Amazon Recruits Comedians, Engineers for Expanding Audio Service

Amazon.com Inc. is ramping up its investment in podcasts and other radio-style shows to expand the types of programming it offers via Audible, the audio book company it acquired in 2008.Audible has recruited well-known comedians, along with radio and podcast producers for the initiative, and job postings suggest a significant global push. Maria Bamford and Jonathan Katz are taping episodes of "Bedtime Stories," a show in which comedians rewrite fairy tales, according to their manager Bruce Smith.Entertainment plays a crucial role in Amazon's effort to push beyond its core business of selling books, laundry detergent and televisions online. The Seattle-based company's original films and TV shows have won critical acclaim and helped increase the appeal of its $99-a-year Prime service, which includes delivery discounts along with video and music streaming. Audible has more than 250,000 audio programs including books and plays, with downloads available for iPhones, Androids and other smartphone systems. Continue reading at AdAge.com Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2016-01-30 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Cuba’s internet and journalism blackouts

On Tuesday, Dina Fernandez, a Cuban YouTuber who goes by the name Dina Stars, was doing an interview on Todo Es Mentira, a Spanish TV show, at her home in Havana. She heard a knock on the door. Stars told Marta Flich, the show’s host, that state security officials were outside. As she went to... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-07-16 12:30:19 UTC ]
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DC to Launch DC Universe Infinite Comics Subscription Service

DC Comics announced that DC Universe, a video on demand streaming service offering DC films, TV shows, comics, and online community, will be transformed into a digital comics subscription service in January 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Notable: Reese Witherspoon

A new book club queen has emerged—and she's almost as good at selling books as she is on the silver screen. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Audible teams with 'The Walking Dead' creators on audio originals

Audible's push into original content now includes a team-up with a company best-known for its comic books and TV shows. The Amazon-owned audiobook service has struck a deal with Skybound, the team behind The Walking Dead, to create multiple Audible... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2019-08-13 18:43:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2019: Amazon Publishing Marks Its First 10 Years

Almost exactly 10 years ago, in May 2009, Amazon expanded from selling books to publishing them as well with the launch of Amazon Encore, a publishing program for promising self-published books and out-of-print works from major houses. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-05-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Society of Authors renews calls for TV shows to pay authors

The Society of Authors (SoA) has renewed its calls for TV companies to pay and credit historians and authors for their research work after a rise in complaints from members. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Has Spotify just changed podcasting forever? Podcasts of the week

In a game-changing move, the streaming giant just bought Homecoming creators Gimlet. Plus: the pod going behind the scenes at the Mueller probeIn what is comfortably the biggest deal in the history of podcasting to date, streaming giant Spotify has bought Gimlet Media, the company behind series... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adaptive Books Acquires New Titles Plus the Zane Grey Estate

Founded in 2012 by veterans of the entertainment business, Adaptive Studios is an unusual business venture originally focused on repurposing moribund or abandoned movie scripts into new content for different media, including books, movies, and TV shows. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Netflix announces its first TV shows and movies from Millarworld

Today, Netflix announced the first TV shows and movies based on comic book writer Mark Millar's properties. Netflix will add two television series and three movies to its original programming. Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2018-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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BookExpo 2018: The Future of Book Retail is Innovation and Experimentation

Despite fears of a physical store "retail apocalypse," NPD BookScan's Kristen McLean outlined a future for indie booksellers driven by experimentation and selling books in more places. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With billions at stake, Supreme Court urged to revisit ruling shielding internet purchases from sales tax

The last time the Supreme Court took a hard look at how to impose sales taxes on home shopping, it was the era of mail-order catalogs — “before Amazon was even selling books out of Jeff Bezos’ garage,” lawyers recently told the justices. In 1992, the high court upheld a constitutional rule that... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-01-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple’s App of the Year Makes Sense If You've Been Paying Attention to the News

For a picture of what life was like in 2017, look no further than the apps, movies, books, and music that topped the App Store and iTunes charts. This week, Apple revealed the most popular titles that iOS users downloaded over the course of the year. In terms of media, the top choices weren’t... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2017-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Exploring Lonely Planet’s World

Lonely Planet, the world's number one guidebook publisher, has not only printed over 145 million guidebooks covering 95% of the world’s destinations, Lonely Planet has created content in over fourteen languages, including everything from magazines and TV shows to children’s books, cookbooks,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Netflix acquires Mark Millar's comics publishing house (updated)

Mark Millar is a well-known name in the world of comics, which is why today's announcement is such a big deal. Netflix has revealed that it's acquired Millarworld, Millar's comic book empire, and will be creating original movies and TV shows from the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2017-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeff Bezos briefly leapfrogs Bill Gates as world's richest person

Twenty-three years ago, Jeff Bezos was selling books out of his garage. On Thursday, the Amazon chief executive at least temporarily dethroned Bill Gates as the richest person in the world. Following a 1.3% jump in Amazon.com Inc. shares Thursday morning, Bezos, 53, was worth as much as $91.3... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon boosts kids' reading app with Signature Stories

Reading app Amazon Rapids has extended its offering with Signature Stories, a feature which introduces stories from its TV shows. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Discounts its Fire Tablet Bundle an Additional $27.98 With This Code - Deal Alert

Through this Saturday, sink the 16GB Fire Tablet bundle's already discounted price to just $59.99 using the code FIREBUNDLE at checkout -- a significant deal considering its typical $107.97 value. The bundle includes the latest 16GB Fire 7" Tablet with special offers ($69.99), Amazon cover... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2017-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Flashy monster battles in 'Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions' will delight fans

When Kazuki Takahashi’s manga “Yu-Gi-Oh” debuted in 1996, it spawned a mammoth franchise that includes the iconic Duel Monsters card game, TV shows, video games and character merchandise. The fourth feature, “Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions,” was released in Japan in 2016 to mark its 20th... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Leaked Windows 10 build shows Microsoft filling a major content hole: Ebooks

For years, Microsoft has sold movies, TV shows, and music, in addition to apps—but not ebooks. A leaked Windows 10 build, however, shows Microsoft plans to shore up that gap in an upcoming release. The leaked build obtained by MSPowerUser reveals a dedicated section of the Windows Store where... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2017-01-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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