Twitch wants to make it easier for creators to pull guests into their livestreams, talk show-style — and everybody gets to be a creator. The company is announcing Guest Star, a new feature that will tie into existing streaming software, allowing stream hosts to bring up to five guests into a stream…
Influencers peddling medical, financial advice now need certification, China says
China has taken another step to regulate how online influencers impart information to their followers. The government has put a great deal of effort into moderating digital content over the years. The rise of more real-time media formats, like livestreaming and snappy video sharing, has made it har…
YouTube Shorts tops 1.5B logged-in users monthly users, touted as feeder to long-form content
In an effort to present itself as a viable competitor to the reigning short-form video platform TikTok, YouTube announced today its rival service YouTube Shorts is now being watched by over 1.5 billion logged-in users every month, less than two years after its launch. By comparison, TikTok announce…
Duolingo back in China app stores after 1 year with a local twist
Duolingo, the Nasdaq-listed language learning app, is back in China’s Apple App Store and Android stores nearly a year after it disappeared from the country’s app stores. Users in China found the Pittsburg-based app unavailable for downloads last August amid the country’s sweeping…
Amid growing concerns around app addiction, TikTok rolls out more screen tools
TikTok users regularly complain of hours lost on the platform, thanks to the video app’s unmatched ability to distract, entertain and engage users by way of its advanced recommendation technology. Its addictive nature has been the subject of numerous psychological studies and parents’ c…
Chasing TikTok, Meta rolls out new Reels features and expands Instagram Reels to 90 seconds
As it continues to chase TikTok, Meta today announced a series of updates and new features for its Reels products across both Facebook and Instagram. Most notably, it’s offering a Sound Sync feature on Facebook Reels and adding support for longer Instagram Reels of up to 90 seconds, instead o…
YouTube’s mobile app can now sync to your TV without casting for a ‘second screen’ experience
YouTube is improving its app’s experience for those who watch videos via their TVs, the company announced today. After observing that many YouTube users were already using the mobile app and engaging with videos as they watched on the big screen, the company is now introducing a new feature t…
TikTok to launch LIVE creator subscriptions this week
TikTok is ramping up its competition with Twitch, YouTube, and others with this week’s launch of TikTok LIVE subscriptions, a new program that will allow creators to generate recurring revenue via payments from their top fans. Similar to the offerings from rival streaming sites, the new servi…