Sony to kill off Xperia X and X Compact phones

Sony’s “Premium Standard” line is getting the axe as the Japanese tech company wants to shift its focus to its flagship and mid-range line. Those part of the Premium Standard segment are said to be affordable devices with almost flagship specs. The two devices classified here are the Xperia X and X Compact models. Sony made the announcement at its 2017 Investor Day saying they want to switch the focus to the likes of the Xperia XZ Premium and XZs in the flagship segment and the Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra in the mid-range market. Sony is reportedly doing this to help recover market share this year and offer products “with technologies that only Sony can deliver.”

Sony also wants to focus on markets where it can use its strengths to its advantage. These include Japan, East Asia, Middle East, APAC, and Europe. And while they do want to do well in North America, Sony knows they need to make huge investments (particularly in marketing) to get recognized here.

Source: Xperia Blog

Netflix original ‘The Get Down’ gets canceled after a season

Hearing a Netflix show gets canceled isn’t a common occurrence. But it seems the Baz Luhrmann’s The Get Down is going in that direction. It seems the series can’t justify the extremely high price tag it requires to make an episode. The streaming service pulls the plug on the hip-hop history show a month after the second part of the first season dropped on its platform. But it seems expense isn’t the only issue with the show. Luhrmann shared a post on Facebook writing about how he had to put off a film commitment in order to work on The Get Down and now he can’t postpone it any longer. You can read the full post here.

Source: A.V. Club

Original shows from Facebook are supposedly in your future with new partnerships

James Martin/CNET

You don’t need to be following Facebook so closely to know that video is a big feature for the social network. And now it seems Facebook wants to grow this segment further with partnerships it reportedly has lined up with some big media companies. A Reuters report claims the likes of Buzzfeed, Vox, Attn, and Group Nine Media (which is known for NowThis, The Dodo, and Thrillist) have signed deals with Facebook to develop scripted and unscripted shows for the platform. The scripted shows will be owned by Facebook and will run around 20 to 30 minutes, while the shorter unscripted clips will run five to 10 minutes and won’t be owned by the social network. There will be ads included in both shows. It’s rumoured that Facebook is willing to pay up to US$250,000 for the scripted, longer shows.

While Facebook won’t comment about the deal yet, this move is seen as a way for Facebook to go up against the likes of YouTube and Snapchat when it comes to generating advertising dollars for its platform. It’s also something that might entice users to stay on Facebook longer they plan to.

Source: CNET

eSports content coming Sportsnet NOW and Sportsnet 360

Sportsnet announced an exclusive Canadian content deal with ESL (world’s largest esports league) to run esports content on Sportsnet NOW & Sportsnet 360.

Rogers also announced new peering agreements with some of the top e-gaming brands in the world: Valve (creators of Steam), Riot, Blizzard, Xbox, and Playstation Network, so that Rogers Ignite internet customers can enjoy fast, smooth gameplay and an optimized gaming experience over the network.

Launching this fall, esportsTV, will be available exclusively in Canada on Sportsnet NOW. In addition, a weekly esports news, highlights and analysis program will air on Sportsnet 360 beginning in July. Additional details will be announced at a later date.

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