Tag: STREAMING

  • From streaming to gaming: Netflix starts testing games on TVs and computers

    From streaming to gaming: Netflix starts testing games on TVs and computers

    Netflix is expanding its gaming initiative by testing games on a wider range of devices, including TVs and computers, in addition to mobile phones. The initial testing is starting in Canada and the United Kingdom, with select subscribers getting to try out games on their TVs. Two games, “Oxenfree” and “Molehew’s Mining Adventure,” will be part of this test phase.

    For TV gaming, the games will be available on devices from partners like Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, LG, Nvidia Shield, Roku, and Samsung Smart TVs. Notably absent is the Apple TV. More devices will be supported in the future.

    Netflix recently launched an iPhone game controller app that connects to TV-based games through a QR code displayed on the Netflix app.

    Gaming on PCs and Macs will use keyboard and mouse controls.

    During the beta phase, Netflix aims to refine its game-streaming technology and improve the user experience.

    According to Tech Crunch, Mike Verdu, Netflix’s VP of Games, emphasises the company’s excitement about expanding gaming to more devices while acknowledging the early stage of their gaming journey.

    Netflix’s move into gaming was hinted at last year, along with the establishment of a gaming studio in Southern California.

    Verdu clarifies that Netflix’s gaming approach differs from traditional platforms like PlayStation and Xbox, focusing on a unique business model for seamless gaming.

    In the upcoming year, Netflix plans to launch a total of 40 games, with 16 from their in-house studios and 70 more in partnership with developers. Since starting in gaming in 2021, Netflix has already released 70 mobile titles.

  • YouTube to launch free ad-supported TV channels

    YouTube to launch free ad-supported TV channels

    YouTube is testing new content on its platform with a hub of ad-supported TV streaming channels. The company is actively working with various companies in order to bring TV shows and movies to the platform. While it is currently just being trialed, there is the possibility that it could be offered to the public for free at a later date.

    A YouTube spokesperson corroborated the report with The Wall Street Journal, stating that “a small experiment that lets a subset of viewers watch free, ad-supported channels” is currently in progress and that it is “using it to gauge viewer interest.” The addition of free and ad-supported channels could be a big one, adding to the already large amount of revenue that the platform generates from ads.

    Similar to its agreement with content creators on its platform, YouTube is seeking to collect a 45 per cent cut of the ad revenue while talks are still in progress. Despite the fact that this would be an uncharted area for YouTube, businesses like Roku, Samsung, and others have long provided free, ad-supported TV channels through their own platforms. The ability for YouTube to seamlessly provide consumers with simple access to a range of other material on its platform might differentiate the user experience.

    The recent multi-year agreement that was signed to provide NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels starting in 2023 is just one example of the extensive work that YouTube has done in recent years to enhance its content.

    Additionally, the company has grown by introducing YouTube TV, a distinct online TV streaming service that offers over a hundred TV channels much like your local cable or satellite provider. The platform has expanded to include short-form user-created videos in addition to more traditional user-generated content.

    It launched Shorts last year in an effort to take on TikTok, and it appears to be succeeding. As YouTube has begun the process of sharing ad revenue with Shorts producers by altering the conditions of its YouTube Partner Program, this year might be even better. This might be a significant step over the coming year that puts TikTok and its neck and neck. Things might get hotter for YouTube in 2023 if it is successful in integrating free ad-supported channels into its platform.

  • ‘Oscar jeet gaya magar izzat hargaya’: Transnational celebrities blast Will Smith for slapping colleague at Oscars

    ‘Oscar jeet gaya magar izzat hargaya’: Transnational celebrities blast Will Smith for slapping colleague at Oscars

    Transnational celebrities have reacted with a mixture of shock and anger after Hollywood actor Will Smith slapped comedian and host Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars.

    Comedian Rock, who was presenting an award, made an on-stage joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss, which is due to alopecia, saying “Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2.”

    Smith walked up on stage and struck Rock before returning to his seat and shouting: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.”

    Smith later apologised in a tearful best actor acceptance speech, declaring: “Love will make you do crazy things”.

    https://twitter.com/Abhimanyu___/status/1508295459093487616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1508295459093487616%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.koimoi.com%2Fhollywood-news%2Foscars-2022-will-smith-slaps-chris-rock-over-a-joke-on-jada-pinkett-smith-netizens-react-with-hilarious-memes%2F

    The celebrities have mostly condemned this act of violence by the talented actor.

    “I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people,” Smith said. “I know, to do what we do, we’ve gotta be able to take abuse.

    “You’ve gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you’ve gotta be able to have people disrespecting you. You’ve gotta smile and pretend that that’s okay.”

    But director Judd Apatow called the incident “pure out of control rage and violence” on Twitter.

    “He could have killed him. That’s pure out of control rage and violence. They’ve heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades. They are not freshman in the world of Hollywood and comedy. He lost his mind,” he wrote on Twitter.

    “Seems like Will Smith’s plan to get comedian and the world to not make jokes about him is not going to pan out. The Williams family must be furious. Pure narcissism,” he added.

    “Also — GI Jane was gorgeous. What exactly is insulting about being compared to a ripped, stunning Demi?’ he wrote, referencing the Ridley Scott–directed Demi Moore–starring film.