stiff Competition” With TikTok, YouTube

Instagram to Lean Into Video Amid “Stiff Competition” With TikTok, YouTube

Digital, Technology
BY J. CLARA CHAN | HollywoodReporter.Com Troy Warren for CNT "We’re no longer a photo-sharing app or a square photo-sharing app,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri said about the upcoming changes. Instagram will begin showing users full-screen videos in their feeds in response to “stiff competition” with TikTok and YouTube, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said on Wednesday. “Let’s be honest: There’s some really serious competition right now. TikTok is huge, YouTube is even bigger and there’s lots of other upstarts as well. And so people are looking to Instagram to be entertained. There’s stiff competition, and there’s more to do,” Mosseri said in a video. “We have…
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Jul
03
2021
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By Troy Warren
TikTok Extends Maximum Video Length to 3 Minutes

TikTok Extends Maximum Video Length to 3 Minutes

Digital, Technology
BY J. CLARA CHAN | HollywoodReporter.Com Troy Warren for CNT Creators were previously limited to 60-second uploads. TikTok creators will soon get to upload videos up to three minutes — a marked increase from the current one-minute limit that forces creators to speed through recipes or split up storytimes into multiple parts. “Creators are already well-versed in weaving multi-part stories together on TikTok (we all know the phrase, ‘like and follow for part 3’) but we often hear from creators that they’d love just a little more time to bring their cooking demos, elaborate beauty tutorials, educational lesson plans, and comedic sketches…
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Jul
02
2021
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By Troy Warren
Richard Branson Announces Trip to Space, Ahead of Jeff Bezos

Richard Branson Announces Trip to Space, Ahead of Jeff Bezos

In The News, Technology, ,
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Troy Warren for CNT Branson’s company said Thursday evening that its next test flight will be July 11 and that its founder will be among the six people on board. Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson is aiming to beat fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos into space by nine days. Branson’s company announced Thursday evening that its next test flight will be July 11 and that its founder will be among the six people on board. The winged rocket ship will soar from New Mexico — the first carrying a full crew of company employees. It will be only the fourth trip to space…
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Jul
02
2021
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By Troy Warren
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Hire Rebecca Sananes as Head of Audio for Podcast Studio

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Hire Rebecca Sananes as Head of Audio for Podcast Studio

Digital, Technology, , ,
BY J. CLARA CHAN | HollywoodReporter.Com Troy Warren for CNT The 'Pivot' producer will join Archewell Audio in August. Archewell Audio, the podcast company from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, named Rebecca Sananes as head of audio on Friday. Sananes has served as the lead producer for Vox Media and New York magazine’s Pivot podcast, hosted by Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. She will join Archewell Audio in August and lead the company’s creative partnership with Spotify from Los Angeles, reporting to Ben Browning (Promising Young Woman, Passengers), Archewell’s head of content. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex inked a multi-year exclusive deal with Spotify last December through Archewell Audio. The company released a standalone…
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Jul
01
2021
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By Troy Warren
Creators Weigh Options as Apple, Spotify Roll Out Subscription Podcast Offerings

Creators Weigh Options as Apple, Spotify Roll Out Subscription Podcast Offerings

Digital, Technology, ,
BY J. CLARA CHAN | HollywoodReporter.Com Troy Warren for CNT To diversify revenue for podcast producers — which have been leaning on a booming ad market — the tech giants are offering new tools to build a monthly subscriber base. Amid a gold rush for advertising in podcasts — total ad revenue is expected to exceed $1.3 billion this year and, by 2023, that figure jumps to $2 billion — Spotify and Apple are both rolling out new creator tools in an emerging area: subscriptions. In April, Spotify staked a claim by unveiling its service through Anchor, the podcast platform it acquired in 2019, allowing creators to set a monthly…
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Jun
30
2021
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By Troy Warren
BuzzFeed and Vice Media’s Next Pivot: “Last Resort” Efforts to Go Public

BuzzFeed and Vice Media’s Next Pivot: “Last Resort” Efforts to Go Public

Digital, Technology, ,
BY ALEX WEPRIN, J. CLARA CHAN | HollywoodReporter.Com Troy Warren for CNT As private funding sources run thin, a group of digital media companies are finding a "surprising lifeline" in blank-check companies raising cash for IPOs and acquisitions. During the venture capital-funded digital media boom of the 2010s, startup founders often voiced world-conquering ambitions. In 2014, Vice Media co-founder Shane Smith bragged: “We won’t be the next CNN or ESPN or MTV. We’ll be 10 times that size.” A year later, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti informed staff that they were building “a global, cross-platform network for news and entertainment, … something that has never existed before.”…
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Jun
29
2021
By Troy Warren
Gaming and Tech Veterans Join Scopely Board of Directors

Gaming and Tech Veterans Join Scopely Board of Directors

Digital, Technology, , ,
BY TRILBY BERESFORD | HollywoodReporter.Com Troy Warren for CNT Former Activision Blizzard president Coddy Johnson and tech adviser Marcie Vu will work toward achieving growth goals for the Culver City-based mobile games company. Former Activision Blizzard president Coddy Johnson and veteran tech company advisor Marcie Vu have joined Scopely’s board of directors. Both Johnson and Vu will help achieve growth goals for the Culver City-based mobile games company, which is led by CEO Walter Driver and known for word game Scrabble Go, strategy game Star Trek Fleet Command, dice game Yatzee With Buddies, and numerous others. Johnson’s experience includes driving over $8 billion in annual…
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Jun
27
2021
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By Troy Warren
Snap Strikes Licensing Deal With Universal Music Group to Bring Entire Catalogue to Snapchat

Snap Strikes Licensing Deal With Universal Music Group to Bring Entire Catalogue to Snapchat

Digital, Technology, ,
BY J. CLARA CHAN | HollywoodReporter.Com Troy Warren for CNT Snapchat users will now be able to access music from major artists and use them via the Sounds tool and on AR Lenses. Snap inked a multi-year licensing deal with Universal Music Group on Thursday that will bring the label’s entire recorded catalogue to Snapchat. Snapchat users will now be able to access music from major artists and use them via the Sounds tool, which allows users to add music clips to their Snaps or on their Stories, on augmented reality lenses and in curated playlists. UMG and Snap will also partner to release more…
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Jun
25
2021
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By Troy Warren
Peacock TV: Everything to know about the freemium streaming app

Peacock TV: Everything to know about the freemium streaming app

Technology, ,
Joan E. Solsman | CNET.Com Troy Warren for CNT Peacock TV streams free movies and TV shows, but to unlock everything -- including all of The Office, Premier League, Yellowstone and WWE -- you have to pay. Peacock is NBCUniversal's streaming app with tens of thousands of hours of free programming, plus more shows, movies, sports and originals if you pay. Paying members -- and only paying members -- get access to everything on the service, including all nine seasons of The Office, plus extended episodes with deleted scenes from two seasons; more than 175 Premier League soccer matches; newer movies like Trolls…
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