Category: Media
Original Content podcast: Netflix’s ‘Middleditch & Schwartz’ might change your mind about improv
We’ll admit it: Some of your Original Content podcast hosts are a little skeptical about improvised comedy. Of course, we can enjoy improv when it’s done well. It’s just that we’ve seen it done less well, often by friends who are so enthusiastic without being particularly funny. And our friends…
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Quarantine creates new opportunities for video makers, according to a Butter Works report
While global stay-at-home orders have been a blow to most companies, they’ve also created opportunities for businesses helping to keep people entertained. So if you’re a YouTube creator hoping to capture some additional eyeballs while everyone’s stuck at home, online video agency Butter Works has released an interactive report outlining…
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New bill threatens journalists’ ability to protect sources
Runa Sandvik Contributor Runa Sandvik works on digital security for journalists, founded upon her experiences working at The New York Times, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and The Tor Project. Online child exploitation is a horrific crime that requires an effective response. A draft bill, first proposed by Sen.…
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Streaming service Hooq shuts down, ends partnership with Disney’s Hotstar, Grab and others
Hooq, a five-year-old on-demand video streaming service that aimed to become “Netflix for Southeast Asia,” has shut down weeks after filing for liquidation and terminated its partnerships with Disney’s Hotstar, ride-hailing giant Grab, and Indonesia’s VideoMax. Hooq Digital, a joint venture among Singapore telecom group Singtel (majority owner), Sony Pictures,…
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OpenAI’s new experiments in music generation create an uncanny valley Elvis
AI-generated music is a fascinating new field, and deep-pocketed research outfit OpenAI has hit new heights in it, creating recreations of songs in the style of Elvis, 2Pac and others. The results are convincing, but fall squarely in the unnerving “uncanny valley” of audio, sounding rather like good, but drunk,…
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COVID-19 quarantine boosts smart speaker usage among U.S. adults, particularly younger users
The coronavirus outbreak has driven more consumers to turn to their smart speakers for news, information, music and entertainment, according to new data released today by NPR and Edison Research. Around three-quarters of U.S. adults 18 and up said their routines have been impacted due to COVID-19 and their media…
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