Netflix will let you give shows ‘Two Thumbs Up’

There’s a big difference between merely liking a show and it being your all-time favorite. Netflix’s recommendation algorithm will now be able to distinguish between the two. The streaming service is adding a “Two Thumbs Up” option to its rating system. Viewers will notice the new option starting today, right next to the traditional “Thumbs Up and “Thumbs Up” icon across all devices.

How do you know whether a show or movie deserves one or two “Thumbs Up”? If you liked the genre or style of a show and want to see similar titles, a single thumb is a safe bet. For example, giving a single thumbs up to a show like Russian Doll means you’ll see more mystery or dramedy shows with a woman as a leading character. Liking a show like Midsomer Murders means Netflix will serve you up even more British detective dramas.

But when you throw out a “Two Thumbs Up”, Netflix’s suggestions will become even more tailored to actors or specific creators. “…A Two Thumbs Up tells us what you loved and helps us get even more specific with your recommendations. For example, if you loved Bridgerton, you might see even more shows or films starring the cast, or from Shondaland,” said Christine Doig-Cardet, Netflix’s director of product innovation in a blog post. 

Netflix’s thumbs-based rating system has had its fair share of critics in recent years. The platform replaced its five-star rating system in 2017, much to the chagrin of armchair movie critics everywhere. As one Redditor points out, it’s hard to know what to rate a mediocre film from a director you normally love. Viewers worried that giving a “Thumbs Down” to a less-than-stellar show from a favorite genre could throw off Netflix’s algorithm. One example could be zombie fans who don’t like the movie Zombieland, or fans of Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy who didn’t care for Waking Life. Hopefully the new addition to Netflix’s rating system will lead to more well-tailored suggestions. Or at least less bad ones. 

YouTube says picture-in-picture will hit all iOS 15 devices in the coming days (updated)

If you don’t yet have YouTube picture-in-picture on your Apple device, you will soon (but not as soon as you’d think — read the update below). YouTube has told users PiP should be available “in a matter of days” across all devices running iOS 15 or later. As with other apps that support PiP on iOS, this will let you keep a floating video window pinned to your screen while you shift your focus to other activities.

The feature has been a long time in coming. YouTube said it was first rolling out PiP to Premium subscribers in June of last year, with plans to eventually bring the perk to all viewers. Some users found workarounds (such as using the mobile website) shortly after Apple enabled PiP with iOS 14, but that functionality quickly disappeared.

YouTube is relatively late when Disney+, Netflix, Twitch and others enabled PiP within months. Nonetheless, it remains a large upgrade. You won’t have to confine yourself to YouTube’s app just to catch up on your video queue, and it should be that much easier to use the service as a jukebox without subscribing to YouTube Music.

Update 4/11 2:50PM ET: YouTube tells Engadget the post accidentally referred to picture-in-picture for YouTube TV, not regular YouTube. It’s still testing PiP on iOS with Premium members, and all US users should have access “soon.”

WarnerMedia finalizes $43 billion merger with Discovery

WarnerMedia and Discovery have completed their merger. Warner Bros. Discovery, as the new entity is called, will eventually combine HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single streaming service. The blend of entertainment and reality programming could help Warner Bros. Discovery better compete with the likes of Netflix and Disney+. In the meantime, the company will likely offer a bundle of the two services. WarnerMedia recently launched another streaming service in CNN+.

Not long before the merger closed, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announced his departure. Kilar, who started running the company in May 2020, was behind the controversialplan to release all 2021 Warner Bros. movies on HBO Max and in theaters on the same day amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The move seemed to have paid off, as HBO Max and HBO had 73.8 million subscribers combined at the end of 2021.

As if the departures of Kilar and several other WarnerMedia executives didn’t make things clear enough, Warner Bros. Discovery will have a new leadership structure. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is running the company.

The merger is the latest in several major media consolidation moves in recent years. Amazon sealed its $8.45 billion purchase of MGM only last month. Disney spent $71.3 billion to snap up most of 21st Century Fox a few years back, while Microsoft agreed a $68.7 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard, which is expected to close by June 2023.

AT&T announced last year it was spinning off WarnerMedia in a $43 billion deal that would combine it with Discovery. Now that the T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted, the deal is done and AT&T is more or less out of the content business.

After 24 years Black Star is back, but only on the Luminary podcasting platform

In 1998, Brooklyn-based hip-hop superstars Talib Qweli and yasiin bey (still then going by Mos Def and capitalizing his name) found themselves recording solo albums at the same time. With the support of DJ and producer, Hi-Tek, they put their individual projects on hold and made Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, one of the most critically acclaimed albums in the history of hip-hop. 

Now, Qweli and bey, this time with Madlib on the boards, have announced the imminent release of Black Star’s sophomore album, No Fear of Time, on May 3rd. But for indiscernible reasons, the collective’s first drop in nearly a quarter century is exclusive to the Luminary podcast network.

“About 3-4 years ago I was visiting yasiin in Europe and we started to talk about songs to do on an album,” Kweli recalled in a Friday press release, “so I flew an engineer out just to see what that would be. Once I realized this conversation is starting to organically become a creative conversation, I started making sure to have the engineer around at all times. There was one day we were just in a hotel listening to Madlib beats, and he’s like ‘Play that Madlib tape again.’ I’m playing the beats and he starts doing rhymes to the beats. And that’s how we did the first song.”

Kweli added, “This is very similar to how we did the first album. But the first album, there were no mobile studios. This entire album, we have not set foot in one recording studio. It’s all been done in hotel rooms and backstage at Dave Chappelle shows.”

The 9-track album drops on May 3rd. You’ll need a Luminary subscription ($3 a month after a 7-day trial) or access to Apple Podcasts in order to listen. 

Halo Infinite’s delayed second season starts on May 3rd

Microsoft and 343 Industries have revealed that season two of Halo Infinite will get underway on May 3rd. The season, which is called Lone Wolves, will herald the arrival of fresh arena and Big Team Battle maps, more modes (including Land Grab and free-for-all elimination in Last Spartan Standing) and limited-time events. There’ll also be a new battle pass that won’t expire and a slew of other updates.

Season two was initially supposed to arrive three months after the game’s launch. That would have been February or March, depending on whether 343 Industries defined the launch date as mid-November (when the multiplayer component debuted) or December, when the full game was released. However, in November, the studio said season one would run until May.

What’s more, fans will need to be a bit more patient for the arrival of the long-awaited campaign co-op mode. That was originally supposed to be available at the start of season two. It will emerge sometime later in the season. Forge mode, which allows players to create custom games with map modifiers and unique rules, is still slated to arrive in season three. At least players will have new maps to learn and more game modes to master in the meantime.

Spotify expands access to its TikTok-like discovery feed

Spotify’s TikTok-style music discovery feed is official. The streaming service has formally launched a beta test that helps you find new tunes through a vertical, customized feed of Canvas visual loops. The test is limited to Android and iOS users in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK, but promises a relatively easy way to find new artists and songs.

The new discovery tool is available from the home screen and, like TikTok, lets you scroll when you’re done with a given track. If you like what you hear, you can follow the artist, add the song to a playlist or share it with your social networks. Spotify will offer up to 15 new recommendations per day — you won’t have to listen to old material, but you also won’t be scrolling for long.

The company didn’t say if or when the beta might expand to the US. Having said this, it wouldn’t be shocking to see an expansion. The TikTok-like vertical feed could help Spotify court younger listeners by giving them both a familiar experience and a reason to keep coming back.

Engadget Podcast: Twitter gets Elon Musk and an edit button

What a week it’s been for Twitter. Elon Musk snapped up 9.2 percent of the company, becoming its biggest shareholder. He soon became a board member and shortly after, Twitter announced it was bringing a long-awaited Edit feature to its Blue service. Senior reporter Karissa Bell joined us this week to discuss how it all went down, as well as the potential repercussions. Then, we looked at Peloton’s newest gadget, Microsoft’s updates to Windows 11 as well as more controversy over Apple’s AirTags.

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

  • Why did Elon Musk buy 9.2% of Twitter? – 1:42

  • Our Peloton Guide hands-on – 27:08

  • Windows 11 getting a redesigned File Explorer and video call upgrades – 38:31

  • Dyson’s headphone / mask combo isn’t an April Fool’s joke – 41:01

  • OnePlus 10 Pro review – 44:07

  • Dates for Microsoft Build and WWDC have been announced – 46:40

  • Police reports indicate AirTag stalking may be more prevalent than we know – 48:34

  • Snapchat Lens helps users learn the ASL alphabet – 52:38

  • Open AI’s DALL-E 2 latest generative art project creates amazing images – 53:41

  • What we’re working on – 56:25

  • Our pop culture picks – 1:02:15

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Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Guest: Mat Smith
Producer: Ben Ellman
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos, Luke Brooks
Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Brian Oh
Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien