Netflix ads might not show up everywhere
It’s no secret that Netflix plans to release an ad-supported tier on its platform. Over the last several months we’ve heard that the streamer has partnered with Microsoft to handle ads on its platform initially, the ad-supported tier will be missing some content and won’t support offline downloads.
But, according to a new report from Bloomberg, some content will be safe from ads – kid’s shows and new original movies. Aside from the fact that advertising to kids is scummy, some of the studios that licence kids’ shows to Netflix will not allow the streamer to run ads during their content. Netflix could always circumvent this restriction by playing ads before or after content, but we’re choosing to believe it wouldn’t stoop that low. After all, the company decided all on its own that its new original movies should also be ad-free, at least initially.
Bloomberg notes that this might assuage the concerns of filmmakers who don’t make movies with ad spots in mind. But, in that case, the sanctity of their work has an expiration date. We don’t know how long Netflix considers a movie ‘new’. It could be as little as a week. Maybe Netflix hasn’t figured that part out yet either.
YouTube launches a 'Podcasts' tab on 'Explore' page
With the rise of podcasts over the last few years, content creators needed platforms to showcase, distribute and promote their content. Platforms like Anchor act as upload aggregators but YouTube remains a go-to place for watching or listening to podcasts. In an attempt to offer a more optimised podcast experience, the Google-owned video service is making some changes. For now, they aren’t very large. The first of them turned up in March, according to 9to5Google, after an internal presentation leaked showing the site’s plans to improve its podcast experience. That change apparently went live (in some countries) in July in the form of a ‘Podcasts’ page in the Explore tab.
It’s a fairly simple implementation at this point. Users get a few options to look through like ‘Popular episodes,’ ‘Popular podcast playlists,’ ‘Recommended,’ and ‘Popular podcast creators.’ At this point, this is just a different-looking front page that focuses on Podcast content. Things will still look familiar with the same video thumbnail format you’ve come to know. And, according to 9to5Google, tapping one of them still opens the regular video player app on Android. Google’s implementation will probably improve over time for YouTube Podcasts as it has done with YouTube music. This could mean that Google Podcasts is swallowed up and incorporated rather than continuing to stand on its own.
The first moving pictures from The Last of Us spotted
HBO has released a teaser trailer for its upcoming content. That included the first official look at The Last of Us, a live-action remake of the Naughty Dog-developed PlayStation franchise of the same name. Many shows were included in the teaser, some debuting, some returning for a new season. But it’s the 20 or so seconds towards the end that we’re most excited about.
In those glorious seconds, we see Pedro Pascal (The Mandolorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) playing Joel and Ellie, respectively. Surprisingly, we also catch a glimpse of Nick Offerman and a scene that looks a lot like the game’s heartwrenching opening sequence between Joel and his daughter.
The last bit of news is that, barring any future delays, the show is still on track for a 2023 launch. Although that hasn’t yet been narrowed down to when in 2023.
Source: The Verge
Help PowerWash mental health with a new study
Game developer FuturLabs has partnered with independent researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute for a new mental health study. The study specifically looks at the link between gaming and the mental health of PowerWash Simulator players. In that game, players are armed with a high-pressure washer and some soap. They need to complete various seemingly mundane tasks like cleaning up a dirty skate park.
Those that opt-in to the research beta of the game will provide researchers with two sets of anonymised data. The first will comprise a player’s game progress and item purchases that make up a base data set. The second will be in the form of questions that researchers will pose to players regarding their experience. These will reportedly be quick-fire questions meant to gather qualitative data.
If you want to take part in the study (and earn in-game cosmetic items) you can. You’ll need to own the game on Steam first. You’ll also need to download the new “research-edition” beta from the beta menu under ‘Properties’ in your Steam Library. It’s worth noting that while the cosmetics you earn will be available to you in the main game, your progress will not carry over.
Source: Engadget
