Year: 2022

Apple and NFL Sunday Ticket – A Done Deal?

Dan Uff April 19, 2022 0

Back in July, we reported that Apple was pursuing streaming rights for NFL Sunday Ticket for Apple TV+. Since then, all has been quiet on the subject.

Now, Matthew Belloni of Puck News is reporting that the deal has been done and that Apple will be the sole provider for the ever valuable NFL Sunday Ticket for the 2022 / 2023 Football Season.

His article states:

My sources say it's Apple's to lose, at this point. (One source told me this weekend that the deal is actually done and is being kept quiet at Apple's request, which I haven't confirmed and don't know for a fact; Apple isn't commenting.) That would make sense: Even after winning top Emmys and the best picture Oscar, C.E.O. Tim Cook has said Apple is merely in its early days of premium video, and nothing is more premium than NFL football. Plus, it would explain Apple's recent foray into live events and advertising with MLB games.

Given the above (unknown) source, that the above should be taken as a grain of salt at this point. But you can be sure that we'll be following this and reporting on it as necessary.

‘The Problem with Jon Stewart’ on Apple TV+ is that it’s a flop

CompuScoop Staff April 18, 2022 1

Jon Stewart’s Apple TV+ show, “The Problem with Jon Stewart,” which debuted in September, has failed to gain traction in its first season and lags far behind its competitors on broadcast and cable TV.

Last fall, about 180,000 U.S. homes saw the show’s first episode within the first seven days, according to the measurement firm Samba TV. By the fifth episode, which aired in early March, about 40,000 U.S. homes tuned in, down 78% from the season premiere.

To date, Apple hasn’t disclosed any viewership numbers for Stewart’s show, which since its debut has aired on a sporadic schedule.

Stewart’s predicament is hardly unique. The list of successful, prominent comedians who have hosted short-lived shows on Netflix or Hulu already includes Chelsea Handler, Michelle Wolf, the late Norm Macdonald, Joel McHale and Sarah Silverman. Years into the streaming revolution, the classic talk show format is still struggling to adapt. One problem is that people often watch streaming shows days or weeks after the programming initially aired, making it difficult for hosts to rely on jokes pegged to current events, long a pillar of traditional late-night programs.

Another challenge is that increasingly streaming services want programming that can appeal to subscribers around the world.

To judge by the program’s sluggish start, sticking to evergreen topics is no guarantee of success. Each hour-long episode of “The Problem” focuses on a single issue, such as gun control, race relations, the stock market or climate change…

Reviews have been mixed… “There’s no doubt Jon Stewart made much more of a splash in public discourse 20 years ago than he’s making today,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science and international affairs at University of Mary Washington.

Via: Bloomberg

Apple TV+ debuts trailer for new surfing docuseries ‘Make or Break,’ premiering April 29th

Apple Inc April 18, 2022 0

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="660"] Via: Apple, Inc.[/caption]

Apple TV+ today released the trailer for “Make or Break,” the new seven-part surfing documentary series that delivers behind-the-scenes access to the world’s best surfers as they battle for the World Title at the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT).

As previously announced, the soon-to-premiere series has received an early season two renewal, with production underway during the current competition season.

Set to debut globally on Friday, April 29 on Apple TV+, the first season of the series spotlights internationally recognized surfers and features never-before-seen interviews with:

• 11-time world champion and 56-time career victory winner Kelly Slater
• Seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore
• Three-time world champion Gabriel Medina
• Two-time world champion Tyler Wright
• 2019 World Champion and Olympic gold medalist Italo Ferreira
• 2021 Olympian Tatiana Weston-Webb

Additional notable surfers featured in “Make or Break” include Morgan Cibilic, Johanne Defay, Leonardo Fioravanti, Jeremy Flores, John John Florence, Filipe Toledo, Kanoa Igarashi, Matt McGillivray, Isabella Nichols and Jack Robinson.

“Make or Break” offers behind-the-scenes access and intimate deep dive into the aspirations, challenges, accomplishments and personal lives of the surfers who compete to remain on the elite 2021 Men’s and Women’s WSL CT, and takes viewers on a journey to stunning surfing locations across the globe. The series follows the 2021 competition, navigating as the league responds to the global pandemic, while exploring the dynamic surfing culture along with timely issues, including diversity, mental health and the physical impact of the sport.

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The docuseries is produced for Apple by Box to Box Films, in partnership with the WSL. Executive producers are Oscar and BAFTA winner James Gay-Rees (“Exit Through the Gift Shop,” “Amy”), BAFTA nominee Paul Martin (“Formula 1: Drive to Survive”), and WSL CEO Erik Logan and Ryan Holcomb.

“Make or Break” joins Apple TV+’s slate of sports non-fiction programming including “They Call Me Magic,” the broadly anticipated event series chronicling the life and career of two-time NBA Hall of Famer and cultural icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson, set to premiere this year on April 22 on Apple TV+, as well as the recently announced new feature documentary about the groundbreaking life and career of seven-time Formula One world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, and “The Dynasty” documentary event series about the New England Patriots, from Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries, in association with NFL Films.

Apple TV+ is home to award-winning Apple Originals from today’s most imaginative storytellers. Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries, and series have been honored with over 240 wins and more than 960 award nominations and counting, including this year’s Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

Via: Apple, Inc.

App Review: Mini Motorways for Apple Arcade, iOS and MacOS

Dan Uff April 17, 2022 2

I don't play games much now a days. I used to during the Atari and then Nintendo years (yes, I am a 60s, 70s, and 80s kid).

One day, I was bored. So I went on to the Mac App Store and found a game called Mini Motorways.

The object of the game is to build a city by obtaining roads to keep the city going. These roads lead to factories that one builds the given roadways to from a house that keeps the factories going. If you don't (or can't) built the roads fast enough, the factories will run out of people to run it to keep up the demand as your city gets bigger. At the same time, you are completing against other players of the game to see which city is larger.

The game starts out with one factory and one house. You build a road between the two, and then the game expands with more factories and more houses. The player gets a limited amount of road for them to connect the two (or more) houses to factories. If the player runs out of road tiles, then they must wait until the game decides to give a player more while the city keeps demanding more cars to come to keep those factories going. If one cannot gets and build roads fast enough, the game ends with factories not getting enough cars to sustain it.

Pros:

Starts out slow and then gradually gets faster.
Great graphics and sound for iOS and Mac.
Good tutorial to get one started quickly.
Play in light or dark mode.
Color-blind mode.
Can enable or disable music and/or game's sound effects.

Cons:

Can get FRUSTRATING!
Never know when you'll get more roads or other items to complete roads to factory as time is running out.
Time goes by quickly when playing this game.

Bottom Line:

A very good game if you're into building cities and seeing how far you can take it.

Search for:

Mini Motorways in Apple Arcade, iOS or Mac App Store.