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Jim Freeman, ex-Amazon Prime Video VP, joins Ticketmaster as CTO to lead 'AI-first' push. October 20, 2026 Ticketmaster has appointed former Amazon executive Jim Freeman as its Chief Technology Officer. The Live Nation-owned company has also hired Rachel Smith from Block as its first SVP of Data Science and Machine Learning, and ex-Disney executive Chuck Mortimore as SVP of Product. Ticketmaster announced the appointments on Monday (October 19), alongside the addition of the team behind AI startup Ragie. "Reliable, secure and personalized experiences depend on how effectively we use technology and data," said Saumil Mehta, Global President of Ticketmaster. "Jim, Rachel, Chuck and the Ragie.ai team will help us move faster, build better tools and deliver better outcomes for fans, artists, venues and clients." As CTO, Freeman will be responsible for the technology behind Ticketmaster's products for fans and clients, including what the company calls "a new generation of agentic, AI-powered tools." "Jim, Rachel, Chuck and the Ragie.ai team will help us move faster, build better tools and deliver better outcomes for fans, artists, venues and clients." Saumil Mehta, Ticketmaster Freeman will also oversee Ticketmaster's global engineering organization and platform modernization, continue work on its defenses against bots and "bad actors," and lead a push to make "every function AI-first" across the company. Ticketmaster says Freeman has spent more than 30 years running engineering teams at consumer technology businesses. As a VP at Amazon, he helped build and launch Prime Video, then scaled the service to more than 30 million monthly active users worldwide. He also launched Prime Video Direct and Amazon Channels, and expanded the service's device partnerships and distribution. Freeman later served as CTO of European fashion marketplace Zalando, which now connects more than 62 million active customers with 7,000 brands across 29 markets. Most recently, he was a Senior Advisor at Permira. Freeman fills a position that had been vacant since February, according to Variety. Ticketmaster's previous CTO, London-based Carlos Alvarez-Coch, left shortly before the US antitrust trial against Live Nation began on March 2. Smith joins Ticketmaster from Block, where she helped scale the data science teams behind Square, Cash App, and TIDAL. She was responsible for more than 120 data scientists across those businesses. At Ticketmaster, Smith will build what the company calls a "center of excellence for data science," extending its existing analytics work and making data more central to product development and business decisions. Ticketmaster says the move will create its first dedicated data science and machine learning organization, with a focus on fraud detection, bot mitigation, and the fan experience. Mortimore, meanwhile, will lead Ticketmaster's product strategy for identity, access, and trust. His remit covers how fans access and manage their accounts and tickets, as well as protections against "bad actors and unauthorized access," according to Ticketmaster. Mortimore has held product leadership roles at Disney, Stripe, Visa, and Salesforce over more than 20 years, following earlier engineering roles at Netscape and Sun Microsystems. At Disney, his most recent employer, he consolidated identity across the company's global businesses, including its theme parks, Disney+, and Hulu. Ticketmaster said the Ragie team, whose work focuses on AI infrastructure and retrieval technology, will help staff across the business build AI tools and put them to use. Ragie announced on July 27 that it was joining Ticketmaster, a deal Variety reported as an acquisition. Ragie's website still describes the company as a "fully managed RAG-as-a-Service platform," and now carries a banner announcing that "Ragie joins Ticketmaster." RAG, or retrieval-augmented generation, is a technique that lets AI models draw on a company's own documents and data when generating answers. The appointments come almost a year after Mehta joined Ticketmaster as Global President, with a stated aim to "accelerate an AI transformation" at the company. Mehta previously spent more than nine years at Square, where he was most recently Chief Product Officer and Head of Business Org. In May, Ticketmaster cut around 350 jobs, or 8% of its global workforce, primarily in engineering, product, and design, according to Pollstar. "The purpose of [these cuts] is stronger prioritization, especially in engineering product and design," Mehta told Pollstar at the time. "That comes with flattening layers, consolidating ownership, changing how teams are structured and ensuring that we put more energy behind specific initiatives." Ticketmaster's controls on bots and ticket brokers are also the subject of a lawsuit brought against Live Nation and Ticketmaster by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and seven states in September 2025. The complaint alleges that Ticketmaster knowingly allowed brokers to use hundreds or thousands of accounts to exceed artists' ticket limits, and that those tickets were then resold on Ticketmaster's own resale marketplace. In a court filing on October 13, Live Nation and Ticketmaster denied the FTC's claims, calling the lawsuit "misguided." "In 2025, Ticketmaster detected and blocked nearly 260 million attempts daily by bots to access its services, and currently blocks tens of thousands of suspected inauthentic account-creation attempts each day," the filing states. Separately, a federal jury in Manhattan found in April that Live Nation and Ticketmaster had illegally monopolized primary ticketing at major US concert venues, along with the market for large amphitheaters. Live Nation and Ticketmaster have asked the court to throw out the verdict or order a new trial. The coalition of 33 states and the District of Columbia that pressed the case to a verdict, after the DOJ settled its claims a week into the trial, is seeking the divestiture of Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster's revenues rose 15% year-over-year to USD $852 million in Q2 2026, with adjusted operating income up 14% to USD $331 million. The company says it processes more than 600 million tickets annually across more than 35 countries.Music Business Worldwide

Disney names Carol Choi Asia Pacific president as Luke Kang retires. Naman Ramachandran Tue, October 20, 2026 at 3:33 AM PDT Carol Choi will become president of The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific on Dec. 1, replacing Luke Kang, who is stepping down after 16 years at the Mouse House. Choi is currently executive VP of The Walt Disney Company APAC. In the top job, she will run Disney Entertainment's operations in the region, from studios and Disney+ to locally produced originals, content sales, media networks and consumer products. Her territory will stretch from Greater China, Japan and South Korea through Southeast Asia to Australia and New Zealand. "Luke Kang has been an exceptional leader and a driving force behind Disney's growth and transformation across Asia Pacific," said Alan Bergman, chair of Disney Entertainment, Studios, and Jimmy Pitaro, chair of ESPN. "Carol Choi is a proven Disney leader with broad operating experience, strong creative instincts, and a deep understanding of the region, and she is the perfect person to lead the organization into its next chapter." Choi has spent 20 years with the company. In her current post, she has overseen the region's studio operations, original content strategy and integrated marketing. Earlier, she ran Disney's Japan and Korea businesses as managing director and held senior posts in Greater China. Along the way, she played a part in bringing Disney+ to the region and growing the service, expanded the studio business and forged lasting partnerships with leading creators and talent across Asia Pacific. "I am honored to take on this role and grateful to Luke for the strong foundation he has built," said Choi. "Asia Pacific is home to some of the world's most passionate fans and dynamic creative communities. I look forward to working with our teams and partners to bring exceptional stories and experiences to audiences, grow our businesses, and deepen Disney's connection with fans across the region." Kang came to Disney in 2011 to head its Korea operation as managing director, later taking charge of the company's operations in Greater China and North Asia. There, he grew Disney's business through localization, digital initiatives and closer ties with consumers. As APAC president, he oversaw growth across the region's markets and brands, steered the rollout of Disney+ and other new ventures, and invested in creative projects, including original content. "It has been an extraordinary privilege to lead Disney in Asia Pacific through a period of significant growth and transformation," said Kang. "Carol is an exceptional leader whose deep knowledge of our businesses, creative ambition, and instinct for consumers make her uniquely positioned to build on this momentum and lead APAC into its next phase of growth." Best of Variety

Oodie £1 sale that sold out in seconds is back - here's how to not miss out. Shoppers will have to be quick to take advantage of the sell-out sale - we have all the details people need to know. What's On Lucy Addicott 06:00, 20 Oct 2026 This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more Oodie's coveted £1 sale has made its return and this year, it's arguably back bigger and better than ever before. Last year, Oodie treated fans to £1 Oodie Originals and while the popular wearable blanket hoodies are still up for grabs for 2026's event, there are two other items involved - joining the Black Oodie Original are the Black Sherpa Blanket and Black Sherpa Dressing Gown. According to Oodie, stock sold out in seconds last year so those that don't want to miss out should sign up here to register. Oodie states this could be the cheapest way to buy a cosy Oodie this year and with Ofgem's energy price cap increase this month, they could serve as a cost-effective way to keep toasty-warm and comfy this winter. The offer goes live on the Oodie website at 7pm on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 and closes when all 1,000 stock of each product runs out. Saving shoppers up to £74, the Oodie Black Original will be down from the usual £65, Black Sherpa Blanket down from £29 and the Black Sherpa Dressing Gown down from £75. To be eligible to shop the £1 sale, shoppers have to sign up ahead of time before launch night here. Whether lazing around, working from home, or nipping outside to put the bins out, the Original Oodie wearable blanket gives a hands-free way to feel wrapped up like a big warm hug. Boasting buttery-soft sherpa fleece lining and a ToastyTek outer fabric, the plush hoodie comes in sizes S/M or one size fits most, typically giving an oversized fit. The Black Sherpa Dressing Gown combines this sherpa fleece with a robe-style cut, and for those that want a standard blanket over a wearable style - the Black Sherpa Blanket could be just the ticket. The Oodie £1 sale event only covers the black colour, but there are other blanket hoodies elsewhere with designs should that be favourable. At Dunelm, this Otto the Otter Oversized Hoodie is £18 with an adorable otter print. There's also Cooper the Capybara and Hazel the Highland Cow. Over at Skinnydip, the brand has teamed up with Disney to present the Winnie the Pooh Collection. Customers can choose from the Winnie the Pooh Strawberry Blanket Hoodie or the 3D Ears Blanket Hoodie, each retailing for £38. Oodie's wearable blanket hoodies have built up a loyal following, with consumers leaving rave reviews under the Black Oodie Original. One person said: "Silky smooth outer, soft floofy Sherpa inner and light as heck. I don't need my heater on at all with this Oodie." Someone else picked up both the hoodie and the blanket, writing: "This is my second Oodie and I love it just as much as the first! The quality is amazing, super warm and cosy. "I also got a blanket this time, and it's just as soft and comfortable. The designs are adorable, and the price is really reasonable for what you get. I'd definitely recommend The Oodie to anyone looking to stay warm and comfy during the colder months." The wearable blanket is machine washable, however, another person noted 'it took ages to dry'. This is worth considering when washing as this may cause frustration. Article continues below A further buyer shared: "An essential when your heating is not working. This garment is so warm and cosy - you won't need to turn the heating on. Well made/great quality. I love it." And a final customer explained: "This was bought for my husband who absolutely loves it. Great quality keeps him lovely and warm on the cold mornings. They are great for snuggling up in the evenings on the sofa."