YouTube Originals released after September 24th will be free to watch

After promising users that its original shows will be available as ad-supported programming, YouTube is sticking to its word. The Google subsidiary will be making its Originals series, movies, and live events released starting September 24th and beyond free to watch. But it will come with ads for "non-members" or those who don't subscribe to its Premium service. There will still be content that will remain exclusive to Premium subscribers. And there will be some that will be available to the general public, but these will come with ads and they will be available for a limited time for non-members. Also, some older seasons and content will have a windowing period of availability.

Premium subscribers will still get perks as well as some new features. They still don't get ads, and they get immediate access to every episode of a show's new season. Meanwhile, non-members have to wait for each new installment to be released. Plus they get exclusive access to director's cuts and bonus scenes when they're available. There's also a new "Recommended downloads" section in the app's Library tab to help with content discovery. It's now possible to switch between a song and a music video with a tap of a button. And Android users can automatically download up to 500 songs from their Liked Songs list and other playlists.

Source: Engadget + 9to5Google

Disney wants to clamp down on password-sharing for its Disney+ streaming service

Disney / Sam Machkovech

While the legality of sharing Netflix passwords has been questioned in the past, the company hasn't done much to stop its users from engaging in such activity. Disney, on the other hand, won't be as lenient. They struck a new deal with Charter Communications that will allow customers to purchase Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+ as a bundle through Charter's Spectrum TV. As part of the deal, the two parties agreed to work together to clamp down on the habit of password-sharing. Disney is adamant that its exclusive content stays in the hands of those paying to watch them.

Charter hasn't offered up any details on how they intend to crack down on the password-sharing. And it will be interesting to see how prospective subscribers might feel about this and whether this would affect their desire to subscribe.

Source: Ars Technica

Remind your loved ones to do things with Google Assistant

It's a tool as much as any other that could be useful or harmful (or possibly annoying, in this case). Google has started rolling out the ability to use Assistant to send reminders to your friends and family. These reminders can be scheduled based on time of day or location. And the ones you send reminders to will receive them through their mobile phones or a Google Assistant-powered Smart Display. It's designed mainly for families, but it can also work for close friends and roommates. The goal isn't to use it as a means to nag your loved ones with ridiculous requests. It is meant to send important reminders, and to work as a way to encourage them ahead of big or small events (or even just to make them laugh or feel loved). That said, Google claims there will be a block function but it's more for not allowing kids to spam their parents. (We think it should also work the other way around.)

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