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India’s New Internet Regulations Will Change How Indians See The Internet

Among other things, the IT Rules 2021 require social media platforms to deploy AI-based technology to identify sexually explicit content, trace the originator of encrypted messages, introduce a “voluntary verification system” for its users, and hire local teams to respond to both Indian users’ and government's complaints about content. Regulations for platforms with more than 5 million users will...

TV’s First Sitcom Family Wasn’t Much Like The Cleavers

Far from the WASP families in suburban homes seen in Father Knows Best and Leave It To Beaver (and The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family and on and on), The Goldbergs — created by its star, Gertrude Berg, who also wrote every episode — featured a thoroughly Jewish immigrant couple and their American-born children in a Bronx tenement....

BBC Plans Major Transfer Of Production And Jobs Away From London

"The blueprint for the plan, which is called 'The BBC Across the U.K.,' commits at least an extra £700 million ($978 million), cumulatively, across the country by 2027/2028. … The expansion also includes the relocation of 400 positions, with half from BBC News and the other half from radio. Around 200-300 new roles in local content journalism will also...

LA Movie Theatres Reopen And Sell Out Of Tickets

The No. 1 circuit’s Burbank location sold out 22 of its 32 showtimes, while Century City sold out 18 of its 30 showtimes yesterday. Remember, capacity is capped at 25%. But still, a good start as the motion picture industry looks to get the No. 1 box office market back in business. - Deadline

Is MoviePass About To Return From The Dead?

The "Icarus of subscription services" seemed too good to be true when it started selling $9.99-a-month memberships that would let you see a movie in a theater literally every day — and so it was. The more customers it got, the more cash it hemorrhaged, and it died a long, humiliating death over the course of 2019. But this...

Could Netflix Transform Africa’s Cinema Ecosystem?

In Sub-Saharan Africa there are and have been numerous impressive filmmakers, but only Nigeria and South Africa have fully developed industries in which films can be funded, shot, edited and gotten to a wide public, all domestically. But the continent is full of growing markets that Netflix would like to enter, the company has plenty of money to fund...

Netflix And Amazon Want To Make Lots More Programming In India, But Hindu Nationalists Aren’t Making It Easy

"U.S. video streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are looking to the Indian market to power their global growth. But their shows are facing the wrath of Hindu nationalists, often linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP, which wields increasing clout over what is acceptable entertainment. Now, the government has stepped in, raising fears about...

The BBC Has Dominated Audio Content In The UK. Now Podcasters Are Taking Root

While Britain hasn’t seen the cash influx — about $2 billion — that streaming and traditional media companies have spent snapping up the American podcasting companies in recent years, listening numbers here have surged. Nearly a fifth of the British adult population, more than 10 million people, now regularly listen to podcasts; entertainment and tech companies, investors and advertisers...

Want To See The Complete List Of Oscars Nominations?

Of course you do! (And there are articles about the highest profile snubs everywhere as well.) - Variety

The Silver Lining Of Netflix’s Password Crackdown Is Your Security

No, really. "Sharing user names and passwords with even your closest relations can have woesome consequences" - and the Netflix crackdown might help save your identity in the future. - Wired

If You’re Watching K-Dramas Or Other Korean TV, You’re Probably Seeing A Lot Of Subway Content

That is, the fast food chain, not underground trains. The reason: "Product placement in TV shows is a reality the world over. But South Korea’s terrestrial stations are prevented from inserting commercial breaks during programming, meaning many Korean companies must be creative about getting their wares in front of viewers." - The New York Times

Will Disney Break Netflix’s Record Numbers For Streaming?

That's what it's poised to do in 2024, or so the predictions say (on the other hand, who could have predicted that every family with children would be stuck at home needing some Disney to stream when Disney+ debuted in 2019?). - The Guardian (UK)

The Swag Continues, Even For The Virtual Oscars

Good: "Some film insiders are privately asking an uncomfortable question: How do you tastefully campaign for trophies when more than 1,000 Americans a day are still dying from the coronavirus?" Not as good: "Calling off the campaigns is not an option for Hollywood, where jockeying for awards has become an industry unto itself." - The New York Times

Netflix May Be Trying To Make Password-Sharing Harder

Here we go: "When users open the Netflix TV app, they will be asked to verify their account with a code that is either texted or emailed to the account holder. If they aren’t the account holder, users will be reminded, 'If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own account to keep watching.'"...

French Actor Wears A Donkey Costume Soaked In Fake Blood, And Then Strips, At The Cesars

The details: "Actress Corinne Masiero took the stage in a donkey costume covered in fake blood, before stripping down to a faux gore-soaked gown and, finally, fully undressing altogether, while presenter Marina Fois looked on in shock and (eventually) the audience applauded." The message? Arts workers need a lot more support. - Vulture

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