Showing posts with label Media. Show all posts

Netflix brings offline viewing to Windows 10 PCs and tablets



Netflix added support for offline viewing on iOS and Android late last year, and today it’s bringing the same feature to Windows 10, with the exception of Windows 10 mobile devices. Arriving now in the updated Windows 10 application, a subset of the Netflix catalog can be downloaded to your PC or tablet computer, in order to be viewed when a network connection is not available – such as when traveling.


The addition was spotted earlier today by MSPoweruser, an unofficial source for Microsoft and Windows news.


A spokesperson for Netflix confirmed the feature saying, ” Today, the Netflix app will support the downloading feature on Windows 10 laptops and tablets. We are constantly exploring new ways to make this feature available to more members and make it easier for more people to enjoy Netflix on the go.”


Similar to the launch on iOS and Android mobile devices, offline viewing is not available for just any title on Netflix, due to rights issues. Instead, the feature is limited to a mix of Netflix Originals and select licensed content.


However, because of Netflix’s vast selection of its own programming, that still means there are a lot of shows and specials that can be downloaded locally, including popular programs like Stranger Things, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Narcos, The Crown, Bloodline, Sense8, and many others, as well as a number of specials, like live standup comedy specials, as well as documentaries and other Netflix films, for instance.


This offline catalog remains consistent regardless of device – iOS, Android or Windows 10 – but it may vary slightly by region, depending on licensing restrictions.



Downloading content is not difficult – in the updated app, you just tap the down arrow next to the show, movie or episode you want to watch to save it to your Windows 10 device. You can also browse for things that can be downloaded through the new section in the app, “Available for Download,” via the menu. Here, another tab called “My Downloads” will let you manage that content.


The feature is now available to users worldwide, Netflix also confirmed.


We should note that there are a few reports from early adopters that downloads are not working properly for them. When they try to download content on a supported device, they’re getting a “download error” message saying “there was a problem.” (Netflix says it’s looking into this problem, and we’ll update if it determines the issue or offers a solution.)


The Windows 10 app is available on the official Microsoft Store, here.


Image credits: Windows Central

Nuzzel launches a ‘Newswire’ for sponsored content



For the first time, news aggregator Nuzzel will include advertising.


That doesn’t mean you’re going to see banner ads popping up all over the startup’s app and website. Instead, the Nuzzel Newswire consists of sponsored links in Nuzzel’s email newsletter, pointing to a blog post, press release or news article of the advertiser’s choosing.


So why call it a “newswire” when it’s really just sponsored content? Nuzzel founder and CEO Jonathan Abrams told me he’s pitching this as an alternative to paying for press release distribution through a service like PR Newswire, where he said “probably few people will really read” it.


“Of course you could do both,” Abrams said. “But the idea is that this is a way to get your content in front of influencers that a traditional press release service may not deliver, since they take anything and release so many press releases every day.”


In contrast, he said the Newswire will only run one sponsored story per day.


Nuzzel promoted story


Nuzzel, for those of you who haven’t tried it, offers a number of ways to keep track of the news, whether that’s following feeds/newsletters curated by Nuzzel or other users, or by connecting your Twitter account to see the stories that are getting the most shares from the people you follow.


Abrams declined to reveal anything about the size of Nuzzel’s audience, except that “it’s fair to say that at this point, the real value of the Nuzzel Newswire is the quality of the audience vs. huge size” — a point underlined on the Newswire website, which highlights a few individual Nuzzel users.


As for why the ads are only running in the newsletters, Abrams said he might add them to other products in the future, but he’s starting with email “because we thought native ads in email newsletters would get really good engagement and not as many people were doing it.”

VideoGamer.com acquired by Resero Network

The team behind Xbox Achievements has acquired VideoGamer.com.


Resero Network, which also operates PlayStation Trophies and Resero.TV, has picked up the brand from Candy Banana for an undisclosed sum, GamesIndustry.biz can reveal. The company works alongside advertising agency Venatus, which handles the ad sales for Resero’s websites.


The acquisition includes the site, the assets and the team – which currently features editor Alice Bell and content editor Colm Ahern.


“Not a lot will change from an editorial perspective, to be completely honest – we’re not coming in to rock the boat per se,” says editor-in-chief Dan Webb. “We’re coming in to apply our years of online experience to kick-start a new era for VideoGamer. We’ll work with Alice and Colm to get the best out of VideoGamer, and we couldn’t be more excited to add such an esteemed brand to our network.”


He continues: “We have both short-term and long-term goals, for sure. They’ll be moving in with us in our West London office, where we are currently in the process of building a state-of-the-art studio that will support both our’s and VideoGamer’s current video needs. We’ll be putting more of an emphasis on community too, as that’s what we’ve always been about. So that means bringing back user comments, user profiles, forums and the like. We’ll also be looking to hire in the next month or so too and the current team has some great ideas that we’ll be implementing from here on out. So, lots of changes, all incredibly positive.”


The acquisition follows a tricky period for VideoGamer after the departure of a number of senior journalists and producers, including Steve Burns, Jim Trinca, Simon Miller, David Scammell and Tom Orry.


Yet Webb says there remains a lot of strength in the website.


“For me, VideoGamer is one of the truly great brands in the UK video game industry,” he says. “They’ve been around as long as I have – which is bloody ages – and have had an incredible history, one that has been blessed with so many wonderful personalities. We’re always looking for ways to expand and to give us a new edge, and VideoGamer fits that criteria perfectly for us. It complements our current brands and allows us to apply everything we’ve learned over the last 10 plus years to it to give it a new lease of life. It was the logical next step for us.”