Samsung TV Plus Launches Rebrand, Unveils New Content Partnerships

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Brooke Shields is coming soon to a pair of earbuds near you with her first podcast — in which the actor, model and author explores pivotal moments in people’s lives. “Now What? With Brooke Shields,” produced by iHeartMedia, is set to launch Oct. 11, to be available on the iHeartRadio app and all major podcast platforms. In each episode, to be released weekly on Tuesdays, Shields will chat with experts, authors and celebrity guests about the things that “knocked them off their feet and what they did to get back up,” according to iHeart. “Every success and every setback is accompanied by a choice, and that choice is the answer to one question: ‘Now what?’”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor WhatApp, the popular messaging app owned by tech giant Meta, is bowing its first original entertainment project later this month — a short film featuring NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo, born in Greece to Nigerian parents, was named the 2021 NBA All-Star MVP and led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Finals title that year. In the 12-minute film, titled “Naija Odyssey,” the pro basketballer “tells his origin story of many origins as he reconciles his roots, birthplace and sense of belonging between cross-cultural worlds,” according to WhatsApp’s description. The athlete inked an endorsement deal with WhatsApp in February of this year.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Listen up: Podimo, the Denmark-based subscription service for podcasts and audiobooks, said it secured €58.6 million (about $58.4 million) in funding, as it seeks to grow its market footprint and content lineup. The funding was led by previous investors 83North, Highland Europe and Saban Ventures, with continued participation from Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, Heartcore and Headline. The latest round brings Podimo’s total raised to date to about €162 million ($161.5 million), the company said. Podimo did not disclose valuation but said the new capital represented an “up round,” meaning its valuation increased. Founded in 2019, Podimo said it has doubled its headcount in the past two years and currently has about 225 employees. The company plans to step up hiring with the new funding.

Omar Metwally will be back as Mark Lindor for season three of Big Sky, but his role is going to be smaller than before.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Is the show going to be over for Showtime? Paramount Global is having “early” discussions about shutting down Showtime as a standalone service and migrating Showtime’s slate of premium content into its flagship streamer, Paramount+, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing anonymous sources. Paramount has “broached the idea” of shuttering Showtime in talks with “at least one major pay-TV partner,” per the report. In a statement, Paramount did not directly address the question of whether Showtime will continue long-term as a separate service. “We are always exploring options to maximize the value of our content investment by giving consumers access to great Paramount content through an array of services and platforms,” a company rep said in a statement to Variety.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Roku unveiled a software update to its streaming operating system — OS 11.5 — that among other features will introduce a new section on its streaming devices called “The Buzz,” stocked with short-form promotional content from entertainment partners. The goal: to provide another entry point for users to discover and watch new TV shows and movies. On the hardware side, the company is launching minimal changes to its product family for the 2022 holiday shopping season, with upgraded models of the Roku Express entry-level streaming player and its wireless subwoofer (now called Roku Wireless Bass). In addition to The Buzz, Roku OS 11.5 will add two “significant updates” to its What to Watch feature — a Continue Watching option and an expanded platform-wide Save List — along with updates to Roku Voice, expanding Bluetooth private listening to be compatible with the Roku Ultra, Roku Streambar and Roku Streambar Pro; the addition of categories to the Live TV Channel Guide and a redesigned, “more visual” Roku Store section.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Altice USA is making changes at the top: The cable operator announced that it has recruited Comcast veteran Dennis Mathew as CEO. Matthew takes over effective Oct. 3, assuming the CEO role from Dexter Goei, who has been named executive chairman of the board of directors. All of Goei’s direct reports will report to Mathew. Altice USA founder and current chairman Patrick Drahi will remain a director on the board. The No. 4 U.S. cable operator said it made the move to hire a new CEO “given Mr. Goei’s intention to return to Europe with his family.” Goei has worked for France’s Altice since 2009, leading the telecom company’s entry into the U.S. market through the acquisitions of Cablevision Systems and Suddenlink Communications, which now comprise Altice USA.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor In today’s podcast roundup, CNN’s Anderson Cooper delves into how to move forward after losing a love one; NPR sets “Invisibilia” Season 9 premiere date; and more. CNN anchor Anderson Cooper hosts limited-series podcast “All There Is With Anderson Cooper,” premiering Sept. 14. In the series, Cooper embarks on a “deeply personal and emotional exploration” of loss and grief and how to move forward without forgetting the people we miss. According to CNN, he began recording the podcast alone during his final weeks packing up the apartment of his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, who died in 2019. Among his mother’s keepsakes and secret journals, Cooper found unopened boxes belonging to his father and brother, both of whom died decades ago. Feeling overwhelmed, Cooper began to record conversations with others about their experiences with grief.

nasty spill on air when she attempted to mount her “dangerous” swivel chair at the start of the episode. Fast forward to Sept.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor WWE exec and pro wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque has officially taken the title of chief content officer, and he’s also received a salary raise along with three other top company execs. In addition, the company said it promoted chief financial officer Frank Riddick to the position of president, where he will continue in his role as CFO. WWE disclosed the exec info in an SEC filing Friday. The changes come after Vince McMahon, formerly WWE’s chairman and CEO, resigned from the company on July 22, amid an investigation by the board of directors into misconduct allegations.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Meghan Markle continued her reign atop Spotify’s podcast charts worldwide for the second week in a row, as the Duchess of Sussex’s “Archetypes” continues to attract a robust listenership. As of Friday, “Archetypes” ranked as the No. 1 podcast on Spotify in seven countries: the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, India, Australia, and New Zealand. It shot to the top of the charts soon after premiering Aug. 23 with featured guest Serena Williams, who recently announced plans to retire from pro tennis. The weekly show, hosted and executive produced by Markle, aims to “dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back,” as she put it in the trailer for the series. “Archetypes” is available exclusively on Spotify.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Twitter is finally about to give the world a look at its “Edit Tweet” function — which for years has been the No. 1 most-requested feature by users. The company said Edit Tweet is currently being tested by internal teams. Starting later in September, the test will expand initially to subscribers of Twitter Blue, its service with enhanced features for power users that costs $4.99/month in the U.S. In the test, users will be allowed to edit tweets a few times within a 30-minute window after they’re posted. Edited tweets will appear with an icon, label and timestamp so “it’s clear to readers that the original Tweet has been modified,” the company said in a blog post. Tapping the label will take viewers to the tweet’s Edit History, showing past versions of the post.

When it comes to picking up some budget-friendly new home décor items, then everyone knows that a trip to Primark is usually on the cards.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Sony Music Entertainment filed a lawsuit against Triller, seeking millions of dollars in damages after the video-sharing app allegedly stopped paying licensing fees in March 2022. According to the suit, filed Monday in New York federal court, Triller continued to allow Sony Music songs to be shared on the app even after the music company terminated their deal. “Despite extolling the importance and value of ‘innovative technology and intellectual property,’ and claiming to hope that its efforts to curb copyright infringement ‘will set a precedent for us and all content creators going forward that stealing is not going to be tolerated,’ Triller displays brazen contempt for the intellectual property rights of Sony Music, its artists, and others,” Sony Music said in the lawsuit.

Sky News presenter Jacquie Beltrao has revealed her new look after opting to have her hair cut short following her chemotherapy treatment. The former Olympic gymnast, 57, took to Instagram to post a video explaining why she had decided to get her blonde locks cut back. It comes after she announced in June 2020 that she was facing a second battle with breast cancer, having first been diagnosed with the disease in 2013.

Moses Sumney has unveiled details of a new concert film before announcing his break from music.Sumney was this week revealed to be part of The Weeknd’s upcoming HBO series The Idol and has now today (August 25) unveiled a new concert film called A Performance In V Acts that covers his gig at the Ford Theater in Los Angeles on October 31. After that, he also announced his upcoming break from music.He said in a statement that the new concert film “marks the official end of the græ album cycle.”He continued: “It’s a capsule of our headline show since we will not be touring the album after all,” he wrote. “This film also ushers in a new period of creativity for me – one in which I take a continued break from making albums and touring music to focus on other disciplines.”The film will be released on August 31 and you can see a clip of him from the film performing ‘Doomed’ and his cover of Björk’s ‘Come to Me’ here:Earlier this week, HBO released the second teaser for The Idol, the upcoming drama series created by “the sick and twisted minds of” The Weeknd and Euphoria helmer Sam Levinson.It was confirmed some time ago that the main cast will feature Troye Sivan, Debby Ryan and Hari Nef, while the recurring cast will include Tunde Adebimpe of TV On The Radio and Tyson Ritter of The All-American Rejects.In the latest teaser, we learn that other actors and artists set to appear.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The Duchess of Sussex has claimed the No. 1 podcast position on Spotify’s charts in six markets worldwide, including the U.S. and U.K. And, for the time being, Meghan Markle’s “Archetypes” is currently more popular than “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which in the U.S. is consistently the most-listened-to podcast on Spotify. “Archetypes,” released Tuesday exclusively on Spotify, is No. 1 on the streamer’s podcast charts for the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Next week’s episode will feature a conversation between Markle and Mariah Carey. In the premiere episode, Markle talks to Serena Williams about the double standard women face when they are labeled “ambitious” and the ripple effect this has on other aspects of their life, as well as how they are perceived. The inaugural episode also features Dr. Laura Kray, a leading expert on gender in the workplace, and the way in which these archetypes affect all of us.