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Topic: Entertainment

The change impacts Prime members and family plan users. News 

Amazon Music Unlimited Increases Subscription Rates for Second Time

Sanjay Patil,

Amazon is once again increasing prices for Music Unlimited subscriptions, affecting both Prime members and family plan users. The rise in costs was first noticed by The Hollywood Reporter. Specifically, the Amazon Music Unlimited Individual Plan for Prime members will now be $10 per month or $99 per year, up from $9 per month or $89 per year. Additionally, the Amazon Music Unlimited Family Plan will increase to $17 per month or $169 per year, up from $16 per month or $159 per year. Those prices start right away for…

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A monthly payment option is now available in most states, while student plans are on the way. News 

NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube Now Includes Live Chat and Highlights in Short Videos

Adriana Marais, , ,

YouTube has announced additional features for NFL Sunday Ticket this season, including the ability to engage in live chat and read others’ opinions during football games. These features will be accessible on both mobile devices and televisions. YouTubers can watch live NFL highlights on Shorts. On Sunday afternoons, highlights include a red Live ring around the channel’s Avatar, and clicking on this will direct users to the NFL Channel’s Live tab. That’s where Sunday Ticket subscribers can decide which game (or games thanks to multi-view options) to start watching. Another…

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The anime, which features the cast of 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,' will arrive on November 17th. News 

Netflix Releases Teaser for ‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’ to Positive Reception

Adarsh V.K, , ,

Netflix has released a teaser for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, an anime adaptation of the popular Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series. The show, consisting of eight episodes, follows the main character as he competes in a battle of the bands contest and confronts his girlfriend’s seven evil exes. The anime is a sequel to the 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, based on the graphic novels. The main characters from Edgar Wright’s film will reprise their roles in the series, including Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ramona…

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If you've used basically any social media app lately, you'll be familiar with this interface. News 

YouTube Music Launches Samples, a TikTok-Inspired Feed for Music Exploration

Nitin Misra, ,

Over the past few years, nearly every significant platform has developed its own version of TikTok’s distinctive vertical video scrolling feed. The most recent addition to this trend is YouTube Music. Today, the app will introduce a vertical video feed called Samples, which YouTube claims is a convenient and efficient way to discover and sample new music with just a single tap. The samples are located on a new tab at the bottom of the application next to the home feed, your library and the Explore section. Tapping Samples will…

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The Great 78 Project seeks to preserve old music recorded on 78rpm discs. News 

Music Labels File Lawsuit Against Internet Archive for Unauthorized Digitization of Old Records

Adriana Marais, ,

The nonprofit organization, Internet Archive, is being sued by Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and several other music labels for copyright infringement related to its conservation project. The lawsuit alleges that the organization unlawfully digitized, uploaded, distributed, and transmitted pre-1972 sound recordings. The focus of the legal action is on the Great 78 Project, which aims to safeguard music recorded on 78rpm discs. The record companies are calling the Internet Archive’s efforts a “blatant insult” to the music of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and Louis…

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The Inter Miami player is quickly helping to grow the profile of soccer in North America. News 

MLS Season Pass Subscriptions for Apple TV Double Following Messi’s Move to US

Adriana Marais, ,

Since Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of his generation and potentially the best ever, joined Inter Miami a few weeks ago, ticket prices for their games have significantly increased. Additionally, the number of subscriptions to Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass has more than doubled since the renowned player began his career in the US in July. That’s what Jorge Mas, one of the owners of Inter Miami, says. Mas added that “Spanish-language viewership for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV has exceeded 50 percent for Messi…

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Amid writers and actors strikes, the ceremony couldn't really go ahead next month. News 

Emmys Postponed by Television Academy to January

Febin Mathew, ,

Fans of shows such as Andor and The Last of Us, eagerly awaiting the outcome of the Emmy Awards, will need to exercise some extra patience. The Television Academy and Fox have recently disclosed that the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony has been rescheduled from September 18th to January 15th, coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That marks a four-month delay, and means the ceremony will air a week after the Golden Globes. The Television Academy and its broadcast partner have moved the Creative Arts Emmy Awards to the same…

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The streaming service is also expanding its ad-supported tier to Europe and Canada. News 

Disney+ Increases Prices and Limits Account Sharing

Adarsh V.K, , , ,

In May, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that the company’s streaming service would experience a price increase in the near future. During Disney’s quarterly earnings call, Iger announced that the ad-free Disney+ premium tier would be raised to $13.99 on October 12. This marks the second $3 price hike for the streaming service within the past year, as the current subscription price of $10.99 was established in December. Additionally, Hulu’s ad-free plan will also see a $3 increase, bringing the standalone subscription cost to $17.99 per month. That’s a big…

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It's anticipating an increase in sales for non-first-party PlayStation titles. Gaming 

Sony Increases Annual Outlook Due to PlayStation Profits

Adarsh V.K, ,

Sony has released its financial report for the first quarter of the year, ending on June 30th, along with a revised forecast for the fiscal year. The results show a combination of positive and negative outcomes for the company. While the overall operating profit for the period decreased by 31 percent compared to the previous year, the revenue saw a significant increase of 33 percent. This growth can be attributed to the successful sales performance of Sony’s game and network services, music, imaging, and financial services divisions. Sony believes its…

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He's now suing Apple and the Tetris Company. Gaming 

Writer Claims Apple TV+’s ‘Tetris’ Film Adaptation Plagiarized His Book

Adriana Marais,

A lawsuit has been filed against Apple TV+ and the Tetris Company, claiming that their film Tetris was plagiarized from a book written several years ago. Dan Ackerman, the editor-in-chief of Gizmodo, alleges that his book The Tetris Effect, which presents the game’s history as a Cold War-era thriller, was copied by the defendants. Ackerman claims that he had sent a pre-publication copy of his book to the Tetris Company and its CEO Maya Rogers in 2016. Later that year, he received a “strongly worded Cease and Desist letter” from…

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You can also stream Gal Gadot's new action movie this Friday. Gaming 

Netflix Launches Text Adventure ‘Heart of Stone’ on Discord Bot

Adriana Marais, , , , ,

Netflix has been operating a Discord bot for over a year now, which assists individuals in discovering shared shows and movies according to their geographical accessibility. Today, the company is broadening the functionalities of the “Hey, Netflix” bot by introducing a text-based game. This is the first time Netflix has brought a game like this to Discord. As you might expect, it has to do with something you’ll soon be able to stream on Netflix, the action movie Heart of Stone starring Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. The film arrives…

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The audio commentary, however, is only in English. News 

Spotify’s AI-Powered Music Mixing Feature Now Available in 50 Countries

Jim Hendler

After being soft-launched in the US and Canada in February, Spotify’s AI-powered DJ feature is expanding to 50 additional countries. Following its recent introduction in the UK and Ireland, the robotic Wolfman Jack will now be available in various countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. There is a caveat, but it depends on a preliminary understanding of what this tool actually does. Spotify DJ is available to premium members and offers algorithmic recommendations for what to listen to, just like any music streaming app. However, these recommendations…

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It will never play the same song twice. News 

Apple Music Launches Discovery Station to Introduce Listeners to New Music

Adriana Marais, ,

Apple has discreetly introduced a fresh addition to its music streaming service that has the potential to broaden your playlists and discover new artists. Known as “Discovery Station,” this personalized radio station selects songs from Apple Music’s collection that it believes will resonate with you. Unlike Spotify, which offers numerous algorithmic recommendations through its playlists, Apple’s music service has not fully embraced this approach, as highlighted by Apple Insider. An Apple spokesperson told us that Discovery Station will only play music you haven’t played on the service before, both from…

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The organization highlighted injustices in gaming and pop culture while providing resources for victims. Gaming 

Feminist Frequency, Winner of Multiple Awards, to Close After 14 Years

Jim Hendler,

Feminist Frequency, a nonprofit organization established in 2009 by Executive Director Anita Sarkeesian to provide media criticism of video games and popular culture, has announced its closure. Over the years, the organization expanded its offerings to include podcasts, gaming resources, and an Online Harassment Hotline. While the industry resources will continue to be available on the website, the hotline will cease operations by the end of September, and the rest of Feminist Frequency will gradually conclude by the end of 2023. “I started this project to fill a need that…

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We’ll have to wait longer to see how ‘The Last of Us’ (24 nominations) fares. News 

Delay of Emmy Awards Reportedly Caused by Strikes

Adriana Marais, ,

According to Variety, the Primetime Emmys will not be held on September 18th as originally planned. The ceremony has been postponed due to the ongoing strikes by writers and actors, which have halted all Hollywood productions and promotions. The TV Academy has not yet announced a new date for the event, but Fox, the broadcast partner, is reportedly considering January 2024. This year, HBO’s Succession has received the most nominations with 27, while The Last of Us has made history with an impressive 24 nominations for its video game adaptation.…

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The agency is also working on a consolidated web experience. Space 

NASA Launches Its Own Streaming Platform

Jim Hendler, , ,

NASA is set to introduce its own streaming platform, NASA+, in the upcoming summer. Although NASA currently livestreams launches and other events on its website, NASA+ will offer not only live broadcasts but also a variety of original video series. Some of the initial shows on the platform will be brand new, and the best part is that the service will be free and ad-free. In essence, NASA+ will be the go-to destination for those looking to indulge in NASA and space-related content. The streaming service is available through the…

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Can we forgive what we can’t forget? News 

Exploring the Possibilities of Redemption in ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’

Nitin Misra,

Please note that the information provided below includes spoilers for the book “Under the Cloak of War.” “Some things break in a way that can never be fixed, only managed.” It’s the last line in a powerful episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. “Under the Cloak of War” presents many questions about memory, grief and redemption — echoing this season’s main obsessions — that it fails to answer. For some shows this would be a bad thing, but Strange New Worlds is becoming more comfortable living with ambiguity. Even…

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That’s up to $3,500 per day, while many actors make $200. AI 

Netflix Offers AI Position as Actors and Writers Strike Continues

Febin Mathew, ,

Is there any end in sight for the ongoing Hollywood strikes? It appears that major corporations are preparing for a prolonged conflict, as evidenced by Netflix’s recent job advertisement for a machine learning platform product manager. This position offers a yearly salary ranging from $300,000 to $900,000, while many actors earn only $200 per day under the SAG-AFTRA contract. The role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of entertainment is a crucial point of contention for both sides involved in the strike. The job listing indicates that AI will…

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The company blames its losses on podcasts and company restructuring. News 

Spotify Sees Unexpectedly High Growth Despite Continuing Losses

Febin Mathew, , ,

Spotify experienced a significant surge in its monthly active users (MAU) during the second quarter of 2023, reaching a record high of 551 million after attracting 36 million new listeners. This represents a 27 percent increase in MAUs and marks a milestone for the streaming giant, as stated in its recently published earnings report. Although not all new users opted for a Premium account, Spotify also achieved a remarkable second quarter in terms of Premium subscribers. It gained 10 million paying users, surpassing expectations by 3 million and achieving a…

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The company is just the latest music streamer to hike prices. News 

Spotify Increases Cost of Premium Subscriptions

Nitin Misra, , ,

Spotify is set to increase the cost of all its Premium plans, meaning that enjoying uninterrupted music will become more expensive. In the US, the price of a Premium Single subscription will rise from $10 to $11 per month, marking the first price hike since Spotify’s inception over ten years ago. The Premium Family and Student plans will also see a one-dollar increase, now priced at $17 and $6 per month respectively. The largest increase will be seen in the Premium Duo plan, which will go up by two dollars…

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