 |
|
|
|||||
Twitch has been testing a discovery feed for livestreams and Clips on mobile since last year, in hopes of giving users a new way to find new streamers to follow and, hence, spend more time on the platform. Now, the website has announced that it's rolling out the feature to all users later this month. The feed will first appear as a new tab in the mobile app and will allow viewers to switch between a scrollable feed for livestreams and another one for Clips. Like their names imply, the live feed will show users broadcasts from people they already follow and ongoing streams from people they don't based on their watch history. Meanwhile, the Clips feed will be filled with short snippets from live broadcasts. Users will be able to join ongoing streams from the live feed by tapping on the streamers' avatars to immediately go into theater mode. Twitch will also show when the streamer is live in the Clips feed, so viewers can check them out from there, as well. And just in case it isn't clear, Twitch explained in its announcement that the discovery feed will only be aggregating streams and clips from the service and that creators cannot upload to it directly. In other words, getting highlighted on the feed is a game of chance, though featured Clips will be given priority over non-featured ones. The discovery feed launching this month isn't its final form, though. Some users might start seeing the feed as their actual home page sometime next month, which is what Twitch had in mind for the feature in the first place. In early March, company CEO Dan Clancy said the service is giving its mobile app its first major redesign in years and that the discovery feed will be its new landing page. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/twitch-is-giving-all-users-access-to-its-discovery-feed-later-this-month-041009070.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
The News/Media Alliance, formerly the Newspaper Association of America, asked US federal agencies to investigate Googles removal of links to California news media outlets. Googles tactic is in response to the proposed California Journalism Preservation Act (CJPA), which would require it and other tech companies to pay for links to California-based publishers news content. The News/Media Alliance, which represents over 2,200 publishers, sent letters to the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and California State Attorney General on Tuesday. It says the removal appears to be either coercive or retaliatory, driven by Googles opposition to a pending legislative measure in Sacramento. The CJPA would require Google and other tech platforms to pay California media outlets in exchange for links. The proposed bill passed the state Assembly last year. In a blog post last week announcing the removal, Google VP of Global News Partnerships Jaffer Zaidi warned that the CJPA is the wrong approach to supporting journalism (because Googles current approach totally hasnt left the industry in smoldering ruins!). Zaidi said the CJPA would also put small publishers at a disadvantage and limit consumers access to a diverse local media ecosystem. Nothing to see here, folks: just your friendly neighborhood multi-trillion-dollar company looking out for the little guy! Google described its link removal as a test to see how the bill would impact its platform: To prepare for possible CJPA implications, we are beginning a short-term test for a small percentage of California users, Zaidi wrote. The testing process involves removing links to California news websites, potentially covered by CJPA, to measure the impact of the legislation on our product experience. Until theres clarity on Californias regulatory environment, were also pausing further investments in the California news ecosystem, including new partnerships through Google News Showcase, our product and licensing program for news organizations, and planned expansions of the Google News Initiative. In its letters, The News/Media Alliance lists several laws it believes Google may be breaking with the short-term removal. Potential federal violations include the Lanham Act, the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act. The letter to Californias AG cites the states Unruh Civil Rights Act, regulations against false advertising and misrepresentation, the California Consumer Privacy Act and Californias Unfair Competition Law (UCL). Importantly, Google released no further details on how many Californians will be affected, how the Californians who will be denied news access were chosen, what publications will be affected, how long the compelled news blackouts will persist, and whether access will be blocked entirely or just to content Google particularly disfavors, News/Media Alliance President / CEO Danielle Coffey wrote in the letter to the DOJ and FTC. Because of these unknowns, there are many ways Googles unilateral decision to turn off access to news websites for Californians could violate laws. Google has a mixed track record in dealing with similar legislation. It pulled Google News from Spain for seven years in response to local copyright laws that would have required licensing fees to publishers. However, it signed deals worth around $150 million to pay Australian publishers and retreated from threats to pull news from search results in Canada, instead spending the $74 million required by the Online News Act. Google made more than $73 billion in profits in 2023. The company currently has a $1.94 trillion market cap.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/media-coalition-asks-the-feds-to-investigate-googles-removal-of-california-news-links-212052979.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
TikTok is ramping up penalties for creators who post potentially problematic content and tightening its rules around what can be recommended in the app. The updates arrive as TikTok is fighting for its future in the United States and trying to convince lawmakers and regulators that its app is safe for teens. Under its updated community guidelines, set to take effect in May, TikTok has added a long list of content thats not eligible to be recommended in the apps coveted For You feed. The list includes some obvious categories, like sexually suggestive or violent content, but it also adds topics that have previously been a source of controversy for the app. For example, the new guidelines bar videos showing dangerous activity and challenges, as well as many types of weight loss or dieting content. It also prohibits any clips from users under the age of 16 from appearing in For You. Theres also a lengthy section dedicated to a wide range of misinformation and conspiratorial content. From the guidelines: -Conspiracy theories that are unfounded and claim that certain events or situations are carried out by covert or powerful groups, such as "the government" or a "secret society" -Moderate harm health misinformation, such as an unproven recommendation for how to treat a minor illness -Repurposed media, such as showing a crowd at a music concert and suggesting it is a political protest -Misrepresenting authoritative sources, such as selectively referencing certain scientific data to support a conclusion that is counter to the findings of the study -Unverified claims related to an emergency or unfolding event -Potential high-harm misinformation while it is undergoing a fact-checking review In addition to the eligibility changes, TikTok says it will also begin to penalize creators who repeatedly disregard this guidance by making their entire account ineligible for recommendations, not just the specific offending posts. The company will also make their account harder to find in search. Additionally, the app is getting a new account status feature, which will help users track if they are running afoul of these rules. Much like the feature of the same name in Instagram, TikToks account status will alert creators to strikes on their account and posts that run afoul of the apps rules. And an account check feature will allow users to track if they are currently being blocked from recommendations or otherwise unable to access features like messaging or commenting as a result of breaking the apps rules.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-is-trying-to-clean-up-its-for-you-recommendations-210057825.html?src=rss
Category:
Marketing and Advertising
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||