Roku is launching an ad-free, subscription streaming service called Howdy. The service costs $2.99 per month and features a library of nearly 10,000 hours of content from its partners, including Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise, alongside select Roku Original titles. The company says subscribers will be able to watch titles like “Mad Max: Fury […]
Roku launches Howdy, a $2.99 ad-free streaming service Read More »
Amazon is denying that it’s shutting down Wondery, the podcast studio it acquired in late 2020, after Bloomberg reported on Monday that the company was closing the studio and cutting 110 jobs. Amazon told TechCrunch that Wondery will continue to develop creator-led podcasts under the Wondery brand within a new team. What’s changing is that the
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Elon Musk’s AI company has officially rolled out Grok Imagine, xAI’s image and video generator, to all SuperGrok and Premium+ X subscribers on its iOS app. And true to form for Musk, who positions Grok as an unfiltered, boundary-pushing AI, the generator allows users to make NSFW content. Grok Imagine, which promises to turn text
Grok Imagine, xAI’s new AI image and video generator, lets you make NSFW content Read More »
Spotify announced on Monday that its premium subscription prices will increase for users in multiple markets across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region. Over the next month, impacted subscribers will receive an email explaining that their monthly subscription cost will increase from 10,99 € to 11,99 €. Spotify made a
Spotify raises subscription prices | TechCrunch Read More »
Amazon is denying that it’s shutting down Wondery, the podcast studio it acquired in late 2020, after Bloomberg reported on Monday that the company was closing the studio and cutting 110 jobs. Amazon told TechCrunch that Wondery will continue to develop creator-led podcasts under the Wondery brand within a new team. What’s changing is that the
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The outcry after a recent marketplace crackdown on games with adult content, seemingly due to pressure from payment processors, prompted Mastercard to release a brief statement Friday pushing back against recent headlines. “Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and
Mastercard denies pressuring game platforms, Valve tells a different story Read More »
Meta is pouring money into the physical and technical infrastructure needed to scale its AI ambitions. The company said Wednesday in its second-quarter earnings report that it plans to more than double its spend on building AI infrastructure, like data centers and servers. “We currently expect 2025 capital expenditures, including principal payments on finance leases,
Meta to spend up to $72B on AI infrastructure in 2025 as compute arms race escalates Read More »
YouTube is tweaking its profanity-related rules to allow creators to monetize videos with swearing in them, provided the profanity is contained to the first seven seconds of the video. In November 2022, YouTube changed its rules so that creators who used swear words in the first 8-15 seconds would potentially be ineligible for any ad
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Spotify has experimented with various voice interfaces in the past, and more recently, added an AI DJ that introduces tunes the company thinks you’ll like and lets you make your own requests. Now, Spotify is teasing that generative AI advances may pave the way for an even more conversational interface with the streaming service in
Spotify hints at a more chatty voice AI interface in the future Read More »
YouTube continues to lead in the streaming market, with advertising revenue increasing by 13% year over year, according to Alphabet, Google’s parent company, in its second-quarter earnings report released on Wednesday. This growth brings YouTube’s total ad revenue to $9.8 billion, up from $8.7 billion in the same period last year. The company slightly exceeded
YouTube sees a rise in ad revenue to reach nearly $10 billion Read More »
