The system will use game mechanics to engage users — people will be able to earn “points” each time the assistant shares one of their answers. – CNBC
Category: media
Why Is Netflix Canceling So Many Shows?
The more original shows Netflix orders, the more likely it is to cancel those that don’t perform well. The company relies on an “efficiency metric” to decide what shows should be kept and which should go. If a series is able to retain subscribers with a risk of leaving or bring in new subscribers (like Stranger Things), it gets renewed. If it can’t, it’s probably going to be canceled. – The Verge
Facing “Severe Cash Flow Issues”, Nevada Public Radio Lays Off All Staffers In Reno
The Las Vegas-based network, which operates a classical station in the city and a news station which is re-transmitted throughout the state, expanded into Reno (a market that already had two NPR affiliates) when it bought an available frequency in 2017 and operated it as a “music discovery” station. (That station, NV89, will now air a direct feed from the Las Vegas news station.) Nevada PR CEO Flo Rogers, an 18-year veteran, has resigned. – Reno Gazette Journal
Disney Wants To Limit Profit Sharing For Creators Of Hit Shows
Show creators traditionally get big payouts when a really popular show gets syndicated and sold over and over again. Disney wants to pay more up front and limit the back end. Creators aren’t happy. – Los Angeles Times
Film Festivals Cost Their Host Cities A Lot — Are They Worth It?
From Cannes to Shanghai to Park City to Toronto, these events bring in visitors, create jobs, build a city’s brand, and nurture culture. On the other hand, they can drive up prices, strain the environment (Venice), and attract interference from the authorities. On yet another hand, they can put a spotlight on important issues and provide a lifeline for minorities (as with the queer film fest in Jakarta). – The Guardian
Toronto International Film Festival’s Stellar Record At Predicting Hits
Since 2000, movies that won the People’s Choice Award at TIFF earned in total more than $3-billion US worldwide, compared to films that won Cannes’ Palme d’Or, which made over $815-million, according to the movie industry database The Numbers. – CBC
An Israeli TV Series Shows The Jewish State Locked In Civil War
“In [Autonomies], set in the near future, civil war has cut the land into two countries. The coastal State of Israel is nonreligious, with the cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv as its capital. Jerusalem is a walled, autonomous city-state, run by [ultra-Orthodox] Haredi rabbis. At first glance dystopian, the show is in fact an artistic extrapolation of real-life rifts in Israeli society.” – The Guardian
There’s One American TV Show That Depicts Labor With Real Dignity
“On its face, [The Science Channel’s] How It’s Made is arguably about science and engineering rather than the vicissitudes of the working class, but its depiction of the everyday worker nonetheless makes it a kissing cousin to socialist realism — or at least a kissing cousin to social realism, which is itself a kissing cousin to socialist realism.” – The Baffler
Are Streaming Services Making It More Difficult For Canadians To See Canadian Films?
Subscription video on-demand services, like Netflix and Amazon Prime, operate independently of delivery networks like cable; they are literally “over-the-top.” They bypass traditional programming as they deliver content via high-speed internet. They also are exempt from the rules that govern Canadian broadcasters.
The Plan To Turn Spotify Into The Ultimate Podcast Hub
Spotify already has listeners; now it wants to expand its market share through podcasts. But can it compete with the undisputed podcast provider champion, Apple? Says the woman in charge of Spotify’s podcast empire, “The amount of content that we can make is endless.” – Los Angeles Times