Lauren Forristal

Peacock expands into AI-driven video, mobile-first live sports, and gaming | TechCrunch Peacock is betting on new AI-powered video experiences, vertical clips, and mobile games to help its growth.

Peacock's app is about to look like a mix of TikTok, a gaming platform, and a streaming service based on today's announcement. The streamer revealed an AI video experience for Bravo fans, live NBA games in vertical format, crime-mystery games, and more.

Paramount+ and HBO Max to merge into one streaming service after WBD deal closes | TechCrunch If the Warner Bros. Discovery deal were to close, Paramount CEO David Ellison revealed that Paramount+ and HBO Max would combine into one platform.

If the landmark WBD deal were to close, Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison said he plans to merge Paramount+ and HBO Max into a single platform, combining around 200 million subscribers and positioning it as a serious contender among streaming giants.

Spotify ventures into physical book sales, adds new audiobook features | TechCrunch Spotify users in the U.S. and the UK will soon be able to buy physical books in the app. There's also a new tool that syncs physical books to audiobooks.

now we can listen to heated rivalry AND buy the steamy hockey romance in print, all on spotify

The most bizarre tech announced so far at CES 2026 | TechCrunch From an AI panda pet to an anime girl hologram for your desk, here are the wildest products at CES 2026.

the weird, the wonderful, and the wacky at #ces2026 techcrunch.com/2026/... #ces

Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. in a disruptive deal valued at $82.7B | TechCrunch In one of the most groundbreaking deals the streaming world has ever seen, Netflix acquires Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion. 

In a historic move for the streaming industry, Netflix has announced its acquisition of Warner Bros., a deal valued at $82.7 billion. This marks one of Hollywood's largest mergers ever.

Knicks player Miles McBride launches a location-sharing friendship app to rival Snap Map | TechCrunch Mmotion is a new friendship app that combines elements of location sharing with social discovery features to find nearby users with shared interests.

A new wave of entrepreneurs is stepping up to address the growing issues of loneliness and social isolation, and Knicks player Miles "Deuce" McBride is making his mark. Today, he launched Mmotion, a new location-sharing friendship app.

SoundCloud gets more social by adding a way to see the songs your friends like | TechCrunch SoundCloud is evolving into a more social platform with new features like playlists based on the likes of friends or favorite artists you follow.

SoundCloud is getting more social by introducing fun new features like playlists based on the likes of friends or artists you follow, and more.

Netflix is letting users play games on their TV screens | TechCrunch Netflix users can now play games on their smart TVs. This marks a major step for the company's gaming initiative.

Starting this week, Netflix subscribers can play new party games on their smart TV — a move that indicates a more serious commitment to expanding its gaming offerings.

i’m too scared to buy the iphone air mostly because i’m at war with gravity daily and will drop it as soon as it’s out of the box

Apple debuts the $999 ultra-thin iPhone Air | TechCrunch The star of Apple's iPhone 17 event was the iPhone Air, its thinnest and lightest model to date.

Apple just entered the ultra-thin smartphone race with the announcement of the iPhone Air, which replaces the Plus model and could set the standard for all future iPhone models.

YouTube’s first exclusive NFL broadcast attracts over 17M viewers | TechCrunch Over 17.3 million viewers tuned in for YouTube's first-ever exclusive global broadcast of an NFL game with the Chiefs and Chargers.

Over 17.3 million viewers tuned in for YouTube's first-ever exclusive global broadcast of an NFL game with the Chiefs and Chargers.

Netflix updates its Moments feature to give users greater control over scene clipping | TechCrunch With the new Moments update, Netflix users now have the option to adjust where each scene clip ends.

As a way to generate excitement for the Wednesday Season 2 Part 2 premiere, Netflix updated a feature within its app that allows you to clip and save your favorite scenes.

MrBeast reportedly plans to launch a phone company | TechCrunch MrBeast, the 27-year-old popular YouTuber, plans to launch a phone company as he diversifies his brand.

MrBeast, the 27-year-old popular YouTuber, plans to launch a phone company as he diversifies his brand.

Photo-sharing app Locket is banking on a new celebrity-focused feature to fuel its growth | TechCrunch Celebrity Lockets is a new feature where celebrities can engage with their most loyal followers on their home screens.

Photo-sharing app Locket is banking on a new celebrity-focused feature to fuel its growth.

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The sequel to 'The Social Network' may have just found its lead actors | TechCrunch “The Social Network" sequel is reportedly looking at Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison to play the two leads.

Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison are reportedly in talks to star in a sequel to The Social Network.

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Tea app's second data breach exposed over a million private messages | TechCrunch Dating safety app Tea experienced a second data breach in as many weeks, exposing over a million sensitive messages between users.

Dating safety app Tea suffers a second data breach, exposing over 1.1M private messages.

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Apple iOS 26 public beta arrives | TechCrunch Apple released iOS 26 in public beta. Here's everything you can expect, from the Liquid Glass design to features powered by Apple Intelligence.

Apple iOS 26 public beta is officially available

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Spotify takes a swing at gaming with a mini golf game ahead of ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ release | TechCrunch Netflix and Spotify teamed up to launch a golf-inspired game as a way to promote “Happy Gilmore 2,” which premieres on Netflix this Friday.

any happy gilmore fans out there? techcrunch.com/2025/...

YouTube sees a rise in ad revenue to reach nearly $10B | TechCrunch YouTube continues to lead in the streaming market, with ad revenue increasing by 13% to $9.8 billion.

YouTube sees a rise in ad revenue to reach nearly $10B

Bluesky users can customize their notifications, including activity alerts from their favorite accounts | TechCrunch Bluesky updated its notifications to allowing users to personalize their experience, including the option to be notified only when accounts reply to them.

Bluesky users can customize their notifications, including activity alerts from their favorite accounts

Warner Bros to split cable and streaming businesses in major restructuring | TechCrunch As cable television continues to experience stagnation, with the trend of cord-cutting growing stronger each year, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is Warner Bros Discovery announced its plan to split into two publicly traded entities as it separates its streaming and cable operations.

Warner Bros to split cable and streaming businesses in major restructuring

Max to be renamed HBO Max. The name change nobody wanted | TechCrunch Two years after Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) rebranded its streaming service to Max, the company is reverting to its old name. The company announced the Two years after Warner Bros. Discovery rebranded its streaming service to Max, the company is reverting to HBO Max.

Max (HBO Max) pulled a Uno reverse this morning. We love to see it.

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Netflix is getting into short videos with a new vertical feed for mobile | TechCrunch Netflix announced on Wednesday that it’s testing a short-form video feature, signaling that even a streaming giant with over 300 million subscribers is Netflix is testing a short-form video feature, signaling that even a streaming giant is concerned about losing viewers to apps like TikTok and Reels.

Netflix just hosted its first-ever product and tech event and announced two major features coming to its mobile app: a vertical short-form video feed and an AI-powered search tool.

Check it out: techcrunch.com/2025/...

Netflix aims to be a trillion-dollar company, says co-CEO At Semafor’s 2025 Word Economy Summit on Wednesday, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said he believes Netflix’s long-term goal to achieve a $1 trillion market capitalization is possible if the streaming giant continues to perform well.  Sarandos said, “In the previous five years, we’ve doubled our revenue, we grew profits 10 times, and we grew our […]

Netflix aims to be a trillion-dollar company, says co-CEO

A new kids’ show will come with a crypto wallet when it debuts this fall A new animated kids’ series expected to premiere this year won’t be headed for a TV network. Or a streaming service. Instead, the founders of production studio We Ghosted Media plan to launch on a decentralized web platform that uses blockchain technology. And yes, a crypto wallet will be involved.  We Ghosted Media — founded by […]

A new kids’ show will come with a crypto wallet when it debuts this fall

Patreon tests a native live video feature where creators can stream 24/7 | TechCrunch Patreon is finally experimenting with a native livestreaming, a new feature that could attract more creators and help them earn more money. The capability Patreon is finally adding a native livestreaming feature for creators. The capability is rolling out to select users this week and will become more widely available this summer. 

Patreon takes on Twitch with a new native live video capability that allows creators to stream 24/7.

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Blue Origin’s all-female crew, including Katy Perry, successfully launched | TechCrunch Jeff Bezos' space company, Blue Origin, successfully launched its New Shepard rocket at around 9:30 a.m. ET on Monday, as it seeks to challenge Elon Blue Origin successfully launched its New Shepard rocket on Monday, which included pop artist Katy Perry, anchor Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, and others.

a new one from me: katy perry and an all-female crew go to space

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YouTube considers a daily timer for users looking to cut back on Shorts | TechCrunch YouTube is looking into potentially offering a feature that would allow users to set a daily timer to limit how long they spend on Shorts. Recent findings YouTube is looking into potentially offering a feature that would allow users to set a daily timer to limit how long they spend on Shorts.

YouTube confirms to TechCrunch that it's looking into potentially offering a daily timer for users who want to limit how long they spend on Shorts.

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Netflix’s latest season of ‘Black Mirror’ comes with a mobile game | TechCrunch Season 7 of “Black Mirror” premiered on Thursday, introducing a new mobile game connected to one of its episodes. The game, titled "Thronglets," from Season 7 of “Black Mirror” introduces a new mobile game for Netflix subscribers called Thronglets.

Black Mirror fans can now play the twisted Tamagotchi-like game from Season 7 techcrunch.com/2025/...

Reddit’s conversational AI search tool leverages Google Gemini | TechCrunch Reddit Answers, the platform's conversational AI search tool, gets an upgrade through an integration with Google Gemini. This comes over a year after Reddit Answers, the platform's conversational AI search tool, gets an upgrade through an integration with Google Gemini. 

Reddit's conversational AI search tool has garnered mixed feedback from testers. In hopes of improving the relevance of search results, the platform introduced a Gemini integration.

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