Whoopi Goldberg is investing in the culture. Variety reports the EGOT winner (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards) has become an equity investor in Blkfam, a family-focused streaming platform that “entertains, educates and celebrates Black American family-friendly content.” Larry Adams, founder of the streaming service, pushed forward with the venture after seeing “a ton of R-rated content” from popular streaming services when looking for Black programming for his family. “Black culture and content is so often stereotyped, siloed or written off, so I wanted to create a platform where my kids and I can be entertained without having to face those same daily biases,” Adams told Variety. “By curating authentic content — proven through data and AI — primarily from Black storytellers, we’ve built a service reflecting true inclusion and diversity, where Black parents and children especially can feel holistically represented.” In 2023, Adams reached out to Goldberg to gauge her interest in...

Byron Allen’s entertainment company has joined forces with a leading media provider for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

With the rapidly growing demand for short-form videos on streaming and social media, the world has a much greater appetite for high-quality content that clocks in under 20 minutes. But with short films primarily being shown at festivals around the world, Janvier Wete, CEO and Founder of Minute Shorts, saw an opportunity to make festival-quality content more widely accessible and generate revenue for short films. After feeling frustrated with the process of entering his own short film to festivals in 2017, Wete wondered if he could create a platform to distribute the film and carve a path for others to reach a wider audience. At the time, most short filmmakers couldn’t distribute their work until they’d created a larger budget film. Wete saw how these barriers prevented many talented filmmakers from sharing their work with the world — especially diverse filmmakers. Inspired by how Spotify provided a platform for indie artists, Wete launched the first version of the Minute Shorts...

Snoop Dogg has plans to take Death Row Records to the next level. As AfroTech previously reported, the rapper is now a label owner. And, we must say he is not taking the role lightly as he recently announced Death Row Records would become the first label in the metaverse. Plus, that’s not all the rapper has in store. During a recent Drink Champs interview, Snoop Dogg revealed he will be attempting to give Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music a run for their money by launching a streaming platform and app for Death Row Records. “First thing I did was snatch all the music off those platforms traditionally known to people, because those platforms don’t pay,” Snoop Dogg said. “And those platforms get millions and millions and millions of streams and nobody gets paid other than the record labels, so what I wanted to do is snatch my music off, create a platform which is something similar to Amazon, Netflix, Hulu. It’ll be a Death Row app, and then the music, in the meantime, will live...

A new streaming platform for the arts is here! Broadstream, a new arts and arts adjacent streaming platform, features professional content that is both created by and stars diverse voices including those who identify as BIPOC and LGBTQIA+. The content focuses on millennials and Gen-Z’ers. After its first artistic work premiered earlier this year, Broadstream realized that the need to serve the diverse artistic community was not only important, but it was necessary. As a first-of-its-kind streaming platform, it is free for its users to remove any financial barrier to entry, a much different concept than any of its competitors’ platforms. “Broadstream proudly empowers and features artists who have too often been historically marginalized, dedicating their platform to amplifying their voices and highlighting art that meets the moment in pursuit of artistic justice,” said the company in an official press release shared with AfroTech. “The platform’s innovative financial model not only...

According to some estimates, live streaming will be a $70 billion dollar industry by 2021 . Today, live streaming is highly popular among internet users and will only grow in popularity, especially with the COVID=19 pandemic. Interested in streaming your content? Below is a list of popular streaming platforms you can leverage to grow your audience. RELATED: Twitch’s Black Guild Members Share Their Take on the Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace 3 BEST LIVE STREAMING PLATFORMS FOR CONTENT CREATORS DURING QUARANTINE 1. INSTAGRAM LIVE Since most of us spend time on Instagram every day, it only makes sense to use the platform to live stream your content. Instagram live usage has increased by 70% this past March when the U.S. quarantine began. Instagram Live is a great platform that allows you to: Save your live streams to post on your feed. Notify your followers when you start streaming. Join other Instagrammers lives and vice versa. 2. YOUTUBE LIVE YouTube Live is...

The days of sharing Netflix and Hulu passwords could soon be coming to a end. At the annual CES convention in Las Vegas, software company Synamedia revealed its artificial intelligence tracker that helps streaming services find users who are sharing account information. The company is using AI to geo-locate users who could be sharing passwords. The technology analyzes whether one account is being used in multiple locations at the same time and flags the streaming service. According to a report from CNBC , 35 percent of millennials share passwords, which could be causing streaming companies to miss out on millions of dollars. For Gen X and Baby Boomers, password sharing rates are estimated at 19 percent and 13, respectively. CNBC also reported that Netflix announced it is increasing its prices by 13 to 18 percent.  It is unclear whether the pricing has been impacted by product costs or users sharing passwords. According to The Verge , the software is already being tested in a number...

LeBron James’ recent investment is taking him further into the food business. AfroTech previously reported in February that the NBA superstar’s Foundation teamed up with Old El Paso to officially open their first-ever restaurant in 2023. Now, he’s joined a new platform that is for the foodie community. Page Six reports that James became an investor in Kittch, a live-streaming platform for chefs and creators to connect, which launched on Mar. 8. After being in beta for three to four months, the platform aims to highlight famous chefs along with users having free access to their live streams of cooking from their homes or restaurants, according to the outlet. After the effects of the pandemic, Kittch’s co-founders created the idea to help rebuild upon what chefs had lost out on financially.