With the massive amount of content, close to half of U.S. viewers — 46% — said they feel “overwhelmed” by the growing number of services and platforms, which make it harder to find the content they’re looking for, per Nielsen’s inaugural “The State of Play” report released Wednesday.
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Amazon is increasing Music Unlimited plan prices for Prime members
Amazon is increasing the price of its Unlimited Music subscription for Prime members, the company announced on its website. The Amazon Music Unlimited plan price is going from $7.99 to $8.99 per month, or from $79 to $89 per year, for Prime members. The cost of the Amazon Music Single-Device plan, which only allows you to stream music from an Echo device or Fire TV, is going from $3.99 to $4.99 per month.
Source: Amazon is increasing Music Unlimited plan prices for Prime members
Cryptoverse: NFT bubble gets that shrinking feeling
Sales on OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace, had reached nearly $5 billion in January, a giant leap from the $8 million a year before, but declined to around $2.5 billion last month. Around 635,000 people bought an NFT last month, for $427 on average, according to market tracker CryptoSlam, down from about 948,000 for $659 in January.
Sci-Hub Now The Only Option For Academics In Russia After Major Publishers Pull Out
Fifteen major publishers, together representing an almost global monopoly on scientific papers, have announced a suspension of sales and services in Russia. The knowledge and information void left behind can still be filled by Sci-Hub but thanks to legal action by the publishers, not even that is straightforward.
Source: Sci-Hub Only Option For Academics In Russia After Major Publishers Pull Out * TorrentFreak
ALA Releases Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021
The American Library Assn. kicked off National Library Week with the release of its annual State of America’s Libraries report. In a release, ALA officials said library staff in every state faced “an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books” in 2021, with ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracking 729 challenges to library, school and university materials, resulting in more than 1,597 individual book challenges or removals.
Study: Over 20% of Consumers Feel They Subscribe to Too Many Streaming Services
It’s no secret that consumers are subscribing to more and more streaming services as options continue to increase. Recently, the average number of SVOD platforms per household became 4-5, so where will it end? A recent study by Interpret found that more than 20% of viewers feel they have too many streaming service subscriptions.
Source: Study: Over 20% of Consumers Feel They Subscribe to Too Many Streaming Services | Cord Cutters News
Will the news boom prevent more media outlets going bust?
From the pandemic and the war in Ukraine to the Westminster partygate saga, newspapers are benefiting from a financially lucrative news boom. However, is the news industry enjoying a one-off blip in the battle for survival against big tech, or is this proof that publishers have finally forged commercial models fit for the new media age?
Source: Will the news boom prevent more media outlets going bust?
Has Netflix become the Blockbuster of the 2020s?
Netflix dominates home media consumption as much — if not more — than Blockbuster did in its late-20th-century heyday, its brand name as interchangeable with streaming entertainment as Blockbuster’s was with video rental. But a variety of unpopular decisions threaten to turn the streaming service into the bad guy it once dethroned.
Source: Opinion | Has Netflix become the Blockbuster of the 2020s?
Italy to Set Firm 90-Day Window Between Theatrical Release and Streaming Play
In a move that will transform Italy’s relationship with Netflix, the Italian government has set a firm three-month time window between a movie’s theatrical release and when it can drop on a streaming platform. The announcement was made by Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini during a Rome confab on the state of the country’s film industry.
Source: Italy to Set Firm 90-Day Window Between Theatrical Release and Streaming Play
Janet Kirker named Chief Product Officer at UK-based Synchtank
Janet Kirker has been named Chief Product Officer at Synchtank, a UK-based, B2B SaaS company providing asset and rights management and royalty accounting solutions for the music, media and production industries. Kirker’s appointment follows Synchtank’s $5.8 million Series A fundraise in November, which was led by Octopus Ventures.
Source: Janet Kirker named Chief Product Officer at UK-based Synchtank