Going Local: A third of Google searches are now location-related

Photo by Edho Pratama on UnsplashFollowing from a 2016 report from Hitwise, revealing that 60% of Google searches came from a mobile device, new data obtained from Search Engine Journal reveals that in 2018 almost a third of Google searches are location related. If you are looking for successful SEO, then you need to work on your local rankings first. This applies even to global companies. Google has gone very local recently, automatically placing local results first and giving more priority to Maps. The gradual rise of voice command searches has also helped to drive the growth of locally minded Googlers.

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Amazon Alexa can recap NBA and NHL game stats for you

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It’s not an entirely novel idea that voice assistants can give you details about your favorite sports. But Amazon promises it can go a little deeper to help you get to the stats that matter to you. The latest update coming to Alexa will let you recap NBA and NHL games and even get individual stats for different players. You can find out how many points a player scored or summarize a match for you. It can let you know when the next NBA or NHL playoff games begin and which teams made the cut. You can get playoff-specific stats, too. So, if you’re a big fan of these two leagues, you might appreciate this new Alexa feature a whole lot.

Source: Engadget

Netflix won’t screen anything at Cannes

Netflix

After being disqualified from competing at Cannes, Netflix has opted out of showing any of its content at the prestigious film festival. A new rule was instituted this year that banned any movie from competing if they didn’t have a theatrical run, which means streaming content creators aren’t welcome to join. Last year, Netflix’s Okja and The Meyerowitz Stories competed at the festival and it had French cinema owners and unions up in arms. Thus, the establishment of the rule. It was reported Netflix offered to comply with the requirement of screening films in theatres but French law dictates that those filmed in cinemas can’t be made available on streaming services for three years thereafter.

And so, this year Netflix is skipping out on the festival. Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, told Variety, “I don’t think there would be any reason to go out of competition. The rule was implicitly about Netflix, and Thierry made it explicitly about Netflix when he announced the rule.”

Apple Music hits 40 million subscribers, names new head

Apple Music just hit another milestone by hitting 40 million subscribers. On top of gaining more subscribers, the company just announced that long-time Apple executive Oliver Schusser will be taking over as the vice president of Apple Music and International Content. Schusser is said to be moving from London to California to fulfill his new role and will split his time between Apple’s offices in Cupertino and Culver City. And he will lead international teams in 38 offices. He’ll be reporting directly to Eddy Cue, who hired him 14 years ago.

Schusser has previously worked on Apple products and projects like App Store, iTunes movies and TV, iBooks, Apple Podcasts, and more. He was also said to be instrumental in Apple’s acquisition of Shazam. According to Variety, this new promotion will not impact Jimmy Iovine’s standing in the company. Iovine has previously said he plans to step back from daily operations at Apple Music.