Media & Entertainment

Sony sees a range of opportunities tied to Sesame Street, from merchandising and game development to advancing awareness for social issues in Japan.
Media & Entertainment

Sony paves way for return of Sesame Street to Japan with new deal

Exclusive: Games and music tie-ins to follow as group regains rights to brand

1 July 2021
Jimmy Lai, chairman and founder of Next Digital, holds up a copy of the Apple Daily newspaper as he speaks during an interview with Reuters in Taipei in 2010. 
Media & Entertainment

How Jimmy Lai's Apple Daily reshaped Taiwan's media landscape

Once all conquering empire loses out to politics and financial woes

30 June 2021
Japanese artist Kazuki Umezawa asked Ricoh's engineers to give a volumetric aspect to his anime-inspired drawings. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Arts

Japanese tech powers the creation of art -- and profits

Expert engineering is redefining the creative process

29 June 2021
"Denise Ho: Becoming the Song" is an American documentary depicting a famous Hong Kong singer's fight for democracy.
26 June 2021
Images of BTS members welcome visitors at the entrance of Hybe Insight in Seoul. 
Media & Entertainment

Seoul's 'BTS museum' lures fans to the world of K-pop

Hybe Insight set to become a must-see attraction for fans, post-COVID

26 June 2021
Even with their final paychecks uncertain, many Apple Daily staff stayed until the final paper's printing late Wednesday night. 
Media & Entertainment

Hong Kong's Apple Daily yields to 'inevitable fate'

Newspaper critical of Chinese authorities meets end after years of defiance

24 June 2021
The final edition of Apple Daily on June 24 sold briskly after residents lined up sometimes for hours to get copies.
Media & Entertainment

Apple Daily prints final edition after arrest of editorial writer

Government-owned industrial park seeks eviction of critical Hong Kong newspaper

24 June 2021
Next Digital has warned it will have to stop printing Apple Daily after Saturday's edition unless funds are released to pay its 2,000 staff. 
Media & Entertainment

The cash crunch at Hong Kong's Apple Daily: 5 things to know

Critical newspaper on verge of closing after authorities freeze company accounts

22 June 2021
Residents keen to show their support for Apple Daily bought extra copies last Friday and showed up for court Saturday when its editor-in-chief was brought before a magistrate. 
Media & Entertainment

Apple Daily to shut unless Hong Kong police release frozen funds

Board of Next Digital to decide Friday on closure of outspoken newspaper

21 June 2021
U.S. software developer Niantic’s “Transformers: Heavy Metal” AR game will go on sale worldwide later this year. (Photo courtesy of Niantic)
Media & Entertainment

Niantic prepares 'Transformers' AR game for global release

'Pokemon Go' developer partners with Japan's Tomy and US toymaker Hasbro

20 June 2021
Police said on Thursday dozens of the newspaper's articles were suspected of violating the national security law.
Politics

Apple Daily editor and CEO denied bail in Hong Kong

Ryan Law and Cheung Kim-hung were among five executives arrested

19 June 2021
Hong Kong residents lined up to buy copies of a bumper run of Apple Daily on Friday. 
Media & Entertainment

Readers rally to Hong Kong's Apple Daily despite official warning

Shops sell out despite print run expanded to 500,000 from 80,000

18 June 2021
U.K.-based Somethin' Else's output consists mainly of talk shows, music programs and serials.
Business deals

Sony buys podcast powerhouse Somethin' Else in media push

Japanese group joins global scramble to produce audio programs

18 June 2021
Ryan Law, center, Apple Daily's chief editor, was one of five top editors and executives of the paper and its parent company arrested on June 17.
Politics

Hong Kong police arrest Apple Daily editors and executives

Authorities cite articles said to urge imposition of sanctions on China and city

17 June 2021
Chairul Tanjung is aiming to modernize CT Corp, the Indonesian conglomerate he founded more than three decades ago, by taking it public. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
IPO

Indonesian conglomerate CT Corp embarks on journey toward IPO

Founder Tanjung wants group spanning banking and retail to be 'global champion'

17 June 2021
The online strategy game Among Us boasts 500 million monthly users. (Photo courtesy of Innersloth) 
Media & Entertainment

Gamer nations: Apps cash in on country-sized player populations

E3 comes back as Among Us and Fortnite boast more people than Indonesia or Pakistan

15 June 2021
The immensely popular "Bir Zamanlar Cukurova" (Bitter Lands; left) and the recent hit "Marasli" (The Trusted) about an ex-SWAT team member fighting drug barons, have been subtitled, dubbed, adapted and exported to more than 150 countries, making Turkey the world's second-largest exporter of television content.
Arts

Turkish dramas are rewriting the global entertainment script

Different lifestyles and habits a smash hit with world audiences

13 June 2021
Showings of the documentary "Inside the Red Brick Wall," about Hong Kong's 2019 anti-government protests, have been disrupted by local authorities. (Screenshot from Docaviv YouTube page)
Politics

Hong Kong to censor movies in name of 'national security'

Move comes after actions against media, teachers and activists

11 June 2021
Microsoft will make it possible to play cloud games on any device in Japan, including smartphones, tablets and PCs.
Media & Entertainment

Microsoft prepares cloud gaming service for Japan launch

Competition with Sony, Amazon and Google heats up around next-generation gaming

11 June 2021
Journalists and civil society advocates staged a protest in Islamabad on May 28 against the government's proposed consolidated media regulator, which they said threatens Pakistan's already weak fifth estate. 
Politics

Pakistan's draconian proposed press law stirs controversy

Super regulator will have total media oversight and suspension powers

11 June 2021
Content on Tencent's Weishi app is being changed after falling out of favor with top management and falling behind rivals Douyin and Kuaishou.
Caixin

Trailing rivals, Tencent short-video app pivots to movies and TV

VP Sun calls current clip culture 'vulgar' and viewers 'idiots'

9 June 2021
The websites of The New York Times, CNN, Amazon and Twitch all ceased working for around an hour on Tuesday.
Media & Entertainment

Fastly cloud glitch crashes news and government websites worldwide

Amazon, New York Times, Nikkei and FT caught up in global disruption

9 June 2021
A Xinhua Zhiyun avatar reports on people needing to show proof of COVID-19 status. (Screenshot from Haokan Video)
Media & Entertainment

Alibaba-Xinhua venture makes the news for video-hungry Chinese

Company uses cloud-based AI technology to generate quick clips

8 June 2021
Saudi filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour earned wide acclaim with her 2013 film "Wadjda." In her latest film, "The Perfect Candidate," al-Mansour focuses on the everyday frustrations still faced by women in the kingdom. "We are very sassy. We are very strong, so don't take us for granted," says al-Mansour.
Interview

Saudi Arabia's feminist filmmaker unveils her latest jab

'The Perfect Candidate' director Haifaa al-Mansour on why she's feeling optimistic

3 June 2021
At home, South Korea's pop industry has followed a strict formula for success. Hybe, the management for idol group BTS, may have worked out how to bring it overseas.
The Big Story

Business of K-pop: Inside the pandemic-proof empire of BTS

How South Korean pop went from niche to global phenomenon

2 June 2021