- It’s a great time to be Roku: The company surpassed 53 million users in Q1, exceeding all expectations (Digital TV Europe)
- Mattel’s CEO weighs in on the future of screen time and how physical toys will fit in (Wall Street Journal)
- Nintendo beat analyst estimates, but a chip shortage is likely to affect the gaming company soon (BNN Bloomberg)
- TikTok content houses aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, and creators are speaking out against them (Business Insider)
- …Meanwhile, TikTok internal rep has taken a hit, as reports of its “996″ culture emerge (CNBC)
- Kids content from Nickelodeon is driving Paramount+ subscriber growth (Variety)
- …And to draw in more subs, the SVOD is planning to debut one new movie a week in 2022 (The Hollywood Reporter)
- The inside story of TikTok’s rise to prominence, which includes plenty of corporate drama (Forbes)
- YouTube is focused on the AAPI community this month with new videos and playlists (Adweek)
- Meghan Markle has written a picture book about a father’s relationship with his son (CBC News)
- Early-learning literacy is suffering as the pandemic drags on in many countries (Globe & Mail)
- Disney is building a toy lightsaber that’s as close to the real thing as we might ever get (The Verge)
- As more people shop online, they’re less likely to make impulse purchases at the register…and candy sales are suffering (WIRED)
- Sonar’s David Ellender will lead the new scripted content division at Chicken Soup (TBI)
- The Golden Globes has a plan to address HFPA diversity issues (Variety)
- Discovery’s content library and knack for bingeable reality shows make it a perfect acquisition target for Netflix (Bloomberg)
- The Epic Games vs. Apple legal fight has begun…and a lot of kids have shown up to watch (The Verge)
- With the help of 10,000 bricks, LEGO has put out its own version of ASMR (The Guardian)
- Verizon is getting out of the content game, offloading Verizon Media in a US$5-billion deal (Variety)
- Are TikTok and YouTube content houses worth the hype for marketers? (Vogue Business)
- …And young people are turning to TikTok for financial advice, but at what cost? (Wall Street Journal)
- A new AI tool is looking to become the dubbing and subtitling alternative (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Think about this over the weekend: With the rise of digital this and subscription that, do we actually own anything anymore? (Vox)
- Peacock is up to nine million US subscribers, and eyeballing the rest of the world next (Digital TV Europe)
- …But streamers should probably start worrying about churn (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Did pandemic pay cuts actually have any effect on media companies’ bottom lines? (Variety)
- Licensing Expo will now be virtual in August, with plans to return to live in May 2022 (Toy News)
- Apple has hit 660 million paid subscriptions…but it doesn’t distinguish between music, iCloud and Apple TV+ (Variety)
- With camps and programs hanging in the balance, what will summer look like for kids this year? (CBC News)
- TikTok has redefined the economics of fame, and divorced stardom from financial success (BNN Bloomberg)
- France plans to relax restrictions in May—including opening theaters—but what will that mean for events? (Reuters)
- Netflix is facing a difficult enemy: decision fatigue—inside the SVOD’s battle to end scrolling (Vulture)
- Which cable channels are on the chopping block next? (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Disney is closing all of its Canadian retail locations (CTV News)
- How kids streaming platform Ameba is thriving in the pandemic (Winnipeg Free Press)
- Lots of kids and content outfits made it onto TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies list this year (TIME)
- Apple TV+ is looking to ramp up production in the US, with plans to greenlight dozens of shows (TBI)
- How does a song on TikTok go viral? With a little help from the inside (BNN Bloomberg)
- …And on that note, TikTok wants to address Europe’s concerns about the app by opening up more (CTV News)
- Soul took home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, marking Pixar’s 11th win in the category (Los Angeles Times)
- What’s the best way to handle the “lost year” of learning? (Vox)
- Kids aren’t just playing kids games, and that’s a major opportunity for developers (Games Industry)
- Roku and Google are feuding, which could result in YouTube leaving the OTT (Deadline)
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