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2025-07-16 15:06:18| Fast Company

A “click-to-cancel” rule, which would have made it easier for consumers to end unwanted subscriptions, has been blocked by a federal appeals court days before it was set to go into effect. But there are ways to end those subscriptions and memberships, even if they take some work.The rule would also have required companies to disclose when free trials and promotional offers would end and let customers cancel recurring subscriptions as easily as they started them. But even without the new federal guidance, here are some ways to stay on top of subscription and membership fees. Use calendar reminders and regularly review your bills Experts at the Consumer Federation of America recommend setting calendar reminders for whenever a free trial period ends, to alert yourself to cancel promotional offers before the real recurring costs kick in. The auto-enrollment process, in which the company does not remind the consumer via email that a trial is about to end and higher monthly payments will begin, was also at the heart of the FTC’s rule.“No subscription business model should be structured to profit from a gauntlet-style cancellation process,” said Erin Witte, Director of Consumer Protection for the Consumer Federation of America, in a statement on the click-to-cancel rule.Regularly reviewing your credit card and debit card bills can also help you keep track of any recurring chargesincluding price increases you may have missed or that you didn’t anticipate when trying out a new membership or subscription. Know the terms and conditions of a given subscription “Companies make it easy for consumers to click to sign up and easy for the companies to automatically withdraw funds from consumers’ accounts,” said Shennan Kavanagh, Director of Litigation at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) in a statement on the FTC’s click-to-cancel rule. “People should not (have to) spend months trying to cancel unwanted subscriptions.”Given the FTC’s vacated rule, though, companies may still legally require that customers cancel memberships or subscriptions by phone, even as they permit signing up, enrolling, and paying bills online. Consumer advocates say this places an extra burden of time and energy on the consumer to stop an unwanted recurring fee, but sometimes knowing the terms of the subscription and getting on the phone is worth the trouble. There are some services that unenroll you Apps like Rocket Money and services like Trim, which is accessed through a browser, can keep track of your recurring monthly fees and subscriptions, for freeor for a feeand can help you catch new ones or even unsubscribe from some services.For parents, especially, a service like Trim could help inform them that a child has started a new subscription, game or membership before the fees recur. And Rocket Money will actively work to end unwanted subscriptions for you, for a monthly price. If the company can’t successfully end or cancel the subscription or membership, it will give the customer the information needed to do so. Trim also provides this service, in its premium form, for an additional fee. Resist deals when canceling The FTC is currently moving forward with preparations for a trial involving Amazon’s Prime program, which accuses the retailer of enrolling consumers in its Prime program without their consent and making it difficult to cancel subscriptions.Often, when a consumer tries to cancel a subscription for something like Prime, which offers free delivery and streaming video, the company will offer a month or more of the subscription at a promotional ratehalf off, or at other, better-seeming values, to entice a customer to stay. Staying strong in the face of what may appear to be a good deal can help you stop recurring monthly fees before you forget to cancel them again.Agreeing to yet another trial or promotional rate, which is another on-ramp to auto-enrollment, just continues the cycle, according to consumer advocates. What would the FTC’s rule have done? The FTC’s rule would have required businesses to obtain a customer’s consent before charging for memberships, auto-renewals and programs linked to free trials. The businesses would have also had to disclose when free trials and promotional offers would end.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said this week that the FTC made a procedural error by failing to come up with a preliminary regulatory analysis, which is required for rules whose annual impact on the U.S. economy is more than $100 million.The FTC said that it did not have to come up with a preliminary regulatory analysis because it initially determined that the rule’s impact on the national economy would be less than $100 million. An administrative law judge decided that the economic impact would be more than the $100 million threshold, and the court decided to vacate the rule.Former President Joe Biden’s administration had included the FTC’s proposal as part of its “Time is Money” initiative, which aimed to crack down on consumer-related hassles. The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism. Cora Lewis, Associated Press


Category: E-Commerce

 

LATEST NEWS

2025-07-16 15:00:00| Fast Company

If you havent yelled DRAW FOUR across a sticky bar table lately, Mattel wants to change that. This weekend in Las Vegas, the company behind one of the worlds most iconic card games is launching something totally new: UNO Social Club, a real-life version of game night with a serious glow-up. The first one opens July 18 at the Palms Casino Resort, turning a suite into a full-on UNO-themed playgroundcomplete with a private bowling alley, color-drenched décor, and more versions of the game than you knew existed. The launch event is part of Mattels larger strategy to turn UNO into a lifestyle brand. Designed for what the company calls the socially distant generation, UNO Social Clubs are meant to create new touch points for younger players who might be less interested in family game night and more interested in turning game play into a night out. Gen Z already loves UNO, Ray Adler, Mattels VP and Global Head of Games tells Fast Company. Theyve been playing it online, at parties, everywhere. What they dont always have are opportunities to connect in the real worldso we asked: What if game night could be a whole experience? The answer? A rainbow-colored suite at the Palms packed with UNO-inspired décor and stocked with specialty decks like UNO Golf, UNO Show Em No Mercy, and UNO Teams. Theres even a dedicated UNO host to keep the games flowing and the trash talk civil. But the Vegas suite is just the opening hand. UNO, but make it nightlife Starting in August, UNO will be taking over bars in five major citiesfrom L.A. to Austinwith pop-up Social Clubs designed to turn everyday hotspots into the ultimate competitive hangout. Think: UNO-themed décor, tournament-style gameplay on official tables, and selfie-friendly backdrops. Each local UNO Social Club will bring its own twist. In L.A., the party lands at Club Tee Gees open-air patio in Atwater Village. In NYC, its taking over the downtown favorite Cowgirl. Chicagos Empty Bottle will transform its dance floor into a card-slinging arena. Atlantas Ormsbys will host in its basement bar, and Austins Murrays Tavern will close out the summer tour with cocktails and custom card games under the Texas sky. These arent family-friendly sit-downs with juice boxestheyre designed with Gen Z sensibilities in mind. Attendees can win custom UNO merch, product packs, and exclusive giveaways while battling it out over classic UNO, UNO Golf, and UNO Teams. The point is less about who wins and more about the connection and memories made along the way. Mattel chose venues specifically for their Gen Z appealplaces that already host game nights, trivia, or other community eventsso UNO fans dont have to shift their habits to show up. No ticketing system, no velvet rope, Adler explains. We want people to stumble upon it, hang out, maybe discover a new favorite way to playand then take that energy with them. Each pop-up is tailored to the local scene, bringing in unique variations of the game and adapting to each locations vibe. While the Vegas suite leans into spectacle, the bars will focus on accessibility and cultural relevance. UNO is growing upbut staying chaotic The brand has been on a hot streak. UNO was the top-selling traditional game during the pandemic, as people rediscovered old favorites while stuck at home. Now, Mattels aim is to keep that momentum goingwith variations that bring chaos, strategy, and, yes, pain. People asked for something more brutal, Adler says. So we made Show Em No Mercy. That deck includes game-changing twists and double-digit draw penalties that can knock players out of the game entirely. While the classic version still sells strong, its the newer spinoffslike UNO Flip or UNO Attackthat are resonating with gamers who crave novelty. Mattel now views the brand as a cultural bridge: a game you played with your family, yes, but also one that evolves with you as you grow upand grow more competitive. The ultimate goal? Make UNO something you never outgrow. UNO goes lifestyle Mattels bet on UNO as a lifestyle brand is part of a larger push happening across the $19.5 billion tabletop games market. That market is projected to grow to $34.1 billion by 2030 according to Research and Markets, with a nearly 10% annual growth rate. And while big names like Mattel and Hasbro still dominate the space, smaller indie brands are gaining traction thanks to clever design and grassroots followings. Strategy games, in particular, are fueling the boomespecially those that combine competitive chaos with social connection. Its exactly the niche UNO is now trying to own. A new kind of brand loyalty This isn’t just about nostalgia. The surge in tabletop gamingfueled by Euro-style strategy games, hybrid digital-analog formats, and board game cafésreflects a growing appetite for IRL interaction in a screen-saturated world. Educational games, RPGs, and collectible card games are all seeing major traction, especially in North America and Europe, with APAC quickly catching up thanks to a booming interest in social gaming and game cafés. If Barbie was Mattels all-pink lifestyle moment, UNO is aiming to become the game night version. But instead of museum-style installations or scripted nostalgia, this is about high-energy interactivity. Its less about buying the product and more about stepping into its worldeven if just for a drink, a draw four, and a photo op. We want to create spaces that feel familiar but elevated, Adler says. If a bar was built with UNO in mind, what would it look like? Thats what were trying to answer. What UNO is doing fits squarely into that trend. Its social. Its competitive. And its chaotic in the best way. And if the Vegas launch goes welland enough people show up ready to shufflethis could be the beginning of a very colorful new era for game night.


Category: E-Commerce

 

2025-07-16 13:52:12| Fast Company

Two milestones revealed this week illustrate the diminishing power of broadcast television in the media worldone fueled by the habits of young people and the other by their elders.During June, viewers spent more time watching streaming services than they did for broadcast and cable television combined. That happened for the first time ever in May, by a fraction of a percentage point, but the Nielsen company said on Tuesday that gap widened considerably in June.Also, for the third straight week, Nielsen said that Fox News Channel had more viewers in prime-time on weeknights than any of the main the broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox entertainment.For years, the mantra of media executives was that streaming represented the future for in-home entertainment. Now, that future has clearly arrived. Broadcast TV slips below 20% of total In June, 46% of Americans’ TV time was spent on streaming services, led by YouTube and Netflix. Cable television networks represented 23.4% and broadcast was 18.5%, for a total of just under 42%, Nielsen said. It was the first time broadcast TV had ever slipped below 20% of total TV viewing.“It kind of felt like the right time,” said Brian Fuhrer, Nielsen’s senior vice president for product strategy and thought leadership. “A lot of people thought it would happen more quickly.”The driving force in June was school ending for young people, meaning they had more time to watch TV, where Netflix series like “Ginny & Georgia” and “Squid Game” were big hits. Roughly two-thirds of people aged 6 to 17 watched streaming ahead of conventional TV, Nielsen said.In June 2024, the numbers were roughly reversed47.7% of people were watching conventional TV in an average minute, with 40.3% logged on to a streaming service.While the direction is clear, it’s not a death knell for conventional TV. June and July are fallow months, and their viewing will increase when football season begins and original episodes of comedies and dramas return, Fuhrer said. Content is distributed over more platforms It’s also not a strict either-or situation; media companies are doing a better job spreading their content out on different platforms to give viewers a choice, he said. The growth of YouTube, which many consumers can access for free and is a portal for “traditional” TV, has also fueled streaming services.Fox News has occasionally eclipsed the broadcast networks in viewership before, but last week represented the seventh week it has done so in 2025, already more than 2024 and 2023 combined. It averaged 2.4 million viewers in prime time on weeknights last week, Nielsen said.Fox News is also taking advantage of what is traditionally the least-watched time of the year for broadcast networks, when summer nights and barbecues keep people outside. The difference this year is it has won a few weeks outside of the summer, during President Donald Trump’s inauguration week in January, for example.Its audienceamong the oldest of all television networkstends to stay pretty steady throughout the year. David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social David Bauder, AP Media Writer


Category: E-Commerce

 

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