Still Facing Copyright Lawsuits, AI Music Generator Suno Raises Another $400M
Suno announced a $400 million Series D round that lifts its valuation to $5.4 billion, a steep rise from the $2.45 billion valuation just seven months earlier. The AI music generator faces ongoing lawsuits from Universal Music Group, Sony and GEMA, which allege the company trained its models on tens of thousands of copyrighted songs. Suno argues the training falls under fair‑use doctrine, while Warner Music settled a separate licensing deal last November. Despite the legal pressure, the platform still sees users creating roughly 7 million tracks per day and remains a top‑ranked music app.
A Startup, Everand, Is Now Bundling E-Books, Audiobooks, and Book Clubs in Challenge to Amazon
Everand, the Scribd‑owned reading service, has launched a bundled subscription that combines its 1.5 million‑title audiobook and e‑book catalog with the Fable social book‑club app. The three pricing tiers – $11.99, $16.99 and $28.99 per month – let users access one,...
This Weekend’s Two Biggest Movies Were Both Directed by YouTubers
Backrooms, directed by 20‑year‑old YouTuber Kane Parsons, opened with $38 million on Friday and is projected to earn $80‑90 million this weekend, making it A24’s biggest debut ever. Obsession, a horror film by 26‑year‑old YouTuber Curry Barker, pulled in $8 million Friday and...
Stability AI Releases a New Audio Model that Can Create 6-Minute Songs
Stability AI unveiled the Stability Audio 3.0 family, featuring four models ranging from 459 M to 2.7 B parameters. The large model can generate full‑length songs over six minutes, more than double the duration of its 2024 predecessor. Small and medium models are...
YouTube Viewers Watch 2 Billion Hours of Shorts on TVs Each Month
YouTube reports that viewers are watching more than 2 billion hours of Shorts on television each month, signaling a shift of short‑form video from mobile to the living‑room. The platform attributes this growth to its expanding TV presence, with Google TV...
Bravo Is Creating Unscripted Microdramas for the Peacock App
Peacock is debuting two unscripted Bravo microdramas, each 60‑90 seconds long, to stream on its app. The vertical‑video format mirrors TikTok’s short‑form style and targets Bravo’s existing fan base. Microdrama platforms like ReelShort and DramaBox generated $1.2 billion and $276 million in...
Netflix Delays Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ Movie for Big Theatrical Push in 2027
Netflix has postponed the theatrical debut of Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s *The Magician’s Nephew* from Thanksgiving 2026 to February 12, 2027, with IMAX previews beginning on February 10. The film will enjoy a full theatrical window before arriving on Netflix’s streaming platform...
Letterboxd, the Social Platform for Film Buffs, Reportedly Looking for New Owner
Letterboxd, the film‑focused social platform with about 26 million users, is reportedly up for sale as its majority owner Tiny seeks a buyer. Tiny, which acquired Letterboxd in 2023 for over $50 million and holds roughly 60% of the company, is courting...
YouTube Expands Its AI Likeness Detection Technology to Celebrities
YouTube announced that its AI‑driven likeness detection system, originally tested with a limited creator group, is now available to the entertainment sector. The tool works like Content ID, scanning uploaded videos for AI‑generated faces that match enrolled celebrities, talent agencies...
GRAI Believes AI Can Make Music More Social, Not Replace Artists
AI music startup GRAI announced a $9 million seed round led by Khosla Ventures to launch consumer‑focused remix apps. The iOS and Android tools let fans remix existing tracks, change styles, and share creations while preserving artists' rights. GRAI’s platform builds...
Runway CEO Says AI Could Help Hollywood Make 50 Films Instead of One $100M Blockbuster
Runway, the AI video‑generation startup now valued at over $5 billion, CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela told Semafor World Economy that a $100 million budget could fund 50 AI‑generated movies instead of a single blockbuster. He argues that scaling quantity with the same visual...
EFF Is the Latest Organization to Leave X
The Electronic Frontier Foundation announced it is leaving X after nearly two decades, citing a dramatic drop in post impressions. In 2018, EFF’s tweets generated 50‑100 million monthly impressions, but by 2024 the same volume of posts yields only about 2 million....
Spotify Now Lets Everyone Turn Off Videos in Its App
Spotify announced a new setting that lets any user turn off video content, including Canvas loops and video podcasts, across mobile, desktop, web, and TV. The control is now available to all plan types—Free, Premium, Duo, Family, and Student—while Family...
As YouTube Grows on TV, It Eyes More Interactive Video Across Formats
YouTube is intensifying its focus on the living‑room by hiring product, design, and engineering talent to build interactive experiences for TV, including live streaming, Shorts, and subscription features. Connected‑TV watch time in the U.S. rose to over 44% in 2026,...
Apple Music Partners with Ticketmaster to Power Its Concert Discovery Feature
Apple Music announced a partnership with Ticketmaster to power its concert discovery feature, embedding ticket links directly within the streaming app. The integration adds a dedicated Concerts tab, homepage carousel, artist‑page badges, and push notifications that surface nearby shows based...