- The podcast market is taking off, and agents are starting to take notice (Deadline)
- Peacock will exclusively stream parts of the Tokyo Olympics…but will anyone watch? (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Marvel Studios unveiled its first major queer character, though it could be doing more (Variety)
- Google is now making it easier for creators to make money off their own apps (The Verge)
- The UK government wants to level the playing field between SVODs and linear broadcasters (TBI Vision)
- The industry is just about ready to travel again (Variety)
- Background performers are feeling left out of equity movements (Deadline)
- EA is spending US$1.4 billion to acquire mobile gaming studio Playdemic (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Pluto is a low-barrier, frictionless and freeing VOD, which also makes it a really weird streamer (Vulture)
- There aren’t many Peabody Awards for kids content, but The Owl House scored one (Variety)
- …Speaking of awards, festivals are introducing gender-neutral acting prizes (Deadline)
- AMC Theaters is going on the offensive to deal with its debts (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Kidcos including Dandelooo and Folimage picked up awards at Annecy (The Hollywood Reporter)
- It took some time, but Godzilla vs Kong has finally hit US$100 million at the domestic box office (Variety)
- Facebook is adding podcasts and launching a Clubhouse rival in the US (The Verge)
- Spin Master is reportedly thinking about expanding its new scholarship program to all of its global offices (Toy News)
- Spotify has acquired a podcast discovery tech firm called Podz (The Verge)
- Roku is joining other streamers in claiming it has massive viewership for originals, but won’t specify what those numbers are (Variety)
- DreamWorks Animation’s Margie Cohn gives an inside look at the making of Spirit Untamed (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Streaming makes up about a quarter of TV watch time in the US, according to Nielsen (CNBC)
- The metaverse is taking over kids entertainment—here’s what it is, and why you should care (Dubit)
- Nintendo is stuck in a creative rut (WIRED)
- UK broadcasters were mandated to increase disability representation, but they’re going to miss the deadline by seven years (TBI)
- Streamers are still trying to figure out what release schedules work best, and now Disney+ is betting on Wednesdays (The Verge)
- Far from the AVOD crowd: Disney+ has no plans to include ads, says CEO Bob Chapek (TBI)
- What Amazon Studio’s company-wide DE&I playbook looks like (Variety)
- Screen Queensland is giving a US$71-million boost to its production industry (IF)
- Hungary has passed a law banning LGBTQ+ content from appearing in kids TV (The Guardian)
- AVOD consumption in the US has dropped 10% over the last six months (Digital TV Europe)
- Netflix is partnering with Women in Animation (Playback Daily)
- Discovery will need to earn some trust and respect from WarnerMedia for this merger to work, says David Zaslav (Variety)
- Can a gaming obsession be treated with even more gaming? (WIRED)
- Netflix has rolled out a new online store to sell CP based on its biggest franchises (Bloomberg)
- Latinos have never been well represented in media, and it’s getting worse (Los Angeles Times)
- Hasbro is partnering with the makers of Pokémon Go, but will anyone be able to copy the game’s success? (The Hollywood Reporter)
- A Quiet Place Part II continues to do well at the box office, but everything else is still struggling (Variety)
- Roblox might accidentally be building a generation of little fascists (WIRED)
- The European Union is digging into competition implications for AI-powered voice assistants (Tech Crunch)
- A legal battle between Disney’s Star+ and Starz is brewing (The Verge)
- While video game makers are fighting over consoles, Microsoft is ditching that whole scene (New York Times)
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