ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13 People & Places Tech Subscriber growth slowing Streaming services to end password sharing NEW YORK, May 17, (AP): Many of us were taught to share as kids. Now streaming services ranging from Netflix to Amazon to Disney+ want us to stop. That’s the new edict from the giants of streaming media, who are hoping to discourage the common practice of sharing account passwords without alien- ating subscribers who’ve grown accustomed to the hack. Password sharing is estimated to cost streaming services several billion dollars a year in lost revenue. That’s a small problem now for an industry that earns about $120 billion annually, but something it needs to address as spending on distinctive new program- ing skyrockets. Amazon’s upcoming “Lord of the Rings” series will reportedly cost $450 million for its first season alone — more than four times the cost of a season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” “Frankly the industry has been gravitating toward that. It’s a question of when, not if,” said CFRA analyst Tuna Amobi. “The landscape seems to be pretty set in terms of these new entrants, so it seems like a good time to get a much Iger better handle on subscribers.” It’s a tricky balance. The video companies have long offered legitimate ways for multiple people to use a service, by creating pro- files or by offering tiers of service with different This image released by Miss Universe Organization shows Miss Universe Mexico 2020 Andrea Meza who was crowned Miss Universe at the 69th Miss Universe levels of screen sharing allowed. Stricter password Competition at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla on May 16. (AP) sharing rules might spur more people to bite the bul- let and pay full price for their own subscription. But Andrea Meza of Mexico crowned 69th Miss Universe a too-tough clampdown could also alienate users and drive them away. Andrea Meza of Mexico has been to make sure it would stay in place as The pageant was hosted by “Access months planning a safe competition that In March some Netflix users began to get pop- crowned Miss Universe. Meza beamed and took her first walk Hollywood’s” Mario Lopez and actor followed similar guidelines as last No- ups asking them to verify their account by entering Meza, who has a software engi- to the front of the stage. and model Olivia Culpo, the 2012 Miss vember’s 2020 Miss USA competition a code sent via email or text, but also gave them the neering degree, beat out Miss Brazil Tunzi, a public relations profession- Universe. It was broadcast live from the held in Memphis. choice of verifying “later.” Netflix did not say how at the end of the night, screaming al who became the first Black woman Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino The Miss Universe competition airs many people were part of the test or if it was only in Sunday when the announcer shouted from South Africa to win the contest, Hollywood in Hollywood, Florida. in more than 160 territories and coun- the US or elsewhere. “Viva Mexico!” had held the title since December Ahead of the pageant, Paula M. tries across the globe including in the “They’ll be taking a very cautious approach to it,” Previous winner Zozibini Tunzi fit 2019. Last year’s ceremony was can- Shugart, president of the Miss Universe US on the FYI channel and on Tel- Amobi said. “Handled the wrong way, there’s always the crown on Meza’s head and waited celed due to the pandemic. Organization, stated that they had spent emundo. (AP) a downside to a move like this.” Competitors The test comes at a crucial time for Netflix. Last year’s pandemic-fueled subscriber growth is slow- ing. It remains the streaming service to beat with Music more than 200 million subscribers globally. But a bevy of new competitors have emerged, including Disney+, which is cheaper and has quickly snapped up 100 million subscribers in less than two years. ‘We need this contest to feel connected again’ When Disney+ launched in 2019, then CEO Bob Iger said the service was modeled on sharing. “We’re setting up a service that is very family- friendly, we expect families to be able to consume Eurovision returns despite pandemic it — four live streams at a time, for instance,” he said in a CNBC interview. “We’ll watch it carefully with ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, May was actually chosen before the pan- and she was welcomed back. various tools, technology tools, that we have avail- 17, (AP): Pounding beats? Check. demic derailed public life around the She and her band are among 39 able to us to monitor it. But it’s obviously something Uplifting lyrics? Check. Huge, back- globe, but is now very apt as Europe national entrants vying for a coveted we have to watch.” lit white wings? Check. begins to tentatively emerge from victory that can be a springboard to Roughly two in five online adults have shared After last year’s Eurovision Song the coronavirus pandemic. a global career or a fl eeting taste of passwords to online accounts with friends or family members, according to the Pew Center for Internet Contest was canceled amid the glob- “We decided to keep the theme fame. and Technology. Among millennials it’s even high- al COVID-19 pandemic, it is roaring because, especially in these times, For many, the stage and global er: 56% of online adults ages 18- to 29 have shared In this photo provided by Radio Tele- back to life this year with coronavi- it’s important that we are open to- television audience of millions is a passwords. vision Hong Kong (RTHK), DJ, Ray rus bubbles added to its heady mix of wards each other and that we feel chance to express messages of inclu- “With the cost of all the streaming platforms Cordeiro, also known as Uncle Ray, music and melodrama. the possibility to open up to one sion and positivity. bought together equaling a cable bill — which it was (center), poses with Hong Kong National delegations traveling to another, to show our true feelings, Russia’s performer, Manizha, supposed to eliminate — I think it’s a great thing to singer Sam Hui, (left), and his wife the Dutch port city of Rotterdam emotions and thoughts,” Bakker sings a song whose lyrics in- be able to share your login to help family and friends Rebecca at the studio in RTHK, the are abiding by strict measures to said. clude the lines: “Every Russian broadcaster in Hong Kong on Feb. reduce the risk of infections, while Woman. Needs to know. You’re save a few bucks,” said Ryan Saffell, 39, an IT direc- 14. After more than seven decades in The 2019 Dutch winner, Duncan tor from Las Vegas. radio, the 96-year-old Hong Kong DJ the thousands of fans allowed to Laurence, says on the event’s web- strong enough to bounce against Another study found more than a quarter of all bid farewell to his listeners Saturday, attend dress rehearsals, two semifi- site that he sees music as a way of the wall.” video streaming services are used by multiple house- May 15 with ‘Time to Say Goodbye,’ nals and May 22’s grand final will forging links. “That’s why we need The singer, whose family fl ed to holds. That includes a family or friend sharing the sung by Sarah Brightman and Andrea have to undergo testing to ensure the Eurovision Song Contest. To feel Russia from Tajikistan, said the mes- account they pay for outside of the household, or, Bocelli. (AP) they do not bring the virus into the connected again.” sage is for women all over the world less commonly, several households splitting the cost. cavernous venue. Thousands of fans will be able to “because we need to be, we have to And 16% of all households have at least one service Executive producer Sietse Bakker make the connection in person. be brave. We need to be happier. And that is fully paid for by someone else according to the Variety is glad it’s going ahead at all. Each event will be open to 3,500 I’m happy that I can inspire them on study by Leichtman Research Group. That increases “Organizing the Eurovision Song people — only about 20% of the that stage because, you know, Euro- to 26% for 18- to 34-year-olds. Contest is always challenging be- capacity of the arena — who must vision stage is the one of the hugest Sharing or stealing streaming service passwords HONG KONG: After more than seven cause you have less than a year to show a negative test result that is less stages in the world.” cost an estimated $2.5 billion in revenue in 2019 ac- decades in radio, a 96-year-old Hong organize one of the biggest and most than 24 hours old. Maltese singer Destiny also has cording to the most recent data from research firm Kong DJ bid farewell to his listeners complex events in Europe, but to do a message of body positivity and Park Associates, and that’s expected to rise to nearly Saturday with “Time to Say Goodbye,” it in a pandemic is much, much more Performance is tipped to take it to the fi nal. The $3.5 billion by 2024. sung by Sarah Brightman and Andrea complicated,” he told The Associ- The top 10 from each semifi nal 18-year-old’s powerful voice helped That may be a small fraction of the $119.69 billion Bocelli.