Here are the latest updates on news affecting Los Angeles' startup and tech communities. Sign up for our newsletter and follow dot.LA on Twitter for more.
Today:
- Peacock Hits 10 Million Users
- TikTok Promises $2 Billion for Creators Over 3 Years as Rivalry with Facebook Heats Up
Peacock hits 10 million users
Peacock Will Be Available on Google and Android Devices in July
NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal's new streaming service Peacock has hit 10 million users three months after its debut. The figure represents both new members who joined since July 15 when it launched for the general public and users who signed up in April when the platform opened exclusively to Comcast play TV customers.
NBCUniversal is the latest to join the so-called streaming wars. Unlike some competitors, Peacock offers a free tier subscription for members to watch most content with ads. Last week, it rolled out a "Roll to Tokyo" channel dedicated to the 2021 Summer Olympics as one way to attract subscribers.
Comcast Corp. reported the figures on Thursday during their second quarter earnings and it was a bright spot for the company.
"Across the board, we're better than expectations," NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell told investors during their call. "We didn't expect this many sign-ups, we didn't expect people to come back as frequently as they're coming back and we didn't expect people to watch as long as they're watching once they come back."
Executives have said their goal is to gain 30 million to 35 million users and $2.5 billion in revenue by 2024.
TikTok Promises $2 Billion for Creators Over 3 Years as Rivalry with Facebook Heats Up
TikTok announced it'll pay creators almost $2 billion over the next three years to support their careers online, a move that marks territory as rival Instagram's prepares to join the space with its service Reels.
The Culver City-based company launched the TikTok Creator Fund last week to "encourage those who dream of using their voices and creativity to spark inspiration careers," TikTok General Manager Vanessa Pappas wrote in a blog post.
The fund, which was originally set at $200 million before Thursday's update, will start accepting applications from U.S. creators in August.
It's a signal that CEO Kevin Mayer has ratcheted up their efforts to take on competitors like YouTube and Instagram. On Wednesday he called Reels by Instagram, a Facebook owned company, a "copycat product."
- TikTok CEO Promises More Transparency, Jabs Facebook for ... ›
- TikTok Says it Will Pay Creators— and Universal Music Group - dot.LA ›
- TikTok addresses 'tough but fair questions' about opportunities for ... ›
- Snap Releases Dismal Diversity Report - dot.LA ›
- Microsoft Reportedly Looking to Buy TikTok ›
- Microsoft Reportedly Looking to Buy TikTok - dot.LA ›
- Instagram Launches TikTok Competitor, Reels - dot.LA ›
- TikTok Signs Music Distribution Deal with UnitedMasters - dot.LA ›
- TikTok Creates Incubator for Black Content Creators - dot.LA ›
- Instagram and Facebook Announce Three New Tools For Creators - dot.LA ›
- Who's Paying What for Creator Content - dot.LA ›
- Olympic Level Challenges On TikTok and Instagram - dot.LA ›
- Mobile Is Emerging as a Battlefront Between Streaming Video and Gaming Companies - dot.LA ›
- Peacock Sees Mobile Users Surge During Olympics - dot.LA ›
- TikTok Teams With Giphy To Launch GIF ‘Library’ Tool - dot.LA ›
Subscribe to our newsletter to catch every headline.
Snap’s parental controls.
Courtesy of Watchful.
Snapchat is planning to introduce Family Center, which would allow parents to see who their children are friends with on the app and who they’ve messaged within the last seven days, according to screenshots provided by Watchful, a product intelligence company. Parents would also be able help their kids report abuse or harassment.
The parental controls are still subject to change before finally launching publicly, as the Family Center screenshots—which were first reported by TechCrunch—reflect features that are still under development.
Santa Monica-based Snap and other social media giants have faced mounting criticism for not doing more to protect their younger users—some of whom have been bullied, sold deadly drugs and sexually exploited on their platforms. State attorneys general have urged Snap and Culver City-based TikTok to strengthen their parental controls, with both companies’ apps especially popular among teens.
A Snap spokesperson declined to comment on Friday. Previously, Snap representatives have told dot.LA that the company is developing tools that will provide parents with more insight into how their children are engaging on Snapchat and allow them to report troubling content.
Yet Snap’s approach to parental controls could still give teens some privacy, as parents wouldn’t be able to read the actual content of their kids’ conversations, according to TechCrunch. (The Family Center screenshots seen by dot.LA do not detail whether parents can see those conversations).
In addition, teenage users would first have to accept an invitation from their parents to join the in-app Family Center before those parents can begin monitoring their social media activity, TechCrunch reported.