Recent stories about Entertainment

Photo by Bloomberg

TikTok Warns Remote Employees They Risk Losing Jobs

By Kaya Yurieff · Jan. 23, 2023 3:26 PM PST · 5 comments

TikTok is cracking down on remote work, telling some U.S. workers they could lose their jobs unless they show they have already moved near their assigned offices. Last week, TikTok informed some employees over its internal software, Lark, that they may face disciplinary action—including job termination—because their home address... TikTok is cracking down on remote work, telling some U.S. workers they could lose their jobs...

From left, TikToker Khabe Lame, YouTube star MrBeast, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, YouTuber Jackie Aina, TikTok stars Addison Rae and Zach King, Twitch streamer Ninja. Photos via YouTube, Bloomberg and Getty.

Creator Economy Database

startups entertainment

The Creator Economy’s Next Chapter: Living With Less

By Mahira Dayal · Jan. 3, 2023 10:09 AM PST · 1 comment

The creator economy will have to learn to live with less this year. Headed into 2023, startups that support online influencers don’t have the cash bulwark they did a year ago. Venture capital investors sank $2.5 billion into creator economy startups last year, down 50% from 2021, according to an analysis of The Information’s Creator... The creator economy will have to learn to live with less this year. Headed into 2023, startups...

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos at a Kansas City Chiefs game in September. Photo by Getty Images

startups amazon

Bezos Could Be the Real Winner from Amazon’s Sports Deals

By Nick Wingfield · Dec. 28, 2022 5:14 PM PST

Last week, Martin Peers questioned in this space whether tech companies were making a wise move when they began showering billions of dollars on sports leagues for streaming rights to their games. But even if those deals turn out to be duds for the likes of Amazon, Alphabet’s YouTube and others, tech billionaires may have found another way to... Last week, Martin Peers questioned in this space whether tech companies were making a wise move...

On Jasper! On YouTuber! On ChatGPT! A Special Holiday Edition of Weekend

On Jasper! On YouTuber! On ChatGPT! A Special Holiday Edition of Weekend

By Jon Steinberg · Dec. 24, 2022 7:00 AM PST

On Jasper! On YouTuber! On ChatGPT! A Special Holiday Edition of Weekend

startups e-commerce

On Jasper! On YouTuber! On ChatGPT! A Special Holiday Edition of Weekend

By Jon Steinberg · Dec. 24, 2022 7:00 AM PST

Hi, welcome to your holiday Weekend!If you haven’t already slipped into a ’noghole (a bottomless tumbler of eggnog paired with an endless scroll of Netflix Christmas movies), we have a fascinating sampler of stories for you to indulge in this week.There’s Arielle’s dispatch from the red-hot AI scene in Texas, where a 6-foot-8-inch Kansan came up... Hi, welcome to your holiday Weekend!If you haven’t already slipped into a ’noghole (a bottomless...

Art by Clark Miller

The Season’s Hottest Toy? Hint: It’s a YouTuber

By Abram Brown · Dec. 22, 2022 12:00 PM PST

In September, Simon Philips found himself in an uncomfortable situation: seated across the aisle from two small children on a 10-hour work flight from Los Angeles to London. “Oh, god. What are they going to do?” Philips remembers thinking. As a father of two, Philips knows how bored kids can behave. Moreover, he’s spent a... In September, Simon Philips found himself in an uncomfortable situation: seated across the aisle...

Disney CEO Robert Iger and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. Photos by Bloomberg, Shutterstock

entertainment media/telecom

2023 Will Be Another Difficult Year for Traditional Media

By Andrew A. Rosen · Dec. 21, 2022 9:00 AM PST · 2 comments

Parqor is part of The Information’s newsletter network. To receive it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, sign up here. Next year is going to be ugly for public media companies. Cord cutting has reached levels many have long anticipated—an estimated 60 million households still have cable service, down from 95 million in... Parqor is part of The Information’s newsletter network. To receive it in your inbox every...

Back to Work, the Party's Over

economy venture capital

Back to Work, the Party's Over

By Jon Steinberg · Dec. 17, 2022 7:00 AM PST

Hi, welcome to your Weekend!Compared to other austerity measures that have swept over tech this past year (the mass layoffs, the hiring freezes, the end of in-house laundry), the demise of the holiday party likely isn’t inspiring panic amongst tech workers. But should it? As Annie and Arielle write in this week’s cover story, it seems like... Hi, welcome to your Weekend!Compared to other austerity measures that have swept over tech this...

Bob Chapek via Bloomberg

It’s Not Just Disney

By Andrew A. Rosen · Nov. 22, 2022 9:00 AM PST · 17 comments

Bob Chapek via Bloomberg

entertainment media/telecom

It’s Not Just Disney

By Andrew A. Rosen · Nov. 22, 2022 9:00 AM PST · 17 comments

Parqor is part of The Information’s newsletter network. To receive it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, sign up here. I was putting the finishing touches on a different column when the surprise news of Robert Iger’s return to Disney broke. That column was contemplating whether any of the major public... Parqor is part of The Information’s newsletter network. To receive it in your inbox...

Art by Shane Burke / DALL E 2

cloud entertainment

Twitter Employees Worry Its Infrastructure Is Hanging by a Thread

By Becky Peterson and Aaron Holmes · Nov. 17, 2022 3:52 PM PST · 1 comment

Inside what’s left of the technical teams that keep Twitter running, there’s an unlikely new source of anxiety: the FIFA World Cup. The soccer competition, which begins in Qatar this Sunday, is one of the most-watched media events on the globe, and like most sport events of its kind it is expected to bring with it an avalanche of... Inside what’s left of the technical teams that keep Twitter running, there’s an...

Art by Shane Burke/Shutterstock

e-commerce entertainment

TikTok’s Secret Weapon Has Always Been Audio

By Ryan Broderick · Nov. 10, 2022 9:00 AM PST · 2 comments

There have been whispers all summer that some kind of stand-alone audio app is coming from TikTok. In May of 2020, TikTok launched a social music app called Resso in Brazil, Indonesia and India. Then in late July, Insider reported that the company had filed a trademark for “TikTok Music,” which would allow users to “purchase,... There have been whispers all summer that some kind of stand-alone audio app is coming from...

Graphic: Shane Burke

Creator Economy

apple entertainment

At Musk's Twitter, What’s Old Is New Again; Spotify Jabs Apple Over Audiobooks

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov. 7, 2022 3:19 PM PST

Surprise! Elon Musk was busy tweeting over the weekend, including his priorities for Twitter, from fixing search (pronto) to making Twitter “by the far the most accurate source of information about the world.” He also asked a user how YouTube’s monetization works and where Twitter can improve. One person noted that YouTube gives creators... Surprise! Elon Musk was busy tweeting over the weekend, including his priorities for Twitter,...

Chart: Shane Burke

How $20 Twitter Blue Compares to Amazon, Netflix and Disney+; Interview With a Sourdough Influencer

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct. 31, 2022 3:17 PM PDT · 1 comment

Chart: Shane Burke

Creator Economy

How $20 Twitter Blue Compares to Amazon, Netflix and Disney+; Interview With a Sourdough Influencer

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct. 31, 2022 3:17 PM PDT · 1 comment

Elon Musk plans to hike the price of subscription offering Twitter Blue to $20 from $5, The Verge reported. With the current plan, verified users would have 90 days to subscribe or lose their coveted blue checkmark. Currently, Twitter Blue offers early access features, such as the ability to edit tweets. The $20 per month fee is steep... Elon Musk plans to hike the price of subscription offering Twitter Blue to $20 from $5, The Verge...

Photo from MrBeast on YouTube

YouTube and TikTok Creators Are Tearing Up Netflix’s Streaming Rulebook

By Andrew A. Rosen · Oct. 26, 2022 10:00 AM PDT · 15 comments

Parqor is part of The Information’s newsletter network. To receive it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, sign up here. Netflix makes no secret of its long-term view that “streaming entertainment is replacing linear TV.” This has always been an elegant vision—the cable bundle is expensive, it... Parqor is part of The Information’s newsletter network. To receive it in your inbox...

Legs in the Metaverse, Heads in Reality

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Legs in the Metaverse, Heads in Reality

By Jon Steinberg · Oct. 15, 2022 7:00 AM PDT

Hi, welcome to your Weekend!The observant reader may notice an odd disconnect in this weekend’s newsletter. Above the fold, you’ll see Margaux’s cover story exploring how social media platforms can identify when users are experiencing manic episodes or other symptoms of bipolar disorder. Her reporting is backed by a decade’s worth of research... Hi, welcome to your Weekend!The observant reader may notice an odd disconnect in this weekend’s...

Photo by Bloomberg

Netflix Fast Forwards To Ads

By Martin Peers · Oct. 13, 2022 5:00 PM PDT

When it comes to moving fast, the old entertainment folks just can’t beat Netflix. The streaming giant said today it was launching its ad-supported tier of service on Nov. 1 in Mexico and Canada, and then in the U.S. two days later. That’s barely six months after CEO Reed Hastings interrupted an earnings call to reveal his willingness to... When it comes to moving fast, the old entertainment folks just can’t beat Netflix. The streaming...

Morning Brew co-founder Alex Lieberman is launching a course for creators. Photo: Morning Brew

Inside Morning Brew’s Plans to ‘Ride the Creator Wave’

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 28, 2022 2:30 PM PDT

Morning Brew co-founder Alex Lieberman is launching a course for creators. Photo: Morning Brew

Creator Economy

Inside Morning Brew’s Plans to ‘Ride the Creator Wave’

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 28, 2022 2:30 PM PDT

Morning Brew, the newsletter publisher focused on young business professionals, is launching a course called “Strategy for Creators” next month aimed at aspiring creators, founders and industry experts who want to build a personal brand online. Co-founder Alex Lieberman, who has 226,000 Twitter followers, will teach the one-week course in... Morning Brew, the newsletter publisher focused on young business professionals, is launching a...

Dom Esposito. Photo courtesy of the subject. Art by Shane Burke

Creator Economy

YouTube’s Tech Reviewers Grow Up

By Mahira Dayal · Sept. 26, 2022 3:01 PM PDT

YouTube creator Dom Esposito has been around long enough to see the best and worst of YouTube tech reviews. He started posting to the Google-owned video unit in 2011, reviewing gadgets and making how-to videos. He now has 443,000 subscribers on YouTube, where he posts reviews of products ranging from phones, laptops and virtual reality headsets... YouTube creator Dom Esposito has been around long enough to see the best and worst of YouTube...

Robert Kyncl. Photo by Bloomberg.

e-commerce entertainment

What Kyncl’s Jump to Warner Music Says About Music’s Prospects

By Martin Peers · Sept. 21, 2022 5:00 PM PDT

If Robert Kyncl’s career is an indication of which part of the entertainment industry is about to take off, then maybe we should put our life savings into a music company. Kyncl—who spent the past decade as a senior executive at the YouTube rocket ship and earlier worked at Netflix—was on Wednesday named CEO of Warner Music Group. Warner, owner... If Robert Kyncl’s career is an indication of which part of the entertainment industry is about to...

amazon entertainment

Netflix’s New Ad Chief Has an Appetite for Danger

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 19, 2022 6:00 AM PDT

Before Netflix hired Jeremi Gorman as its new advertising chief to bring growth back to its struggling business, Gorman had compiled a colorful résumé of professional and personal accomplishments. While she’s best known for turning her previous employer, Snap, into an internet ad powerhouse, Gorman also played an important... Before Netflix hired Jeremi Gorman as its new advertising chief to bring growth back to its...

Stoolies, Doodles, Royals and Whistles

Stoolies, Doodles, Royals and Whistles

By Jon Steinberg · Sept. 17, 2022 7:00 AM PDT · 1 comment

Stoolies, Doodles, Royals and Whistles

Stoolies, Doodles, Royals and Whistles

By Jon Steinberg · Sept. 17, 2022 7:00 AM PDT · 1 comment

Hi, welcome to your Weekend! On a week when The Information celebrated the rising tide of women leaders in media, tech and finance at its annual WTF conference, we also examined a more complicated paragon of female leadership. This week's cover story by Annie on Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini is a masterclass in tightrope walking—by both... Hi, welcome to your Weekend! On a week when The Information celebrated the rising tide of...

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