TWiT.tv
TWiT.tv, which is the operating trade name of TWiT LLC, is a podcast network that broadcasts many technology news podcasts, founded by technology broadcaster and author Leo Laporte in 2005, and run by his wife and company CEO Lisa Laporte. The network began operation in April 2005 with the launch of This Week in Tech. Security Now was the second podcast on the network, debuting in August of that year. The network hosts 28 podcasts (as of July, 2020)[1] and live streaming shows. Podcasts include The Tech Guy, This Week in Tech, This Week in Enterprise Tech, Security Now, FLOSS Weekly, and MacBreak Weekly. In addition to shows on technology news, it also has podcasts like Ham Nation on amateur radio and Hands-on Photography".[1]
 | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Worldwide, via Internet |
| Headquarters | Petaluma, California |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Leo Laporte (TWiT LLC) |
| History | |
| Launched | April 2005 |
| Links | |
| Website | TWiT.tv; wiki |
| Availability | |
| Streaming media | |
| Live Webcast | twit |
| YouTube | Watch Live |
TWiT founder and owner Leo Laporte, in an October 2009 speech, stated that it grossed revenues of $1.5 million per year, while costs were around $350,000.[2] In November 2014, during an interview with American Public Media's Marketplace Leo Laporte stated that TWiT makes $6 million in ad revenue a year from 5 million TWiT podcasts downloaded each month, mostly in the form of audio, and that 3,000 to 4,000 people watch its live-streamed shows.[3] On March 18, 2015, prior to the filming of This Week in Google, Leo Laporte stated that TWiT expects to make $7 million in revenue in fiscal year 2015, and made "almost" $10 million in revenue in 2016.[4]
TWiT gets its name from its first and flagship podcast, This Week in Tech. The logo design originated from a traditional logic gate symbol of an "AND gate" turned on its side. Voiceovers are provided by Jim Cutler.[5]
Programming
TWiT's podcasts are centered around technology and technology news. Hosts of the shows are usually experts in certain fields, either by working in the field itself or by being a journalist covering the field.
As of August 2019, there are 17 podcasts produced by TWiT.[6]
All the shows are available free to watch or download from the TWiT.tv website and are funded by cost per mille embedded sponsorship.[7] Most of the shows are livestreamed from the TWiT studio in Petaluma, California. TWiT's servers host the network's chat rooms using the Internet Relay Chat.[8]
Shows
The TWiT Network is host to the following shows[9]
| Show | Hosts |
|---|---|
| This Week in Tech | Leo Laporte |
| Security Now | Steve Gibson, Leo Laporte |
| The Tech Guy | Leo Laporte |
| Windows Weekly | Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, Mary Jo Foley |
| MacBreak Weekly | Leo Laporte, Andy Ihnatko, Rene Ritchie, Lory Gil |
| This Week in Google | Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, Stacey Higginbotham, Ant Pruitt |
| Tech News Weekly | Jason Howell, Mikah Sargent |
| iOS Today | Leo Laporte, Mikah Sargent |
| All About Android | Jason Howell, Florence Ion, Ron Richards |
| Hands-On Tech | Leo Laporte, Jason Howell, Mikah Sargent, Ant Pruitt |
| This Week in Enterprise Tech | Louis Maresca, Brian Chee, Curt Franklin, Brian McHenry, Heather "Mo" Williams |
| FLOSS Weekly | Doc Searls |
| Hands-On Photography | Ant Pruitt |
| Smart Tech Today | Mikah Sargent, Matthew Cassinelli |
| TWiT Specials | Varies |
| TWiT Bits | Varies |
Retired Shows
The following are the shows that have been retired from the network:[10]
| Show | Hosts | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Abby's Road | Abby Laporte | |
| Android App Arena | Jason Howell | |
| Ask The Tech Guy | Leo Laporte | |
| Before You Buy | Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ, Leo Laporte | |
| Coding 101 | Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ, Louis Maresca | |
| Dr. Kiki's Science Hour | Dr. Kiki Sanford | |
| FrameRate | Brian Brushwood, Tom Merritt | |
| FourCast | Tom Merritt, Scott Johnson | |
| Futures in Biotech | Marc Pelletier | |
| Game On! | Brian Brushwood, Veronica Belmont | |
| Green Tech Today | Becky Worley, Dr. Kiki Sanford | |
| Hands-On Android | Jason Howell | |
| Hands-On iOS | Mikah Sargent | |
| Hands-On Mac | Leo Laporte | |
| Hands-On Wellness | Ant Pruitt | |
| Ham Nation | Bob Heil, Gordon West, George Thomas, Don Wilbanks, Valerie Hotzfeld, Amanda Alden, Dale Puckett | will continue outside of TWiT[11] |
| Home Theater Geeks | Scott Wilkinson | |
| iFive for the iPhone | Megan Morrone | |
| Jumping Monkeys | Megan Morrone, Leo Laporte | |
| Know How... | Jason Howell, Sam Machkovech | |
| MacBreak | Leo Laporte, Kendra Arimoto, Emery Wells, Merlin Mann, Alex Lindsay | |
| Marketing Mavericks | Tonya Hall | |
| Maxwell's House | Ray Maxwell | |
| Munchcast | Leo Laporte, Cammy Blackstone | |
| net@night | Leo Laporte, Amber MacArthur | |
| NSFW Show | Brian Brushwood, Justin Robert Young | |
| OMGcraft | Chad (OMGchad) Johnson | |
| Padre's Corner | Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ | |
| redditUP | Sarah Lane, Chad (OMGchad) Johnson | |
| Roz Rows the Pacific | Roz Savage | |
| Science News Weekly | Dr. Kiki Sanford | |
| Tech News 2Night | Megan Morrone | |
| Tech News Today | Megan Morrone, Jason Howell | |
| The Giz Wiz | Dick DeBartolo, Chad (OMGchad) Johnson | |
| The Laporte Report | Leo Laporte | |
| The New Screen Savers | Leo Laporte | |
| The Social Hour | Sarah Lane, Amber MacArthur | |
| This Week in Computer Hardware | Patrick Norton, Sebastian Peak | |
| this WEEK in FUN | Sarah Lane, Martin Sargent | |
| This Week in Law | Denise Howell, Stefan Szpajda | |
| This Week in Radio Tech | Kirk Harnack | |
| This Week in YouTube | Chad (OMGchad) Johnson, Lamarr Wilson | |
| Trey's Variety Hour | Trey Ratcliff | |
| Triangulation | Leo Laporte, Jason Howell, Mikah Sargent, Denise Howell | after 427 shows, put on hiatus December 27, 2019[12] |
| TWiT Photo | Leo Laporte, Catherine Hall | |
| Valley of Genius | Leo Laporte, Adam Fisher |
Litigation
In May 2017, Twitter announced that it would deliver original video content on its platform. Lawyers from TWiT believed this violated a spoken agreement between Leo Laporte and Twitter co-founder Evan Williams made in 2009, and infringed on TWiT's trademark. TWiT tried to informally resolve the trademark issue, and in January 2018 filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Twitter.[13]
In March 2018 Twitter filed a motion to dismiss.[14] On May 30, 2018, US Magistrate Judge Jaqueline Scott Corley granted Twitters' motion to dismiss the case. The judge found that TWIT's discussions with Twitter "do not support a plausible inference that Twitter agreed to never offer audio or video content under the Twitter brand." [15]
Awards
- This Week in Tech was the recipient of the 2005, 2008, and 2010 People's Choice Podcast Awards in the Technology category and Best Video Podcast in 2009 and 2011.[16]
- Tech News Today was the recipient of the 2012 International Academy of Web Television award for Best News Web Series.[17] It also won the People's Choice Podcast Awards in the Technology category in 2011 and 2013.[16]
- Security Now was the recipient of the 2007 People's Choice Podcast Awards in the Technology category.[16]
- This Week in Computer Hardware, Home Theater Geeks, NSFW, This Week in Tech, MacBreak Weekly, TWiT Live Specials, iPad Today, Tech News Today, The Tech Guy, This Week in Google, and Windows Weekly were named "Best of 2010 in Podcasts" by iTunes Rewind.[18]
- In 2011, This Week in Tech was named "Best Technology Podcast", and TWiT Photo was named "Best New Technology Podcast" by iTunes Rewind.[19]
See also
References
- "Twit.tv What is twit.tv: Podcasts". TWiT.tv. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- "Leo Laporte Makes $1.5 Million Per Year from Podcasting [Video]". Mashable. October 3, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- "Podcasting's audience (and its profits) are growing". American Public Media. November 6, 2014.
- "This Week in Google episode 414". TWiT.tv. July 19, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- "This Week in Tech episode 483". TWiT.tv. November 6, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- "TWiT Shows". TWiT.tv. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- Andrew Keen interviewed on the TV show Triangulation on the TWiT.tv network
- Kalish, Jon (October 3, 2016). "Geek Squad? Nah, Try TWIT's Chat Rooms". PCMag. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- https://twit.tv/shows?shows_active=1
- "TWiT Shows Retired". TWiT.tv. TWiT. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- Laporte, Leo Laporte Lisa. "Changes at TWiT for 2021". TWiT.tv. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- Laporte, Leo Laporte Lisa. "Four New Shows, Leo Returns to CES, Smart Tech Today Adds Video, and Triangulation Cancelled". TWiT.tv. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- England, Rachel (January 17, 2018). "Twitter faces trademark infringement lawsuit from podcast network". Engadget. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
- "Motion to Dismiss: TWiT LLC vs. Twitter Inc. Case: 3:18-cv-00341-JSC" (PDF). Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- "Case Dismissal: TWiT LLC vs. Twitter Inc. Case: 3:18-cv-00341-JSC". Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- "Podcast Awards - Past Winners". Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- "Winners From The 2012 IAWTV Awards Held At CES In Las Vegas Jan. 12, 2012". International Academy of Web Television. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- "Geeks Among iTunes Best Podcasts of 2010". Sound & Vision. December 10, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- "The Year in Podcasts – best of 2011 from iTunes Rewind". 1x57.com. December 23, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2018.