Update, 22 August: Netflix South Africa's PR has told Memeburn that there's "no confirmation that Netflix will be rolling out the previews in our market". See the additional statement by Netflix in full below: At Netflix, we conduct hundreds of tests every year so we can better understand what helps members more easily find something great to watch. A couple of years ago, we introduced video previews to the TV experience, because we saw that it significantly cut the time members spend browsing and helped them find something they would enjoy watching even faster. Since then, we have been experimenting even more with...
Sweetener is Ariana Grande's fourth and latest album, hitting streaming services early this morning in South Africa. It's her first album since 2016's Dangerous Woman. It's also the first since 2017's Manchester Arena bombing which claimed the lives of 23 people and injured scores more. Understandably, people are eager to hear just what is mentioned within its 15 tracks. As for initial impressions, positive would be an understatement. "Ari just gifted us R&B bops, party anthems & beautiful ballads about forgiveness, anxiety, toxic relationships, feminism, mourning the death of her fans, dating broken men, loving again, & being a baddie. whoever says...
It's been a busy day for Multichoice. The DStv owner announced a new deal with the SABC to keep the latter's shows on its satellite TV service. The company has also announced that DStv Now, the company's over-the-air content streaming service, is now available on 4th generation Apple TVs, Google-certified Android TVs and Samsung Smart TVs. DStv Now first appeared on Android and iOS devices in November 2014 and allowed users to livestream SuperSport's sports channels and M-Net's offerings. The service is available for no additional cost to all DStv subscribers, however content depends on the subscriber's DStv package. Additionally, up to...
In an extremely brave and risky financial play, Spotify may soon allow free tier users to skip audio and video advertisements whenever they want. At present, free users are not allowed to skip ads at all, but that could soon change according to a report by AdAge. The Scandinavian streaming service is currently testing the tweak to its free tier in Australia. Users Down Under are allowed to skip ads whenever they like, getting back to their voracious music consumption sooner. Spotify is also making note of which ads users of skipping, building up a playlist of relevant ads, if you...
If you ever visit Netflix and feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of content, don't worry, we do too. In fact, just the other day, I took the best part of half an hour to find something to watch. After finishing The Good Place, I was saving the best of Brooklyn Nine-Nine for my sad nights, and didn't feel happy enough to watch BoJack Horseman. So what did I do? I just opened YouTube instead. But for those who have more will power than I do, how can you find something to watch without forcing yourself to find something else to...
It's safe to say that Netflix South Africa has adopted the Wendy's brand of guerilla marketing, this after its latest ad dropped in the country this week. Dubbed "Man in a Van" and starring South African comedian Jason Goliath, the 97-second long short pokes fun at satellite options' often convoluted installation methods. Okay, mainly Multichoice's DStv, to be honest. XD. Although it was off to a slow start, the ad has now racked up more than 44 000 views on YouTube since it debuted two days ago. On Twitter, it has also accrued a further 3000 retweets with more than 5000 likes. It's not...
5.2-million more people are now subscribed to Netflix worldwide, but that number has fallen well short of the company's forecast. It's the first time Netflix has missed its user growth forecasts since Q1 2017. In Q2 2018 the streaming giant added just 670 000 US based subscribers -- less than its prediction of 1.2-million. "We had a strong but not stellar Q2, ending with 130-million memberships. Membership growth was 5.2-million, the same as Q2 last year, but lower than our 6.2-million forecast," the company writes in its investor letter. In Q1 2018, the company added 7.4-million subscribers, beating its predictions by a million...
Netflix's Smart Downloads is now available on Android, and it may save you from forgetting to download your favourite shows. Smart Downloads is pretty simple in concept. "Now, when you finish watching a downloaded episode, Smart Downloads will delete it, and then automatically download the next episode. You watch, We do the work," the company sassily explains. "We know how annoying it can be to go through all your apps and delete files you no longer need; we also understand that when it comes to Netflix, the faster you can get to the next episode you want to watch, the better." Users can...
South Africans love sport, don't they? And now that the World Cup is entering its pivotal semi-final stage, more users than ever are tuning in to see a ball (and Neymar) roll around a field. DStv has noted this trend, reportedly seeing a 60% increase in weekday usage of its DStv Now mobile streaming app since the World Cup began. Notably, there are five times more people using the app this June than in June 2017. "The absolute peak in concurrent usage for one event was reached on 26 June, during the Nigeria vs Argentina game," the company adds in a...
While loadshedding has caused many South Africans to miss World Cup games this year, Australian fans aren't having it much better. Australia's World Cup coverage is reportedly so bad that the country's prime minister himself logged a complaint with the exclusive broadcaster's CEO on Monday. Judging by chatter on Twitter, telecoms firm Optus has been facing streaming issues including timeouts, long buffer times, and dead connections since the tournament began last week. And fans took to Twitter to voice their annoyance. This is the third day in a row! We are sick of the apologies and guarantees, you need to give the...
Finding something to watch on Netflix is the most difficult thing any human has ever done. Ever. But a new addition coming to the iOS app could solve this crisis once and for all. The streaming service is today adding Instagram Stories-like "mobile previews" to its iOS app. "Mobile previews present members with a fun, simple, and easy way to learn about all the new content on Netflix -- and find something great to watch even faster," explains Cameron Johnson, Netflix's director of product innovation. Inspired by Netflix's own video previews on televisions, the mobile previews will each be around 30 seconds...
One month after Scandinavian streaming service Spotify launched in South Africa, we now have an idea of what locals love listening to. According to company statisticians, Drake is the most streamed international artist in South Africa between 13 March and 10 April 2018 and also owns the most streamed track: "God's Plan". XXXTENTACION comes in second, while Post Malone ranks third. Notably, Marshmello (fifth, behind Kendrick Lamar) is the only EDM artist on the list, while all others are predominantly R&B or hip-hop artists. Oh, and Ed Sheeran props up the table. But popularity varies per city too. While Capetonians loved Nigerian...
South African comedy Catching Feelings debuted in cinemas last month, and it did fairly well for a local film at the box office. But for those who don't enjoy cinemas, you can soon watch the flick on your own television. Netflix South Africa today announced that the flick, directed by Kagiso Lediga (Wonder Boy for President) and stars Pearl Thusi, is heading to the streaming service. It's the first SA film to feature on Netflix too. "Catching Feelings is a dark romantic comedy drama which "follows a jaded academic and his journalist wife, who have their lives turned upside down when a celebrated...
Disney may be planning its own streaming service for 2019, but for now, Netflix still stocks some of the company's content. Today, it announced that 12 new Disney shows -- for kids and adults -- are now available to stream in South Africa. A few highlights include Phineas and Ferb's first four seasons, Gravity Falls' seasons one and two, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars' first two seasons as well. In addition, kids can annoy their parents with Sofia The First's second and third seasons, and Doc McStuffins' first three seasons. (Because, as we sit at our desks watching that clock...
Just days ahead of its IPO, Swedish music streaming company Spotify has published its first ever guidance document for prospective investors and anyone who just wants to understand the company's self-image. The IPO, or initial public offering, will be the first time Spotify's shares will be available for public purchase. And if you need a specific date, pen that particular milestone for 3 April 2018. For you number lovers out there however, here's how many users the company believes will join its service this year. Spotify forecasts modest user growth for the first three months of 2018's financial year (Q1 2018). It...
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