Starting next year, a lot more Netflix viewers will reportedly be able to watch its originals before they become available for streaming. According to The Wall Street Journal, the streaming service is expanding its pool of preview viewers early next year to include as many as tens of thousands of subscribers around the world from its current group of around 2,000 people.
When Variety reported about the company's focus group earlier this year, the publication said that Netflix has been asking subscribers if they want to join "a community of members to view and give feedback on upcoming movies and series" since at least May 2021. "It's simple, but an incredibly important part of creating best-in-class content for you and Netflix members all around the world," the email reportedly said. Apparently, Netflix asks members of the group to watch several unreleased shows and movies over the course of six months. They then have to fill out a survey form to tell the company what they liked and what they didn't.
In The Journal's newer report, it said the streaming service calls the group the "Netflix Preview Club" and that the Leonardo DiCaprio/Jennifer Lawrence starrer Don't Look Up was one of the movies that benefited from its feedback. The movie was initially too serious, the preview group's members reportedly told Netflix, and the film's creators chose to listen to them and ratcheted up its comedic elements.
As The Journal notes, Netflix is known for giving creators a lot of creative freedom — even if it doesn't always lead to great content — so running a preview group has been tricky. The company has apparently been careful when it comes to sharing feedback with creators and has not been forcing changes. It's still the creators' decision whether to incorporate changes based on the previewers' response.
YouTube has revealed its top videos and creators of 2022. At the top of the US trending video list is the final video from Technoblade, a Minecraftcreator who died after a battle with cancer. Technoblade wrote a farewell message to fans that his father read in the video, which has more than 87.6 million views.
The trending video list is based on US video views, which explains why MrBeast's recreation (and giveaway) of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory is in fifth place despite having 126 million total views. YouTube also excludes Shorts, music videos, trailers and children's videos from this list.
Speaking of MrBeast, he was the top creator based on the number of subscribers gained in the US. That's not too surprising, since he has the most subscribers of any individual creator (Indian music label T-Series has the most overall). YouTube says that list doesn't take into account artists, brands, media companies or children's content.
Elsewhere, YouTube revealed the top songs in the US for 2022 (featuring tracks released this year or older ones that saw a significant uptick in views). "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Disney's Encantotopped the list with 503 million views. Bad Bunny and Karol G each had two songs on the list.
With the popularity of video games, concerts devoted to the music of franchises like Final Fantasy and Assassin’s Creed are a frequent occurrence at music venues worldwide. However, you rarely see two jazz legends reinterpret your favorite gaming tracks. That’s what makes the event Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco announced today so intriguing. On December 3rd, former Duke Ellington Orchestra member Kenny Garrett will join trumpeter Takuya Kuroda, best known for his album Rising Son, to play two shows at The Bourbon Room in Holywood. They will play music from FromSoftware’s latest action RPG.
With the official score featuring 67 tracks, Kuroda and Garrett have a lot of material they could reinterpret. You have to imagine Malenia’s theme will make an appearance. “If I were to pick one word to describe this project, it’s epic,” Kuroda said in a video Bandai Namco released promoting the concert series. Garrett, meanwhile, promised it would be “something different” from what he’s done in the past.
Unfortunately, there’s no free way to watch the event. In a chart reminiscent of the one Sega published before the release of Sonic Origins, Bandai Namco notes you can watch a VOD of the concert after it’s over for $15. Watching the event live over the internet will set you back at least $25. In-person tickets, meanwhile, start at $75 and go all the way up to $200, depending on the extras you want. You can find more details on Bandai Namco’s site.
It's that time of year again. Streaming services are eager to tell you which artists, songs and albums you listened to the most in 2022. While a few have already rolled out their bits of annual nostalgia, Spotify's 2022 installment of Wrapped debuts today. The company likes to put a new spin on its personalized top lists each year and this one is no different. A new feature called Your Listening Personality offers some insight into what the music you stream says about your taste. Wrapped determines which of 16 Listening Personality types fits you best including The Replayer, The Specialist, The Adventurer and The Fanclubber.
Of course, Wrapped will also chronicle your top artists, genres, songs, podcasts and tally your total minutes listened. An Audio Day feature can also tell you how your musical preferences change during the course of a day in an interactive story format. Artist Messages return from 2021 with over 40,000 acts recording thank you videos for top listeners. These clips are followed by your most listened to song from each artist this year too. Spotify has added the ability to purchase merch and see upcoming events through the Wrapped hub as well.
Spotify
As your social channels will indicate today, Spotify users love to share their Wrapped stats. This year, the company has added the ability to share cards via Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Line. What's more, there's a Snapchat lens for sharing that Listening Personality, Wrapped Bitmoji and themed GIFs on GIPHY. Since Spotify made its debut on Roblox earlier this year, you can expect Wrapped to show up there too with quests, games, digital merch and plenty of opportunities for photos.
In addition to the personalized Wrapped experience, Spotify has also revealed its top artists, songs, albums and podcasts for 2022. Bad Bunny is the most popular globally with "As It Was" by Harry Styles and Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny taking the top spots for songs and albums respectively. In the US, Drake edged out Taylor Swift but both the most popular song and album remain the same from the global charts. In terms of podcasts, The Joe Rogan Experience finishes the year number one again, with another Spotify exclusive — Call Her Daddy — slotted in second on both the global and US charts.
Nintendo has released a new trailer for its upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie. After the short teaser the gaming giant offered at the start of last month, the new clip offers a better insight into what fans can expect from the film. Not only do we hear more of Chris Pratt as Mario, but also Anya Taylor-Joy and Seth Rogan make appearances as Princess Peach and Donkey Kong. Oh, and the best part is that the film will include a nod to the Mario Kart series with a visit to Rainbow Road.
According to Mario and Zelda series creator Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo redesigned Donkey Kong's model for the first time since the loveable ape made the jump to 3D in 1994's Donkey Kong Country. "Some of you may have noticed, but for this movie, we seized the opportunity to give a comical personality and design reminiscent of the original character," Miyamoto said.
Super Mario Bros. will premiere on April 7th, 2023.
Netflix has added three new mobile games to its catalog, and they're eclectic... with a distinctly feline theme. The highlight is Hello Kitty Happiness Parade, a relentlessly cute rhythm game from Rogue Games that has up to three players dance down the street while collecting coins and thwarting the fun-hating Kuromi. It's not the most complex game by any means, but you might not mind given the kawaii aesthetic.
Another title, Neowiz's Cats & Soup, tasks you with helping cats make (what else?) soup. Thankfully, this is more a low-key relaxation title than a weird Neko-Atsume-meets-Overcooked crossover. And yes, there is a game for the less cat obsessed. Devolver's Reign: Three Kingdoms is a card battler that has you waging war and politics at the end of China's Han dynasty.
As with other Netflix mobile releases, you just need a subscription and an Android or iOS device. The hook remains the lack of sales pitches you frequently find in mobile games — there are no ads, in-app purchases or other rude surprises. If there's content to earn, you'll do it strictly by playing.
Netflix has been ramping up its game efforts in recent months. The creators of Downwell and Her Story have contributed to the catalog, and the streaming giant has been establishing in-house studios in addition to buying developers like Next Games (The Walking Dead) and Night School Studio (Oxenfree). The company is also poised to expand beyond mobile with not-so-subtle hints of work on blockbuster PC projects. Gaming certainly isn't the main reason to subscribe to Netflix, but it may represent a better incentive before long.
Two months after its chaotic launch, Overwatch 2 is in a much healthier place and Blizzard is gearing up for the game's second season. A gameplay trailer for the season, which starts on December 6th and will introduce another new tank character, provides a glimpse of an upcoming limited-time mode. It's called Battle for Olympus and it will run from January 5th until January 19th.
Blizzard only offered a brief look at Battle for Olympus in the trailer, but it takes place on a revamped version of the Ilios map and shows Roadhog firing rocks (instead of his usual scrap) and Junker Queen raining lightning down onto the battlefield. To wit, Blizzard says heroes will be "imbued with awesome god-like powers" in this mode.
Speaking of Junker Queen, the tank who joined the lineup when Overwatch 2 launched, she's the recipient of a mythic skin in season two, which (perhaps unsurprisingly) has a Greek mythology theme. The Zeus look has customizable parts and new weapon models, voice lines and special effects. That rad skin is the reward for reaching level 80 of the next battle pass.
The Winter Wonderland and Lunar New Year events will return during the season as well, and they'll feature fresh skins. During last month's Halloween event, there was no way for players to earn new event skins for free, which led to a backlash from players. However, Blizzard has said that, starting in season two, every event will have a skin that fans can unlock by simply playing the game — just like they could in the Overwatch 1 days.
The trailer also offered a look at the new escort map for season two, Shambali Monastery, where Zenyatta and the latest tank hero, Ramattra, used to live (a deeper dive into the map is coming later this week). Ramattra is the game's first so-called "tempo" tank. He can change forms and gain access to alternate abilities. He's all about closing the gap between his team and the enemy. Ramattra will initially be gated behind the season two battle pass. Buying the premium battle pass will unlock him instantly, but you'll need to grind through the ranks to claim him for free.
Elsewhere, Blizzard will rotate the map selection for the core game modes. Two maps, Oasis and Nepal, will be playable at different times of day. Balance changes for some heroes are on the way and those who miss out on unlocking Sojourn, Junker Queen and Kiriko in season one will be able to add them to their roster by winning a certain number of games.
’Tis the season for music apps’ “year in review” rewinds that let you relive the songs and artists you streamed from the past 12 months. Only a few hours after the revamped Apple Music Replay arrived, YouTube Music announced its 2022 Recap, which begins rolling out today for iOS and Android.
This is only the second year Alphabet’s music service has offered its personalized retrospective, and this time, you’ll find it in both YouTube Music and the main YouTube app. Unfortunately, it isn’t yet live on our devices, but once it’s fully available, you’ll find it by visiting the Recap landing page in YouTube Music or searching for “2022 recap” in YouTube.
Like last year’s edition, the 2022 Recap displays your most-streamed artists, songs, music videos and playlists. Additionally, this year’s version adds a few new stats. These include Top Trends (highlighting artists you listened to before most other people), Identity (assigning you a “music personality” based on your musical selections) and Hard-to-Find Content (noting YouTube-exclusive streams like remixes and live performances).
Like other companies' annual rewinds, YouTube Music uses a story-style format with cards you can tap through or share. You can share your personalized recap by tapping the arrow at the bottom of each story. Exclusive to the YouTube Music app, you’ll also find shareable cards showing your most-streamed songs from each season. And if you want to personalize it further, you can add a slideshow of Google Photos images from each corresponding season.
With Apple and YouTube’s music rewinds now available, Spotify Wrapped likely isn’t far behind. It typically launches in early December, so we could see that as early as this week.
Apple Music users can now access a recap of what they’ve listened to on the service this year thanks to Apple Music Replay. Apple has redesigned the feature to make it a much sleeker experience, albeit one that perhaps isn’t quite on par with Spotify Wrapped just yet.
For one thing, you’ll only be able to access your full Replay details on the web rather than in the Apple Music app (which does have a playlist of your most-played tracks). At the top of the page, you'll see a stories-style highlight reel including how many minutes you've spent listening to music and your top song, artist, album and genres of the year. Further down the page are the lists of your top 10 songs, artists and albums, and your top five playlists. What's more, you'll see if you're in the top 100 listeners for a certain artist.
You can share your highlight reel or other stats on social platforms or with friends. There are share buttons dotted throughout Replay on iOS and tapping one brings up the usual share sheet. Curiously, Apple Music's desktop web player doesn't feature share buttons, which makes it slightly more difficult for me to share just how much Rammstein and Taylor Swift I've been listening to this year.
Meanwhile, Apple Music has released its year-end charts, including the most Shazamed songs of the year. The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber had the service's most popular song of 2022 with "Stay," while Bad Bunny's Un Verano Sin Ti was the biggest album on Apple Music. On the top 100 songs chart, hip hop led the way in terms of genres with 32 tracks, followed by pop (23), R&B/soul (11), Latin (eight) and J-Pop (six).
From the moment that people started getting nasty with Johannes Gutenberg's newfangled printing press, sexually explicit content has led the way towards wide-scale adoption of mass communication technologies. But with every advance in methodology has invariably come a backlash — a moral panic here, a book burning there, the constant uncut threat of mass gun violence — aiming to suppress that expression. Now, given the things I saw Googling "sexually explicit printing press," dear reader, I can assure you that their efforts will ultimately be in vain.
But it hasn't stopped social media corporations, advertisers, government regulators and the people you most dread seeing in your building's elevator from working to erase sexuality-related content from the world wide web. In the excerpt below from her most excellent new book, How Sex Changed the Internet and the Internet Changed Sex: An Unexpected History, Motherboard Senior Editor Samantha Cole discusses the how and why to Facebook, Instagram and Google's slow strangling of online sexual speech over the past 15 years.
Human and algorithmic censorship has completely changed the power structure of who gets to post what types of adult content online. This has played out as independent sex workers struggling to avoid getting kicked off of sites like Instagram or Twitter just for existing as people—while big companies like Brazzers, displaying full nudity, have no problem keeping their accounts up.
Despite Facebook’s origins as Mark Zuckerberg’s Hot-or-Not rating system for women on his Harvard campus, the social network’s policies on sexuality and nudity are incredibly strict. Over the years, it’s gone through several evolutions and overhauls, but in 2022 forbidden content includes (but isn’t limited to) “real nude adults,” “sexual intercourse” and a wide range of things that could imply intercourse “even when the contact is not directly visible,” or “presence of by-products of sexual activity.” Nudity in art is supposedly allowed, but artists and illustrators still fight against bans and rejected posts all the time.
That’s not to mention “sexual solicitation,” which Facebook will not tolerate. That includes any and all porn, discussions of states of sexual arousal, and anything that both asks or offers sex “directly or indirectly” and also includes sexual emojis like peaches and eggplants, sexual slang, and depictions or poses of sexual activity.
These rules also apply on Instagram, the photo-sharing app owned by Facebook. As the number one and two biggest social networks in the US, these dictate how much of the internet sees and interacts with sexual content.
In the earliest archived versions of Facebook’s terms of use, sex was never mentioned—but its member conduct guidelines did ban “any content that we deem to be harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, vulgar, obscene, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable.” This vagueness gives Facebook legal wiggle room to ban whatever it wants.
The platform took a more welcoming approach to sexual speech as recently as 2007, with Sexuality listed as one of the areas of interest users could choose from, and more than five hundred user-created groups for various discussions around the topic. But the platform’s early liberality with sex drew scrutiny. In 2007, then–New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo led a sting operation on Facebook where an investigator posed as teens and caught child predators.
As early as 2008, it started banning female breasts—specifically, nipples. The areola violated its policy on “obscene, pornographic or sexually explicit” material. In December 2008, a handful of women gathered outside the company’s Palo Alto office to breastfeed in front of the building in protest (it was a Saturday; no executives were working).
As of 2018, Facebook lumped sex work under banned content that depicts “sexual exploitation,” stating that all references and depictions of “sexual services” were forbidden, “includ[ing] prostitution, escort services, sexual massages, and filmed sexual activity.”
A lot of this banned content is health and wellness education.
In 2018, sexuality educator Dr. Timaree Schmit logged in to Facebook and checked her page for SEXx Interactive, which runs an annual sex ed conference she’d held the day before. A notification from Facebook appeared: She and several other admins for the page were banned from the entire platform for thirty days, and the page was taken down, because an “offending image” had violated the platform’s community standards. The image in question was the word SEXx in block letters on a red background.
The examples of this sort of thing are endless and not limited to Facebook. Google AdWords banned “graphic sexual acts with intent to arouse including sex acts such as masturbation” in 2014. Android keyboards’ predictive text banned anything remotely sexual, including the words “panty,” “braless,” “Tampax,” “lactation,” “preggers, “uterus,” and “STI” from its autocomplete dictionary. Chromecast and Google Play forbid porn. You can’t navigate to adult sites using Starbucks Wi-Fi. For a while in 2018, Google Drive seemed to be blocking users from downloading documents and files that contained adult content. The crowdfunding site Patreon forbids porn depicting real people, and in 2018 blamed its payment processor, Stripe, for not being sex-friendly. Much of this followed FOSTA/SESTA.
This is far from a complete list. There are countless stories like this, where sex educators, sex workers, artists, and journalists are censored or pushed off platforms completely for crossing these imaginary lines that are constantly moving.
Over the years, as these policies have evolved, they’ve been applied inconsistently and often with vague reasoning for the users themselves. There is one way platforms have been consistent, however: Images and content of Black and Indigenous women, as well as queer and trans people, sex workers, and fat women, experience the brunt of platform discrimination. This can lead to serious self-esteem issues, isolation, and in some cases, suicidal thoughts for people who are pushed off platforms or labeled “sexually explicit” because of their body shape or skin color.
“I’m just sick of feeling like something is wrong with my body. That it’s not OK to look how I do,” Anna Konstantopoulos, a fat Instagram influencer, said after her account was shut down and posts were deleted multiple times. Her photos in bikinis or lingerie were deleted by Instagram moderators, while other influencers’ posts stayed up and raked in the likes. “It starts to make you feel like crap about yourself.”
In spite of all of this, people project their full selves, or at least a version of themselves, onto Facebook accounts. Censorship of our sexual sides doesn’t stop people from living and working on the internet—unless that is your life and work.
