Netflix is thinking about adding video podcasts as an inexpensive way to expand program offerings and boost engagement. The streamer has reportedly been in discussions with agencies in recent months, exploring talent to host talk-based video podcast shows. Netflix execs had previously considered the format but were skeptical it could work on the platform. Having witnessed YouTube’s explosive growth on television screens, which have surpassed mobile and desktop in terms of viewing hours, podcasts are now getting a second look as an entry point to creator-driven content. Read more

BuzzFeed is launching a new social media platform that aims to fight the tide of content designed primarily to please AI algorithms. BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti described the upcoming service in a “BF Island Manifesto” blog post that blasts SNARF media, an acronym that stands for Stakes, Novelty, Anger, Retention, Fear. “SNARF is the kind of content that evolves when a platform asks an AI to maximize usage,” Peretti writes. “Content creators need to please the AI algorithms or they become irrelevant. Millions of creators make SNARF content to stay in the feed and earn a living.” The nearly 3,000 word manifesto name-checks TikTok and Facebook. Read more

Google announced last week that its Gemini AI chatbot now offers the ability to provide responses based on earlier conversations. It can also summarize a previous chat and recall information the user has shared in other threads. “Whether you’re asking a question about something you’ve already discussed, or asking Gemini to summarize a previous conversation, Gemini now uses information from relevant chats to craft a response,” according to Google. The new feature is rolling out via Google’s $20-per-month One AI Premium Plan to start and will be available to Google Workspace Business and Enterprise customers in the coming weeks. Read more

TVs have become the primary viewing platform for YouTube in the U.S., surpassing mobile and desktop by watch time. The platform, which turns 20 this year, has gone from people “filming grainy videos of themselves on desktop computers to building studios and producing popular talk shows and feature-length films.” Content creators are “becoming the startups of Hollywood,” wrote CEO Neal Mohan in his annual letter to the YouTube user base. Mohan emphasized the company’s role in the entertainment ecosystem as 2024 marked the second consecutive year that YouTube was the most-watched streaming platform in the U.S., according to Nielsen. Read more

Adobe’s Firefly video is now in public beta as part of Firefly AI, now multi-modal with video, image and vector generation. Available for $10 for Firefly Standard or $30 for Firefly Pro, the Firefly app offers additional tiers for premium video and audio features, offering a degree of customization based on project needs. Adobe continues to position Firefly as “the only generative AI model that is IP-friendly and commercially safe,” offering the option of contractual IP indemnification to protect against infringement lawsuits “in the unlikely event of a claim involving a Firefly output.” Read more