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‘GTA: Online’ opens the doors to The Diamond Casino & Resort
The wait is over for GTA: Online's long-rumored "Vinewood Casino." The Diamond Casino & Resort opened its doors today. The "sprawling entertainment and luxury living complex" offers plenty to bet on, including roulette, blackjack and three card poker, plus slot machines and horse racing. And if gambling isn't your thing, you can always hangout in the infinity pool on the roof or customize your master penthouse.
Snapchat launches Creator Shows with Serena Williams and Kevin Hart
In the last year, the time spent watching Shows on Snapchat has tripled. The company wants to take advantage of that. Today, it announced Creator Shows, a new format that will deliver regularly published content from some of Snapchat's most popular stars. It's also adding a Highlights feature, which will let Creators add longer-lasting photos and videos to their profiles.
Netflix pulled 66 episodes of Chelsea Handler's canceled talk show
A few years ago, Netflix and Chelsea Handler set out to "revolutionize the talk show." The plan was to run three 30-minute, near-live episodes each week. But the show, Chelsea, took nearly two years to launch, and after just two seasons, Netflix pulled the plug. It didn't stop there though. Netflix also removed 66 episodes. A company spokesperson told The New York Times that it's the only instance in which Netflix has pulled content it owned and created.
YouTube lets you hide channels from your recommendations
No matter how advanced algorithms get, none will understand your YouTube viewing preferences better than you. With that in mind, YouTube is adding a few new features that will give users more control over which videos appear in their homepage and Up Next suggestions. The changes will roll out beginning today on Android and iOS, and they'll arrive on desktop soon.
Netflix tests an Instagram-style scrolling feed in its mobile app
One of Netflix's biggest challenges is helping users discover content. To address that, it's testing an Instagram-like scrolling feed that will show trailers, photos and alerts for shows and movies. The feature also encourages users to share those posts on third-party apps.
MTV is bringing ‘Punk’d’ back in 10-minute clips
According to TVLine, MTV Studios is working on "reinvented" versions of the celebrity prank show Punk'd and the dating game show Singled Out. If you can't stand the thought of watching those classics, you might be happy to know each episode will be less than 10 minutes long. That's because the shows will launch on Quibi, an upcoming mobile-first video streaming service that plans to package content in short snippets.
Facebook, Google and others join Christchurch Call to curb extremism
In the two months since the Christchurch attack in New Zealand, social media companies have struggled to remove videos of the violence from their platforms. And they've grappled with the role they may unintentionally play in the spread of terrorism. Today, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Google, YouTube and Amazon signed their support to the Christchurch Call, which aims to address terrorist and violent content online. The companies join several countries -- though the US has not pledged support -- and are committed to a nine-point plan that outlines next steps.
Google blocks TikTok downloads in India over pornography concerns
Today, Google blocked TikTok downloads from its Google Play store in India, and Apple has been asked to do the same. The move comes after India's federal government sent a letter to the companies requesting that they abide by a state court's decision to ban the popular video app. India's concern is that TikTok encourages pornography and makes child users vulnerable to sexual predators, Reuters reports.
Universal Pictures will master new and existing titles in HDR10+
Now that Samsung has established HDR10+ as a viable and accessible alternative to Dolby Vision HDR, it's looking to bring more HDR content to viewers. To do so, Samsung is partnering with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) to master a selection of new releases and existing movies and shows with the standard. Not only will we soon have more HDR10+ hardware, we'll also have something to watch on it.
SiriusXM plans original podcasts, shows and more for Pandora
If you listen to Pandora regularly, you might notice new channels, shows, podcast and playlists popping up. Roughly one month after finalizing its $3.5 billion acquisition of Pandora, Sirius XM announced a first-ever, original content team for the platform. As Sirius explains, this is a move to generate music, sports and talk programs as a way of moving the service beyond just streaming music. It's also likely an attempt to take on the likes of Spotify, which recently made its own investment in podcasts.
Facebook's leaked moderation 'rulebook' is as confused as you'd think
Nearly a year ago, ProPublica tested Facebook's moderation with multiple items of hate speech and the company apologized after it failed to treat many of them properly based on its policies. In May, documents leaked to Motherboard showing its quickly shifting content policies -- and now another New York Times report cites leaked moderation guidelines showing how it is, and in many cases is not, handling hate and propaganda messages. Issues include failures to keep up to date information on shifting political situations in countries like Sri Lanka and Bosnia, while a paperwork error allowed an extremist group in Myanmar to keep using Facebook for months longer than it should have. There's evidence Facebook is misinterpreting laws restricting speech in countries like India, and the focus seems heavily weighted toward protecting Facebook's reputation more than anything else.
European MPs vote in favor of controversial copyright laws
The EU has voted on copyright reform (again), with members of European Parliament this time voting in favor of the extremely controversial Articles 11 and 13. The 438 to 226 vote, described as "the worst possible outcome" by some quarters, could have significant repercussions on the way we use the internet.
Netflix and Amazon will have to make more European content by law
Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video will likely soon have to ensure at least 30 percent of their libraries are dedicated to local content in the European Union. A preliminary agreement on the rules is already in place, and Roberto Viola, who oversees the European Commission department in charge of networks, content and technology, said the quota is set to become law in December. He indicated to Variety that the vote is "a mere formality."
Adidas will livestream high school football games on Twitter
Adidas has partnered with Twitter on a new series that will livestream high school football games happening all over the country on the social network. Titled, naturally, Friday Night Stripes, the show will broadcast friday night games throughout the sport's regular season from September 7th until November 9th.
Anchor's donation option lets podcast fans support their favorite shows
Anchor, the audio broadcast-turned-podcasting platform, has launched a new Listener Support feature that lets podcasters collect money from their fans for their efforts. Creators of any size or experience level can add a Listener Support button to their public Anchor profile, which followers can click to make a regular monthly donation of $0.99, $4.99 or $9.99. Adding the button also puts a link in the podcast notes on every app or website where it's available, so listeners can support their favorite shows from anywhere.
Viacom acquires youth-focused AwesomenessTV
AwesomenessTV, an online video company owned by Comcast, Dreamworks, Hearst and Verizon, began as a YouTube channel aimed squarely at millennials and teens. It expanded into more traditional media and was the driving force behind DreamWorksTV on YouTube. Now, Nickelodeon-owner Viacom has acquired the company; CNBC reports the purchase price to be $300 million.
Roku could launch a store for streaming subscriptions
Roku is planning its own Amazon Channels-style à la carte marketplace for video subscription services, sources told Variety. Anyone using the company's devices could sign up for and watch them without needing to download apps for each. The marketplace may reach consumers in the coming months. Variety further explained that at some point, the service will collect some paid subscription services within a dedicated channel to make all their content accessible without needing to fire up different apps.
Dish is bringing Netflix to more hotel rooms
Dish Network began offering hotel entertainment in 2017 with an Android TV-powered box that let guests stream and watch live television in the comfort of their own hotel room. YouTube and Sling TV were supported via built-in Chromecast, but Netflix was noticeably missing. Now Dish has Netflix, and will integrate the streaming content into its Evolve system in the coming months.
Nickelodeon will use VR and AR to keep kids off Netflix and YouTube
Nickelodeon has announced an explosion of content for the 2018-2019 season in a bid to keep easily-distracted kids watching the network. More than 800 brand new episodes of new and returning series will hit its screens -- a 20 percent increase compared to last year -- and it plans on moving into the VR and AR landscape through its kid-facing apps.
Vimeo wants to power Facebook, Twitch and YouTube livestreams
Vimeo made clear its focus on its creator community last year when it introduced livestreaming tools, now it's expanding its efforts with new distribution features that will help creators grow and expand their audiences. Announced today are "Simulcast" and "Publish to Social", both designed with creators in mind and, no doubt, to help the platform develop its visibility beyond a single destination.
