- Facebook is getting into the streaming game…by selling subscriptions to other services (Recode)
- But Roku is the real juggernaut in streaming right now, keeping itself alive and independent with ads (Wall Street Journal)
- Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are joining forces to take on the free-to-play cash cow that is lootboxes (TNW)
- Turns out the popular kids don’t actually have that much influence—parents and friends have more sway on kids’ lives (The Atlantic)
- How streaming has actually made it easier for middle-tier musicians to make money (Rolling Stone)
- Viacom’s Q3 results are on a steady rise as it continues merger talks with CBS (Variety)
- The upcoming Rocko’s Modern Life movie will feature a trans storyline (Entertainment Weekly)
- Disneyland’s new Star Wars park had a lackluster debut, but is Gen Z really to blame for that miss? (Ad Age)
- SVOD competition doesn’t put Netflix’s subscribers at risk…it just makes it harder to raise subscription fees (CNBC)
- Here’s something unexpected: Video game music is driving vinyl record growth (Forbes)
- European films are now more popular in China than they are in North America (Variety)
- An insider report on how the Obamas are settling into their new role as producers at Netflix (The Hollywood Reporter)
- If you’re going to create a kid-tracking device, it probably shouldn’t make children feel like criminals (CBC News)
- Despite its popularity, TikTok is already facing significant challenges—can it survive? (The Verge)
- STEM toys have flooded the market, but are they actually teaching anyone how to code? (Vox)
- After many noms over the years, Arthur managed to snag its first TCA for youth programming (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Facebook really wants to be given more credit for WhatsApp and Instagram, and it’s willing to go to new lengths to get it (The Verge)
- Snap is looking to raise US$1 billion so that it can look into new acquisitions (Variety)
- Why the argument that loot boxes are like Kinder Eggs is flawed—and what that means for gaming (Games Industry)
- Disney’s layoffs aren’t over yet as several production and VFX execs have been let go (Variety)
- The biggest streamer in the world has left Twitch for Mixer…which is what exactly? (The Verge)
- Not only is TikTok’s parentco making a smartphone and getting into music streaming, it’s now looking into mobile search (Tech Crunch)
- How Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are preparing Imagine to be the go-to producer for SVODs (New York Times)
- YouTube has overhauled its algorithm for kids content to promote “quality” videos (Bloomberg)
- Facebook has reportedly approached both Netflix and Disney about working together on a new TV device (CNET)
- Amazon Prime Video is suffering from a diluted brand identity—no one knows what the SVOD is trying to do (Business Insider)
- The jury is still out on what social media addiction really is, but the US is trying to combat it with new laws anyways (Recode)
- ABC, CBS, Fox and NBCUniversal have teamed up to sue streaming nonprofit Locast (Variety)
- How the new Warner Bros. CEO is approaching the future of media…beginning with a tour of the studio’s lot (Variety)
- Remember when a billion-dollar film was rare? Disney has already landed four this year, as The Lion King roars at the box office (CNN)
- YouTubers are looking to create a union of sorts, but can they pull it off? (Vox)
- The chorus of voices pushing for more LGBTQ representation in kids shows is growing even louder (Associated Press)
- After all the talk of Amazon killing Toys “R” Us, could it be the internet that can save the physical store? (Toronto Star)
- Inside WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey’s plans for the newly merged company (Variety)
- Following a deal with Smartisan earlier this year, social media darling TikTok is planning to produce a smartphone (The Verge)
- Amazon is forcing businesses to make their boxes smaller and easier to open or risk fines (Wall Street Journal)
- Despite the fact that Switch sales are still soaring, Nintendo’s profit dropped 46% (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Disney has set a new record for the highest-grossing year for a studio, with five months left (CNN)
- …Meanwhile, in China, homegrown Nezha is about to overtake Zootopia as the country’s biggest animated film ever (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Australia is looking at new regulations that would force streamers like Amazon and Netflix to film more Aussie content (Wall Street Journal)
- The British Gambling Commission is worried the gaming industry isn’t taking loot boxes seriously enough (Games Industry)
- As the streaming war continues, will the new players be able to take advantage of Netflix’s deficit-driven spending? (Tubefilter)
- …Though, maybe Apple should scrap its content plans and just buy Netflix (USA Today)
- How a website dedicated to famous birthdays has become the front page of the Gen Z internet (The Atlantic)
- The social effects of TV and why Sesame Street has changed cognitive abilities (New York Times)
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