As part of Netflix's attempts to boost data transparency, the streaming platform has now released its first detailed viewership data report, with information on the most popular movies and shows. The list includes 18,214 titles available on the platform, each of which has garnered over 50,000 hours over six months — January to June. While the company already offers a list of its monthly Top 10 titles, this report has been gathered over a longer period and is, therefore, in-depth with details of three main aspects — whether the title is available globally, its release date, and hours viewed. Leading the pack is the Gabriel Basso-led The Night Agent with 812.1 million hours of watch time, charting the tale of a low-level FBI agent who gets roped into a major government conspiracy.
Second on the list is Ginny & Georgia season 2 with 665.1 million hours, followed closely by the South Korean thriller Glory with 622.8 million hours viewed. Jenna Ortega starrer Wednesday, the global phenomenon drawing from the infamous Addams Family, racked up 507.7 million hours, taking the fourth place on the list — despite having released in November last year and bested Stranger Things 4 at the time. And finally, we have Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story in fifth place at 503 million hours viewed.
It is worth stressing, however, that Netflix has curated this list using total hours viewed, rather than the formula it came up with to measure ‘views' when listing the monthly Top 10s. In it, the company would take the hours viewed and divide it by the runtime to calculate the total number of views.
Netflix says it will publish such extensive reports twice a year — the next one detailing the most in-demand titles from July to December — entirely accessible to the public via a downloadable spreadsheet. Much of the sheet is dominated by Netflix originals, with Rana Naidu season 1 being the only Indian entry among the top 400, with 46.3 million hours of view time. “We believe the viewing information in this report — combined with our weekly Top 10 and Most Popular lists — will give creators and our industry deeper insights into our audiences, and what resonates with them,” the blog post reads. The lack of streamer data was one of the biggest points of contention during the Hollywood labour strikes, with writers and actors demanding residuals for reruns of shows and movies they'd worked on. It was easy to calculate when things were repeatedly broadcast on cable, but with the advent of streaming platforms, those numbers were no longer disclosed.
As the writers' strike came to a halt, major production studios — including the aforementioned Netflix — were forced to be more transparent in sharing streaming data with the guild. That said, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos claims — despite the convenient timing — that the streamer always planned on being more open toward its creators and acknowledged how this workflow might have led to mistrust over time. “The unintended consequence of not having more transparent data about our engagement was that it created an atmosphere of mistrust over time with producers and creators and the press about what was happening on Netflix,” Sarandos said in a call (via Deadline).
El Salvador, the country that historically became the first in the world to ordain Bitcoin as a legal tender, has created a plan to boost its tourism industry and subsequently its economy in due time. The National Bitcoin Office (ONBTC) of the central American nation has announced a new initiative called the Freedom Visa. The development comes after a long silence from El Salvador, that is currently working to develop a tax-free, volcano-powered Bitcoin city.
The Freedom Visa is a donation-based citizenship programme. Through this, El Salvador will grant a residency visa to those willing to donate a million-dollar worth of Bitcoin or Tether into the national treasury. To do so, the Salvadoran government has partnered with stablecoin issuer Tether, it said in an official announcement earlier this month.
Tether Powers El Salvador's Visionary Freedom Visa Program Through Technology Support :flag-sv::volcano:
— Tether (@Tether_to) December 7, 2023
Experience Freedom, Security and a #Bitcoin lifestyle by adopting El Salvador as your home through the Freedom Visa Program.
For more information, please visit :arrow_down:https://t.co/QdF6XPDsO3
Each year, the country will give out only a thousand slots, the government under President Nayib Bukele has decided. The country is looking to leverage its status as a pro-Bitcoin nation, to propel its special citizenship visa plan to the masses.
“Based on the current level of interest, we expect the program to sell out by the end of the year. If anything, in fact, it is actually underpriced. While there are many citizenship programs available in the world, there is only one Bitcoin country,” a CoinTelegraph report quoted the ONBTC as saying in an email conversation.
Reacting to the development, market analyst Alistair Milne called the Salvadoran initiative rather ‘uncompetitive' comparing to other similar initiatives. Milne is the chief investment officer of Altana Digital Currency Fund.
El Salvador offering Visas and citizenship to anyone investing $1million (in USDt or Bitcoin) in the country
— Alistair Milne (@alistairmilne) December 7, 2023
Frankly uncompetitive in the global market (can get EU citizenship for less) so disappointing https://t.co/ALydiMAJRj
It's now a matter of time before the programme unfolds and we see how lucrative it ended up becoming and whether or not there will be a next edition to it.
El Salvador recently approved Bitcoin bonds that are set to be offered on Bitfinex Securities, a regulated division of crypto exchange Bitfinex, starting early 2024.
:rotating_light:BREAKING NEWS:rotating_light:
— The Bitcoin Office (@bitcoinofficesv) December 12, 2023
The Volcano Bond has just received regulatory approval from the Digital Assets Commission (CNAD).
We anticipate the bond will be issued during the first quarter of 2024.
This is just the beginning for new capital markets on #Bitcoin in El Salvador.
:flag-sv::volcano::rocket:
The so-called ‘Volcano bonds' were announced in 2021. With a minimum investment of $100 (roughly Rs. 8,170), El Salvador residents will be able to enter Volcano Bonds — that will add to the nation's economy. Any appreciation in Bitcoin's values will be shared with the bond holders.
Apple on Tuesday began rolling out iOS 17.3 beta to testers, a day after the stable version of iOS 17.2 was released for eligible iPhone models. The first beta of company next update is expected to be the last one before the holiday season, and once again includes support for an Apple Music feature that was excluded from iOS 17.2. Meanwhile, Apple is also testing a feature that makes it difficult for thieves to gain access to your personal account via a stolen device.
After updating to the latest iOS 17.3 beta, testers will be able to try out Apple's new Stolen Device Protection feature that requires the use of biometric authentication (Touch ID or Face ID) to make account related changes on an iPhone, like disabling Lost Mode or accessing personal information such as iCloud Keychain passwords, according to the company.
The iOS 17.3 beta update is available for eligible iPhone models
Disabling features like Face ID, your Apple ID or iPhone passcode, and other critical security features will not only require verification, but Apple will also make you wait one hour before these settings are accessible, as part of security changes implemented to prevent thieves from gaining access to your account by learning your passcode and then stealing your device.
With the iOS 17.3 beta update, Apple has also added support for another feature that was announced earlier this year but is yet to make its way to users on the stable channel — Collaborative Playlists on Apple Music. Testers who have updated to iOS 17.3 beta 1 can look for the person icon next to a playlist and contribute to their friends' playlists.
It is worth noting that the inclusion of Collaborative Playlists on Apple Music on the first iOS 17.2 beta is not an indicator of whether the feature will arrive with the stable iOS 17.3 release. Apple previously tested collaborative playlists on beta versions of iOS 17.2, but the feature was pulled in the final version that rolled out to users on Monday. However, it is evident that iOS users who are not on the beta release channel will have to wait until early 2024 to try out these new features.
Nothing Phone 2 was launched in India in July this year as the second smartphone offering from the UK-based brand. The Nothing Phone 3 is expected to break the covers as a possible successor of the Phone 2 around a similar time in 2024. Now, the Carl Pei-led company has announced an event for February 2024 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC). This could be the first hint at its next product release. Notably, Nothing confirmed the arrival of Nothing Phone 2 during the MWC 2023.
Through a media invite, (via RapidZapper) Nothing has revealed that it has scheduled an event for the MWC 2024. The event billed as 'Nothing to See' will take place on February 27. The MWC 2024 event runs between February 26 and February 29 in Barcelona.
Photo Credit: Nothing Community/ RapidZapper
If Nothing's past moves are anything to judge by, we can consider the February event an early teaser for the Nothing Phone 3 or Phone (2a). Nothing used previous MWC conferences to build hype for its Phone 1 and Phone 2. Carl Pei showcased a prototype of the Nothing Phone 1 back in MWC 2022 whereas the brand confirmed the Snapdragon 8-series processor for Phone 2 at this year's MWC.
Rumours about the Nothing Phone 3 or Phone (2a) have already emerged on the Web earlier. The company is speculated to stick to its transparent back design with the next handset.
A Nothing smartphone with the model number A142 was recently spotted on the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) website. It is expected to come with a 6.7-inch AMOLED display and could include a mid-range Snapdragon or MediaTek Dimensity chipset.
Nothing currently has the Nothing Phone 1 and Nothing Phone 2 in its smartphone portfolio. The latter was unveiled in July with a starting price of Rs. 44,999 for the base 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration. It runs on the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC and features a revised Glyph Interface with LED lighting.
Alphabet's Google, Meta Platforms, Qualcomm and seven other tech companies on Wednesday teamed up to push for open digital ecosystems in response to new EU tech rules in a move that may also take the edge of possible future legislation.
Calling itself the Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems (CODE), the group said it wants to promote more open platforms and systems to boost growth and innovation in Europe.
The group said it will work with academics, policymakers and companies on digital openness and how this can be achieved in Europe "through the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and in future EU regulatory framework developments".
The DMA requires gatekeepers -- tech giants that control access to their platforms -- to allow third parties to inter-operate with the gatekeeper's own services and allow their business users to promote their offer and conclude contracts with their customers outside the gatekeeper's platform.
"We have had a number of conversations in the past few months about what 'good' looks like when it comes to digital ecosystems in Europe, what fosters innovation, and what will positively impact competitiveness. We think openness is the crucial element," Lynx founder Stan Larroque said in a statement.
Other members of the group are Chinese smart devices maker Honor, China's Lenovo, French augmented reality start-up Lynx, US telecoms equipment maker Motorola, UK electronics maker Nothing, Norwegian tech company Opera and German messaging services provider Wire.
The Coalition said it aims to open up digital ecosystems through cross-industry collaboration and promote seamless connectivity and interoperable systems, among others.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
OnePlus Community Sale is live on the company's website with deals and discounts on a range of products from the firm. Ahead of the debut of the OnePlus 12 in India and global markets in January, the company has discounted the price of its older handset, the OnePlus 10 Pro. You can also pick up the OnePlus Nord CE 3, the company's first tablet, the OnePlus Pad, and the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 at discounted prices during the ongoing sale.
During the ongoing community sale, the company is selling the OnePlus 10 Pro — launched in India at Rs. 66,999 in March 2022 — at a discounted price of Rs. 61,999. However, the offer is valid for users who purchase the smartphone with an ICICI Bank (credit card and debit/credit EMI transactions) and OneCard (credit card and debit card transactions) cards. The handset is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and has up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. It features a 48-megapixel triple rear camera setup and packs a 5,000mAh battery with 80W SuperVOOC charging support.
The company's website has also listed the OnePlus Pad, which made its debut in April this year with a Rs. 37,999 price tag, at Rs. 35,499. You can also use the same ICICI Bank and OneCard cards listed above to lower the price of the product by Rs. 5,000, according to the company's website. This tablet sports a 144Hz display, runs on a Dimensity 9000 chip paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and is equipped with a 9,150mAh battery that can be charged at 67W over a USB Type-C port.
If you're looking for a midrange smartphone, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 is currently on sale at Rs. 24,999, down from its launch price of Rs. 26,999. The company is also offering an instant discount of Rs. 2,000 on eligible OneCard and ICICI Bank card transactions. The OnePlus Nord CE 3 is equipped with a Snapdragon 782G chipset, a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 5,000mAh battery with 880W SuperVOOC fast charging.
OnePlus is also selling the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 that were previously priced at Rs. 11,999, at a discounted price of Rs. 8,999. You can also reduce the price of the wireless earbuds by Rs. 1,000 with the previously mentioned OneCard and ICICI Bank cards. These TWS earphones are equipped with a dual driver setup tuned by Dynaudio with up to 48dB Adaptive Noise Cancellation, up to 39 hours of playback with the included case, and wired and wireless charging support.
You can avail of the ongoing discounts and offers on the company's website until the end of the week, according to a poster shared by OnePlus. You can also exchange your older smartphone in order to lower the price of your next smartphone, tablet, or TWS headset. In addition, completing your purchase with the cards listed above will further lower the price of these products.
Redmi Note 13 5G series will launch in India in the first week of January, Xiaomi confirmed on Wednesday (December 13). While Xiaomi has only mentioned the Redmi Note 13 5G series, we can expect it to include the Redmi Note 13, Redmi Note 13 Pro, and Redmi Note 13 Pro+. The handsets were launched in China in September. All three models in the series feature a 6.67-inch 1.5K full-HD+ AMOLED display and have a 16-megapixel front camera. The Redmi Note 13 Pro+ runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra SoC while the Redmi Note 13 Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC.
The Redmi Note 13 5G series will launch in India on January 4, the company confirmed in a tweet and media invite. The Chinese brand has also set up a landing page on its India website teasing the arrival of the new Redmi Note lineup. Interested customers can click on the “Notify Me” button on the website to get the latest updates about the launch.
Redmi Note 13, Redmi Note 13 Pro, and Redmi Note 13 Pro+ were unveiled in China back in September. All three models are anticipated to make their India debut on January 4.
The price of Redmi Note 13 starts at CNY 1,199 (roughly Rs. 13,900) in China, while the Redmi Note 13 Pro's price starts at CNY 1,499 (roughly Rs. 17,400). The Redmi Note 13 Pro+, in contrast, is available with an initial price tag of CNY 1,999 (roughly Rs. 22,800). Indian variants are expected to be priced similarly.
A recent leak indicated the European pricing of the Note 13 Pro models. As per the leak, the Redmi Note 13 Pro will be priced at EUR 450 (roughly Rs. 40,700), whereas the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ may come with a price tag of EUR 500 (roughly Rs. 45,000).
The Indian variants of Redmi Note 13 5G series could offer similar specifications as their Chinese counterparts. The Redmi Note 13 lineup runs on Android 13-based MIUI 14 and features a 6.67-inch 1.5K full-HD+ AMOLED displays with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The Pro model runs on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC, while the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra SoC. The vanilla Redmi Note 13 features a MediaTek Dimensity 6080 SoC under the hood.
Redmi Note 13 has a dual rear camera unit, led by a 100-megapixel primary sensor, while the Pro models feature triple rear cameras led by a 200-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL HP3 primary sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS). The phones pack 16-megapixel sensor at the front.
Meta is now allowing select customers to put on its pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses and try out new bespectacled AI-powered experiences as part of an early access programme. The Facebook parent has announced initial user tests for the smart glasses and intends to gather feedback on new features ahead of wider release. Meta is also introducing updates to improve the Ray-Ban smart glasses experience, which is powered by the Meta AI assistant, bringing smarter and more helpful responses.
Earlier this month, Meta announced a host of new features to its AI services across platforms. In an update to the same blog post on Tuesday, the company introduced a few new Meta Ray-Ban smart glass features. Those who sign up for early access can try out multimodal AI-powered capabilities, which allow the smart glasses to perceive visual information by looking and answering related queries.
According to Meta, its AI assistant on the glasses can take a picture of what you're seeing, either via voice command or the dedicated capture button. It can also come up with a witty caption for the photo. Users could pick up an object while wearing the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses and ask for information on the same, or look at a sign in a different language and ask the AI-powered glasses to translate it to English. The company, however, has warned users that its multimodal AI might make mistakes and will be improved over time with the help of feedback.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg demonstrated the look and ask feature on the AI smart glasses in an Instagram post. In the video, taken from the first-person perspective from the glasses, Zuckerberg picks out a striped, dark shirt and asks Meta AI to suggest pants to go with it.
Additionally, Meta says it is rolling out Bing-powered real time information capabilities on Meta AI-powered smart glasses. “You can ask Meta AI about sports scores or information on local landmarks, restaurants, stocks and more,” the company said in its update.
The look and ask with Meta AI feature on the glasses takes a picture when prompted to “look” and delivers an audio-based response to the related query. Do note that all pictures taken and processed by AI are stored and used to train Meta AI and other Meta products, which would likely spark a privacy concern. Meta says that the information collected, used and retained will comply with Meta's Privacy Policy.
The early access programme is now live for Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses owners in the US and interested users can enroll for the same on the Meta View app on iOS and Android. To sign up, tap the settings button in the bottom right of the Meta View app, swipe down and tap Early Access. You'd also have to make sure that the smart glasses and the Meta View app have received the latest update.
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses were launched in September, alongside the Meta Quest 3 and other Meta products. The glasses are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 Platform SoC and come with a 12-megapixel sensor, an LED light, and 32GB of inbuilt storage.
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses with standard lenses are priced at $299 (roughly Rs. 24,999), while the pair with Polarized lenses and transition lenses cost $329 (roughly Rs. 27,400) and $379 (roughly Rs. 31,500), respectively. The glasses are available to buy in 15 countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, and European markets. Meta has not announced a launch date for the Indian market yet.
All DC Comics movies, including The Batman, Wonder Woman and more, will be coming to Fox's ad-supported streaming service, Tubi. The catalogue will be available next year in the US, thanks to a new partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, which adds 10 new WB-branded Fast channels for easy access across the service. This is ideal for fans who are unwilling to pay the ever-rising monthly price for the Max streaming service — formerly, HBO Max — though they will get interrupted with advertisements. Some of the older titles like Batman, Batman Returns, and the Christopher Reeve-led Superman movies are now available on Tubi (US), alongside recent shows like Batwoman and Gotham.
“The addition of recent blockbuster movies and fan-favourite series from the DC library is a monumental offering for Tubi viewers,” Tubi CCO Adam Lewinson said in a press release. “We're so pleased to have such wonderful partners at Warner Bros. Discovery who are expanding the reach of their superhero franchise films and series that are destined to draw new audiences and fandoms with Tubi's highly engaged viewers.” On December 31, Tubi will also play host to Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, one of the longest-running TV series about the Kryptonian superhero. Meanwhile, 2024 will welcome newer movies including The Batman, Black Adam, Aquaman, both Wonder Woman movies, Ryan Reynolds-led Green Lantern, and Suicide Squad. For now, it appears that fresh entries won't be instantly making it to the service and there will be a waiting period between the initial theatrical release and Tubi availability.
Several animated movies such as Batman: Death in the Family, Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox, The Death of Superman, Son of Batman, and more will be coming to the streamer, later this month. Also joining are the Constantine live-action film starring Keanu Reeves, The CW's Swamp Thing series, and Stargirl. Of course, one can always rely on Max and Netflix for the content slate but if you can put up with ads, this is a great alternative. Tubi will also serve as a platform for the larger Warner Bros. Content, ranging between classic cinema, travel and adventure, romance, and horror flicks boasting popular entries like Annabelle, Stephen King's Doctor Sleep, and the Friday trilogy.
These changes come in the wake of a ground-up DC Universe restructuring, with James Gunn and Peter Safran helming the newly branded DC Studios, which aims to revitalise and chart a new course for films, TV shows, and animated series in the franchise. The first movie to kick things off will be Superman: Legacy starring David Corenswet as Clark Kent/ Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Currently, there is no word on when the DC Comics and Warner Bros. catalogue will be coming to Tubi India.
India is standing on the cusp of embracing the crypto sector, but well within a concrete legal framework to safeguard its nationals against any financial risks. Before that happens, the country is laying focus on assessing the impacts and risks that crypto could pose on its existing financial systems. This update was shared recently by Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State for Finance. Chaudhary, this week, told the Rajya Sabha that New Delhi Leaders' Declaration has accepted the crypto roadmap that was recently finalised by the G20 nations to be adopted.
“All jurisdictions, including India, are expected to evaluate the country specific characteristics and risks in order to reach an appropriate consideration of any necessary measures on crypto assets,” Chaudhary reportedly told the Upper House in a written statement.
The crypto roadmap that the G20 nations have finalised under India's Presidency this year leaves a margin for emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) to customise the listed laws to better suit their economic and legal stances.
“India has been ranked at the top in grassroots crypto adoption, according to the Chainalysis 2023 Global Crypto Adoption Index. No wonder then, that it is critical for India to develop a robust crypto asset regulatory framework that ring fences the ecosystem from bad actors and unscrupulous incidents, while promoting innovation and providing Indians the opportunity to be a part of this exciting new global emerging tech, and in fact lead this change. We welcome the Finance Ministry's response in the Parliament today on measures for effective regulation of crypto-assets,” said R Venkatesh, SVP and Head of Public Policy at CoinSwitch.
As of now, no deadline has been issued to the G20 nations concerning the adoption of the crypto roadmap. For India, the deployment of these final crypto laws could still be at least 18 months away. This information was disclosed by Jayant Sinha during the India Blockchain Week that is being held in Bengaluru. As the Chair of the Standing Committee on Finance in India's Parliament, Shah is a parliamentarian from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Regulators and policymakers are responsible, not just on the innovation side, which of course we want to encourage, but also on the safety side. We have to really find that balance and that balance is going to evolve over the next 12 to 18 months,” Coindesk had quoted Sinha as saying at the time.
Meanwhile, Chaudhary also told the Rajya Sabha that the government, as of now, is not registering foreign crypto exchanges that gives them a legal permission to operate in the country.
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