Elon Musk has begun rebranding Twitter as X with a simple black letter X-ing out the iconic blue bird logo. The reaction has been mixed so far. Some say it conjures cool, as in “X marks the spot,” while others suggest it evokes a corporate industrial “Big Brother” that could negatively impact the successful brand. Whether it will help Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino monetize the social service remains to be seen, but it definitely marks a clean break from a colorful past. On Monday, at Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters, feathered features like the company logo that once lorded over the cafeteria were removed, and stylized X logos were projected. Continue reading Twitter Rebrands as ‘X’ in Next Step Toward ‘Everything App’

Ariel Horn and Ben Kusin, co-founders of VENN (Video Game Entertainment & News Network), plan to launch their eSports, gaming and pop culture network in July, three months ahead of schedule. To do so, they are raising $40 million, building a Los Angeles studio, hiring, and setting up creators to program from home. The 24/7 linear network is aimed at the streaming generation, including hardcore eSports fans and casual gamers. VENN already raised $17 million from Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, Riot Games co-chair Marc Merrill and Blizzard Entertainment co-founder Mike Morhaime. Continue reading Founders of eSports and Gaming Network Speed Up Launch

Spotify, reporting its Q4 results, revealed that it now has 271 million subscribers, up 31 percent from a year ago, with paying subscribers up 29 percent to 125 million. The company’s overall revenue reached $2 billion, up 24 percent from the previous year, with a gross margin of 25.6 percent. Spotify is still posting operating losses, with Q4’s pegged at $85 million, with its loss per share now at $1.26. Spotify also acquired Bill Simmons’ sports and pop culture website and podcasting network The Ringer. Continue reading Spotify Still Dominates Podcast Space, Acquires The Ringer

Popular streaming music service Spotify plans to take on radio and podcasts from Apple and others by introducing news and political coverage to its content offerings. Spotify’s new Spotlight feature will include programming from partners such as BuzzFeed and Refinery29. BuzzFeed, for example, will provide daily newscasts that run four to seven minutes in duration. Spotify’s 70 million users already have access to music and new video and podcast offerings; Spotlight will add news, politics, pop culture and sports coverage. The strategy could position Spotify as a competitor to YouTube and Apple. Continue reading Spotify Adds Content to Compete With Radio, YouTube, Apple

“Rotten Tomatoes See It/Skip It” is a new show scheduled to debut on Facebook’s Watch video platform on November 1. New episodes will be available every Thursday for viewing via “Facebook’s Watch tab on mobile, desktop and connected-TV apps,” reports Variety. Film critic Jacqueline Coley and entertainment commentator Segun Oduolowu will host the series, debating topics about pop culture, movies and TV shows while fielding comments from Facebook users. Episodes will also feature new Tomatometer scores for movies and TV shows. Continue reading Rotten Tomatoes Brings Film & TV Debate Series to Facebook

Facebook is on the hunt for more TV-like original programming for the video tab in its mobile app. The company is looking for weekly shows no longer than 30 minutes per episode. Facebook isn’t interested in hard news content, but rather scripted and unscripted shows in subject areas including sports, science, pop culture, lifestyle, gaming and teens. Original programming would not only help keep users on the social media platform longer; it could also generate a significant amount of ad revenue. Continue reading Facebook Looking to Publish More Long-Form Original Series

AT&T just unveiled its new Facebook Messenger chatbot, dubbed Atticus, that’s full of interesting trivia about a range of broadcast television programs, including “Modern Family,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “American Horror Story,” “Pretty Little Liars,” and “The Office.” Described by AT&T as a “goofball,” Atticus has been known to say, “If the Dunphy family is looking for another kid, I’d be happy to join them. I’d be no trouble. Especially since I don’t physically exist. We’d be a real ‘Modern Family’.” Continue reading AT&T Unveils Atticus Chatbot to Answer Questions About TV

Forty years ago, Pepsi famously conducted a series of blind taste tests where participants were given two sample cups of soda containing Pepsi in one and Coca-Cola in the other. That campaign, known as the “Pepsi Challenge,” is about to resurface, only this time Pepsi plans to take a very different approach. Pepsi has brought on celebrities such as Usher, Serena Williams and Usain Bolt to encourage consumers of today’s generation to partake in socially responsible and pop culture embedded challenges. Continue reading The Pepsi Challenge is Retooled for Today’s Social Generation

Fusion, a cable channel aimed at millennials, is relaunching its website to re-imagine its brand and the field of digital journalism. The site will now feature six sections led by some star hires, including alums from The Atlantic, Daily Beast, and Jezebel. ABC and Univision, the two corporate parents of the operation, will use the site as an “innovation lab” to experiment with coverage that interests the coveted millennial demographic, such as more stories that focus on inclusiveness and social justice. Continue reading Fusion’s New Site Plans to Experiment with Digital Journalism

Yahoo-owned blogging platform Tumblr launched a new pop culture hub yesterday that highlights top conversations from its community related to categories such as celebrities, TV shows, movies, music and video games. Since Tumblr blends online publishing tools with social features, the platform has grown popular for those who like to follow blogs and share posts. It has also become popular with fan communities, which makes the Fandometrics hub a natural fit for Tumblr — and a potential new marketing opportunity for brands. Continue reading Fandometrics: Tumblr Launches Hub for All Things Pop Culture

Sunday’s series finale of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” led to unprecedented social media activity, especially on Twitter and Facebook. While AMC was running a marathon of the Emmy-winning drama leading up to the finale, Twitter experienced more than 100,000 tweets a day, sparked in part by interaction with cast and crew. Additionally, Facebook says that more than 3 million users generated about 5.5 million interactions on its social network during the finale. The activity comes as both social platforms are pursuing television dollars. Continue reading “Breaking Bad” Fans Flock to Social Media for Series Finale

Software firm Youtoo Technologies announced that it has integrated its interactive video technology into “OK! TV,” a nationally syndicated half-hour news and entertainment magazine show co-produced by American Media and Unconventional Partners that will debut on September 9. Integrating Youtoo’s technology will enable the audience to directly interact with the show through online video and social and mobile apps. Continue reading Pop Culture and Lifestyle Show to Feature Viewer Interaction