Beyoncé Claims Top Country Female Artist at Billboard Music Awards
It was a lively evening in LA as the stars showed out for the Billboard Music Awards. SZA, Shaboozey, and Taylor Swift were among the show’s biggest winners. However, the night’s biggest storyline was the first country music category award for Beyoncé, who took home the honors for top country female artist for Cowboy Carter. While it was the first time the Queen won in a country category, this marked the 17th time she has claimed a Billboard Award in her career. The country album also garnered 11 nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Tyler, the Creator’s Golf Wang Launches Collection with NFL
The NFL is doubling down on its fashion collabs. In the same week that saw announcements of custom collections with OVO and Todd Snyder, the league unveiled a new capsule collection with Tyler, the Creator’s boutique brand, Golf Wang. NFL stars Maxx Crosby, Puka Nakua, and more helped roll out the new threads, which feature limited runs of bespoke apparel for a select set of franchises, including the Raiders, 49ers, Dolphins, Eagles, Rams, Panthers, and Cowboys.
Bluesky Eclipses 25M Users in Post-Election Sign-Up Surge
One of the biggest tech storylines of 2024 is the meteoric growth of competitors to Elon Musk‘s X. Bluesky announced this week that it has surpassed 25 million users. Since the US election, the social media platform has nearly doubled its user base, adding 10 million new users since Nov. 5.
Alexis Ohanian Gives Back to Alma Mater with ‘Transformational’ Annual Contribution
Alexis Ohanian is continuing his long-expressed commitment to women’s sports. The entrepreneur announced this week that he will make an annual contribution to support the growth of the women’s basketball program at his alma mater, the University of Virginia. The school’s athletic department revealed the “transformational” gift, which Sportico estimates to be worth $776,000 annually, spans over four years, echoing Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six tech-focused venture fund.
YouTube TV’s Base Monthly Subscription Price to Increase in 2025
If you’ve got YouTube TV, your bill is about to go up in the new year. The direct-to-consumer streaming service has started informing customers that it will increase its monthly base plan subscription package by $10, or 14%, to $82.99. A popular streaming option, YouTube TV said while it didn’t “make these decisions lightly,” they were necessary to “keep up with the rising cost of content and the investments we make in the quality of our service.” The price hike will go into effect on Monday, Jan. 13.
Lay Bankz Becomes First Female Music Artist to Sign with Under Armour
Lay Bankz has been all over TikTok and Spotify in 2024, and now, she’s extending her reach to apparel. Under Armour is signing the Philadelphia rising hip-hop star in the company’s first-ever deal with a female music artist. The collaboration with the “Ick” and “Tell Ur Girlfriend” singer “elevates Under Armour’s position as an influential force at the intersection of culture and sport,” the company said in a release. Lay Bankz is set to finish off the year with a performance at Rolling Loud Miami on Sunday. “I hope to be a unique voice for Under Armour, just like they’ve provided a unique style for me,” Lay told Boardroom.
Manchester City Posts Club-Record Revenue Over $900M
I guess winning is good for business, as Manchester City — winner of four consecutive Premier League titles — posted club-record revenue of £715 million, or roughly $902 million, for the 2023-24. With the most significant revenue gains coming from commercial activity and broadcasting deals, sales have grown 50% over the past five seasons, including a 5% rise in match-day revenue to £75.6 million ($95.4 million). According to Sportico, Man City is the sixth-most valuable soccer club in the world at $4.75 billion.
YouTube Emerges as a Teens’ Top Tech Choice
A report from the Pew Research Center shows that YouTube reigns supreme among teens. Although down from its peak of 95% in 2022, a whopping 90% of 13-17-year-olds report using the streaming platform. Additionally, YouTube is still the far-and-away winner among its tech competitors, with just 60% and 55% of teens reporting using Instagram and Snapchat, respectively. In addition to being the most-used platform, the study also found that YouTube was the most-visited platform, as 73% of teens reported streaming content there every day.
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