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'We can literally do anything': Inside Hulu's pitch to advertisers on how it can outperform rivals

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Kelly Campbell headshot

  • The over-the-top TV (OTT) space is getting increasingly crowded, but Hulu thinks it's well-equipped to take on its competitors.
  • In a recent interview with Business Insider, the streaming service's marketing chief Kelly Campbell outlined Hulu's pitch to advertisers.
  • She said that Hulu places a lot of importance on its ad-supported user base, as well as on the fact that advertisers can get far more creative on the platform than just 15 or 30-second long ads.


With AT&T becoming the most recent player to hop on the streaming service bandwagon by announcing plans to launch its own service next year, the over-the-top television (OTT) space is getting more crowded than ever.

But Hulu is not worried, and thinks it is well-poised to take on competitors like AT&T, Netflix, YouTube, and Disney, not just for consumers but also advertisers.

"We actually see brands getting more and more interested in advertising with Hulu," Kelly Campbell, Hulu's chief marketing officer, told Business Insider in a recent interview. "Our ad revenues have grown tremendously in line with our subscriber growth."

While Campbell declined to give specifics, Hulu announced that it had surpassed $1 billion in advertising revenue in early 2017. It is expected to continue on this upward trajectory, reaching $1.4 billion in ad revenue by 2020 according to eMarketer, a forecast of double-digit growth for the service.

That is not incidental, said Campbell, as Hulu is in "a unique spot," at the intersection of everything happening in entertainment and technology. And there are plenty of options for brands to choose from, she said.

In its pitch to advertisers, one of the things Hulu emphasizes is its ad-supported offering. While the company also offers an ad-free version, over 60% of its on-demand consumers end up choosing the ad-supported version. While that may partly be because it is $4 cheaper than its ad-free version that costs $11.99, Hulu views it as a sign that consumers are willing to engage with ads.

"You're reaching consumers who have chosen an ad-supported product, which I think is pretty unique when it comes to both television and digital advertising opportunities," she said.

Hulu is indeed in a good position, offering an avenue for brands looking to run ads against TV-like programming at a time when rivals such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have remain ad-free. It is also an appealing alternative for advertisers at a time when linear TV-viewing is in decline, and platforms like YouTube and Facebook come under fire for brand safety issues. 

But Hulu offers far more than just creative in the form of 15 or 30-second long ads, she pointed out, such as brand integrations with its shows.

"We can literally do anything," she said. "So for a brand, it's like a playground. They come in and we can start brainstorming on ways to reach Hulu consumers, both through our platform but also through our content."

One example that Campbell highlighted was a branded integration that ride-hailing company Lyft did with the show "Marvel's Runaways." During the shooting of the show's first season, Hulu's team realized that the actresses and actors on the show were coming to work in Lyft every day, which screamed for a collaboration. So Hulu ended up integrating Lyft into the actual content of the show as well as its premiere.

"It was a way for Lyft to really connect with their consumer in a unique and different way, that they can't do anywhere else," said Campbell. 

Another way that Hulu has attempted to differentiate itself recently is by announcing that it would run ads even on offline programming at the NewFronts this year — an industry first among video streaming platforms. While some were not entirely convinced, the idea is that being offline actually makes ads more effective, as it eliminates many of the distractions that come with an internet connection.

As Hulu's subscription base continues to swell, expect advertisers to follow. As of May, Hulu said that it had more than 20 million paying subscribers. Plus, a recent study from online-streaming guide Reelgood found that Hulu is the dominant streaming service when it comes to television. 

Watch the full interview here.

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Grimes and Elon Musk seem to have reconnected — here's what you need to know about the Canadian singer and producer who is spending time with Tesla's CEO (TSLA)

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Grimes

At the Met Gala in early May, a surprising new couple showed up on the red carpet: billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk and Canadian musician and producer Grimes.

While Musk has long been known to date successful and high-profile women, the two made a seemingly unlikely pairing. Shortly before they walked the red carpet together, Page Six announced their relationship and explained how they met — over Twitter, thanks to a shared sense of humor and a fascination with artificial intelligence.

Since they made their relationship public in May, the couple has continued to make headlines: Grimes for publicly defending Musk and speaking out about Tesla, and Musk for tweeting that he wants to take Tesla private, sparking an SEC investigation.

But shortly after Musk's run-in with the SEC, Grimes and Musk unfollowed each other on social media, igniting rumors that the pair had broken up. 

Now, it appears that the couple is spending time together again: they were spotted with Musk's five sons at a pumpkin patch in Los Angeles last weekend. 

For those who may still be wondering who Grimes is and how she and Musk ended up together, here's what you need to know about the Canadian singer and producer.

SEE ALSO: How to dress like a tech billionaire for $200 or less

Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. She attended a school that specialized in creative arts but didn't focus on music until she started attending McGill University in Montreal.

Source: The Guardian, Fader



A friend persuaded Grimes to sing backing vocals for his band, and she found it incredibly easy to hit all the right notes. She had another friend show her how to use GarageBand and started recording music.

Source: The Guardian



In 2010, Grimes released a cassette-only album called "Geidi Primes." She released her second album, "Halfaxa," later that year and subsequently went on tour with the Swedish singer Lykke Li. Eventually, she dropped out of McGill to focus on music.

Source: The Guardian, Fader



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Morgan Stanley predicted how Disney's Netflix competitor will fare in the streaming wars — and said it could be a $6 billion business

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  • According to a new report from analysts at Morgan Stanley, Disney's upcoming streaming service will gain over 20 million subscribers by 2024.
  • The analysts projected the service to be profitable in 2026, and noted the service will be "more modest" than Netflix in its scope of content and spending.

 

With a library full of Marvel, Star Wars, and other beloved franchises, Disney is expected to be a major force in the streaming wars when it launches its own service late next year.

A new report from analysts at Morgan Stanley, led by Benjamin Swinburne, estimated the service will gain around 23 million subscribers by 2024, and between 40-45 million by 2028. Based on an expected monthly subscription price of $9 at launch, which could increase to $13 by 2028, the analysts predicted the service will be profitable in 2026.

The analysts wrote that they saw the Disney service becoming a $6-billion-plus business, "with stand-alone EBIT profitability achieved in 2026E."

Disney would have been a formidable player in the streaming game even without the Fox merger, but the analysis was made with the assumption that the Disney-Fox deal will be completed as planned. Last week, 21st Century Fox president Peter Rice told Variety that the deal is expected to close by January 1, at which point Disney will own Fox's film studio and other assets. That means that Disney will own Fox's Marvel superhero properties the X-Men and Fantastic Four, as well as other franchises like "Avatar" and "Alien."

The Morgan Stanley report noted that Disney's service will be "more modest" in its scope of content and spending than its primary competition, Netflix. Netflix made it a goal this year to have 1,000 original shows and movies by year's end, and spent an estimated $8 billion to do so. The analysis estimated Netflix to have 227 million subscribers by 2022 compared to the 117 million it had last year.  

But that doesn't mean that Disney isn't dropping big bucks on the service. Morgan Stanley expects Disney to spend nearly $2 billion on content for the streaming service prior to its launch in 2019, and "could have 8-10 original TV series (including at least 2-3 high-profile series with larger budgets), 3-4 original films, as well as other original TV movies and short-form content ready to be released."

"The service is also expected to include library content from Disney Channel and a steady pipeline of recent
theatrical releases in the US following the expiration of its Netflix pay-1 deal in calendar 2018," the analysts added.

Netflix won't be Disney's only competition, though. AT&T, which now owns Time Warner, announced last week that it will launch its own streaming service next year that will include HBO. Amazon is developing a pricey "Lord of the Rings" TV series, and Hulu should never be counted out with a wide-range of content that includes the Emmy-winning "The Handmaid's Tale."

Read more of Business Insider's coverage on Disney's upcoming streaming service:

SEE ALSO: Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet scored Amazon its best opening weekend ever with 'Beautiful Boy'

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'Fortnite' is getting a new mode for the most competitive players, as it builds towards a $1.1 million showdown

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Fortnite Competitive Season

  • "Fortnite: Battle Royale" is adding tournaments to its roster of in-game events.
  • Tournaments will have different formats spanning several days; players earn points based on performance and will be matched up with others at their skill level as the tournament progresses.
  • "Fortnite" developer Epic Games eventually plans to use the tournament mode to award prizes and help players qualify for more exclusive competitions.
  • "Fortnite" is currently in the middle of the Fall Skirmish, a competition among 500 top players, with a $1.1 million prize pool.
  • Epic Games has committed $100 million in funding for "Fortnite" competitions during the 2018-19 season.

"Fortnite: Battle Royale" will add a new tournament mode to the in-game events menu, giving players across all platforms a chance to play against each other in a competitive format. According to developer Epic Games, tournaments will be open to all players and will eventually be used to award prizes to top players and help them qualify for future "Fortnite" esports events.

Tournament competition takes place over the course over several days with different formats. Players will be awarded points based on how long they survive, and how many players they eliminate during each battle royale. Teams or individual players with high scores will be placed in matches with other high ranked players for a greater challenge, while those who struggle will be placed alongside beginners. Each tournament will have a target score and players who reach the target will earn an in-game pin to mark the achievement. 

Tournaments will pit players from all platforms against each other, from PC to console to mobile devices, regardless of whether they use a regular controller, mouse & keyboard, or touchscreen controls. In the statement announcing in-game tournaments, Epic Games said that players will be on an even playing field regardless of what device or control scheme they prefer.

"We’ve been observing the performance of controller players in our Summer Skirmish, PAX West, and Fall Skirmish tournaments while playing against mouse and keyboard players at the highest levels of competition," the statement reads. "Competitors such as NickMercs, Ayden, KamoLRF, and AmarCoD have shown that controller players can be successful while competing against some of the best PC players in the world."

Epic says that grouping everyone into a single competition group will increase visibility for the best players and help increase prize pools. They will continue to monitor competitive results and are already considering limiting some esports competitions to specific platforms or control devices in the future. The first in-game tournament will be a event for solo players running from October 16 to October 21, and the second will be a "duos" tournament for partners playing between October 23rd and October 25th.

Fortnite Fall Skirmish

"Fortnite" is also in the middle of its Fall Skirmish event, a series of weekly competitions with $10 million in prize money on the line. Epic invited 500 "Fortnite" players to compete in the event, dividing them into five different teams for the six-week skirmish season. The teams will split $4 million in prize money and players can earn points during skirmish events to improve their team's share. The rest of the $6 million prize pool is awarded to the winners of specific events each week.

The Fall Skirmish will conclude with a pair of in-person tournaments at TwitchCon 2018, held at the end of October. The first will be an open duos competition with a prize pool of more than $1.1 million split between the top 50 teams; the winning team will receive $400,000. The second competition will be an invitational event for 50 Fortnite content creators and 50 random TwitchCon attendees with another $350,000 in prize money. 

You can watch the Fall Skirmish events each week on the official Fortnite Twitch channel. Nearly 80 million people played Fortnite during the month of August, and new content was recently released for season 6 of the game. Epic plans to invest $100 million in prize money for the 2018-19 competitive season, which will include the 2019 Fortnite World Cup.

SEE ALSO: 'Fortnite' on Android is now available to everyone — here's how to download the game, and a list of all of the devices that support it

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about 'Fortnite' Season 6

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NOW WATCH: Apple took another subtle jab at Facebook during its iPhone XS event

Trump scores a 'total victory' after federal judge dismisses Stormy Daniels' lawsuit and orders her to pay his legal fees

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Stormy Daniels

  • President Donald Trump's attorneys scored a victory in court when a federal judge dismissed adult-film actress Stormy Daniels' defamation lawsuit against Trump.
  • Daniels was also ordered to pay Trump's legal fees.
  • Daniels, who says she had an affair with Trump in 2006, sued him in April after he disputed her claim that she was being threatened by a unidentified man in 2011 as "a total con job."
  • The unidentified man allegedly warned her not to publicize her purported sexual affair with Trump.
  • Michael Avenatti, who represents Daniels, said he would appeal the decision.

President Donald Trump's attorneys scored a victory in court when a federal judge dismissed adult-film actress Stormy Daniels' defamation lawsuit against Trump on First Amendment grounds and ordered her to pay his legal fees.

"No amount of spin or commentary by Stormy Daniels or her lawyer, Mr. Avenatti, can truthfully characterize today's ruling in any way other than total victory for President Trump and total defeat for Stormy Daniels," Charles Harder, an attorney for Trump, said in a statement to Business Insider.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, sued Trump in April after he described her allegations of being threatened by a unidentified man in 2011 as a "a total con job." Daniels, who claimed she had a sexual affair with Trump in 2006, alleged that a man accosted her in a parking and told her to "leave Trump alone."

"Mr. Trump used his national and international audience of millions of people to make a false factual statement to denigrate and attack Ms. Clifford," the federal court complaint said at the time.

Harder argued that Trump's statement ought to be considered protected speech, and that Daniels did not identify specific damages.

"The Court agrees with Mr. Trump's argument because the tweet in question constitutes 'rhetorical hyperbole' normally associated with politics and public discourse in the United States," US District Court Judge Otero said in his opinion. "The First Amendment protects this type of rhetorical statement."

Michael Avenatti, the attorney for Daniels, said in a statement that he would appeal the decision and that her lawsuits against Trump and Michael Cohen, Trump's former longtime attorney, would "proceed unaffected."

"Trump's contrary claims are as deceptive as his claims about the inauguration attendance," Avenatti said in a tweet on Monday. "We will appeal the dismissal of the defamation cause of action and are confident in a reversal."

SEE ALSO: Michael Cohen's lawyer made a bombshell admission about the $130,000 'hush agreement' with Stormy Daniels

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NOW WATCH: Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory

Tucker Carlson says he 'can't really go to restaurants anymore' because people keep screaming profanities at him

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tucker carlson

  • Tucker Carlson says that so many people shout curse words at him in public that it's impossible for him to eat out.
  • Carlson, who hosts Fox News's primetime show "Tucker Carlson Tonight", says he has coped by finding one place where he can eat in peace. He didn't name it.
  • He told National Review podcast "The Jamie Weinstein Show" on Monday "having someone scream, 'F--- you!' at a restaurant, it just wrecks your meal."

Fox News host Tucker Carlson said he can't go to restaurants in Washington, DC, anymore because he gets "yelled at" by other diners, who shout curse words at him.

Speaking to the National Review's "The Jamie Weinstein Show" on Monday, Carlson said: "I don’t feel threatened, but having someone scream, ‘F--- you!’ at a restaurant, it just wrecks your meal."

He told Weinstein: "I can’t really go to a lot of restaurants anymore because I get yelled at."

Carlson said he only goes to one restaurant regularly now: "I go there because I love it and nobody hassles me." 

"I can't wait for this revolution to end, so I can go back out to dinner."

In the interview Carlson also spoke about his early support for the Iraq War, praised President Donald Trump's "bravery," spoke about his new book "Ship of Fools," and gave his view on the current state of US politics.

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NOW WATCH: Inside the Trump 'MAGA' hat factory

A Chinese vlogger was detained for 5 days for live-streaming her goofy performance of the national anthem

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yang kaili li ge national anthem

  • Yang Kaili, a 21-year-old video star, live-streamed herself giving an exaggerated rendition of the Chinese national anthem, waving her arms around like a conductor.
  • Chinese officials deemed the move "disrespectful" and detained her for five days, according to Reuters.
  • Yang was detained under China's National Anthem Law, which mandates up to 15 days in jail for people who "play or sing the national anthem in a distorted or disrespectful way."
  • Yang has also been banned from live-streaming in the future. She has likely lost a lot of money from that.

A Chinese video star was detained for five days and banned from all video platforms for live-streaming herself singing her country's national anthem while flailing her arms around, which officials deemed "disrespectful."

Yang Kaili, 21, posted a video of herself humming military music and singing the first line of the Chinese national anthem — the "March of the Volunteers" — on October 7, according to Inkstone News, a subsidiary of the South China Morning Post.

While singing the anthem Yang can be seen waving her arms around, as if she were conducting an orchestra. Then she says: "Hello, good evening, comrades," and laughs.

Chinese officials were not impressed. Shortly after Yang's published her video, police in Shanghai detained her for five days for being "disrespectful to the national anthem," Reuters reported. It's not clear when Yang was taken into and released from detention.

Although Huya, the site Yang used to live-stream her singing, has removed the original video and banned Yang's account, the video has been preserved elsewhere. Watch it here:

(For reference, the regular Chinese national anthem can be heard in this video by the country's state-run CGTN news network.)

Yang, who also goes by the name Li Ge, was detained under China's "National Anthem Law," which was introduced last year to ensure nobody disrespected the anthem, the BBC reported, citing the Shanghai police department.

People found to "maliciously modify the lyrics, play or sing the national anthem in a distorted or disrespectful way" could be detained for up to 15 days and held criminally liable, the law said, according to the state-run Xinhua News agency.

The Shanghai police department said in a statement on Sunday, as cited by the BBC: "The national anthem is a symbol of the country, all citizens should respect and safeguard [its] dignity."

"Live-streaming platforms are not above the law — the law and moral standards similarly apply there," the force added.

national anthem china children

Last Wednesday Yang posted a statement on microblogging site Weibo apologizing for her behavior. It's not clear if she published the statement while still in detention.

"I am ashamed and want to apologize again to everyone for my stupid and base mistake of singing the national anthem during my live broadcast," Yang wrote.

"My behavior deeply hurt everyone's feelings: Sorry. Sorry to the motherland, sorry to my fans, sorry to everyone on the internet, and sorry to the platform."

She added that she would stop all of her live-streaming work, conduct "self-rectification," "fully accept ideological and patriotic education," and "seriously watch" a series of patriotic films.

yang kaili

Chinese video-streaming sites Huya and TikTok also deleted all of Yang's videos and blocked her from using their platforms again. She had about 50 million followers combined on those sites, Inkstone reported.

Yang has likely lost a lot of money from being unable to live-stream anymore. The video-streaming industry in China is lucrative, with some 609 million users around the country as of September, according to marketing news site The Drum.

Viewers can send virtual gifts to live-streamers, who can then convert the presents into cash, according to the BBC.

Yang's detention and punishment shows that nobody is exempt from China's rules and surveillance. Earlier this year the country's most prominent actress, Fan Bingbing, disappeared for three months during a tax evasion scandal.

SEE ALSO: Barging into your home, threatening your family, or making you disappear: Here's what China does to people who speak out against them

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NOW WATCH: A top movie actor reveals how he learns different accents

The Flash solo movie is reportedly being pushed back because the script is getting overhauled

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  • A Flash solo movie starring Ezra Miller, who would reprise his role from "Justice League," is being pushed back, according to Variety.
  • The film's script is undergoing changes, and scheduling conflicts would arise as Miller also stars in the "Fantastic Beasts" series.
  • The movie has faced development challenges, as directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein were hired to replace Rick Famuyiwa, who left due to creative differences in 2016.

 

The Flash may be the fastest man alive, but he's taking his time returning to theaters.

A solo movie starring Ezra Miller, who would reprise his role from "Justice League," is being pushed back, according to Variety. Not only is the script undergoing changes, but Miller's obligations to the "Fantastic Beasts" series, where he plays wizard Credence Barebone, could also get in the way. 

The second film in the "Harry Potter" spin-off series comes to theaters in November, and the third begins filming in July. According to Variety, the Flash movie was expected to start shooting in March, so scheduling conflicts would arise, and the studio Warner Bros. doesn't believe the script would even be ready in time.

The movie now expected to be released in 2021.

The film never actually received an official green light and has faced development issues for some time. After director Rick Famuyiwa left due to creative differences in 2016, "Game Night" directors and "Spider-Man: Homecoming" writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein were hired to replace him.

After the box-office failure of "Justice League" — it grossed just $229 million domestically and $657 million worldwide — Warner Bros. has re-evaluated its superhero film strategy. Upcoming movies will focus on standalone stories as opposed to a shared universe. They include "Aquaman" in December, and "Shazam!," "Wonder Woman 1984," and "Joker" next year.

SEE ALSO: Morgan Stanley predicted how Disney's Netflix competitor will fare in the streaming wars — and said it could be a $6 billion business

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Jonah Hill says his new movie 'Mid90s,' which he directed, is the first time in his career he's showing the public who he really is

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  • Jonah Hill says his directorial debut, "Mid90s," marks the first time audiences will see who he really is.
  • "This is the first thing that represents me," he told Business Insider.

 

Jonah Hill has been on screen since he was 18 years old, and in that time has given audiences some memorable roles, but he says it’s his directorial debut, “Mid90s” (opening in theaters Friday and nationwide the week after), that is a true peek into who he really is.

The movie centers around 13-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic), who finally finds acceptance when he befriends a group of skateboarders. Hill said that culture was a big influence on him as a kid and that he knew whenever he decided to direct a movie skateboarding would be a part of it.

You wouldn’t think skateboarding would be an interest for an actor who we know best from movies like “Superbad” and ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,” but Hill made it clear while talking to Business Insider that the Jonah Hill we’ve seen on screen is far from how he is in real life.

“Mid90s” is the first time he’s pulling back the veil to show a glimpse at his personal aesthetic.

“The way I see it, the director is the painter and the actors are really an important color in a painting,” Hill said. “So I have been a ‘green’ my whole life. I can be a pretty good green, but if the director wants to paint purple over it, then that's up to them. To me, this is my first painting. This is the first thing that represents me.”

Hill compared “Mid90s” to the first films of legendary directors like Mike Nichols or Barry Levinson, who both had prominent career on Broadway and TV, respectively, before directing movies.

“When they made that first one it really had to mean something,” Hill said. “They had done all this incredible work that wasn't personal beforehand, and, to me, that was my example. Don't do it until you have something to say.”

SEE ALSO: "Am I mature enough to lead a group of people?": Jonah Hill opens up about the anxieties and triumphs in his 4-year journey to make his acclaimed directorial debut, "Mid90s"

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ABC says 'The Conners' will be the biggest new TV show of the season, even if just half of the 'Roseanne' audience watches

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the conners

  • The "Roseanne" spin-off, "The Conners," premieres on ABC on Tuesday.
  • ABC exec Andy Kubitz told Vulture that the show will be "the number one new show for the season" if even half of the "Roseanne" audience tunes in.
  • "Roseanne" was the biggest show of the year, and still had over 10 million viewers by its finale in May before it was canceled.

 

ABC's "Roseanne" reboot was short-lived, but the controversy surrounding it doesn't mean a death sentence for its spin-off, "The Conners," which premieres Tuesday.

Andy Kubitz, ABC’s executive VP for programming strategy and scheduling, told Vulture, "If we can capture even half of 'Roseanne’s' audience from last year, we’ll be the number one new show for the season."

"Roseanne" is the biggest show of the year. 18.2 million viewers tuned in to its two-episode, hour-long premiere in March. By its finale in May, viewership had dipped, but it still reeled in over 10 million viewers for its final episode and had 23.2 million average viewers for the whole season, according to Nielsen ratings.

The only other sitcoms that can compete are CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" and its spin-off "Young Sheldon." The former had 18.7 million average viewers, while the latter had 16.5 million average viewers. By comparison, even NBC's hit "Will & Grace" revival — the fourth most popular sitcom of the 2017-18 season — only averaged 5.5 million viewers in its first season, which concluded earlier this year.

But "Roseanne" was cancelled in May after star Roseanne Barr tweeted a racist remark at former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, comparing her to an ape. So when the Conner family returns this week, it will be without its former lead.

That doesn't seem to ruin the show, though. "The Conners" currently has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes critic score, and critics have said that Barr's absence actually elevates the show.

"Given everything it went through to become its own series, 'The Conners' makes a solid case for itself by trusting its cast to sell the hell out of a particularly tricky situation," Variety'sCaroline Framke wrote.

Time will tell whether "The Conners" will attract the audience that "Roseanne" did, or even half. 

"The Conners" premieres Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ABC.

SEE ALSO: The Flash solo movie is reportedly being pushed back because the script is getting overhauled

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NOW WATCH: A top movie actor reveals how he learns different accents

Netflix is getting a sweet deal from the government on its big studio complex (NFLX)

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ABQ Studios AP final

  • Netflix is getting a good deal on the production hub in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that it's in the final stages of acquiring.
  • According to Variety, the streaming giant is looking to pay just $30 million to get Albuquerque Studios, which would be its first studio complex.
  • The present assessed value of the studio, which opened in 2007, is $22.7 million, less than one-third of the original $91 million cost.
  • Netflix will also receive $14.5 million in government funds.

It's now becoming clearer why Netflix chose a production studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to be the home of its first studio complex: It's getting a sweet deal.

The streaming giant is estimated to make a capital investment of about $30 million to acquire and improve Albuquerque Studios, according to Variety.

The present assessed value of the studio, which opened in 2007, is $22.7 million, less than one-third of the original $91 million cost, Variety reported, citing information it obtained from the Bernalillo County Assessor's Office.

If that wasn't already appealing enough for Netflix, the company will receive $14.5 million in government funds for purchasing the studio: $10 million from New Mexico and $4.5 million from Albuquerque. And Netflix titles produced in the state will be eligible for a tax credit of up to 30%, Variety reported.

But New Mexico is expecting big things from Netflix in return.

When it announced the deal earlier this month, Netflix said it planned to bring $1 billion in production to New Mexico over the next 10 years and create up to 1,000 production jobs a year.

Albuquerque Studios has housed such movies as "The Avengers," "Logan," and "Sicario," as well as AMC's hit TV show "Breaking Bad." It will be used right away for Netflix shows like the dramedy "Daybreak," the supernatural drama "Chambers," and the suspense drama "Messiah."

The 28-acre site includes eight sound stages totaling 132,000 square feet, plus 100,000 square feet of production offices.

SEE ALSO: "First Man" screenwriter explains how truthful the ending of the movie is

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NOW WATCH: A top movie actor reveals how he learns different accents

The new 'Call of Duty' has a surprisingly fantastic Battle Royale mode aimed directly at 'Fortnite'

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (Blackout)

For years, "Call of Duty" was the biggest shooter in the world — but not anymore. "Fortnite" now rules the world, followed closely by "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds," with "Call of Duty" trailing in third at best.

There's one main reason for that: the massive 1-vs-100 game mode known as "Battle Royale," based on the movie on the same name. It's this mode, popularized by "PUBG" then exploded by "Fortnite," that's become the new standard in multiplayer shooters.

In this year's "Call of Duty," a multiplayer-only entry named "Black Ops 4," the crucial Battle Royale game mode shows up with a very "Call of Duty" name: Blackout. Having spent the last several days sneaking around in Blackout, I've got nothing but positive things to say.

SEE ALSO: Sony gives in: After months of criticism, Sony is finally allowing 'Fortnite' players on PlayStation 4 to play with people on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch

"Blackout" feels like "Mad Max."

There's a foundational gameplay cycle at the heart of every Battle Royale game: Fall from the sky into the match, scrounge for weapons and supplies, then carefully make your way towards the ever-shrinking safe part of the map while murdering anyone in your way.

"Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" doesn't change that cycle, but it tweaks it in one crucial way: by adding four-wheelers.

There have been vehicles in other Battle Royale games — most notably in "PUBG" — but they've never controlled as well as the vehicles in the Blackout mode of "Black Ops 4." More spefically, the four-wheeled ATVs found all over the place in Blackout serve as an excellent means of quickly navigating the sprawling map. 

They're loud, and you're completely exposed to gunfire while riding them. But they're also incredibly fast and versatile. Mastering the art of slowing down enough to leap off without hurting yourself is crucial.

More importantly, marauding around the massive landscape of Blackout on an ATV is incredibly fun. It turns the monotonous grind of scrounging for loot into a far faster, more thrilling experience. I like to carefully park my ATV in a garage, so anyone on foot is unlikely to realize I'm inside a nearby building loading up on ammo and health kits.



It has all the polish of "Call of Duty" with all the irreverence of Battle Royale.

As I approached a seemingly empty house, I could hear someone stomping around upstairs. Someone was up there, literally running from room to room, making a racket in the process.

So I slowly approached the side door and opened it. A loud creak sounded throughout the house, and suddenly the racket upstairs stopped as whoever was up there caught wind of an intruder downstairs.

Then I closed the door, without entering. A second creak. Then I opened it again. Another creak. Then I closed it again. 

I moved a few feet away, towards a window — one tap on my melee button and the window smashed. I then slowly backed away from the house while crouching, so as not to make any noise. 

I wasn't there to fight — I was just there to mess with another player. This is the delightful stupidity of playing Battle Royale games. Half the fun is exploiting the game's mechanics — the importance of audio cues to know who's nearby, in this instance — for your own enjoyment.

In "Black Ops 4," this is as true as ever. Better: It's easier than ever to dependably execute the same actions. There's no messiness of control (like "Fortnite"), or potential for mistake (like "PUBG") — "Call of Duty" is a super polished game franchise, and "Black Ops 4" is no outlier. 

All of which is to say one thing: Blackout is just as silly as all the other Battle Royale modes, but it plays better because it's a "Call of Duty" game.



"Blackout" features the most accessible gameplay in a Battle Royale game yet.

"Call of Duty" was the standard in shooters for so long because it's incredibly accessible. 

It's attractive, and the guns feel good to shoot, and the objectives are straightforward. If you're into lore, there's some to be found — but it's really just a light backdrop for the shooting. 

That "accessibility über alles" approach extends to Blackout in a lot of little ways, but the most obvious way is how healing works. Unlike the other modes of "Call of Duty" multiplayer, you've actually got a shot at survival if you're spotted first in Blackout. 

When you're hit, you lose health (starting at 150 and dropping to zero). But first aid and med kits and even trauma kits are scattered all over the world in such high abundance that you'll almost always have several on your person. Healing takes just a second or two, and you can heal all the way back to 150 — over 150 if you snag a trauma kit.

There are health kits and potions in competing Battle Royale games, but their implementation here is subtly different. It's fast, like most things in "Call of Duty," and is always locked to a single button.

Even the system for choosing which type of healing kit to use is simple and intuitive, dubbed "Quick Equip." Just a quick tap up on the d-pad and you can easily access and swap out all sorts of gear. It's a huge step up over how similar things are handled in "Fortnite" and "PUBG."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The world's biggest chat platform for gaming is taking aim at Steam, the world's biggest gaming storefront

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Discord Store

  • The world's largest chat platform for gaming, Discord, has over 150 million users.
  • On Tuesday, the company's digital storefront for games went worldwide — a major move aimed at taking on the biggest game store in the world, Steam.
  • Discord's store library is limited to start, with only a small handful of games from a few publishers.

With over 150 million users, Discord is the world's largest gaming chat platform. 

Though the service is used by lots of different groups, the focus for Discord is gaming — it offers both text and voice chat. Earlier this year, that service expanded into an entirely new area: Discord opened a digital game storefront.

And this week, the service went worldwide.

That's an especially big deal because of Discord's huge user numbers. It's one of the few services online that has a large enough gaming audience to reasonably take on the Valve-owned gaming juggernaut Steam, the world's largest game store. 

Chances are, if you've bought a game on a PC or Mac in the last decade, you bought it on Steam. The service boasts over 200 million users and it has no real competition. 

That said, it sounds like Discord doesn't intend to take on Steam directly — at least not at first.

As the company said in a press release earlier this year, the Discord Store is intended as a "kind of cozy neighborhood book shop," but for games instead of books.

Strand bookstore books manhattan

More specifically, the Discord Store aims to curate a group of games that come with personal recommendations. Rather than the firehose approach that digital stores like Steam and Apple's App Store take, Discord intends to recommend and sell only "the hottest and newest games." 

The opening list of games was pretty slim — just under a dozen games launched with the service. They are as follows:

  • "Dead Cells"
  • "Frostpunk"
  • "Omensight"
  • "Into the Breach"
  • "SpellForce 3"
  • "The Banner Saga 3"
  • "Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire"
  • "Hollow Knight"
  • "Moonlighter"
  • "This is the Police 2"
  • "Starbound"

Since launching in Canada earlier this year in a super limited beta, the store has added a variety of games — from indie hits like "Celeste" to massive action games like "Darksiders."

It's now available to everyone with a Discord account, which costs nothing. Discord users can check out the store right here.

SEE ALSO: Everything you need to know about Discord, the app that 135 million gamers all around the world are using to talk to each other

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Warner Bros. triumphed over Disney in public sentiment after hiring James Gunn for 'Suicide Squad 2'

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suicide squad

  • A social-media analysis from Talkwalker made for Business Insider showed that people had a stronger negative reaction to Disney firing James Gunn from "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" than when Warner Bros. hired him for "Suicide Squad 2."
  • This is also the first time in over a year that "Suicide Squad" has dominated online conversation more than "Guardians of the Galaxy."
  • The analysis showed that top social posts related to Gunn and "Suicide Squad" expressed interest in or admiration for the move.

 

In a bold move, Warner Bros. snagged James Gunn from Marvel last week to write, and possibly direct, its follow-up to the 2016 DC Comics-movie "Suicide Squad." Disney fired Gunn from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" in July after old offensive tweets from Gunn resurfaced.

And analysis from social-research company Talkwalker suggests public sentiment toward Warner Bros. puts it ahead of Disney in the Gunn controversy.

Talkwalker uses technology to monitor online conversations in real-time. The analysis, made for Business Insider, showed that for the first time in the last 13 months, "Suicide Squad" dominated online conversation more than "Guardians of the Galaxy."

But was that a bad or good thing?

While Talkwalker found a slight dip in public sentiment for "Suicide Squad" when the Gunn news broke, it was nowhere near the large dip that "Guardians of the Galaxy" saw when Disney fired him.

And a Talkwalker representative said the negative sentiment for "Suicide Squad 2" actually stemmed from posts that questioned Disney's decision to fire Gunn from "Guardians of the Galaxy" in light of his new gig at Warner Bros. Overall, the online reaction suggested that hiring Gunn has generated a lot of excitement for "Suicide Squad 2," according to Talkwalker.

In the graph below, the blue line represents "Suicide Squad" while the red line is "Guardians of the Galaxy."

james gunn

The top five social posts mentioning James Gunn and "Suicide Squad" expressed interest in or admiration for the move. The number one post is below, in which "Guardians of the Galaxy" actor Dave Bautista expressed interest in joining Gunn on "Suicide Squad 2." 

Gunn was beloved by fans for his work on the "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, which grossed a combined $1.6 billion worldwide. But he'll still have his work cut out for him on "Suicide Squad 2."

The first "Suicide Squad" was critically panned, and while it grossed $746 million worldwide, it saw a sharp decline in the weeks following its release in the US. That was bad news for a sequel.

But Warner Bros. has been rethinking its superhero film strategy, and is focusing on standalone stories rather than a shared universe after "Justice League" disappointed at the box office. According to The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit, Gunn's "Suicide Squad 2" will be a "whole new take" rather than a traditional sequel.

With "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" now on hold, and "Suicide Squad" in the hands of a director like Gunn, Warner Bros. could have struck gold with its latest hire.

Read more of Business Insider's coverage on James Gunn:

SEE ALSO: The Flash solo movie is reportedly being pushed back because the script is getting overhauled

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As MoviePass investors rage against management, its parent company has delayed a crucial shareholders meeting (HMNY)

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MoviePass

  • MoviePass' parent company, Helios and Matheson Analytics, has postponed its special meeting of stockholders regarding the vote on a 1-for-500 reverse stock split to November 1.
  • The meeting was originally scheduled for Thursday.
  • MoviePass investors have voiced their displeasure with Helios and Matheson about the proposed reverse split on Twitter.

 

MoviePass' owner, Helios and Matheson Analytics, announced in an SEC filing on Tuesday that it was postponing the special meeting of stockholders regarding the vote on a proposed 1-for-500 reverse stock split. 

Originally scheduled for Thursday, it will now take place two weeks later on November 1.

Helios and Matheson (HMNY) stated in the SEC proxy that the reason for the delay was so "our stockholders have more time to consider and vote upon the proposed reverse stock split."

HMNY stock was trading at around $0.02 on Tuesday.

In September, HMNY announced the special stockholders meeting to approve an amendment for a one-time reverse stock split of up to 1-for-500 shares. Then yesterday, two independent proxy advisory firms — Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. and Glass, Lewis & Co., LLC — both recommended that stockholders vote “for” the proposed reverse split.

But that doesn't seem to be giving investors much confidence. 

Business Insider spoke to one early investor of MoviePass this week who said they were not planning to attend the originally scheduled meeting, saying plainly "it doesn't look like I'll ever make money from HMNY." 

Meanwhile, stockholders have taken to social media to voice their frustration towards HMNY, including some pushing for a "no" vote:

The 1-for-500 reverse split is the latest attempt by HMNY to revive the stock, which if it continues trading below $1 could be delisted from the Nasdaq by mid-December. If that were to happen, it would make things even more challenging for the cash-strapped company.

In August, HMNY's 1-for-250 reverse stock split shot the stock up before it crashed back down below $1 again. So historically speaking, reverse splits for HMNY have not helped its stock.

Business Insider contacted HMNY for comment but did not get an immediate response.  

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Netflix's 3rd-quarter earnings blow through Wall Street's expectations (NFLX)

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Reed Hastings attends a panel during Netflix's 'See What's Next' event at Villa Miani on April 18, 2018 in Rome, Italy.

Netflix's third-quarter earnings crushed Wall Street's expectations thanks to a surge in subscribers, but the streaming-media giant warned investors that the costs of developing original content will take a bite out of its profit at the end of the year.

Netflix added 6.96 million new subscribers in Q3, well above the 5.3 million new subscribers it reeled in at this time last year and the roughly 5 million expected by analysts.

The better-than-expected subscriber additions, combined with some one-time accounting-related benefits, helped Netflix handily beat Wall Street profit targets.  The company posted a profit of 89 cents a share in its most recent period, a full 21 cents a share better than analysts polled by Bloomberg had forecast.

Netflix's stock was up $41.72, or 12%, to $388.12 a share in after-hours trading on Tuesday. Earlier in after-hours exchanges, the stock had been up as much as 15%.

Even as investors cheered the good news, Netflix warned that its per-share earnings in the fourth quarter would be just 23 cents a share — less than half of what Wall Street had predicted. Netflix said its bottom line would be weighed down by having to recognize on its income statement the money it's invested in licensing and developing movies and shows, particularly its "Originals."

Netflix said it would continue to invest heavily in content, and stressed the increasing competition it faces from giants like Apple and Amazon in its quarterly letter to shareholders. 

"Content companies such as WarnerMedia and Disney/Fox are moving to self-distribute their own content; tech firms like Apple, Amazon and others are investing in premium content to enhance their distribution platforms. Amid these massive competitors on both sides, plus traditional media firms, our job is to make Netflix stand out so that when consumers have free time, they choose to spend it with our service," Netflix said.

Here's what Netflix reported, compared with analysts' forecasts:

  • Q3 revenue: $4 billion. Analysts were expecting $4 billion also. In the same quarter last year, Netflix pulled in $2.98 billion in sales.
  • Q3 earnings per share (GAAP): 89 cents. Wall Street was looking for 68 cents a share. In last year's third quarter, it earned 29 cents a share.
  • Q3 subscriber additions: 6.96 million. In the same period last year, Netflix added 5.3 million subscribers
  • Revenue, Q4 forecast: Netflix's projects it will post $4.2 billion. Before the report, analysts had predicted it would pull in $4.23 billion. In the fourth quarter last year, Netflix saw sales of $3.29 billion.
  • Earnings per share, Q4 forecast: The company expects 23 cents. Wall Street had projected it would earn 50.4 cents a share. In the same quarter last year, it posted a profit of 41 cents a share.
  • Subscriber additions, Q4 forecast: Netflix said it will add 9.4 million. In the holiday period last year, it added 8.33 million.

Netflix's stock closed regular trading Tuesday up $13.27 a share, or 4%, to $346.40.

Netflix's investments in shows, movies catching up

The company expects its profit to plunge in the fourth quarter because of its content costs.

Netflix has been investing billions of dollars a year to license and develop shows and movies for its streaming services. It recognizes those costs on its income statement over time, usually in sync with when the movies and shows become available to viewers.

Big Mouth

Because of those costs, the company expects its operating margin — which is its profit before interest expenses, interest and other income, and taxes — to plunge, from 12% of revenue in the just-completed quarter to 4.9% in the holiday period. The company still expects to post a full-year operating margin of between 10% and 11% of sales.

"We would have preferred our operating margin to have been a little steadier over the course of the year, and we will target a little less quarterly variance next year in our progress to our full year target of 13%," the company said in a letter to shareholders.

Meanwhile, the company's third-quarter results were boosted in part by several one-time accounting items.

It got an $8 million gain from remeasuring its euro-denominated bonds. It also saw a $38 million tax benefit that was a result of last year's tax law. Together, those two windfalls accounted for about 10 cents of its 21-cent-per-share earnings beat.

But the company also benefited from signing up lots more new subscribers than it expected. Its tally for the quarter was 2 million higher than it had forecast.

Despite the blowout quarter and the better-than-expected reported earnings, Netflix is still burning through cash fast.

In the quarter, the company's free cash flow — which represents the amount of cash generated by or used up in its operations less the amount it spends on in things like equipment and new content and capital investments — ran in the red, to the tune of $859 million. That was up from a deficit of $465 million in the same period a year earlier.

The company expects its negative free cash flow for the year to be between $3 billion and $4 billion, though more likely closer to the former.

SEE ALSO: Tech gets demolished: The 5 hottest tech stocks just lost $172 billion in market value

SEE ALSO: The future is bright for Netflix and bleak for basic cable — these 3 charts show why

SEE ALSO: Netflix's 1 million subscriber miss is exactly why it’s time for the company to stop hiding a critical part of its business

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Basketball season is here: Here are the 10 best NBA players, according to the 'NBA 2K19' video game

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LeBron James - NBA 2K19

The NBA regular season is tipping off October 16th — that's tonight — and fans will get to see their favorite teams lineup with their 2018-19 roster for the first time.

But fans of the "NBA 2K19" have already been enjoying the new rosters since last month, in video game form. "NBA 2K" is the world's most meticulously-crafted basketball simulation and a new season means new ratings for more than 350 NBA players.

Basketball fans and players alike have always had a strong response to the 2K ratings, which take player tendencies, consistency and overall efficiency into account to come up with a final number. Players are given an overall rating on a 0-100 scale based on 30 different attributes. During the season the ratings are regularly adjusted to match the real-life performance of the players, to keep it as close to real life as possible. 

While the players at the top of the overall rankings are household names, things start to get a bit more unpredictable as the list goes on. Without further ado, here are the 10 best players in the NBA, according to "NBA 2K19."

10) Karl Anthony-Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves - 91 Overall

Now entering his fourth season in the NBA, the former #1 draft pick has emerged as one of the league's premier big men. While his points per game fell with the Timberwolves' addition of Jimmy Butler last season, Anthony-Towns showed development by improving his three-point shooting percentage and turning the ball over less.



9) Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder - 93 Overall

Russell Westbrook followed up his MVP 2016-17 season by averaging a triple-double for the second consecutive year with 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game. The last player to average a triple-double for the entire season was Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson in 1962.



8) Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics - 93 Overall

Despite missing most of the 2017-18 season due to injury, Irving remains one of the most explosive offensive players in the NBA, and will return to a Celtics team that reached the East Conference Finals without his help. While the star has struggled to stay healthy over the course of the last three years, he has shown that he has what it takes to push a team into championship territory.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

How 'The Price Is Right' is made

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  • "The Price is Right" has been delighting American audiences since 1972.
  • The popular game show on CBS gives contestants a chance to "come on down" and win prizes like vacations and cars.
  • It took host Drew Carey a couple years to consider the show his own after he took over for Bob Barker, who encouraged Carey to be himself.  
  • Anyone can buy tickets to be in the audience, but few are chosen as contestants — producer Stan Blits interviews about 53,000 candidates per season.
  • Watch the video above for a behind-the-scenes look at how the show is made today.

Since September 4, 1972, "The Price Is Right" has been delighting American audiences on CBS. The popular game show, previously hosted by Bob Barker, is now led by host Drew Carey. With popular games like Plinko and prizes like vacations and cars, the show is thriving in 2018.

When the show began in 1972, the wheel didn't exist, only three contestants played, and each episode was only 30 minutes. By 1975, the wheel was introduced and episodes were twice as long — this version is still used today.

The original host of "The Price is Right," Bob Barker, made it the iconic show it is today. When Drew Carey took over as host in 2007, it took him a couple years to consider the show his own, he told Insider. But Barker encouraged him to be himself. "Bob said, the best advice is to try not to copy him," said Carey. "Now I feel like it's my show totally. I always know there's going to be a room full of excited people jumping around and it's exciting for me."

While anyone can be on the show, not everyone is chosen to compete. Audience members wait in line while producer, Stan Blits, interviews candidates to choose who gets to be a lucky contestant called to "come on down" to the stage.

He interviews about 53,000 people per season, looking for anyone who can maintain their energy through the entire show. "Everybody starts off great because they love the show and they're excited initially," said Blits, "but if you can match my energy, and exceed it, and maintain it, you have a really good chance of being on the show." But being chosen by Stan is only half the battle — players have to make it past "Contestant's Row" to play a game on stage with Carey.

About 20 people in the prize department research all the latest trends to determine what products appear on the show, from cars and travel destinations to furniture and handbags. "The days of the grandfather clocks are gone, so we're now looking for what people want today and what's exciting, and going to really get viewers at home to want these prizes," said co-executive producer, Evelyn Warfel. The show stores all its prizes in a huge warehouse where it constantly receives new items.

"I grew up without any money so I really empathize with people when they win, and how happy they are to win anything, and just to be on the show," said Carey.

Watch the video above for a behind-the-scenes look at how the show is made today.

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T-Pain brings you inside startups on his new TV show, from weed-infused wine to an all-in-one instrument for musicians

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t pain

  • T-Pain's new Fuse show, "T-Pain's School of Business," finds the recording artist interviewing the founders of successful product startups. 
  • T-Pain spoke to Business Insider about the startups featured on his series premiere, the influence of his music, and his upcoming work.

 

Nearly a decade and a half out from the start of his music career, T-Pain decided to follow his side interest in startup culture into the world of reality business shows.

"T-Pain's School of Business," which premieres Tuesday on Fuse at 11 pm ET, finds the recording artist interviewing the founders of a wide range of successful product startups.

Speaking to Business Insider during a phone call from his studio last week, T-Pain discussed the startups featured on his series premiere, including a marijuana-infused wine and an all-in-one instrument for musicians, the popular influence of his music, and what we can expect from his upcoming work.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

John Lynch: I was relieved to hear you swearing and joking on the show. I was worried with this type of show that we might see a PG T-Pain. 

T-Pain: Oh, no [laughs]. I am who I am on any platform.

Lynch: And Fuse was a good home for it? 

T-Pain: Yeah, they were the only people who would actually let me do my thing, so yeah, definitely a good home.

Lynch: What inspired you to do this type of business show?

T-Pain: Mostly because I was already doing it at home, going through Kickstarter and IndieGoGo and all the funding sites. I was just trying to bring something that I already liked doing to TV. Not much other motivation than that, man. It was just a great idea. I told Fuse what I was doing on a daily basis, and they were like, "Man, that'd be a great show." And here we are.

Lynch: How did you approach hosting it?

T-Pain: It wasn't really a hard decision on how I was going to approach it, because like I said, I was already doing it, and I talk to a lot of entrepreneurs everyday. You've gotta imagine the number of people that come up to me everyday saying they have great ideas, or looking for funding. But a lot of these companies that I talked to on the show were already successful. I felt like it was more of an opportunity to teach than anything else, because I didn't want to have a show where I'm like, "I know all about making money. Here's how you do it — do this," or you know, I'm not shutting anybody down. That seemed like a terrible idea.

I just wanted it to be organic, natural, pretty much uplifting, and very, very informative. That was the most important thing. I wanted it to be informative and not just showing off how much money these people have made and how dope their products are. I wanted information behind the development, information behind the process, what made you come up with this idea. I wanted to motivate younger and up-and-coming entrepreneurs as well, so it helps out a lot to have an informative show, and not just something that's super duper fun and you learn nothing.

t pain artiphon

Lynch: One of the products that you seemed to like a lot was the Artiphon 1, this all-in-one instrument that raised $1 million on Kickstarter. What did you think of playing that, and have you used it at all since then?

T-Pain: Yeah, I'm literally looking at it right now [laughs]. I'm in my studio, and I've got it hooked up in my studio right now. The Artiphon is such a new take on something that sort of existed, but there's been nothing like it so far that I've seen, other than normal Midi controllers and the keyboards that you can bring in and turn into Midi controllers. It's such a different thing, like with the iBow that you can use your phone and treat it like a violin, and the guitar aspect of it, you can play a piano like a guitar. So many different ways you can use it. You can make your own custom pads. And it's just one thing that fits into your backpack. Before I saw this product, using my laptop in my hotel room, I would have to bring a keyboard, a small guitar, a record device, but all of that is in that Artiphon, so it helps out a lot. 

t pain

Lynch: Another product you tried was a weed-infused wine. That you seemed more skeptical of, which I think was right — it seemed like a bizarre scenario.

T-Pain: [laughs] Yeah, that was actually pretty cool, man. I wasn't chill about it at first because I'm just not a weed guy. I'm just terrible at weed on any account. I don't know how somebody can be bad at weed, but I'm just real bad at weed. I can't do edibles, I can't smoke weed, but then I drank that, and man, I was actually pretty chill. Usually I'm freaking losing my mind or something like that, but there wasn't a crazy dosage of THC in it, so I bet that helps out a lot, and also I like drinking. But yeah, it worked fairly quickly and very effectively. 

Lynch: To go back to music technology, as one of the modern originators of autotune, what was it like for you to see that technology and that style really take off in the years after your first album?

T-Pain: It was pretty cool, man, to be an innovator. Not that I invented autotune or was the first person to use it or anything like that. A lot of people have complained that they did it before me, and I'm grateful for that and, hey, maybe they motivated me, I don't know, but it didn't take off like it did after I did it. To see myself as somebody that brought it to the forefront and made it popular, I'm really glad I did it. That's something under my belt that I can keep going and tell my grandkids about. 

Lynch: And you're still — you haven't exhausted it, you still like using autotune as a tool?

T-Pain: Oh, absolutely. I can't stop doing something that I started. It's a pretty cool thing for me, and it's part of my sound. So I don't want to change too much. If it ain't broke don't fix it, you know. It's one of those things.

Lynch: You had a recent back-and-forth on Twitter with Delta airlines about your distaste for their runway music, and they ended up playing "Buy U a Drank" on one of your flights. What's the strangest place you've heard one of your songs?

T-Pain: Probably in a church [laughs]. That was weird.

Lynch: You said "in a church"? [laughs]

T-Pain: Yeah, I didn't think they would be doing that, but hey, they used it, flipped the words around to talk about God and Jesus, and yeah, I'm all about it. I have no problem with that.

Lynch: Which song was it?

T-Pain: It was "Bartender," which was weird. They flipped that around and made it about "the word." So that was pretty cool.

Lynch: Prepping for this call, I had a sharp flashback to being an emotional white kid listening to "I'm Sprung" on like a CD player, back in the day [laughs]. I'm wondering, is there an era of your career that you're particularly nostalgic for or proud of?

T-Pain: I think the "THR33 RINGZ" era. I feel like I got more creative in that time, and I took more risks with the style of clothing I was wearing, and coming out with all these props at my shows. And that's another thing that really brought me to doing this TV show was taking risks, and just seeing how difficult it is to really believe in yourself when nobody else knows what the hell is going on. Because if I would have listened to people when I came up with the whole circus theme [for "THR33 RINGZ"], that whole album would have never happened. It helped to believe in myself and get to a point where I could channel my inner entrepreneur and just go for it, and do things on the road that nobody had seen before, and it worked out.

Lynch: You just dropped a second volume of "Everything Must Go." Why release free collections of your songs at this time  why must everything go?

T-Pain: Well, for one, I don't feel like buying any more hard drives, and I'm running out of room on all the ones my music is on. So if I'm running out of space on a four terabyte drive, then I just need to either delete all the music I got on there or just release it. I'm not using it for anything or making money off it sitting in the ol' hard drive, then why not just give it to the people? It's just something to bring awareness that I'm still here, same type of music. It was music I made in my leisure. I mean, the only way I would capitalize off of it is if one of the songs becomes a hit and I go touring off of that song for some reason, I don't know why, but it's not really a priority of mine at this present time.

Lynch: How are you thinking about your next official release  I'm assuming you're in the studio for it?

T-Pain: Yeah, it's actually coming pretty soon, like really really soon. Like less than two months soon. So I'm just in the studio getting it done. We got the final tracks. I just sent in all the sessions for mixing. It's pretty much like, not so much a surprise, but basically like I'm doing everything on the go. The game isn't really big on promoting anymore anyways, so it's just like a thing I'm doing. I'm not seeing it as a big, life-changing thing I'm doing, but it's definitely something I want to put out in the world.

Lynch: How are you conceptualizing it musically?

T-Pain: I don't think I'm coming at it with any particular concept or anything like that. Conceptually, it's just me enjoying music again. It's just a vast array of things that I've had on my mind recently. There was a point where music didn't really mean as much to me as it used to, so just getting back in the groove and really enjoying it again is what you would get out from it. If I had to lay a concept to it, I think it's just me having fun [laughs]. That's all it boils down to. 

"T-Pain's School of Business" premieres Tuesday night on Fuse at 11 pm ET.

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'Call of Duty' is jumping on the hottest video game bandwagon of the year. Here's why 'Fortnite' players should give the new 'Blackout' mode a real shot

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PUBG Fortnite Blackout

Video games have entered the era of the battle royale, a subgenre of shooting games that pits 100 players against each other on a single map in a fight for survival. The genre exploded with popularity last year with a pair of new games, "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" and "Fortnite: Battle Royale," introducing millions of players to the battle royale concept.

This year both "Call of Duty" and "Battlefield," the two largest multiplayer shooting franchises, announced that their games would feature battle royale modes. While several games have already tried to mimic the success of "Fortnite" and "PUBG," the big budget production teams of "Call of Duty" and "Battlefield" threaten to deliver a more complete product. Blackout, "Call of Duty's" battle royale mode, launched with "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" on October 12th and has already been commended for its polished take on the genre.

As developers work to create their ideal version of battle royale, let's take a look at why the genre is a hit and what makes the experience of each battle royale game unique.

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How does the battle royale genre work?

The genre is loosely inspired by the Japanese novel, manga and film "Battle Royale," which focuses on a class of high school students forced to fight to the death while trapped on a remote island. In the video game version of this concept, up to 100 players deploy onto a single map and must find weapons to defend themselves. As time goes on, a kill field begins to close in around the map, constantly shrinking the amount of safe space for players to survive in. Inevitably, they are forced to kill each other until only one player or team is left standing.

Battle Royale games usually last 20 minutes at most, though the vast majority of players don't make it that far. As soon as you die in a round, you're free to join the next batch of 99 players in a fresh round. With a massive map, little waiting time and dozens of players to interact with, battle royale games cater to a variety of playstyles. Groups of friends can join together and hunt for other players across the map, while lone wolf gamers can bide their time and hide until there are just a few survivors.



Comparing the current generation of battle royale games.

"PlayerUnknown's BattleGrounds," usually called "PUBG" for short, distilled the battle royale style, taking influences from survival shooters like "H1Z1" and "DayZ." The game entered early access for PC in March 2017 and sold one million copies in its first 16 days. "PUBG" has continued to expand with an official release for Xbox One and a mobile version of the game for Android and iOS.



'Fortnite' wasn't originally a battle royale game.

"Fortnite" originally launched as a four-player cooperative survival game in July 2017, but after seeing the success of "PUBG," "Fortnite" developer Epic Games decided to release its own free-to-play battle royale mode in September 2017. "Fortnite: Battle Royale" has skyrocketed in the year since, reporting more than 120 million players worldwide and becoming the first game to feature cross platform play between PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android and iOS devices.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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