Netflix signs up with UK TV ratings agency BARB to reveal streaming viewership numbers

After years of being tight-lipped on viewership numbers, Netflix teamed up with British TV ratings agency Broadcasters Audience Research Board or BARB, an organization in the UK that reports broadcast and streaming numbers. Starting in November, the organization will measure Netflix’s daily streaming numbers as well as report on its monthly reach and share of … Read more

‘Pokémon Scarlet & Violet’ has a VTuber gym leader

I didn’t know we needed a VTuber Gym Leader in the Pokémon universe. Then, we met Iono. Last week, Pokémon released a 14-minute trailer about the upcoming “Pokémon Scarlet & Violet” games, which will mark the ninth generation of the iconic franchise’s main series installments. So this morning, when Pokémon unveiled another teaser for the … Read more

Sen. Elizabeth Warren demands details on Texas crypto mining energy consumption

Getty Democrats are pressing Texas energy regulators to disclose how much energy crypto mining companies consume from the state’s vulnerable power grid nearly a year after it failed during an extreme winter storm. In the Wednesday letter, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and six other Democrats pressed Texas grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, … Read more

Samsung Knox Matrix plans ‘private blockchain’ security for appliances, phones, and TVs

Samsung’s Knox Matrix is supposed to secure your devices through “multi-layered monitoring.” | Image: Samsung Samsung’s rolling out a new way to keep smart devices secure, and it apparently involves putting them on the blockchain. At the Samsung Developer Conference today, the company announced the Samsung Knox Matrix, a not-yet-released security solution that will include … Read more

Google Pixel 7 Pro: Refinements are perfectly fine

Following last week’s Google event, a colleague commented to me that the Pixel 7 wasn’t as big an upgrade as the Pixel 6. This is an objectively true statement. But also, it’s fine. Whatever you think about the yearly refresh cycle hardware makers are locked into, we’ve all come to accept that some upgrades are … Read more

Google’s Pixel Watch delivers nice hardware, but fails to answer the ‘why’

It took some evasive maneuvering to get us here — the building out of a small-scale hardware ecosystem, coupled with a couple big-ticket acquisitions and a partnership with one of its largest potential competitors. But suddenly, Google emerging as competitive in the smartwatch space doesn’t seem an altogether outlandish proposition. One can make a compelling … Read more

Oh look, TripActions raised at a $9.2B valuation after reported $12B IPO filing

TripActions, a corporate travel and expenses company, has raised a combination of equity and debt at a post-money valuation of $9.2 billion, up from its prior valuation of $7.5 billion. The funding is a $154 million equity round from investors including returning investors Andreessen Horowitz and Premji Invest, and a $150 million structured financing deal … Read more