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https://nerdist.com/article/the-witcher-season-2-everything-you-need-to-remember/

Netflix’s The Witcher is a sprawling land of monsters, magic, mayhem, and political machinations. With so much going on it’s a lot to keep track of. But like a charming bard, we’re here to help get you ready for the show’s third year. (No, sorry, not in song form.) Here’s everything you need to remember about The Witcher season two, along with a few other things to know.

Before you start, though, make sure you read Everything You Need To Remember From Season One. Players and events from the show’s first year are guaranteed to have major implications during its third.

Everything You Need to Remember About THE WITCHER Season 2_1
Netflix
IMPORTANT CHARACTERS AND EVENTS

Geralt

Everything You Need to Remember About THE WITCHER Season 2_2
Netflix

Geralt brought Ciri to Kaer Morhen, the witchers’ home and training grounds, to keep her safe. When he realized more deadly monsters had suddenly appeared on the Continent he set out to learn why. Together with the mage Istredd, Geralt discovered Ciri had opened doors to other worlds when she destroyed a monolith with her deadly scream in season one.

(The Blood Origin prequel mini-series explained where those ancient, powerful monoliths came from. You can read about that and all the other major connections between the two shows here.)

Geralt nearly executed Yennefer because she betrayed him and Ciri. Yennefer was going to hand Ciri over to a demon witch (the Deathless Mother) in exchange for getting her powers back. He didn’t forgive Yennefer, but ultimately left Kaer Morhen with her and Ciri to go into hiding.

Yennefer

Yennefer is bloodied and bruised after a battle on The Witcher
Netflix

After unleashing her “chaos” (an ocean of fire) to win the Battle of Sodden Hill, a presumed dead Yennefer lost her magic. She was also initially a prisoner of Nilfgaard before being taken by elves. When she returned to Aretuza, though, the Brotherhood branded her a spy instead of a hero. To prove her loyalty she was ordered to behead the captured Nilfgaard general, Cahir. Instead she ran off with him in front of an audience of Northern kings.

Yennefer, herself part elf, redeemed herself in season two’s finale. She was willing to sacrifice herself to save the possessed Ciri from the killer witch. Yennefer then ended the season with her powers back.

Ciri, Princess of Cintra

A young blonde girl stands in a snowy outdoor area in a castle
Netflix

In addition to possessing magical abilities, Ciri also has Elder blood. Her blood is different from others who also have elvish ancestors. It can grow life, but a single drop can also be very dangerous. It’s also possible it can be used to create more witchers, which Ciri herself began training to become. (Witcher mutagen hasn’t been made since Geralt was a kid, as explored in the animated prequel movie Nightmare of the Wolf.)

Some believe Ciri is the prophesied Child of Elder Blood who will save all elves. Others fear she will bring about the end of the world.

Jaskier

Jaskier rocking out in season 2 of The Witcher
Netflix

“The Sandpiper” was helping smuggle elves to freedom when he encountered Yennefer and Cahir on the run. He aided them, only to then need Yen to save him from the fire-wielding mage Rience. Jaskier also reunited with his old friend Geralt, who broke Jaskier out of prison. He’s one of the few people the White Wolf trusts to help keep Ciri safe.

Jaskier still sings on occasion, too.

Cahir

After making his way back to Nilfgaard, Cahir once again worked with the mage Fringilla to try and expand the White Flame’s stead. But despite his loyal service, Cahir was imprisoned along with Fringilla after the Emperor caught them lying.

A shocked Cahir stands next to Fringilla in a royal court on The Witcher
Netflix

Fringilla

The captured Fringilla forged an alliance with the elves’ new leader, Francesca, after the two were lured in by the Deathless Mother’s promises. Fringilla offered a home and safety for all elves in exchange for their army.

Emperor Emhyr

Emperor Emhyr in his armor with long hair on The Witcher
Netflix

The mysterious White Flame, the Emperor of Nilfgaard desperately seeking Ciri and hoping to conquer the entire Continent, finally revealed himself. He is Ciri’s father “Duny,” long thought dead. He was the porcupine knight Geralt saved decades earlier, which prompted Geralt to claim the Law of Surprise that ended up being Ciri.

Emhyr knew Cahir and Francesca lied to him about ordering the death of Francesca’s baby because he was the one who had it killed.

Francesca

The elves Francesca and Filavandril look at each other on The Witcher
Netflix

The new elven leader found her people refuge in the Nilfgaard-controlled Xin’trea (aka Cintra, Ciri’s home). That’s also where the sorceress gave birth to the first elf child in generations, just as the Deathless Mother promised. But tragedy struck after Francesca said her soldiers would not fight Nilfgaard’s war for them. Her and Filavandrel (the former elf leader) found their baby murdered. They blamed the Northern kingdom of Redania, returned their people to the woods, and swore vengeance.

Francesca learned from the elf-friendly mage Istredd about the prophecy of Ciri, which is why she’s so desperate to find the powerful princess. She believes Ciri is the ultimate weapon to help elves defeat humans.

Tissaia

Tissaia looks stern in her green dress on The Witcher
Netflix

Yennefer’s mentor tortured Cahir during his imprisonment at Aretuza. During season two Tissaia also took leadership over the Brotherhood of Sorcerers along with her lover, the militaristic mage Vilgefortz.

Tissaia also alerted the Northern kingdoms about Ciri and Geralt, putting a target on the Princess they all thought dead.

Vilgefortz

Vilgefortz the mage looks stern on The Witcher
Netflix

Tissaia convinced Yennefer, the real hero of Sodden Hill, to let Vilgefortz take credit for the victory for political reasons. That helped him take control of the Brotherhood along with Tissaia. He also believes Ciri has the ability to end all war forever.

Triss

Triss with red hair wears a pupple cloak in the snow on The Witcher
Netflix

After surviving severe wounds at Sodden Hill, Triss answered Geralt’s call to come to Kaer Morhen and train Ciri in magic. (He did not answer her call to spend the night together, though.) Triss left the keep in fear after reading Ciri’s mind and almost dying during Ciri’s attack while in a trance.

Triss returned to Aretuza and informed Tissaia that Ciri has the power to either destroy the entire world or save it, but grew angry when Tissaia shared that news with Vilgefortz.

Istredd

Istredd the mage looks stern on The Witcher
Netflix

Yennefer’s former lover remains committed to studying monoliths. He also worked to help elves leave Cintra.

Stregobor

Stregobor the mage from The Witcher
Netflix

He lost his seat of power on the Brotherhood along with his closest ally Artorius, but the untrustworthy Istredd remains a powerful and dangerous force among sorcerers.

Philippa

Phillipa wearing feathers on her shoulders and a white dress on The Witcher
Netflix

The mage of Redania can shape-shift into an owl and works intimately with the kingdom’s chief spy Dijkstra.

Dijkstra

Dijsktra sitting in his red robes on The Witcher
Netflix

The closest advisor to the unimpressive but ambitious King Vizimir II of the northern kingdom Redania alerted the Brotherhood about Francesca’s baby. He also wants to find Ciri so she can marry Vizimir. He could then claim Cintra and lead the Continent’s most powerful kingdom.

Dijkstra also ordered Phillipa to find “the Bard” so Jaskier could pay back his “benefactor,” as Dijkstra was the one funding Jaskier’s efforts to save elves.

Dara

The elf Dara looks worried outdoors on The Witcher
Netflix

The elf who once helped Ciri escape Nilfgaard’s clutches worked as a spy in Redania for Dijkstra. He confessed to Francesca after her baby’s murder and she accepted Dara into her service.

Rience

Rience the fire mage readies his hands to strike on The Witcher
Netflix

The deadly, fire-wielding mage who’d been a prisoner of Queen Calanthe of Cintra was freed by the sorceress Lydia. She tasked him with locating Ciri for her unknown boss. He didn’t manage to take the Princess, but he did steal a vial of witcher mutagen containing Ciri’s dangerous blood from Kaer Morhen.

Lydia

Lydia the mage in a gree dress holds a vial on The Witcher
Netflix

The mage badly disfigured her own face while examining the vial she got from Rience. She now speaks through telepathy. Lydia is still trying to make her mysterious employer happy by getting Ciri.

The Wild Hunt

The WIld Hunt, six black ghoulish riders on horseback against an orange sky, on The Witcher
Netflix

Some believe the Wild Hunt will usher in the end of days. Ciri then encountered the ghastly group of mystical black riders on the home world of the Deathless Mother. (The witch also rejoined the group once she left Yennefer’s body.) The Wild Hunt called out to Ciri, “the starry-eyed Daughter of Chaos” to take her place with them before Ciri portaled her, Geralt, and Yennefer back to the Continent.

Blood Origin revealed the Wild Hunt consists of soldiers from the Continent abandoned on that desolate world.

Now that you know everything you need to from season two, you can get ready for season three. Here’s what you need to do that. Once you’re all caught up we’ll see on the Continent. We won’t be the ones singing.

The Witcher Readies For All-Out War In Tense Season 3 Trailer
Everything We Know About The Witcher Season 3
The Witcher Shares Epic Season 3 Trailer, Images, And Release Date
The Witcher Showrunner Explains Why Series Will Continue Without Henry Cavill

The post Everything You Need to Remember About THE WITCHER Season 2 appeared first on Nerdist.

June 26, 2023

Everything You Need to Remember About THE WITCHER Season 2

https://nerdist.com/article/the-witcher-season-2-everything-you-need-to-remember/

Netflix’s The Witcher is a sprawling land of monsters, magic, mayhem, and political machinations. With so much going on it’s a lot to keep track of. But like a charming bard, we’re here to help get you ready for the show’s third year. (No, sorry, not in song form.) Here’s everything you need to remember about The Witcher season two, along with a few other things to know.

Before you start, though, make sure you read Everything You Need To Remember From Season One. Players and events from the show’s first year are guaranteed to have major implications during its third.

Everything You Need to Remember About THE WITCHER Season 2_1
Netflix
IMPORTANT CHARACTERS AND EVENTS

Geralt

Everything You Need to Remember About THE WITCHER Season 2_2
Netflix

Geralt brought Ciri to Kaer Morhen, the witchers’ home and training grounds, to keep her safe. When he realized more deadly monsters had suddenly appeared on the Continent he set out to learn why. Together with the mage Istredd, Geralt discovered Ciri had opened doors to other worlds when she destroyed a monolith with her deadly scream in season one.

(The Blood Origin prequel mini-series explained where those ancient, powerful monoliths came from. You can read about that and all the other major connections between the two shows here.)

Geralt nearly executed Yennefer because she betrayed him and Ciri. Yennefer was going to hand Ciri over to a demon witch (the Deathless Mother) in exchange for getting her powers back. He didn’t forgive Yennefer, but ultimately left Kaer Morhen with her and Ciri to go into hiding.

Yennefer

Yennefer is bloodied and bruised after a battle on The Witcher
Netflix

After unleashing her “chaos” (an ocean of fire) to win the Battle of Sodden Hill, a presumed dead Yennefer lost her magic. She was also initially a prisoner of Nilfgaard before being taken by elves. When she returned to Aretuza, though, the Brotherhood branded her a spy instead of a hero. To prove her loyalty she was ordered to behead the captured Nilfgaard general, Cahir. Instead she ran off with him in front of an audience of Northern kings.

Yennefer, herself part elf, redeemed herself in season two’s finale. She was willing to sacrifice herself to save the possessed Ciri from the killer witch. Yennefer then ended the season with her powers back.

Ciri, Princess of Cintra

A young blonde girl stands in a snowy outdoor area in a castle
Netflix

In addition to possessing magical abilities, Ciri also has Elder blood. Her blood is different from others who also have elvish ancestors. It can grow life, but a single drop can also be very dangerous. It’s also possible it can be used to create more witchers, which Ciri herself began training to become. (Witcher mutagen hasn’t been made since Geralt was a kid, as explored in the animated prequel movie Nightmare of the Wolf.)

Some believe Ciri is the prophesied Child of Elder Blood who will save all elves. Others fear she will bring about the end of the world.

Jaskier

Jaskier rocking out in season 2 of The Witcher
Netflix

“The Sandpiper” was helping smuggle elves to freedom when he encountered Yennefer and Cahir on the run. He aided them, only to then need Yen to save him from the fire-wielding mage Rience. Jaskier also reunited with his old friend Geralt, who broke Jaskier out of prison. He’s one of the few people the White Wolf trusts to help keep Ciri safe.

Jaskier still sings on occasion, too.

Cahir

After making his way back to Nilfgaard, Cahir once again worked with the mage Fringilla to try and expand the White Flame’s stead. But despite his loyal service, Cahir was imprisoned along with Fringilla after the Emperor caught them lying.

A shocked Cahir stands next to Fringilla in a royal court on The Witcher
Netflix

Fringilla

The captured Fringilla forged an alliance with the elves’ new leader, Francesca, after the two were lured in by the Deathless Mother’s promises. Fringilla offered a home and safety for all elves in exchange for their army.

Emperor Emhyr

Emperor Emhyr in his armor with long hair on The Witcher
Netflix

The mysterious White Flame, the Emperor of Nilfgaard desperately seeking Ciri and hoping to conquer the entire Continent, finally revealed himself. He is Ciri’s father “Duny,” long thought dead. He was the porcupine knight Geralt saved decades earlier, which prompted Geralt to claim the Law of Surprise that ended up being Ciri.

Emhyr knew Cahir and Francesca lied to him about ordering the death of Francesca’s baby because he was the one who had it killed.

Francesca

The elves Francesca and Filavandril look at each other on The Witcher
Netflix

The new elven leader found her people refuge in the Nilfgaard-controlled Xin’trea (aka Cintra, Ciri’s home). That’s also where the sorceress gave birth to the first elf child in generations, just as the Deathless Mother promised. But tragedy struck after Francesca said her soldiers would not fight Nilfgaard’s war for them. Her and Filavandrel (the former elf leader) found their baby murdered. They blamed the Northern kingdom of Redania, returned their people to the woods, and swore vengeance.

Francesca learned from the elf-friendly mage Istredd about the prophecy of Ciri, which is why she’s so desperate to find the powerful princess. She believes Ciri is the ultimate weapon to help elves defeat humans.

Tissaia

Tissaia looks stern in her green dress on The Witcher
Netflix

Yennefer’s mentor tortured Cahir during his imprisonment at Aretuza. During season two Tissaia also took leadership over the Brotherhood of Sorcerers along with her lover, the militaristic mage Vilgefortz.

Tissaia also alerted the Northern kingdoms about Ciri and Geralt, putting a target on the Princess they all thought dead.

Vilgefortz

Vilgefortz the mage looks stern on The Witcher
Netflix

Tissaia convinced Yennefer, the real hero of Sodden Hill, to let Vilgefortz take credit for the victory for political reasons. That helped him take control of the Brotherhood along with Tissaia. He also believes Ciri has the ability to end all war forever.

Triss

Triss with red hair wears a pupple cloak in the snow on The Witcher
Netflix

After surviving severe wounds at Sodden Hill, Triss answered Geralt’s call to come to Kaer Morhen and train Ciri in magic. (He did not answer her call to spend the night together, though.) Triss left the keep in fear after reading Ciri’s mind and almost dying during Ciri’s attack while in a trance.

Triss returned to Aretuza and informed Tissaia that Ciri has the power to either destroy the entire world or save it, but grew angry when Tissaia shared that news with Vilgefortz.

Istredd

Istredd the mage looks stern on The Witcher
Netflix

Yennefer’s former lover remains committed to studying monoliths. He also worked to help elves leave Cintra.

Stregobor

Stregobor the mage from The Witcher
Netflix

He lost his seat of power on the Brotherhood along with his closest ally Artorius, but the untrustworthy Istredd remains a powerful and dangerous force among sorcerers.

Philippa

Phillipa wearing feathers on her shoulders and a white dress on The Witcher
Netflix

The mage of Redania can shape-shift into an owl and works intimately with the kingdom’s chief spy Dijkstra.

Dijkstra

Dijsktra sitting in his red robes on The Witcher
Netflix

The closest advisor to the unimpressive but ambitious King Vizimir II of the northern kingdom Redania alerted the Brotherhood about Francesca’s baby. He also wants to find Ciri so she can marry Vizimir. He could then claim Cintra and lead the Continent’s most powerful kingdom.

Dijkstra also ordered Phillipa to find “the Bard” so Jaskier could pay back his “benefactor,” as Dijkstra was the one funding Jaskier’s efforts to save elves.

Dara

The elf Dara looks worried outdoors on The Witcher
Netflix

The elf who once helped Ciri escape Nilfgaard’s clutches worked as a spy in Redania for Dijkstra. He confessed to Francesca after her baby’s murder and she accepted Dara into her service.

Rience

Rience the fire mage readies his hands to strike on The Witcher
Netflix

The deadly, fire-wielding mage who’d been a prisoner of Queen Calanthe of Cintra was freed by the sorceress Lydia. She tasked him with locating Ciri for her unknown boss. He didn’t manage to take the Princess, but he did steal a vial of witcher mutagen containing Ciri’s dangerous blood from Kaer Morhen.

Lydia

Lydia the mage in a gree dress holds a vial on The Witcher
Netflix

The mage badly disfigured her own face while examining the vial she got from Rience. She now speaks through telepathy. Lydia is still trying to make her mysterious employer happy by getting Ciri.

The Wild Hunt

The WIld Hunt, six black ghoulish riders on horseback against an orange sky, on The Witcher
Netflix

Some believe the Wild Hunt will usher in the end of days. Ciri then encountered the ghastly group of mystical black riders on the home world of the Deathless Mother. (The witch also rejoined the group once she left Yennefer’s body.) The Wild Hunt called out to Ciri, “the starry-eyed Daughter of Chaos” to take her place with them before Ciri portaled her, Geralt, and Yennefer back to the Continent.

Blood Origin revealed the Wild Hunt consists of soldiers from the Continent abandoned on that desolate world.

Now that you know everything you need to from season two, you can get ready for season three. Here’s what you need to do that. Once you’re all caught up we’ll see on the Continent. We won’t be the ones singing.

The Witcher Readies For All-Out War In Tense Season 3 Trailer
Everything We Know About The Witcher Season 3
The Witcher Shares Epic Season 3 Trailer, Images, And Release Date
The Witcher Showrunner Explains Why Series Will Continue Without Henry Cavill

The post Everything You Need to Remember About THE WITCHER Season 2 appeared first on Nerdist.


June 26, 2023

Netflix Canada Widens Gulf Between Ad-Supported and Ad-Free Tier Prices

https://nerdist.com/article/netflix-launching-ad-supported-tier-earnings-interview/

In the age of streaming, Netflix has largely remained steadfast in two things: no ads and full season drops. But the time has come for Netflix to make some serious changes. In a Q1 shareholder letter, the streaming platform acknowledged it lost subscribers for the first time in a decade. It lost 200,000 in Q1 and is on track to lose up to two million by the end of Q2. But in the company’s Q1 2022 Earnings Interview, which is on YouTube, executives announced the subscription shake-up. Netflix is officially adding an ad-supported tier, and it has now arrived. And most shocking of all, it seems like the addition of the ad tier has had a positive impact on Netflix’s subscriptions. In fact, Netflix’s ad-tier has finally made some gains. But consumer take note, it seems like Netflix is moving to widen the gulf in price between its ad-free and ad-supported offerings.

Check out the “Subscription Plan” heading for the full details on what’s happening.

Jump to: Timeline // Features // Cost // Subscription Plans // Password Sharing
Netflix logo
Netflix

Netflix’s Ad-Supported Plan Gets Early Arrival

This is a stark change of pace, considering co-founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings—a long holdout on ad-support plans—indicated the new subscription would arrive in a year or two. During Netflix’s Earnings Interview in April 2022, Hastings admitted the company needed to embrace ads in one way or another in order to make money.

Hastings said:

One way to increase the price spread is advertising on low-end plans and to have lower prices with advertising. Those who have followed Netflix know that I’ve been against the complexity of advertising and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription. But as much as I’m a fan of that, I’m a bigger fan of consumer choice. Allowing consumers who would like to have a lower price and are advertising-tolerant get what they want makes a lot of sense. So, that’s something we’re looking at now, we’re trying to figure out over the next year or two. Think of us as quite open to offering even lower prices with advertising as a consumer choice.

And now, the ad-supported tier, called Netflix Basic, has rolled out, as of November 3, 2022. Netflix’s new ad tier debuted in eight countries. According to The Hollywood Reporter, in the first quarter since the addition of the ad-tier, Netflix saw its subscribers increase by 7.66 million users. And most recently, it was reported by Bloomberg that Netflix’s ad-tier had reached one million subscribers. And these subscribers are not users who have downgraded their accounts, but lapsed or new Netflix users. In addition, according to Gizmodo, Netflix’s ad-tier sign-ups rose from 9% to 19% in January. This means it has more subscribers than Netflix’s Basic option.

It looks like the ad-tier, and Netflix’s other cost-impact solutions, such as exploratory paid account sharing, are here to stay.

Netflix Is Finally Launching an Ad-Supported Subscription Tier_1
Netflix

What Does Netflix’s Ad-Tier Include?

In an October press conference, Netflix confirmed a small number of shows and movies aren’t available on Basic with Ads. Netflix is working on addressing that. As far as other limitations for Basic subscribers: the maximum video quality will be 720p / HD, and subscribers will not be able to download content.

According to reports from Deadline and Variety, some notable TV shows and movies are not available on Netflix’s ad tier. Among other pieces of content, House of Cards, Arrested Development, Peaky BlindersNew Girl, Gray’s Anatomy, The Crown, Cobra Kai, How to Get Away with Murder, The Magicians, 28 Days, and Skyfall cannot be watched on Netflix Basic with Ads.

What Does Netflix’s Ad-Tier Cost?

An image showing Netflix's various ad tier pricing
Netflix

The same press conference shared the cost of the ad-supported tier: for the US, it’s $6.99/month. Anyone signing up for Basic with Ads will have to consume four to five ads per hour. They’ll last anywhere from 15-30 seconds. This is not terribly different than a service like Hulu. However, Netflix hinted the price may go up after launch.

Netflix’s Current Subscription Plans

Currently, Netflix’s subscription model offers three different rates: basic, standard, and premium. Here’s how the tiers break down and how they might evolve:

Basic

Currently, the cheapest model, the basic subscription, costs $9.99 per month. Subscribers can only watch content on one device—TV, computer, phone, or tablet—at a time. Netflix calls its video quality “good” with 480p resolution.

However, Netflix subscribers should be aware that in Canada, the “Basic” ad-free plan is no longer available. Netflix has confirmed the option to subscribe to the Basic tier, as mentioned, the cheapest ad-free offering, is no longer available for new subscribers. However, this change will not affect those already subscribed to the Basic Netflix ad-free tier. Existing subscribers will be able to hang on to the lower-priced ad-free tier.

Avatar the Last Airbender main cast from live action Netflix series, Sokka, Aang, Zuko and Katara
Nerdist

A page from Netflix support shares, “The Basic plan is no longer available for new or rejoining members. If you are currently on the Basic plan, you can remain on this plan until you change plans or cancel your account.” This change means subscribers must either select a more expensive ad-free plan or choose the ad-supported option instead. In effect, Netflix has increased the difference in cost between the ad-supported and ad-free plans. It’s unclear if this change will soon arrive in the United States as well, but it certainly seems indicative.

Standard

The middle price point, standard costs $15.49 per month. As the middle child the video quality is better than in the basic plan, with 1080p resolution. (But it pales in comparison to the premium plan.) Plus, subscribers can watch content on two devices—TV, computer, phone, or tablet—at a time.

Premium

Currently, Netflix’s top subscription package, this tier costs $19.99 per month. And with a 4K and HDR resolution, it features the best video quality the streaming platform offers. And with its heftier price, more people can watch at once. Subscribers can watch content on four devices—TV, computer, phone, or tablet—at a time.

photo of several stranger things characters standing together
Netflix
Basic with Ads

The streamer notes that its existing tiers will remain ad-free, and an ad-supported tier will act as a complement to these options. Basic with Ads is $6.99/month. Basic with ads can also now be accessed through an Apple TV.

How Netflix’s Password Sharing Crackdown Factors in

Talk of an ad-supported tier comes as Netflix continues to test a plan to crack down on password sharing in Costa Rica, Peru, and Chile. The streaming service is rolling out ways to cut off sharing passwords between households. In doing so, Netflix is testing ways to offload extra users accessing an account in a home they don’t live in. According to The New York Times, this crackdown strategy will go into effect globally around the same time the new subscription tier launches.

In the Earnings Interview, Peters made it quite clear that this strategy will eventually go global in the next year or so. It certainly would make sense to have an even cheaper model design underway as Netflix looks to finally offload the person using their neighbor’s sister’s ex-boyfriend’s account. And by adding another model–one hopefully in a shiny, feasible price range—the streaming platform could retain users but actually, bring in the revenue. Still, there’s a lot for the platform to work out in the meantime. But as long as Netflix’s ads aren’t overwhelmingly loud, people may just accept them and an ad-supported tier.

Originally published on April 20, 2022.

The post Netflix Canada Widens Gulf Between Ad-Supported and Ad-Free Tier Prices appeared first on Nerdist.


June 26, 2023

Paramount+ Cancels STAR TREK: PRODIGY and Will Remove the Series from the Streaming Service

https://nerdist.com/article/paramount-cancels-star-trek-prodigy-removes-from-streaming-service/

Paramount+ has canceled a number of shows, including the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy. The show, which brought Kate Mulgrew back as Captain Kathryn Janeway, is the only Star Trek show in the current slate to target a younger audience. Besides canceling the Star Trek series, Paramount+ has also canceled The Game, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, and Queen of the Universe. Furthermore, the company will soon be removing the four series from the streaming service entirely.

An animated hologram of Captain Janeway in Star Trek: Prodigy
Paramount Pictures

The news comes right before Paramount+ and Showtime launch as a single service. A spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter the following:

As we prepare to combine Paramount+ and Showtime later this month in the U.S., we are refining our content offering to deliver the best streaming experience for subscribers. This is consistent with our content strategy since launch and across our business, which ensures we make smart, efficient choices, informed by audience data and insights. We are removing select programming as we look to optimize Showtime’s robust slate of premium originals.

Star Trek: Prodigy was renewed for a second season in November 2021. The good news is the series will still complete post-production for that season and maybe find life elsewhere. CBS Studios will shop both seasons around. Still, it could be a while before we see Prodigy continue. This trend of streamers dropping content as if it never existed is troubling, but unfortunately, as long as it continues to offer a cost savings, we don’t anticipate it changing.

Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman, who write on the show, shared the above hopeful message on Twitter. They make a great point about how Prodigy serves younger fans. It introduces a whole new generation to the wonderful Star Trek universe. We will keep our fingers crossed!

The post Paramount+ Cancels STAR TREK: PRODIGY and Will Remove the Series from the Streaming Service appeared first on Nerdist.


June 26, 2023

Thompson Twins Become Highest-Picked Brothers in NBA Draft History

https://www.blackenterprise.com/thompson-twins-nba-draft-history/

The Thompson twins are not only making their hoop dreams come true, but making NBA Draft History as they accomplish it.

Amen and Ausar Thompson, 6’7 brothers from Fort Lauderdale, Florida were the No. 4 and No. 5 draft picks for the 2023 NBA Draft, respectively.

Amen, a point guard, was picked up by the Houston Rockets, while his brother will be starting his NBA career as a power forward with the Detroit Pistons.

The Athletic confirmed that while the two are not the first set of twins to be drafted together, they are the highest ranking and within the top ten, beating Marcus and Markieff Morris as they were the No. 13 and No.14 picks in the 2011 draft.

The twins are highly-anticipated to be major game-changers in their upcoming roles with the franchises.

Their path to professional basketball is a relatively recent one, as the brothers chose to forego the collegiate route usually taken by aspiring NBA players, which is attending a top Division 1 school and playing for their programs.

Instead, they chose to skip school and play for the newly established Overtime Elite, a professional league based in Atlanta for 16 to 20-year -olds with the hopes of performing well enough to advance to the NBA.

The Thompsons exceeded expectations during their two-year contract with Overtime Elite, banned together in their final season with the City Reapers team to win the championship. While the brothers were forces to be reckoned with, Ausar was named regular season MVP and Finals MVP for both his seasons at the league. To add to his accolades, he also earned each MVP award offered at Overtime Elite during his reign.

The Thompson twins have never been separated prior to their NBA induction, but will now have to face off against each other on behalf of their different cities in a battle for the national title in the ’23-’24 season.

 


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