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Lance Bass reveals 'the toughest part' about competing on a new cooking show

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lance and diane bass my kitchen rules fox

Former NSYNC member Lance Bass got to indulge his passion for cooking on Fox's upcoming culinary competition show, "My Kitchen Rules," which debuts Thursday at 9 p.m.

An adaptation of an Australian show, "My Kitchen Rules" pits celebrity duos against each other as they cook and critique each other’s food.

The teams will take turns hosting dinner parties with menus designed to impress their rival competitors — including Brandy, Ray J, Andrew Dice Clay, Naomi Judd, and Brandi Glanville — and the judges, chefs Curtis Stone (“Top Chef Masters”) and Cat Cora (“Iron Chef America”).

"It was so much fun to film, because cooking is something I’m very passionate about," Bass told Business Insider recently. "And to be able to do it with my mom was really a great bonding experience. It stressed us to death, but it was a lot of fun."

While Bass enjoyed reconnecting with his mother, Diane Bass, he said that the pairing really tested the alpha role he has been accustomed to in his own home.

"The toughest part is definitely realizing she is the boss in the kitchen," Bass said. "Usually, I’m the boss. My husband doesn’t really know what he’s doing, so he’s the sous chef and I’m always in control. So releasing control to my mother was the hardest part for me."

In the end, though, Bass might have gotten the better part of that deal.

"She definitely knows a lot more than I do in the kitchen, so it was really nice to kind of let her lead," he said. "Although she got really sick toward the end of shooting because she was so stressed out doing it."

As for his game strategy, Bass told us that he looked to his roots for an advantage in the competition.

"I have lots of good dishes that I like to make," he said. "I grew up around New Orleans, so one of my favorite things to always make people is gumbo, especially people in Los Angeles. Most people have never had gumbo before, so I love fixing it for them. It’s pretty challenging to make. But once you make a good pot of it, people love it."

Watch a preview of "My Kitchen Rules" below:

 

SEE ALSO: The 4 best live music acts you should see, according to NSYNC's Lance Bass

DON'T MISS: The 22 most exciting new shows of 2017 you have to see

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NOW WATCH: Don't be afraid to cancel cable — here's how to watch all of your favorite shows for less than $42 a month


Pandora just said its laying off 7 percent of its workforce — and the stock is spiking (P)

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Pandora

Internet radio pioneer Pandora is cutting 7% of its workforce by the end of Q1 2017, the company announced Thursday.

Pandora also said it expects to "exceed previously announced Q4 2016 revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance rangesgiven strong advertising performance. It now has more than 4.3 million paying subscribers.

The stock was up over 7% in after-hours trading Thursday immediately following the news.

Pandora said the job cuts, which would be executed by the end of the first quarter in 2017, are intended to reduce operational costs in 2017.

As of December 31, 2015, Pandora had 2,219 employees, according to Reuters, meaning the cuts likely represent over 150 jobs (Pandora said the cuts excluded Ticketfly).

“While making workforce reductions is always a difficult decision, the commitment to cost discipline will allow us to invest more heavily in product development and monetization and build on the foundations of our strategic investments,” Pandora CEO Tim Westergren said in a statement.

The long-term prospects of Pandora seem to rest in the success of its upcoming on-demand product, Pandora Premium. The service will compete with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music. That product had been shown to press and investors, and is scheduled for release early this year.

For sale?

For months, Pandora has endured on-and-off rumors that it's trying to sell itself, and satellite radio powerhouse Sirius XM has been floated as the main suitor.

But, unfortunately for Pandora, Sirius XM doesn't appear to be interested. Earlier this month, Sirius CFO David Frear threw cold water on the speculation.

"With respect to all the chatter about acquisitions, you have to look at them as sort of being not very likely," Sirius CFO David Frear said Thursday (after market close) at a Citi conference in Las Vegas, as noted by TheStreet.

Sirius XM had reportedly made an informal offer to buy Pandora in 2016 for $15 per share (Pandora is currently trading at around $13 per share). That offer valued the company at over $3.4 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal

SEE ALSO: Here are the Netflix and Amazon TV shows that have gotten the best buzz over the last few years

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NOW WATCH: 9 iPhone tricks that will make your life easier in 2017

Nintendo is on the brink of something incredible — or total disaster (NTDOI)

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Nintendo Switch

The gaming world is abuzz about Thursday night's official unveiling of the Nintendo Switch, the company's crazy new hybrid portable/TV console, expected to launch in March 2017. I'm excited, you're excited, we're all excited.

But if I'm Nintendo (and I'm pretending I am for a second), I'm feeling more than excitement. I'm feeling nervous. I'm feeling scared. Because in a very real way, this is a make-or-break situation for Nintendo. And depending how the Switch goes over with consumers, it could mean the end of Nintendo as we know it.

It's not that Nintendo is at risk of going out of business any time soon. Nintendo has over $5.7 billion in the bank in cash as of its last earnings report, plus billions more in other assets. That's enough to keep the lights on at Nintendo for the foreseeable future.

It's really that, after a year of disappointments, Nintendo needs a hit — badly. If it doesn't deliver the goods with the Switch, Nintendo's investors are likely to pressure the gaming legend into shifting focus away from its own hardware, and towards making more software for smartphones and tablets.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Worse yet, investors are already bearish on the Switch: When Nintendo debuted the first trailer for the console, its stock tumbled. Gamers are excited, but analysts are concerned that the Switch's core gimmick of a tablet that can hook up to a TV isn't enough to set it apart from the more powerful and well-established Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 gaming consoles.

The bottom line here: With the Nintendo Wii U flopping, and the long-awaited "Super Mario Run" for iPhone making way less money than expected, Nintendo is running out of breathing room in the market. And while the company has long found success by ignoring the conventional wisdom and going its own way, Nintendo is only as good as its latest hit.

The problem

The problem is that Nintendo is coming into this from a position of weakness. The Nintendo Wii U, the Switch's predecessor, was a major flop, selling only 13 million units in its lifetime — compared with the admittedly once-in-a-lifetime smashing success of the original Nintendo Wii console, which sold 101 million unites, or the Nintendo DS, which sold 154 million unites.

The Nintendo 3DS, the company's current handheld system, has been a more reliable performer in the choppy waters, with more than 60 million devices sold. But as the Wii U has floundered, it's dragged Nintendo's overall revenue down with it. As a result, Nintendo stock has been kind of a roller coaster ride the last few years.

Meanwhile, investors and gamers had been after Nintendo to build smartphone games for almost as long as the App Store has existed. In 2016, Nintendo finally relented, releasing the odd "Miitomo" and the much-anticipated "Super Mario Run."

Screenshot 2017 01 12 16.20.49

Expectations for "Super Mario Run" were high. And while it had over 40 million downloads, it didn't generate the revenue that analysts and industry-watchers were hoping for. (Despite common belief, "Pokémon Go," as lucrative as it is, wasn't actually made by Nintendo.)

Part of that is because of Nintendo's insistence on the player experience: Players can try a few levels of "Super Mario Run," can pay $9.99 to unlock the rest, and no further payments are necessary or even possible. It's a counterpoint to the extremely lucrative "microtransactions" of, say, "Clash of Clans."

And so, as investors realized in the last weeks of 2016 that "Super Mario Run" was unlikely to be the ongoing cash cow that they hoped it would be (and Nintendo purposely kept it from being), the stock started tanking. Again. 

Last shot

Nintendo has largely been given free rein by its investors to pursue idiosyncrasies. Remember how crazy the stylus was on the original Nintendo DS? Or the first time you heard the name "Wii" and saw those controllers? More often than not, it's proven itself right. 

But right now, in January 2016, Nintendo is coming off one high-profile failure, the Wii U, and one financial disappointment in "Super Mario Run."

The Nintendo Switch is a smart move, that takes the success the company has had in portable console gaming and extends it to the TV. But it won't be enough for investors if it's a minor hit, or has an active community, or has the best games on the market. 

Super Mario Run

What Nintendo needs to do is make a lot of money on the Switch, and quickly.

Because, while it may have a lot of cash in the bank, its goodwill with investors won't last forever. If they decide to step in and pressure the company even further, you won't see any bold experiments like the Switch out of Nintendo for a long time.  And you'll probably see a lot more free-to-play games with the Super Mario or Legend of Zelda brands that aim for nickel-and-diming you rather than a fun game to play.

But if it works, this could be a real return to form for Nintendo — and investors will remember that sometimes, investing in the offbeat and the innovative does pay off. 

SEE ALSO: We went to the 24-hour 'ultimate' Taco Bell in Las Vegas, where they serve alcoholic Baja Blast slushies

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NOW WATCH: Nintendo just showed off the Nintendo Switch — an entirely new console

Nintendo's new console will release on March 3

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Nintendo on Thursday finally announced the official release date for its new console, the Nintendo Switch, in North America. Nintendo Switch will release on March 3. It starts at $299.

Nintendo Switch

What is the Nintendo Switch?

The Nintendo Switch is the successor to Nintendo's Wii U, a console that failed to catch on with people. The Wii U is the worst-selling game console Nintendo's ever made (with the exception of the Virtual Boy), and the long-time Japanese game company is hoping to turn around its fortunes with the Switch.

The gimmick of the Switch is simple: It's a home game console and a portable game console. The same games are played on both, and it seamlessly transitions between being used at home (in a dock, seen below) and being used as a handheld.

Nintendo Switch

When you're playing it at home, you can use a standard gamepad. When you're playing it on-the-go, you attach a pair of controllers — dubbed "Joy-Con" by Nintendo — and play it using those. Think of it like an iPad Mini held sideways with gaming controllers attached.

Like so:

Nintendo Switch

The portable version of Switch even has a kickstand so you can play games on it without having to hold the handheld:

Nintendo Switch

Rather than using Blu-ray discs, like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the Nintendo Switch uses cartridges. These aren't the type of cartridges from the '80s that Nintendo used in the original NES — instead, they're more like the carts that were used on Nintendo's DS and 3DS handheld consoles.

Here's what they look like in action:

The Switch will also work with digital games — those downloaded from an online storefront, similar to how Apple's App Store or Google Play work. 

What about games?

Glad you asked! There are a handful of games announced as coming to the Switch.

Standouts include "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," and a new, 3D game starring Super Mario. 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

During the debut trailer for the Switch from 2016, a few games from the Wii U made a cameo — "Mario Kart 8" and "Splatoon," seemingly with new content, both showed up. 

Beyond Nintendo itself, EA is promising one of its "bigger games" will head to the Switch. While game fans are no doubt hoping that EA is talking about its upcoming "Mass Effect: Andromeda," we'd bet the next "FIFA" game is heading to Switch. 

Interested in checking out the system in person ahead of its March launch? Nintendo is taking it on tour — check out the full list of locations right here.

SEE ALSO: This is Nintendo's new video game console

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nintendo just showed off the Nintendo Switch — an entirely new console

Nintendo's new game console will cost $299 to start

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Nintendo's new console, the Switch, will cost $299 to start. 

Nintendo Switch

The company announced as much from a Tokyo event on Thursday evening, where the console was detailed. The console launches in North America on March 3.

What is the Nintendo Switch?

The Nintendo Switch is the successor to Nintendo's Wii U, a console that failed to catch on with people. The Wii U is the worst-selling game console Nintendo's ever made (with the exception of the Virtual Boy), and the long-time Japanese game company is hoping to turn around its fortunes with the Switch.

The gimmick of the Switch is simple: It's a home game console and a portable game console. The same games are played on both, and it seamlessly transitions between being used at home (in a dock, seen below) and being used as a handheld.

Nintendo Switch

When you're playing it at home, you can use a standard gamepad. When you're playing it on-the-go, you attach a pair of controllers — dubbed "Joy-Con" by Nintendo — and play it using those. Think of it like an iPad Mini held sideways with gaming controllers attached.

Like so:

Nintendo Switch

The portable version of Switch even has a kickstand so you can play games on it without having to hold the handheld:

Nintendo Switch

Rather than using Blu-ray discs, like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the Nintendo Switch uses cartridges. These aren't the type of cartridges from the '80s that Nintendo used in the original NES — instead, they're more like the carts that were used on Nintendo's DS and 3DS handheld consoles.

Here's what they look like in action:

The Switch will also work with digital games — those downloaded from an online storefront, similar to how Apple's App Store or Google Play work. 

What about games?

Glad you asked! There are a handful of games announced as coming to the Switch.

Standouts include "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," and a new, 3D game starring Super Mario. 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

During the debut trailer for the Switch from 2016, a few games from the Wii U made a cameo — "Mario Kart 8" and "Splatoon," seemingly with new content, both showed up. 

Beyond Nintendo itself, EA is promising one of its "bigger games" will head to the Switch. While game fans are no doubt hoping that EA is talking about its upcoming "Mass Effect: Andromeda," we'd bet the next "FIFA" game is heading to Switch. 

Interested in checking out the system in person ahead of its March launch? Nintendo is taking it on tour — check out the full list of locations right here.

SEE ALSO: The hottest 50 video games you shouldn't miss in 2017

DON'T MISS: You'll be able to play Nintendo's new game console starting in January

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nintendo just showed off the Nintendo Switch — an entirely new console

Here are all the games that will launch on the new Nintendo Switch console

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Nintendo unveiled more details about its new game console, the Switch, on Thursday night. In particular, we learned more about the mess of great games coming to the Switch. 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

We will be updating this list throughout the night, but so far, here are all the games said to be arriving with the Switch when it launches on March 3 for $299:

- "1, 2, Switch" is a party game for the Switch. It makes use of the Joy-Con as motion controllers for multiplayer experiences that look quirky and fun. It will release with the Switch at launch.

"ARMS" is a motion-based game where players literally fight — using their real arms — but the moves are reflected in the game. Your fists extend out (in the game), like they have springs — it's a bit of a combination of shooter and fighting game. It looks rad! This game will also release with the Switch at launch.

"Splatoon 2" is a sequel to the breakout hit "Splatoon," a third-person shooter on Nintendo's Wii U. The game was a major new entry from Nintendo in a category that it didn't compete in traditionally; "Splatoon 2" looks to continue the silly, thrilling competitive shooting made famous by the previous game. It will launch this summer.

- "Super Mario Odyssey" is a brand-new 3D Mario game, and the first large Mario-themed sandbox world since "Super Mario 64" on the Nintendo 64 and "Super Mario Sunshine" on the Gamecube. It's an absolutely gorgeous, bonkers-looking game with innovative, colorful gameplay. It will release in the holiday season later this year.

- "Xenoblade Chronicles 2" and "Fire Emblem Warriors" will satisfy anyone looking for an action-adventure games with a fantasy settings. Nintendo did not say when these games would launch. 

- "Project Octopath Traveler" is a brand-new game from Square Enix.

- Games from the "Dragon Quest" series, including games 1 and 2 remade for Switch, as well as new games in "Dragon Quest X" and "Dragon Quest XI."

Nintendo says there are 50 different companies developing 80 games for the Switch, including   

What is the Nintendo Switch?

The Nintendo Switch is the successor to Nintendo's Wii U, a console that failed to catch on with people. The Wii U is the worst-selling game console Nintendo's ever made (with the exception of the Virtual Boy), and the long-time Japanese game company is hoping to turn around its fortunes with the Switch.

The gimmick of the Switch is simple: It's a home game console and a portable game console. The same games are played on both, and it seamlessly transitions between being used at home (in a dock, seen below) and being used as a handheld.

Nintendo Switch

When you're playing it at home, you can use a standard gamepad. When you're playing it on-the-go, you attach a pair of controllers — dubbed "Joy-Con" by Nintendo — and play it using those. Think of it like an iPad Mini held sideways with gaming controllers attached.

Like so:

Nintendo Switch

The portable version of Switch even has a kickstand so you can play games on it without having to hold the handheld:

Nintendo Switch

Rather than using Blu-ray discs, like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the Nintendo Switch uses cartridges. These aren't the type of cartridges from the '80s that Nintendo used in the original NES — instead, they're more like the carts that were used on Nintendo's DS and 3DS handheld consoles.

Here's what they look like in action:

The Switch will also work with digital games — those downloaded from an online storefront, similar to how Apple's App Store or Google Play work. 

Any more games I should know about?

Glad you asked! In addition to the games announced on Thursday night, there are even more games announced as coming to the Switch.

Standouts include "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," and a new, 3D game starring Super Mario. 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

During the debut trailer for the Switch from 2016, a few games from the Wii U made a cameo — "Mario Kart 8" and "Splatoon," seemingly with new content, both showed up. 

Beyond Nintendo itself, EA is promising one of its "bigger games" will head to the Switch. While game fans are no doubt hoping that EA is talking about its upcoming "Mass Effect: Andromeda," we'd bet the next "FIFA" game is heading to Switch. 

Interested in checking out the system in person ahead of its March launch? Nintendo is taking it on tour — check out the full list of locations right here.

SEE ALSO: This is Nintendo's new video game console

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nintendo just showed off the Nintendo Switch — an entirely new console

Here's everything we just learned about Nintendo's new $300 console, the Switch

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After years of waiting, Nintendo's finally got a new video game console on the way: the Nintendo Switch.

nintendo switch

It's a hybrid console — you can play it at home, on your living room television, or you can take it on-the-go. Here's what we know about the console thus far:

  • It's called Nintendo Switch.
  • It's scheduled to launch on March 3, 2017.
  • It starts at $299.
  • Nintendo has a gaggle of games starring its most prominent creations in the works. 

There's of course much more to the Switch than that, and Nintendo just offered a ton of new details. Here's everything we learned from Nintendo's insane event, straight out of Tokyo.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo's new console will release on March 3

DON'T MISS: Here are all the games that will launch on the new Nintendo Switch console

Here's a good look at the Nintendo Switch Dock and the "Joy-Con Grip" gamepad:

What you see above is exactly what'll come in the box when Nintendo Switch arrives on March, 3 2017: the Nintendo Switch Dock, the tablet-like console, and a home gamepad with the detachable Joy-Con in-tow. Notably, the controller is actually called the "Joy-Con Grip" — since you can detach each side of the Joy-Con bits and attach them to the Switch tablet, the Grip acts as a means of turning the Joy-Con into a more traditional gamepad.



Here's a good look at the portable version of Nintendo Switch:

As you see above, the Joy-Con slide onto the sides of the screen, turning it into a portable handheld game console. Each controller has a thumbstick and four main buttons. They can be used with the screen, detached from the screen, or at home with the Nintendo Switch Dock. 



Here's a look at the Joy-Con Grip gamepad being used. It looks a bit unwieldy, but certainly workable.

The Joy-Con Grip gamepad has two offset analog sticks, and four buttons on each side. There are also shoulder buttons, and triggers on each side — the standard gamepad setup nowadays, more or less. 



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The new 'Legend of Zelda' game will launch with the Nintendo Switch on March 3

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

It had been rumored for some while, and now it's official: When the new Nintendo Switch console launches on March 3, you'll be able to buy the much-anticipated "The Legend Zelda: Breath of the Wild" at the same time.

For those relative few who own a Nintendo Wii U, you won't be left behind either — a Wii U version of "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" will be releasing on the same day.

Players on both consoles will be able to play the game, which is one of the most-anticipated titles of the year. Still, Wii U owners won't be able to take advantage of the Nintendo Switch's coolest feature, which is the ability to disconnect your game from the TV and use it as a portable device, too.

It's the first major Nintendo franchise to debut on the Nintendo Switch. "Splatoon 2" will debut in the summer of 2017, Nintendo says, and "Super Mario Odyssey" will be available for the 2017 holiday season.

This isn't the first time Nintendo has released a new "Legend of Zelda" game with a console, nor is it the first time a "Zelda" game has been released for two consoles simultaneously. Back in 2006, the original Nintendo Wii launched with "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess," but a version for the Nintendo Gamecube was released a week or two later.

Nintendo hasn't yet shared what other games will be available on that March 3rd launch day, save for the bizarre but interesting-looking "1 2 Switch" collection of party games. It's a good sign, though, that at least one guaranteed, Nintendo-exclusive blockbuster will be available on day one.

SEE ALSO: Here's everything we just learned about Nintendo's new $300 console, the Switch

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's the gorgeous trailer for 'Super Mario Odyssey' — the first Mario game for Nintendo Switch


Controllers for Nintendo's newest console start at $70

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If you want extra controllers for the new Nintendo Switch, which launches on March 3 for $299, get ready to shell out.

A listing on Nintendo's website indicates that the nifty new motion-sensing "Joy-Con" controllers, which enable the Switch's niftiest feature, are $79.99 a pop. That's considerably more than the $60 NES Classic, Nintendo's new retro throwback console, just for a controller.

Basically, the Joy-Con controllers can be used like a traditional gamepad when the Switch is hooked up to the TV, but can also be disassembled and snapped to the side of the unit, so you can use it as a portable system. A picture is worth a thousand words:

Nintendo Switch

If that's not enough, each "side" of the Joy-Con controller can become a controller unto itself, so one Joy-Con can actually become two for instant multiplayer action in either TV or portable mode. Plus, they each have a motion sensor, for Wii-style gaming:

Nintendo Switch (Joy-Con)

To that end, you'll be able to buy each individual Joy-Con, which is sort of only half of a full controller, for $49.99 each. For an extra $30, you can get the "grip" that converts turns two of the mini-controllers into one big controller. It's a little confusing, but Nintendo is letting you buy much of the system in a piecemeal fashion.

Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, a traditional gamepad that looks like the kind you might find on the PlayStation or Xbox, goes for $69.99:

nintendo joy con pro

Interestingly, the Nintendo site also indicates that you'll be able to buy a Nintendo Switch steering wheel, kind of like the Wii Wheel that was available for "Mario Kart Wii" way back when, at the low cost of 2 for $15:

nintendo joy con wheel

SEE ALSO: Here's everything we just learned about Nintendo's new $300 console, the Switch

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Nintendo is finally showing off their hybrid Switch console — here are all the ways you'll be able to play it

For the first time, Nintendo will charge you to play games online

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nintendo switch event 2017

The Nintendo Switch, the new $299 console launching on March 3, will be the first Nintendo console to require a premium, paid subscription service if you want to play games online.

The details are on Nintendo's site, but the upshot is that the gaming company will offer a free trial of this online service starting in March, but at some point in Fall 2017, it'll transition to being paid — though Nintendo says it'll announce pricing specifics later.

The good news is that subscribers to this service will get one free download of a classic NES or Super NES game, with online play enabled (whoa), per month. Plus, Nintendo says, subscribers will be eligible for discounts on the Switch's online store.

Here's the breakdown of what you'll get if you subscribe, versus keeping a free account:

nintendo switch online play

Nintendo consoles have offered online play since the Nintendo DS got the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection service in 2005, supported by games including "Mario Kart DS." But this is the first time Nintendo has charged for the privilege of playing games online.

Microsoft and Sony both offer premium online gaming services: Notably, Microsoft requires Xbox gamers to subscribe to the $60/year Xbox Live service if they want to play online, while rival Sony's $60/year PlayStation Plus service merely confers extra benefits, while playing online is free for all on its consoles.

SEE ALSO: Controllers for Nintendo's newest console start at $70

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's the gorgeous trailer for 'Super Mario Odyssey' — the first Mario game for Nintendo Switch

You can pre-order Nintendo's new Switch console right here, right now

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Nintendo Switch colors box

Late Thursday night, Nintendo unveiled a ton of important details about its upcoming game console, the Switch. Thanks to that event, we now know the Switch's price ($299 to start), release date (March 3), and list of games on the horizon.

But right now, you're probably just wondering how you can actually buy this machine. Thankfully, Nintendo is working with several big-box retailers so you can pre-order and pick up your Nintendo Switch at midnight on launch day, Friday, March 3.

Here's where you can pre-order the new Nintendo Switch:

- Amazon (currently sold out)

- Best Buy (still available for pre-order, but only for in-store pickup)

- Walmart (currently out of stock)

- Target (currently in stock)

- Gamestop (currently in stock)

We'll continually update this list as we learn about more places you can pre-order, and as stock of the Nintendo Switch fluctuates. But you are if you're interested in buying/pre-ordering the console, don't get discouraged by seeing the "out of stock" messages; keep all of these links handy. All of these retailers continually refill their available stock, as has happened within the first 8 hours of availability, so keep your eyes peeled and you just might be able to snag a new Switch.

If you want to get a new game for your new console, we also highly recommend pre-ordering the new "Legend of Zelda" game, one of the most anticipated games of 2017, which thankfully launches the same day as the Switch, on March 3. Amazon is currently sold out of pre-orders for "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" (you can get notified when more are in stock), but Prime members will be able to get the game for 20% off using pre-orders and within the first two weeks of availability. GameStop currently has the game in stock.

SEE ALSO: Here's everything we just learned about Nintendo's new $300 console, the Switch

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 'We watched our kids cry on Christmas': Parents are furious after disaster with the holidays' hottest toy

Seth Meyers: Trump is starting an 'authoritarian' war on the free press

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seth meyers donald trump

Seth Meyers believes this week should be a "wake-up call" to anyone hoping for a change from President-elect Donald Trump, and proof that his presidency "will be a major test for our democracy" that will include a "war on the free press."

On Thursday's "Late Night," Meyers used his "Closer Look" segment to analyze Trump's raucous first press conference as president-elect, in which he shut down a reporter from CNN, which Trump referred to as "fake news."

"It's gonna be the new 'Bye, Felicia,'" Meyers joked. "'Bye, fake news.'"

But in fact, while the unverified claims in the endlessly talked-about intelligence dossier might be false, CNN did not publish those specific claims (though BuzzFeed did). Meyers thinks this could be an eerie foreshadowing of how President Trump treats reporters doing their job.

"Trump's hostility toward the press is the kind of thing you usually see in authoritarian regime," Meyers said. "In fact, in an especially creepy move, Trump stocked the press conference with employees who laughed at his jokes and shouted out supportive answers to his rhetorical questions."

Among the jokes, as Meyers pointed out, was Trump saying, "I'm also very much of a germaphobe," referring to a particular lewd allegation in the dossier.

"That's the president-elect joking about how he couldn't have been in a room where Russian prostitutes were urinating on each other because he's a germaphone, just for a where we're at as a nation," Meyers said.

While he was at it, Meyers also pointed out that in a 2015 Hollywood Reporter article, Trump said, "I'm not germophobic."

"We should all admit we're living in the Upside Down with Barb," Meyers joked, nodding to "Stranger Things."

Meyers also spent some time tackling Trump's potential conflicts of interest with the business his family will be running, and Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson's own past business ties to Russia.

Watch the Seth Meyers video below:

 

SEE ALSO: Here are the must-see movies that are going to win Oscars in 2017

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NOW WATCH: The story of 'Slender Man' — the internet’s creepiest urban legend

The 'Deadpool' writers reveal everything you want to know about the sequel

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deadpool Fox final

For six years, screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick had one mission in life: get "Deadpool" made. Before the foul-mouthed superhero movie broke box-office records in 2016 and became a 2017 award-season darling (including Golden Globes and a good chance at an Oscar), just getting a film made about the Merc with a Mouth was considered a million-to-one shot.

But thanks to the perseverance of Resse, Wernick, director Tim Miller, and of course Ryan Reynolds — who had been trying for over a decade to give the character a worthy standalone movie — they are now the toast of Hollywood, spawning imitators in the wake of their surprise R-rated blockbuster.

Reese and Wernick talked to Business Insider in a wide-ranging interview about what they're planning for the sequel, the shocking exit of Miller from the franchise over "creative differences," how James Cameron played a big part in keeping the movie alive, and why they would have likely walked away from their screenwriting careers if "Deadpool" never got made.

Jason Guerrasio: When did you two start talking about a sequel? Or were you told to get started?

Rhett Reese: Yeah, it was June of 2015.

Paul Wernick: We were on set in May shooting the first one. The studio came out, they weren't out on set much, but they all came out and one of the executives said, "We need to start talking to you guys about a sequel." They had been watching dailies and were feeling bullish. A lot of times studios will start thinking about a sequel and say to the screenwriter, "We're thinking about a sequel. We're not going to pay you but keep it in the back of your mind." With Fox, the next week we made a deal to write the sequel and started in June while the movie was still shooting.

Reese: Well, we were outlining.

Wernick: True.

Reese: We didn't start writing until a couple of months before the movie came out. We started writing around December and we're still writing. It's been a year process of slowly honing, trying this, trying that. It's really coming together. I think we're onto a draft that's going to be the movie.

Guerrasio: How many drafts deep are you currently in?

Reese: It's not that simple because we do so many revisions. They aren't really discrete drafts because it's constantly being revised.

Guerrasio: But you guys are feeling you're close to something that has a foundation?

Reese: We're feeling very good. It will shoot this year for sure.

Guerrasio: IMDb currently has the release date as March 2, 2018. Is that correct?

Wernick: Fox hasn't set a release date. We got to shoot this thing. But that's well beyond our pay grade.

cableGuerrasio: Will Cable be in the sequel?

Wernick: He will be in the sequel. The comic-book fans will be pleased. It's going to feel authentic and of the world and tone that Cable was created and conceived in and I think he will fit perfectly into the Deadpool universe in a way that will excite fans and non-fans who don't know who he is and fall in love with him by the end.

Guerrasio: Was Cable an early idea even back when Fox came to you saying they wanted to do a sequel?

Wernick: There was even talk of having Cable be in the first movie because he's so tied into that universe and he's such a fan favorite. People were like, "You can't make a 'Deadpool' movie without Cable," and our feeling was let's make the first one and establish Deadpool and then once the audience knows who Deadpool is let's then build out his universe. Fortunately, we have a second movie and we will introduce him in a real way and he will be integral in the story in this next one.

Guerrasio: Can you talk a little about the exit of director Tim Miller from your vantage point?

Reese: The clean and true answer is exactly what first came out in the press: It was simple creative differences. It was true that ultimately Tim's vision for the movie was a little different from the studio's and Ryan's and ours. The paths felt like they were diverging a little bit and ultimately Tim made the decision to walk away and it's not something anyone wanted to happen — it just happened and it was unfortunate. But I think we're energized, we have a wonderful new director in David Leitch ("John Wick"). We all still love Tim, we're all still on good terms, but David is diving into it in a real way. We're excited about him.

Guerrasio: Anything to add, Paul?

Wernick: No, I think Rhett handled that perfectly. I don't have anything to add so I'm not saying a f---ing thing. [Laughs]

Guerrasio: What about the report that Tim wanted a version that was three times the budget of the original?

Reese: That was totally false. That was not the case. It was creative differences, but it wasn't at all about the scale or scope of the movie. That was crazy.

Guerrasio: What was with that story about Deadpool showing up in "Logan"?

Reese: I don't know. Tonally "Logan" is wildly different. I think secretly in their hearts of hearts Ryan and Hugh [Jackman] would love to work together —

Wernick: And so would we and so would the fans. Honestly we would love to write it and maybe one day will.

Reese: It feels like everyone's dream but they may not just be compatible with what we're doing with Deadpool. But we're trying to look long-term.

green lanternGuerrasio: Looking back on the first movie, you guys won over Ryan in 2009 and started working on a script. What happened when Ryan got the "Green Lantern" job?

Wernick: It's interesting, we had a script done before he tested for "Green Lantern" and right before he tested — and I'm not sure how public this story is — right before he tested, he called Fox and said, "Guys, I'm testing for 'Green Lantern,' and if I go in I'm a frontrunner and I'm confident that the movie is mine to lose and all you need to do is sign me into a holding deal on 'Deadpool' and I won't show up for the 'Green Lantern' test. Give me some commitment that you guys are as passionate as I am." Ultimately, I don't think Fox could get their s--- together in time and Ryan went in and tested and obviously the rest is history. We were hurt by the tepid response to "Green Lantern" because after that it was impossible to get a Ryan Reynolds superhero movie off the ground.

We actually flew to New Orleans where they were shooting "Green Lantern" and continued to hone the "Deadpool" script with Ryan. So Ryan did go off and do "Green Lantern" but he never gave up on "Deadpool." He was all in. We all were. Since 2009 we had written a draft of "Deadpool" in every calendar year until 2015.

Reese: Tim Miller was a pitbull, as were we and Ryan. None of us would let it go and once a month one of us would email or call the others and ask, "What are we doing this month to try to get it off the ground?"

Wernick: We were shameless. In a town where you hear no constantly and walk with your tail between your legs and think about what's next, this was a project that we refused to lose passion in. We were so sure we had something unique and original. We couldn't predict how this movie would do commercially or critically, but at our core we believed in it. There was a time at our lowest point that I said to Rhett, "Look, if we can't get this movie made maybe we should just stop writing movies."

Guerrasio: I've heard you guys say that in other interviews. Is that a joke or were you serious? You would have walked away from the business?

Reese: Well, we talked about going back to television. [Laughs]

Rhett Reese Ryan Reynolds Paul Wernick Nicholas Hunt GettyWernick: Jason, we're not that skilled to do anything other than this.

Reese: But that said, I honestly have had over the last five years where I was so creatively despondent that you ask, is it worth it? I had a conversation with other writers and I thought I would find that they felt the same way and it turned out I was the only one, but I asked, "How many of you in the last year have questioned whether you want to move onto something else in your lives?" And it was like, no hands went up. And I was like, "Oh, that's surprising because I actually have." So much of it is out of your control. When you are dealing with budgets this big and corporations and very powerful actors and directors who have changes of heart, the things that go on above you that you can't control, it's called learned helplessness in psychology, where you learn that you're helpless and you curl into a fetal position and you give up. So there were definitely moments in this that I thought if "Deadpool" can't get made we should give up because we can't do any better. Thankfully every four or five years that thing would happen that makes you go, it's all worth it.

Guerrasio: One of those things is the support of David Fincher and James Cameron. How did they help the movie?

Wernick: In one of those bimonthly phone calls where we would have to figure out what next to do to get the movie made, Tim said, "I'm friendly with Fincher and Cameron and Fox listens to them," so I know for a fact that they read the script during one of those moments when it stalled with the powers that be at Fox.

Guerrasio: And did that help at all?

Wernick: It did! Many, many times this project was dead at Fox, like not even on life support, and at one of those times Tim slipped the script to Jim [Cameron] and he was in the middle of writing one of the "Avatar" sequels, probably the next one, so we thought we aren't going to hear him for months, if ever. And Tim got a call from Jim the next day. And as writers we laughed because we thought we know what that's like — you're procrastinating to write the script, you're looking to do anything else, and that's what must have happened. "F--- it, I don't want to write tonight, I'll read this." He read it and went into [20th Century Fox head] Jim Gianopulos' office the next day and said, "This is something special." And within a week we got rehired by Fox to do a PG-13 version of the script.

Guerrasio: Looking back, was that PG-13 script as strong as the final one?

Reese: No, but I think it would have been better than people think. We did the PG-13 draft. I felt a little unclean doing it because we really wanted to do the R —

Guerrasio: Hey, it was that or it being dead, right? What choice did you have?

Reese: Right. It was that or nothing at all. I think we felt when we finished it that this would still be a fun movie. Really, it would have been more in line with the tone of the Marvel comics because those "Deadpool" comics are not rated R — that's a misconception that we kept the tone of the comics. That said, we really think that the R version was better. When it was time to make the movie, [producer] Simon Kinberg really made the push at Fox. "Because we're making this at $59.999 million as opposed to $120 million, let's just do it the way the script originally was." To Fox's great credit.

Wernick: Simon's sell to Fox on the R was that there is a hole in the marketplace, let's do something that Disney and Marvel can't do. Let's embrace that. Let's be different. I think the audience responded to that.

Guerrasio: While you're writing the PG-13 version, is Ryan on his end going to the studio pushing for the R, or was he fine with doing a PG-13 version?

Reese: I think he was receptive to seeing it, but I think at the end of the day he liked it but didn't love it. We all felt the same.

Logan FoxGuerrasio: Did you get the vibe that Simon had tried to get a previous Wolverine or X-Men movie an R rating and wasn't successful? Or was "Deadpool" his first time pushing the studio to do it?

Wernick: I don't know. Obviously since "Deadpool" it's opened doors. Though I don't think "Logan" is R-rated because of "Deadpool."

Guerrasio: You really think that?

Wernick: I do, in fact, I know that. I know Simon and Hugh wanted to make that movie an R-rated movie, even from the very start. I think the success of "Deadpool" mitigated some of that risk for Fox.

Reese: But I do think Simon was jonesing to make an R-rated movie. If it hadn't been "Deadpool" he would have pushed for "Logan."

Guerrasio: There must have been so much temptation to change dialogue of Deadpool in postproduction because he's wearing a mask. Did that happen?

Reese: Deadpool being behind a mask and Colossus being CG were both incredible blessings and incredible curses for us. It was an incredible blessing for the movie because we really were testing out new lines in front of test audiences and plugging things into the cut right up to picture lock. Even after picture lock, because you can still mess with it. We were writing lines well late into the process. And the nature of technology now is so much easier to do that. You used to have to wait for an ADR session and for an actor to record something new. That would mean waiting a week or two and getting it into the cut. But Ryan would often use his iPhone in New York, we were in Los Angeles, and he would record the line in his phone, email it to us, and 10 seconds later it's in the cut. Invariably he would go back into an ADR session and rerecord that line to get it a little higher quality, but we could have dropped the phone line into the movie and it would have worked. You would really have to listen for it to notice.   

Guerrasio: So that's the blessing — what was the curse?

Reese: Me and Paul worked harder in post than on set or writing the movie, almost. We tried so many things. It was like making an animated movie. I think the movie benefited, but it felt like there was no finish line.

Wernick: But that being said, we would be tinkering to this day. The movie didn't turn out perfect, there are things we would have changed.

Guerrasio: That's interesting —

Reese: Yeah, I would be interested what you would change. Not that I think it's perfect, but I don't watch it thinking, I wish we had done that instead.

Wernick: Well, there's a scene in the deleted scenes that I fought like crazy for, which was the moment where he and Vanessa travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, to get treatment on his terminal cancer.

Reese: It is a great scene.

Wernick: I loved it so much and it didn't make the cut just because tonally the movie got dark for a long period of time in that space and it felt like that scene could come out without losing story. I would have put that back in if it had been my cut.

Reese: I don't have anything like that, but I think if we watched the movie together, certainly with Ryan, you would hear us going, "I hate that moment." You can say that of any filmmaker, though.

Wernick: And there's "The Gambler," the Kenny Rogers song. I shouldn't say this because we may put it into the sequel, but there was a moment where Ryan is karaokeing "The Gambler" to an action sequence where he is kicking major ass. He and I just absolutely loved it and I have a cut of it on my phone. I sometimes watch it. Again, "Deadpool" is a movie where you break all of the rules, where you can do things that you couldn't do in any other movie.

Guerrasio: In that time in post when you were constantly changing dialogue, what are the lines you're most proud of adding?

Reese: One was what Ryan came up with in an ADR session. Somebody said, "What if you did a Hugh Jackman impression?" when talking about Wolverine, and Paul had written the line something like, "Whose balls did I have to fondle to get this movie made, it rhymes with 'pullverine.'" We got Ryan going doing an Australian Hugh Jackman impression in ADR and he's so funny that tears were streaming down our faces as he's doing it. It's something he's actually done around Hugh, which Hugh gets a kick out of.

Another one, this is one of my favorite lines, it's one of Paul's: the "McAvoy or Stewart" line. When Colossus said, "We're going to meet Professor X," and he's like, "McAvoy or Stewart? These timelines get so confusing," that was ADR, that was not in the script. Paul just threw that out and we all cracked up.

Guerrasio: I remember that line getting the biggest laugh in the screening I was in.

Reese: It's one of the biggest laughs in the movie. One that Ryan came up with the night before an ADR session, it was the "It's funny how I never see any other X-Men around the mansion, it's like the studio couldn't afford it." That was something he thought of in bed the night before. We had another fun runner but we tried that, too. In front of audiences they vastly preferred "McAvoy or Stewart" than the other runner.

Guerrasio: What was the other one?

Reese: It was a Communism runner, I think. Deadpool went on a Communism runner about Colossus. Just berating him for being a Communist. Oh, and there was another one — wait! I'm not going to tell you because we're going to use it in the sequel.

Guerrasio: It seems like there were a lot of bullets left in the clip. There's stuff that didn't make it in the first one that you can use in the sequel.

Wernick: Yeah, there's a ton of stuff that didn't make it into the first movie that will be in the second movie. There's new stuff coming up all the time, too.

Life SonyGuerrasio: It looks like your next script we'll see, "Life" (opening March 24), is very different than not just "Deadpool" but also your scripts before that, "Zombieland" and "G.I. Joe."

Reese: Yeah, we wrote that in 2014. [Producer] David Ellison came to us with an idea, so it's his concept. I think it tapped into a different side of us. People know us for the comedies, but if you look into our pilots, you'll find dark drama, and in this case it's more of a thriller. We love to write all kinds of movies and this was an exhilarating change of pace for us. It's got a little humor but it's an R-rated, intense, and violent thriller. It couldn't be more different than "Deadpool." And Ryan went and shot it right after "Deadpool."

Guerrasio: Was Ryan the first to sign on?

Wernick: He was the first, then Jake [Gyllenhaal] signed on, and then Rebecca [Ferguson].

Guerrasio: Any nervousness with this coming on the heels of "Passengers"? That the audience might be burnt out on space movies?

Wernick: No, not really.

Reese: Everything is an individual movie, there are no real lessons to be learned, no trends to be followed.

Guerrasio: But you two are in a business where success is copied almost across the board.

Reese: True.

Guerrasio: Since the success of "Deadpool," have you heard or seen the business try to create content that has a "Deadpool" tone?

Wernick: We have been hearing that some of the mandates from studios now is, "Let's 'Deadpool' it up," and that's the wrong lesson to be learned from the success of "Deadpool." The lesson to be learned is be passionate, be original. Take risks. Those are the lessons, not let's tell a raunchy antihero story. When you chase a trend versus set it, it definitely doesn't always work to your advantage. The success of "Deadpool" came because we weren't chasing the trend. It felt original and fresh. Hopefully the lesson learned is take those risks and do something fresh.

Reese: An overall movie succeeds or fails by any number of elements contributing to it. We tend to draw very enormous conclusions often and it drives me a little nuts. Yet we can't help it because, out of fear, we're trying to avoid making a bomb so we're drawn to things that have done well before and we shun things that have done poorly. That, to me, always feels like a mistake.  

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The Michael Jackson TV comedy starring a white actor is being killed after outrage

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Joseph Fiennes Michael Jackson Urban Myths YouTube Sky Arts final

Following the first trailer showing white British actor Joseph Fiennes playing Michael Jackson in an upcoming comedy TV series, "Urban Myths," the UK network behind the show, Sky Arts, has announced that it will no longer air the episode.

The decision came following concerns voiced by Jackson's immediate family.

Sky Arts tweeted the following on Friday:

News that Fiennes was cast as the King of Pop was revealed last January for a project titled "Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon," which delved into the rumored story that Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marlon Brando got in a car after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and fled New York City to go on a road trip. 

"Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon" was to be part of an episode in the "Urban Myths" series, which will also feature "true...ish" stories like Cary Grant's alleged love of LSD, and others featuring Hitler, novelist Samuel Beckett, and Bob Dylan.

Though negative reaction to Fiennes playing the role has been going on for a year now, it seems the latest slams on the episode from Jackson’s nephew Taj Jackson and Jackson’s daughter Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson led to the project being scrapped.

Taj Jackson tweeted:

Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson tweeted:

Sky Arts notes in its tweets that Fiennes fully supports the decision, but last year he did defend playing Jackson.

"I deal in imagination, so I don't think imagination should have rules stamped on them," Fiennes said. "If it promotes stereotyping, then it's wrong. I made a distinction that the Jackson project doesn't do that."

He added: "This is territory that is sensitive. One must determine if this portrayal is one that is going to be positive entertainment, and one that will not bring about division and put anyone's noses out of joint, so I went with the mind that this was a positive, lighthearted comedy."

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Apple contemplates original content (AAPL)

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Apple Vs Spotify

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Apple is hoping to bring original TV shows and movies to Apple Music by the end of 2017, The Wall Street Journal reports, in a move that would broaden the technology giant's ambitions as a media company and turn it into a more fearsome competitor in Hollywood and the music and video streaming industry. 

Apple has been in talks with industry heavyweights in recent months about buying original scripted content. Discussions have been held with experienced TV producers about buying rights to shows, and with marketing executives at studios and networks about promoting this content. Apple has told these counterparties that it hopes to start offering original scripted content by the end of 2017.

  • Here’s a preliminary glimpse at what Apple may be planning. First, Apple hasn’t fully figured out its strategy yet, which is part of the reason why it hasn’t closed a deal to buy content. But it looks like the company wants to acquire a small number of high-quality original scripted TV shows — something akin to HBO’s “Westworld” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” Original films are also on table, but less of a priority for now. 
  • Apple’s plan is being framed as a play against Spotify rather than Netflix et al. The Wall Street Journal suggests that Apple isn’t looking to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to buy content, which means its ambitions are much more modest than the likes of Netflix, Amazon, and premium cable networks that invest billions in it annually. Instead, Apple is planning to use original TV shows as a way to distinguish itself from Spotify, its main music-streaming rival. 
  • But Apple has the cash to go toe-to-toe with Netflix and Amazon should it want to. The company is sitting on well over $200 billion in cash. Allocating just 1-3% of this hoard toward original content would bring it into direct competition with Netflix and Amazon, which are each estimated to spend upward of $6 billion this year. This initial foray into original content could set the stage for Apple to move more boldly in the space in the future. 
  • And expanded video offerings advances Apple’s aim as a services company. Venturing into original TV and films would help Apple diversify its revenue streams amid flattering iPhone sales. In the past year, Apple has emphasized its services businesses — which includes Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud — in the wake of decelerating sales across the rest of the company. Revenue from services was up 24% in Q4 2016, as total revenue dropped 9%. 

Growth of subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) services in the US has slowed considerably over the last year as competition in the online video streaming space intensifies. Heavy hitters like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are increasingly squeezed by new competitors with exclusive content and niche video offerings.  

International markets, and specifically, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region will be paramount for both established SVOD players and new entrants looking to establish themselves in the successful video space.

The SVOD market in the APAC region is poised for explosive growth over the next five years due to increased mobile adoption, amplified broadband expansion, and enhanced purchasing power.

Dylan Mortensen, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on subscription video on-demand that explores how slowing SVOD growth in the US will lead to a surge in the APAC region.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

  • While SVOD services are increasingly rooted among US households, growth is beginning slow. Growth in North American SVOD subscriptions is set to fall from 30% in 2014 to 4% by 2018.
  • The best opportunity for continued growth lies in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The region had nearly 42 million SVOD subscribers in 2015, but could have up to 158 million by 2021.
  • The increasing adoption of smartphones and mobile data is propelling growth in mobile video viewing across APAC, which is poised to outpace the rest of the world.
  • Rising purchasing power in APAC underlines the opportunity for online video services. China and emerging Asian economies represent nearly two-thirds (63%) of global economic growth.
  • Content creators and marketers stand to gain from SVOD’s push into the APAC region. Content creators can benefit from the surge in short-form video, while marketers can capitalize on advanced product placements.

In full, the report: 

  • Forecasts SVOD subscribers in the APAC region.
  • Explores the factors behind SVOD’s slowing growth in the US.
  • Breaks down reasons why APAC is ripe for massive online video growth.
  • Discusses who will benefit from SVOD growth in APAC.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

  1. Subscribe to an All-Accesspass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. » START A MEMBERSHIP
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Watch 'Shark Tank' star Kevin O’Leary cook up a creative deal for a toy company

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shark tank pinblock toys abc

Kevin O'Leary has become the master of thinking outside the box when it comes to deals on ABC's "Shark Tank."

In Business Insider's exclusive preview of Friday's new episode at 9 p.m., O'Leary confounds Vlad Smolyanskyy, the young founder of Pinblock, with a creative offer.

At just 21, Smolyanskyy had moved from Ukraine to Brooklyn, New York to chase the American dream. It's obvious he did his homework. He came to "Shark Tank" with an epic display of his unique block toys and showed an extensive knowledge about the toy industry.

The problem is O'Leary knows the toy industry really well, too. In 1999, he became a multimillionaire when he sold his educational software company to Mattel. His creative offer for Pinblock is based on his experience in the industry and his ability to open doors for the company.

With some advice from the other sharks, will the young man take O'Leary up on his deal? 

Watch Business Insider's exclusive preview below:

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Here's everyone who's performing at Trump's inauguration

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3 doors down

President-elect Donald Trump has added some official names to the roster of talent for his presidential inauguration.

Country artist Toby Keith, Broadway singer Jennifer Holliday, and the rock band 3 Doors Down are all set to perform during the pre-inauguration concert, the Inaugural Committee said Friday, according to Billboard.

The actor Jon Voight, who has been a supporter of Trump since the campaign, will also appear during the inauguration events.

The Inaugural Committee previously booked "America’s Got Talent" singer Jackie Evancho, the Rockettes, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to perform at the inauguration.

Reports have circulated that a number of performers with more name recognition have refused offers to perform at the Trump inauguration, including Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, Motley Crue, and Celine Dion.

Trump took a swipe at "so-called ‘A’ list celebrities" on Twitter, saying that when it comes to his inauguration, "I want the PEOPLE!"

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Netflix might have hit a ceiling in the US — and its key to growth could be traditional TV (NFLX)

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longmire

Netflix is continuing to make big gains in international markets, but there's evidence that it might have hit a ceiling in the US, according to analysts at UBS.

"In the US, after nearly a decade of streaming service availability, it appears that penetration of streaming services has stagnated around 50% of US [broadband] homes," the analysts, led by Doug Mitchelson, wrote in a note distributed Friday (based on a proprietary survey of 2,000).

The needle hasn't moved in the last year, both for Netflix and for streaming services as a whole.

Here's a chart that shows the details for Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu:

Screen Shot 2017 01 13 at 11.50.23 AM

The results show that in the last year, penetration for Netflix has stagnated at 41%, and for any streaming service at 51%. The takeaway: There seems to be only a certain amount of households that want to subscribe to a streaming service, and they probably already know about Netflix by now.

Though Netflix has tried targeting different audiences with its new original content, like "Longmire" (now-canceled) for older audiences, and "The Ranch" for those in the mid-west, the problem might simply be a natural ceiling on how many people want to subscribe to any streaming service.

Room for new entrants

The place there seems to be more room for growth is in smaller or upstart streaming services.

"Many homes that do take a streaming service are continuing to take more of them, and time spent with these services is still increasing, albeit at a slower rate," UBS wrote. Particularly, adoption of Amazon and CBS All Access have grown in the last year.

This is further confirmation of the theory that the streaming video market isn't a zero-sum game. In fact, there is a ton of subscriber overlap between Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. Netflix's success isn't a bad thing for "competitors," and you could even argue that it's good, since it gets people used to the idea of an a la carte streaming video service.

That's positive news for the likes of Amazon and CBS, but is there anything Netflix can do to boost its subscriber base in the US?

Growing the pie

Getting a bunch of new subscribers in the US won't be easy, specifically because of the nature of the households Netflix still has to get to, according to UBS.

Here are a few characteristics of non-Netflix households the analysts found:

  • They skew older, "62% of them are over age 55."
  • They skew smaller, "almost 80% are 1 or 2 person homes."
  • They skew lower income, "~60% are below the U.S. median annual income."
  • They are "slower adopters of technology."

These characteristics will make it tough for Netflix, or any of its competitors, to crack into these households.

However, there is on big thing Netflix can do, which it has already started doing: getting onto people's cable boxes.

Netflix has recently landed some huge deals to have big pay TV giants like Comcast and Liberty Global (in Europe) to put Netflix on their platforms. That may seem like going backward for a forward-thinking tech company like Netflix, but further integration of Netflix into pay TV, the way HBO or Showtime are, could provide a large upside for the company to the tune of millions of new subscribers in the US.

Of the people UBS surveyed, "15% of US pay TV homes without Netflix say they would sign up if it was bundled with pay TV."

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Idris Elba talks about why he's over the Bond rumors and his surprise music career

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There's a good chance you were entertained by Idris Elba in 2016.

The actor voiced characters in three Disney hits — “Zootopia,” “The Jungle Book,” and “Finding Dory” — and also starred as the villain Krall in “Star Trek Beyond.” In 2017, we’ll have the luxury of seeing more of his face in “Thor: Ragnarok” and “The Dark Tower,” but before that we’ll see Elba in a small movie he’s tried to get off the ground for three years.

“100 Streets” (in theaters and On Demand January 13) follows the lives of people who live within a square mile of a London neighborhood. Elba’s character is the most complex, a former rugby star who has found himself in a drug and depression tailspin that concludes with a dramatic standoff with police.

Elba, who is also a producer on the movie, talked to Business Insider about how the project has prepared him for his upcoming feature directing debut, how his passion for music keeps him grounded (check out his appearance on a Macklemore song and his own singing and rapping), and why he no longer gets a kick out of the rumors that he’s the next James Bond.

Jason Guerrasio: What is the creative satisfaction you get producing a movie like “100 Streets”?

Idris Elba: With this particular project it was a small film that really doesn't attract the big film financiers so I have a small production company called Green Door Pictures and basically my ambition for the company is to help smaller films come to life, especially films that explore the human condition like this film does. So I get a huge buzz out of watching that grow and seeing my little company help things move along. It's very satisfying because it's a passion piece and I enjoy that. It's hard, it takes a very long time to make an independent film come alive, but the process is satisfying when people say they dug it. 

Guerrasio: Do you think if you didn't produce this film and put your name on it that it would have gotten made?

Elba: I’m sure it would have been made one way or another eventually but for me I was determined to make it. So I can't say it wouldn't have been made but I —

Guerrasio: You helped it get a green light a little faster.

Elba: Yeah. Definitely. 

100 streets samuel goldwyn films

Guerrasio: Max is at a different point in his life than you are now, he's past his prime, but can you relate to a character like this that still lives under a microscope?

Elba: I can relate to it. His is a little extreme compared to mine, but people in the spotlight tend to be scrutinized, every move they make. I guess you can say my star is rising or whatever, but what comes with that is a lot more inquisitive people who want to know who you are as a person and what life decisions you're actually making. Because you're an actor or sportsman people want to know that and they are curious. But it's part of the job — if I didn't want anyone to know anything about me, I would have probably gone for a different career path. 

Guerrasio: You were DJing and making music before your breakout role on “The Wire” in the early 2000s and you still do it. Has that become your escape from people like me who are curious about your life and what you do daily?

Elba: Yeah. I think people love music and, yes, they want to know more about that person but they only want to know more about the person if they like the music. With actors and sports people you don't even have to know anything about what they do and you end up getting probed. But with musicians they have the veil, if the music is good. It can be obscure and you're allowed to do different things without being overly scrutinized. I get a lot of freedom and a lot of relief when I make music because it's faceless. 

Guerrasio: How close are you to your first feature directing effort, “Yardie”? 

Elba: Six months. I start making this film next year and I'm going into prep so I'm very close. It's been a two-year process.

Guerrasio: Producing something like “100 Streets,” can that help prepare you at all to direct?

Elba: Yeah, as a producer you're helping put all the elements together for the director, so yeah, I totally am seeing all the different sides of a director's job from an actor's point of view and now a producer's point of view. It's definitely given me a lot more bandwidth as a director. 

Guerrasio: We saw you do so many different things in 2016, both in the flesh and through your voice. Did you have a personal favorite?

Zootopia DisneyElba: [Laughs] I really enjoyed being a part of “Zootopia.” I enjoyed all the movies I did a voice for, but “Zootopia” was a very, very bold film and it was just really great that Disney made a film like that that really challenged young people and adults to think a little bit about our existence in the human race using animals.

Guerrasio: I have to bring this up because I want to see it happen: Can you give any update on the James Bond rumors? Have the producers on the film reached out?

Elba: Are people still talking about that?

Guerrasio: I’m talking about it!

Elba: [Laughs] No, man, I don't know anything. Nothing, there's no update whatsoever. 

Guerrasio: Do you get a kick out of the rumors or are you over it now?

Elba: No, I don't get a kick out of it.

Guerrasio: But even in “100 Streets,” there are scenes where you are wearing a tux. You had to have looked in the mirror while shooting and said, "Yeah, I can play Bond."

Elba: [Laughs] That's a compliment, man, I appreciate that. 

Guerrasio: You are certainly a busy guy at the moment, but any chance we will see you appear in the “Pacific Rim” sequel?

Elba: I don't think so. I don't even know where they are starting the story, but I'm not in it. I know that much.

SEE ALSO: 30 movies we can't wait to see in 2017

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