Tom Cheredar

I’m staff writer and lead media reporter for VentureBeat. Typically, my focus is on tech companies, products, and services related to music, movies, books, TV shows, comic books, digital magazines, and pretty much anything else that’s considered “consumable media.”  I do spend a lot of time covering YouTube, Spotify, Apple/iTunes, and Amazon (among others), but not just from a consumer perspective. I want to drill into the business-end of media companies as they navigate through the jungle of content licensing, fierce competition, and outdated tech legislation. I support VentureBeat’s ethics statement, and I don’t accept gifts from companies I cover, which includes hardware or paid services that frequently pop up in my reporting.

 

Prior to VentureBeat, I was a frequent contributor to Geeks of Doom where I did on-site coverage of events like Comic-Con. Before that, I worked at a handful of local newspapers around Nashville, Tenn. (Perhaps this explains why I consider Spider Jerusalem’s contribution to journalism on par with Marshall McLuhan’s.) I have a degree in journalism from MTSU, and currently live in Austin, Texas.

 

You can contact me via my staff email or through Twitter.   ***Please send all pitches to tips@venturebeat.com***

stories by Tom Cheredar

ComiXology sheds light on explicit comic book ban (Note: It wasn’t Apple’s fault)

Yesterday, creator Brian K. Vaughn informed the world that issue #12 of his and Fiona Staples' hit comic book series Saga was rejected by Apple due to explicit content and subsequently would not be available for sale within any of ComiXology's iOS apps.

Now CBS is threatening to become a cable channel if Aereo isn’t shut down

Major broadcast station CBS could disconnect its freely available broadcast signal in favor of becoming a cable channel, according to recent comments made by CBS chief exec Leslie Moonves.

Instant Google Fiber competition? AT&T to launch its own 1Gb broadband service in Austin

Well that didn't take very long.

Google Fiber is officially headed to Austin

Google Fiber will hit Austin by the middle of next year, the city confirmed today.

Donuts bags another round of funding for even more top-level domains

After raising $100 million last year, top-level domain registration startup Donuts has secured a second round of funding.

Gig.U yanks press release congratulating Austin on Google Fiber (updated)

A leaked press release from gigabit internet organization Gig.U congratulating the city of Austin and Google on their new Google Fiber partnership was quickly removed today.

Pinterest boards receive infusion of Dailymotion videos

Video site Dailymotion has added support for Pinterest, thus making user videos available for play on various pin boards, the company told VentureBeat today.

Aereo could cause Fox to become a cable channel, according to News Corp.

News Corp. may take its major broadcast station Fox off the air and convert it to a cable network, the company said today.

Wikileaks releases searchable database of old U.S. records

Wikileaks, scorge of the federal government that they are, has released a brand new collection of data files from the `70s today that show the country's dealings with the rest of the world.

ComiXology resurrects 700 free Marvel comics promotion

ComiXology and Marvel are once again offering digital comic book fans access to the "700 free issues" promotion, Comixology announced today.

Is Hulu worth $500M? Former News Corp. president thinks so.

Official bidding for the sale of streaming video service Hulu ended last year when Hulu owners took it off the market, but that isn't stopping others from making offers.

Google Fiber coming to Austin? City government & Google holding a meeting next week to announce … something.

Google and the City of Austin just sent out a slew of invitations to an event next week, but they declined to provide details on what will be announced.

Apple’s rumored iRadio service could be great for labels, but crappy for Pandora, Slacker, & others

Apple is finalizing deals with two major record labels to launch its own streaming music service with lower royalty rates than competitors already in the space.

Zerto closes $13M to disaster-proof company data in the cloud

Disasters happen and not planning for them is just not an option for most companies when it comes to protecting data and IT infrastructure. However, disaster recovery startup Zerto is attempting to make the process less painful and more efficient.

Anonymous hacks North Korea’s Flickr & Twitter accounts

North Korea's state-run news agency Uriminzokkiri's website and social networks have been compromised by Anonymous today, less than a day after the hacktivist group declared open season on the country.

Netflix sets new Arrested Development season premiere for May 26

We've known for months that it was coming, but finally streaming video service Netflix has issued an official premiere date for the hotly anticipated new season of Arrested Development.

Rdio launches Vdio — yet another digital video store

The creators of streaming music service Rdio have finally launched their take on digital video through a new service called Vdio.

Amazon adds AutoRip music perk for all vinyl record purchases

While the majority of people still buying music on vinyl records are doing so because of the sound quality, it's nice to know that Amazon is at least stretching that purchase to the digital side.

Skype users hit milestone 2 billion minutes per day

It's nice to see that Microsoft's enormous purchase of Skype didn't defer people from using the VoIP calling service. In fact, it might have even contributed to a rise in usage.