Todd Spangler Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorDonald Trump has been kicked off Twitter for good, the social network said Friday.“After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,” the company said in a statement.Trump, who had 88.8 million followers at last count on Twitter — his favored

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe news this week that HBO Max — finally — was coming to Roku devices was welcomed by millions of customers eager to stream the WarnerMedia service on their TVs and catch “Wonder Woman 1984” when it premieres on Christmas Day.But there’s a wrinkle for some Roku users who want to get HBO Max.Under its agreement with WarnerMedia, Roku is no longer selling the legacy standalone HBO channel through its Roku Channel store.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWonder Woman and HBO Max are giving Roku a power-up on Wall Street.On Thursday, shares of Roku were up over 7% in early trading coming the day after the company announced a pact with AT&T’s WarnerMedia to add HBO Max to its streaming devices following months of haggling.Roku’s stock was up over $350 per share into new all-time highs.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorReddit announced the acquisition of Dubsmash, a TikTok-like short-form video app whose mission is to “elevate underrepresented creators.”Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorBad Robot Games, a division of J.J.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSteve Bannon’s “War Room Pandemic” account was permanently suspended by Twitter, after the ex-Trump strategist said in a video Thursday that the president should execute Dr.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarnerMedia’s recent restructuring was “spot on,” and the company accelerated those changes to the media division — which had been eyed for 2021 — because of COVID to boost the streaming profile of HBO Max, according to AT&T CEO John Stankey.Stankey, speaking Monday at the Wall Street Journal’s WSJ Live streaming conference, praised WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar’s changes at the company.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorViacomCBS is offloading CNET Media Group in a $500 million deal to digital-marketing company Red Ventures, which announced the deal Monday.Under the deal, Mark Larkin, EVP and GM of CNET Media Group, along with the unit’s senior team will remain with Red Ventures following the acquisition, expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020.CBS acquired CNET Networks in 2008 for $1.8 billion.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorAfter six years at Condé Nast Entertainment, Joe Sabia is stepping down as the division’s SVP of creative development.Sabia, best known as the creator and host of Vogue’s “73 Questions” interview series, told Variety he is departing the media and publishing company on good terms.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarnerMedia is looking to drive up HBO Max subscribers as the third quarter of 2020 winds down.Starting Friday, Sept. 4, new and returning customers who sign up for HBO Max are eligible to get the service for $11.99 per month for the next 12 months.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorCondé Nast named Dawn Davis, a 25-year veteran of the book publishing business and a prominent editor in the field, as editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit.Her appointment comes after the June ouster of former EIC Adam Rapoport amid allegations of racial discrimination at the food-media brand.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSpotify signed a deal with Rickey Thompson and Denzel Dion, best friends and popular fashion and lifestyle influencers, for an exclusive weekly podcast series.The two L.A.-based comedic internet stars, who first rose to fame on the now-defunct Vine app, have sizable followings on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok — a fanbase Spotify is banking on to attract listeners.

vmlennox pmc-editorial-managerVariety’s Todd Spangler will moderate a conversation with leading content distributors, streaming platforms and technology partners as they discuss strategies to succeed at distributing content securely within the expansive digital environment. The conversation will be hosted in the Variety Streaming Room presented by BuyDRM on September 8 at 9 a.m PT / 12 p.m.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSports journos Michael Smith and Michael Holley are co-hosting Peacock’s first original sports talk show, a three-hour weekday show set to debut next month on NBCUniversal’s recently launched streaming service.“Brother From Another” with Smith, a former ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor, and Holley, host and columnist for NBC Sports Boston, will stream live from 3-6 p.m. ET weekdays on Peacock starting in September.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorTikTok is facing an uncertain future — and the popular app may be effectively banned in a few weeks by the Trump administration in the U.S. — but it’s still plowing ahead as if all systems are go.Last month, TikTok announced the formation of a new Creator Fund to support creators who are building careers on the short-form video platform.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAhead of Spotify’s earnings call for its second-quarter results, the company’s cofounder and CEO Daniel Ek and CFO Paul Vogel got on the phone for a short call with Variety’s Jem Aswad and Todd Spangler.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe Twitter hackers behind the unprecedented coordinated July 15 attack on high-profile accounts of multiple celebrities, politicians, tech titans and Silicon Valley companies went after about 130 separate accounts, the company said late Thursday.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNetflix announced that chief content officer Ted Sarandos has been appointed co-CEO of the company, alongside co-founder Reed Hastings.Sarandos, who will continue to serve as content chief, joined Netflix over 20 years ago. He’s also been elected to Netflix’s board of directors.“Ted has been my partner for decades,” Hastings said in announcing the appointment.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe New York Times ended its relationship with Apple News, saying the distribution deal doesn’t fit with the newspaper’s direct-to-consumer business model.As of Monday (June 29), articles from the Times no longer appeared in the Apple News app.“Core to a healthy model between The Times and the platforms is a direct path for sending those readers back into our environments, where we control the presentation of our report, the relationships with our readers and the

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorAn all-new documentary series following Demi Lovato’s ups and downs over the last three years is coming exclusively to YouTube, as part of the video giant doubling down on its music, celebrity and creator-focused originals strategy.In addition to the new four-part Lovato docuseries, YouTube has renewed four original series featuring big-name digital talent: “Instant Influencer with James Charles,” “The Creator Games Presented by MrBeast,” the interactive “A Heist

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorLeBron James and business partner Maverick Carter have raised $100 million in funding from backers including Guggenheim Partners and Elisabeth Murdoch.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorDisney, looking to gain synergies of scale, created a new Advertising Platforms team merging the company’s advertising technology and product operations — including Hulu’s — into a single team.The Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International Technology group’s new Advertising Platforms team will be led by Jeremy Helfand, previously Hulu’s VP and head of advertising platforms, which he joined in 2018.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSnap is bringing more content to Snapchat users, with a slew of renewals with media partners as well as a slate of more than a dozen new originals and returning short-form shows.The company announced that it has reached multiyear deals with Disney, ESPN, NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, the NBA and the NFL to expand content they deliver to for Snapchat’s Discover platform.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorApple has pledged to donate $100 million to organizations furthering racial equity and justice, joining other media and tech companies backing social-justice causes.CEO Tim Cook announced the initiative Thursday on Twitter, coming amid nationwide protests demanding criminal-justice reform after the police killing of George Floyd.“The unfinished work of racial justice and equality call us all to account.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorReddit announced the appointment of Michael Seibel, a venture-capital investor, adviser and entrepreneur, to its board of directors.The news comes less than a week after co-founder Alexis Ohanian said he was resigning from the company’s board and urged Reddit to select a Black candidate to replace him.Seibel is a partner at early-stage VC firm Y Combinator and CEO of the YC startup accelerator program (which, prior to Seibel’s tenure, helped launch Reddit in

By Klaritza Rico