Netflix reported 208 million global subscribers at the end of the first quarter, missing its own forecast of 210 million. The shortfall saw the streamer’s stock drop more than 10% in after-hours trading. Roughly 3.98 million people signed up for Netflix from January through March, below analyst projections of 6.25 million. Netflix estimates it will add just 1 million new streaming customers in the second quarter, anticipating more growth in the second half of the year when new seasons of You, Money Heist, and The Witcher are released.
Bell Media has unveiled Noovo Moi, an online destination that integrates all of the lifestyle content previously hosted on the Canal Vie, Fraîchement pressé, Sympatico, Look du jour, Muramur and VoyageVoyage websites. Noovo Moi will feature articles on a broad range of subjects, including cooking, decorating, travel, pop culture and celebrities, beauty and fashion, relationships, health, family, gardening, sports, as well as special sections devoted to topical themes and subjects. Correspondents like Mathieu Dufour, Catherine Peach, Livia Martin, Ève Côté, Jonathan Roberge and Valérie Roberts will also contribute exclusive web series.
CBC/Radio-Canada has introduced Mauril, a new platform for learning English and French through entertaining content from news, current affairs and documentaries, to TV and radio shows, digital series and podcasts. Content is accompanied by comprehension-assessment questions to help users acquire a diverse vocabulary. Named after the Honourable Mauril Bélanger, the former Ottawa-Vanier MP who championed and promoted Canada’s official languages, the Mauril app is funded by Canadian Heritage as part of the 2018-23 Action Plan for Official Languages.
Liquid Media Group, in conjunction with CurrencyWorks, has announced it will drop its Red Carpet NFTs (non-fungible tokens) in May. Bringing fans up close and behind the scenes with Hollywood personalities and movies, Red Carpet NFTs will give fans the opportunity to own never before seen footage or a chance to capture a rare experience with a celebrity like walking the Red Carpet at a future movie premiere. Liquid will roll out the NFTs through the CurrencyWorks-powered NFTainment.io, a community and trading platform where fans can buy, sell, or discuss NFTs.
Virtira Consulting has released the results of its latest workplace study, The Webcam Survey: Exhausted or Engaged? The 22-page report reveals the negative impact on employees as they navigate excessive time in front of webcams. Among the revelations is that nearly half of professionals working remotely (49%) reported a high degree of exhaustion or “Zoom fatigue” as a direct result of numerous daily video calls. The study found that 63% of remote workers are participating in more meetings online than they would have in the office, with 30% spending 2-3 hours daily meeting on camera. Other key findings include: 65% indicated that being on video is best for team engagement, but only 11% of video meetings are being used for that purpose; More than 25% feel peer pressure to have their cameras on, even if not required; and 58% of self-identified introverts and 40% of extroverts reported on-camera exhaustion. The survey includes insights from 1,700+ managers and employees.
