[Main Chris Rock image via the Netflix Newsroom]
We wake up this Monday to news of an MTV Awards dominated by Taylor Swift, a new Netflix live endeavour being poster-boyed by Chris Rock, and turbulent times in cryptoland. Take a look at the cover…
Taylor Swift Wins Big at the MTV EMA 2022
Yes, last night industry aficionados confirmed what we have longsince suspected… Taylor Swift is officially the hottest artist in the world right now. The musician took home FOUR awards at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Germany on Sunday evening, including Best Pop, Best Longform, Best Video, and the coveted Best Artist Award.
“You have no idea how much this even means to me to do this as a career,” Swift told the audience as she took to the stage. “There’s not a single moment I take that for granted. I love you so much, I can’t believe I get to do this as a job, and it’s all because of you. Thank you so, so much.”
Netflix to launch live streaming platform
Chris Rock, a man himself responsible for probably the greatest MTV Awards opening of all time in 2003, will soon be taking to the stage himself, as Netflix launches its live streaming platform. The special will take place in early 2023, representing the company’s form commitment to being ‘the definitive home for all things comedy’.
It’s an interesting time for Netflix, with the company recently launching its ad-supported model and reportedly looking to get its hand on more live sports franchises. Earlier this year, its subscriber base was overtaken by that of Disney+ for the first time in history… but with a recent raft of new announcements, not to mention a second season of Squid Game on the way, could the platform be in for a bounceback? Stranger things have happened!
Crypto set for the crypt?
As media headliners dominate the headlines, the tech side of the industry is coming in for something of a kicking. There have been disappointing earnings of late for the likes of Apple and Meta, not to mention the ongoing Twitter detritus, and the crypto sector is now also taking a hit.
Following the collapse of the FTX exchange, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao says that ushering in greater crypto regulation may be harder than it initially seems: “No one can protect [from] a bad player, to be very frank, if a guy is very good at lying, and very good at just pretending to be what he’s not. [If] somebody wants to violate the law, the law is not going to prevent that. The law can help to reduce that,” Zhao told delegates at the B20 business summit in Bali.
Amazon reveals the new design for Prime Air’s delivery drone
And sticking with the tech side of the industry, Amazon has unveiled its new delivery drone, which it says will have increased range, expanded temperature tolerance, and the capability to fly in light rain, enabling customers to choose drone delivery more often. Due to come into service in 2024, the MK30 includes custom made propellors that the company says will reduce noise output by 25%. ‘That’s a game changer, and we’re very excited about it,’ it said in a statement on its site.
And finally…
It can’t have escaped the attention of anyone working in the industry (or even those who aren’t tbh) that the BBC is 100yrs old this year. And while all manner of celebrations have been executed in recent weeks and months, this is quite a nice one…
‘Mystery of BBC radio’s first broadcasts revealed 100 years on’ tells the story of the origins of the company’s first ever broadcast, a news bulletin that included a court report from the Old Bailey, details of London fog disruption, and billiards scores. It’s all part of a research project being carried out by Broadcasting Historian and Digitisation Consultant, Steve Arnold, who says that records before the launch of the Radio Times have proved very difficult to piece together.
Ironically, at a time when the BBC’s proposed plans to cut its local radio output have come under much scrutiny, Arnold says his research shows that the institution began life as an altogether more regionally-weighted organisation:
“It looks as though the Manchester station is probably the origins of the BBC as much as the Marconi 2LO station (in London). They seem to have had a far more professional approach. There’s a lot more documentation and it seems they knew their onions. I’d love to know more.”
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