Blog

YouTube to launch free ad-supported TV channels

YouTube is testing new content on its platform with a hub of ad-supported TV streaming channels. The company is actively working with various companies in order to bring TV shows and movies to the platform. While it is currently just being trialed, there is the possibility that it could be offered to the public for free at a later date.

A YouTube spokesperson corroborated the report with The Wall Street Journal, stating that “a small experiment that lets a subset of viewers watch free, ad-supported channels” is currently in progress and that it is “using it to gauge viewer interest.” The addition of free and ad-supported channels could be a big one, adding to the already large amount of revenue that the platform generates from ads.

Similar to its agreement with content creators on its platform, YouTube is seeking to collect a 45 per cent cut of the ad revenue while talks are still in progress. Despite the fact that this would be an uncharted area for YouTube, businesses like Roku, Samsung, and others have long provided free, ad-supported TV channels through their own platforms. The ability for YouTube to seamlessly provide consumers with simple access to a range of other material on its platform might differentiate the user experience.

The recent multi-year agreement that was signed to provide NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels starting in 2023 is just one example of the extensive work that YouTube has done in recent years to enhance its content.

Additionally, the company has grown by introducing YouTube TV, a distinct online TV streaming service that offers over a hundred TV channels much like your local cable or satellite provider. The platform has expanded to include short-form user-created videos in addition to more traditional user-generated content.

It launched Shorts last year in an effort to take on TikTok, and it appears to be succeeding. As YouTube has begun the process of sharing ad revenue with Shorts producers by altering the conditions of its YouTube Partner Program, this year might be even better. This might be a significant step over the coming year that puts TikTok and its neck and neck. Things might get hotter for YouTube in 2023 if it is successful in integrating free ad-supported channels into its platform.

January 15, 2023
Dur-e-Fishan Saleem celebrates birthday in style, gets surprised

Actor Dur-e-fishan Saleem is currently riding high on the success of her blockbuster drama serial Kesi Teri Khugarzi costarring Danish Taimoor. The Dilruba star celebrated her birthday recently with her close friends in Karachi.

Dure’s friends hosted multiple surprises for her in the city.

Saleem made sure to serve unique looks for all her birthday outings.

Two years back Fishan’s birthday pictures with friend and co-star Omer Shahzad went viral on social media.

January 14, 2023
Virat Kohli opens up about his ‘cranky, frustrated’ phase, being unfair to wife Anushka Sharma

Indian star-cricketer Virat Kohli in his recent interview revealed that he was ‘unfair’ with his wife Anushka Sharma and loved ones when he was going through a bad spell in his life.

He revealed that due to frustrations slowly creeping into his life, he wasn’t able to stay as energetic as he was. Which is why his relationships were being affected. In an interview with bcci.tv, he said, “In my case, in denial, frustration was creeping in. I was very cranky, very snappy in my space. It was not fair on (wife) Anushka (Sharma), my closed ones, its not fair on the people who support you. So I had to take responsibility and kind of put things in perspective.”

He further added, “I was far off from my cricket. My attachments, my desire, had totally taken over. That’s when I realised that I can’t be away from who I am. I have to be true to myself. Even when I am vulnerable, I am not playing well, I am the worst player around, I have to accept it. I can’t be in denial.”

Virat and Anushka got married in Italy back in 2017. They have a daughter named Vamika.

January 14, 2023
Bitcoin price surpasses Rs4.5 million for the first time in 2 months

On Saturday, Bitcoin surpassed $20,000 (Rs4.5 million) for the first time in more than two months. The strongest and most popular cryptocurrency in the world gained $922 from its previous closing to appreciate 4.6 per cent to $20,853 at 1:00 GMT on Saturday.

Since January 1’s low of $16,496 for the year, the cryptocurrency has increased by 26.4 per cent.

On Saturday, the price of Ether, the digital currency linked to the Ethereum blockchain network, rose by $85.90 to $1,536.3.

Both traditional and cryptocurrency investors were pleased with the report’s findings. But it also occurs at a moment when Washington has a revived interest in cryptocurrency.

Legislators are on high alert after FTX’s fall in November. Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder and former CEO of FTX, was detained last month and charged with eight offenses, including wire fraud and violations of campaign financing laws.

While many on Twitter are happy with Bitcoin’s recent gains, $20,000 is still 71 per cent below the cryptocurrency’s previous record high of just over $69,000.

January 14, 2023
Miss Thailand wears gown made with can tabs, in tribute to garbage-collector parents

As the Miss Universe pageant kick-started this week, Miss Thailand Anna Sueangam-iam began trending on the internet when she made her debut on stage wearing a gown made with soda tabs.
The gown, also called the ‘Hidden Precious Diamond Dress” was designed by the brand Manirat and is made out of the aluminium soda tabs of cans with Swaovski crystals embedded into it.
On Instagram, the post featuring the dress has reached over 150,000 likes. Sueangam-iam explained that her gown was designed as a tribute to her parents who were garbage-collectors, as a way to honor her upbringing.

“This gown was inspired by the familiar surroundings of my childhood. Growing up with garbage collector parents, my life as a child was among piles of garbage and recyclables. This unique gown was purposefully tailor-made with discarded and recycled materials, namely the ‘Can Tab’ to present to the UNIVERSE that what’s considered worthless by many actually possesses its own value and beauty. Thank you all for seeing it, hearing it, and hopefully being that message of self-worth.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Miss Universe Thailand (@missuniverse.in.th)

January 14, 2023
Kanye West marries Yeezy designer Bianca Censori

American rapper and the force behind fashion brand Yeezy, Kanye West has reportedly married architect Bianca Censori. According to TMZ, West and his new bride have tied the knot in a private ceremony in Beverly Hills, and were spotted wearing wedding bands while eating together.

Censori is working as an artichetural designer for West’s fashion line ‘Yeezy’. She graduated with a Bachelors in Architecture from the University of Melbourne in 2017, and later completed her Masters in 2020. Before working with Kanye, she had launched her own jewlery company, Nylons right after graduating high school.
Kanye West had been previously married to reality television star Kim Kardashian, with whom he has four children. The pair had finalized their divorce in November 2022.

January 14, 2023
James Cameron reveals why Leonardo Dicaprio initially rejected classic blockbuster ‘Titanic’

The Hollywood film Titanic is an absolute cult classic that created history at the box office. The blockbuster movie’s director James Cameron recently spilled the beans about his casting process for the film. James has a knack for spotting amazing actors for the roles in his movies. However, if Leo wouldn’t come through, there were no dearth of world-class actors for him. To be Jack Dawson in Titanic, Johnny Depp, and Matthew McConaughey among others were also in the race. Well, Johnny rejected it because of the long script and finally, Leo came through creating history.

In an interview with People at the Golden Globes 2023, Avatar: The Way of Water director James Cameron revealed Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t want to become the leading man in his Titanic. He said, “He didn’t want to do a leading man. I had to really twist his arm to be in the movie. He didn’t want to do it. He thought it was boring. It didn’t surprise me, first of all, that he’s made a lot of authentic choices going forward. And secondly, I never doubted his talent.”

Going further in the conversation, James explained how he had to fight for him and convince him to do the role. He even shared that he cannot imagine Titanic without Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. He said, “I think about that casting Leonardo and Kate in Titanic. Leo, the studio didn’t want him; I had to fight for him. Kate really liked him and then Leonardo decided he didn’t want to make the movie. So then I had to talk him into it. You think at any one of those places, if that had really kind of frayed apart, it would have been somebody else and it wouldn’t have been that film. I can’t imagine that film without him and without her.”

Well, Titanic is in its 25th year and the movie’s re-release is doing rounds all over the news and the internet. Kate and Leonardo’s on-screen chemistry is something we all look forward to in our subconscious minds.

January 14, 2023
ECP says LG polls will be held tomorrow

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday said the local government (LG) elections in Karachi and Hyderabad would be held on January 15 (tomorrow) as per schedule.

The commission has rejected the demand of the Sindh government to postpone it over security threats to political leaders.

It has also directed the Sindh government to ensure “foolproof preparations for peaceful elections”.

‘Threats to politicians’: Sindh govt once again asks ECP to delay LG elections

Earlier in the day, the government asked ECP to delay the polls in Karachi and Hyderabad, citing “threats to various political leaders and workers of political parties” after warnings by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government sent a letter to the commission with polls set to take place in less than 24 hours. The letter mentions the threat and it is added that the Sindh cabinet had also expressed its concern with the non-availability of the Pakistan Army and civil armed forces for static deployment at polling stations.

The provincial government is repeatedly requesting ECP to delay the polls to calm down Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), which has warned that it will quit the coalition government if its grievances are not addressed before polls.

ECP clears confusion; LG elections in Karachi, Hyderabad to be held on Jan 15

On Friday, ECP said that the local government elections in Karachi, Hyderabad, and other districts would be held as scheduled on January 15.

The ECP rejected the notification issued by the Sindh government last night.

The decision was taken during a meeting of ECP headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and attended by all four members.

Local government elections — scheduled for January 15 — will not be held in Karachi, Hyderabad, and Dadu, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon announced early Friday.

The decision came after an emergency meeting of the PPP presided by party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and attended by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, provincial ministers and the district presidents of the party’s Karachi chapter, among others.

In a press conference, Memon said that the decision was taken after the Sindh government withdrew a notification regarding the delimitations of the constituencies in Karachi after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) expressed reservations about it.

“They (MQM-P) are our allies in the federal government and we take the concerns of our allies very seriously,” the minister said.

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vowed to “resist” the decision as they termed the delaying of the local body polls “unacceptable”.

JI Karachi president Hafiz Naeem-Ur-Rehman termed the decision an “ambush” on Karachi and Hyderabad by PPP and MQM-P.

“There will be a sit-in today at 3pm outside the Election Commission’s Sindh office,” JI Karachi President Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman had announced in a press conference, early Friday morning.

PTI Sindh President Ali Zaidi said that the provincial government took the step as they were afraid of defeat.

PTI leader Ali Zaidi, in a separate media talk on Friday morning also announced that the party will be holding a protest rally outside the Sindh Assembly at 4pm today.

January 14, 2023
‘Not afraid’; PML-N ready to rock n poll

The Punjab Assembly is soon to be dissolved and it seems like Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is ready for polls despite Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) recent political victory in the province.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah while talking to the media said the party is ready for the polls which will be held within 90 days after the dissolution and they will fully participate in the campaign.

He termed the dissolution of assemblies undemocratic. He said earlier the democratic process was derailed with the imposition of martial laws, and now a political dictator is trying to derail it.

The minister said that the National Assembly, as well as Sindh and Balochistan assemblies, would remain intact until August this year.

Similarly, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the Punjab chief minister’s summary about the dissolution of the assembly would be treated as per law. He said the PML-N is not afraid of elections.

Meanwhile, Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique met Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif at his residence and discussed political issues.

It has also been reported that a telephonic conversation between Shehbaz and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif took place and Nawaz asked PM Shehbaz to direct Punjab Governor Baligur Rehman to tackle political matters in the province.

On Thursday, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi signed a summary for the dissolution of the Punjab Assembly. A day later, PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has prepared a summary for the dissolution of the provincial assembly.

January 14, 2023
Apple CEO Tim Cook requests and receives a 40% salary cut

Apple chief executive Tim Cook will see his annual salary package trimmed by up to 40 per cent this year.

According to reports, Cook asked for a reduction in pay after receiving criticism from shareholders.

He received a total “target compensation” from Apple’s compensation committee of $49 million for 2023.

According to details, a global economic slowdown and supply chain issues caused the iPhone manufacturer’s shares to drop precipitously in 2022.

“The Compensation Committee balanced shareholder feedback, Apple’s exceptional performance, and a recommendation from Cook to adjust his compensation in light of the feedback received,” Apple said in a filing with a US financial watchdog.

Still, Cook’s annual basic salary will remain unchanged at $3 million, as well as a bonus of up to $6 million.

The biggest difference in his salary package is how he will be awarded shares in the company.

The company granted him $75 million worth of shares in 2022, half of which were based on how well Apple performed on the stock market.

For this year his stock award target has been slashed to $40 million, with three-quarters of that dependent on share performance.

The target for Cook’s compensation for 2022 was $84 million, although his actual total pay for last year was $99.4 million. That figure included $630,600 in personal security costs and $712,500 for his use of a private jet.

Earlier, Apple shareholders were asked by a top investor advisory group to vote against Cook’s pay package.

In a letter to investors, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) said there are “significant concerns” over the “design and magnitude” of the package.

According to reports, Cook’s pay was surprisingly 1,447 times more than the wage of an average Apple employee.

Cook became Apple’s chief executive in August 2011, just weeks before the death of co-founder Steve Jobs.

The 62-year-old’s personal wealth stands at around $1.7 billion, according to Forbes.

January 14, 2023