Latest news with #TheBigPicture
Broadcast Pro
5 days ago
- Business
- Broadcast Pro
NBC and Nigcomsat launch satellite plan to transform broadcasting
For the first time, Nigerian households will gain access to high-quality digital broadcasts via affordable satellite dishes, hybrid devices, and internet-enabled set-top boxes. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) have jointly introduced The Big Picture, a flagship initiative under Nigerias renewed Digital Switchover (DSO) project. Backed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda, this strategic shift marks a significant step toward transforming Nigerias broadcasting landscape by leveraging the countrys sovereign satellite infrastructure. At the heart of the initiative is NigComSat-1R, Nigerias only communications satellite in orbit, which will play a critical role in delivering Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasts across the entire Nigerian territory. This satellite-first approach eliminates the traditional dependence on terrestrial transmission towers, accelerating the nationwide rollout of digital broadcasting by over 65%. It also offers a scalable, cost-effective, and future-ready model for expanding digital access and promoting national storytelling. Key figures, including NBCs Director-General, Barr Charles Ebuebu, and Nigcomsats Managing Director, Jane Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, have welcomed this forward-thinking strategy, emphasising its importance in maximising the use of national satellite assets and ensuring inclusive access to digital content. For the first time, millions of Nigerian households will be able to access high-quality digital broadcasts through affordable satellite dishes, hybrid set-top boxes, and internet-enabled devices. An estimated 10 million homes equipped with DVB-S2-compatible televisions or decoders will have immediate access to free-to-air channels, while others will benefit from next-generation hybrid devices that combine satellite feeds with online streaming capabilities. These new branded devices are designed with the countrys youth-dominated demographic in mindover 60% of the population is under the age of 25. They will feature pre-installed apps, voice search functionality, parental controls, and seamless integration with NigComSats Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), offering an intuitive and engaging user experience. In a data-driven upgrade to Nigerias broadcasting ecosystem, NBC is also partnering with global analytics firm GARB to introduce real-time audience measurement technology. This will enable broadcasters, advertisers and content creators to analyse viewership trends across regions and devices, helping to tailor content more effectively and drive higher audience engagement. The introduction of this system is expected to boost advertising revenue by as much as 300% by 2026. The success of The Big Picture will rely on robust collaboration between public and private stakeholders. The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and other content partners are expected to supply 60% of programming for the new 120-channel platform, using both original and repurposed content. Meanwhile, local manufacturers will contribute by producing around 5 million compliant devices annually, a move projected to create over 20,000 jobs in assembly plants nationwide. This ambitious initiative also dovetails with President Tinubus By-Nigeria industrial policy, aiming to stimulate local manufacturing, strengthen economic resilience, and champion Nigerian creativity and innovation. As the country transitions to a fully digital future, The Big Picture stands as a transformative blueprint for democratising access to information and revitalizing Nigerias cultural narrative through technology.
The Guardian
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Guide #186: Five rules to keep your podcast feed Marie Kondo tidy
I regret to report that my podcast feed has been a bit of a state recently. Granted, this might not be the most pressing issue facing society right now, but still, it is the sort of persistent niggle that can make a day 0.01% less enjoyable, like a stone in your shoe, or the stubborn persistence of Piers Morgan in public life. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. For a long time things seemed to be working well: I was subscribed to a lot of podcasts, but these were a decent balance of shows I would listen to every week, or even every day, and ones I would periodically dip in and out of every few months. My feed was in perfect balance. I was a Zen listener, crouched in the lotus position while the latest episode of You Must Remember This wafted through the speakers. But at some point, something slipped. Maybe I had subscribed to too many podcasts. Maybe I had less time to listen to them. Or maybe the podcasts I listened to were getting longer (a persistent podcast gripe of ours on the Guide). Regardless, every commute I was greeted by a sea of excellent shows and I couldn't possibly listen to all of them. Take, for example, the dilemma I faced on Tuesday morning. Do I listen to one of the many news pods on my feed, all of which are trying to make sense of the still-blazing Trump tariffs bin fire? Should I plump for The Big Picture podcast, which is tackling the main story in cinema this week: the bewildering success of A Minecraft Movie. Or do I go with its sister podcast, The Watch, which is parsing the White Lotus finale? Or former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger and ex-FT honcho Lionel Barber putting the press to rights in their Media Confidential podcast? Maybe I should try a new podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out, off the back of a glowing review from Vulture's podcast newsletter, 1.5x Speed? Or should I just give up choosing, and opt for some music instead (which then creates its own distinct problem of what to listen to)? In the end I went with The Watch's White Lotus recap, to make sense of a finale that I had found slightly unsatisfying. But I must have spent a good four minutes agonising over that extremely minor decision, starting and stopping podcasts at random, paralysed by choice. And the same problem would present itself again the next morning, when a whole new cohort of enticing podcasts would drop into my feed. Enough! Something has to change. It's time to go full Kondo on my podcast logjam. A brutal cull is in order. Here are the Guide's rules for getting to grips with your podcast feed. You're not going to listen to all those daily news podcasts Yes, all of them are well researched and compellingly told. But there's about 570 of them and many are going to be tackling the same topic. Stick to two at most, one of which should of course be the Guardian's excellent Today in Focus. The same rule can be applied to business, politics or football podcasts. Especially football podcasts (listen to Football Weekly, of course, pictured above) – but how many variations of 'Manchester United are a complete laughing stock' do you really need to hear in one morning? (Answer: actually quite a lot in my case). Don't be a completist Obviously some serialised, narrative podcasts – like, say, Serial – need to be listened to from start to finish. But in the case of those shows without a set terminus, don't be afraid to skip the odd episode, when its hosts are talking about something you have little interest in (sorry Gastropod, but I'm not going to be listening to that 51-minute deep dive into quinoa), or when they have a guest you actively dislike. This latter point is particularly true of comedy podcasts, humour being subjective and all that – although the downside there is that in a future episode you will encounter a callback to a joke that sails miles over your head. Tackle the less pressing podcasts in one go Sign up to The Guide Get our weekly pop culture email, free in your inbox every Friday after newsletter promotion Yes, that Rest is History eight-parter on General Custer might look tantalising now, but you're not going to be fully engaged while listening to it in chunks on various commutes, are you? Instead, hold on to them for a single, glorious binge during a long drive or a big ironing pile – and then impress your friends in the pub with your detailed recounting of the battle of Little Bighorn. They'll thank you. (They won't.) When a series ends, unsubscribe Not every podcast goes on indefinitely. Sometimes the presenters run out of topics, or fall out, or a show just reaches a natural end point. But sneaky producers have a habit of adding a new, unrelated series from the same production house on to the feed of a dead or dormant podcast. Not only does that trick you into thinking that your favourite podcast has returned, but it adds to the clutter of your podcast feed. So make sure to click unsubscribe when a series shuffles off its digital coil. And don't be afraid to let go Sometimes a podcast that, for years had been a must listen suddenly becomes inessential: you go months without pressing play, and when you do, you hardly feel compelled to return to it. Maybe it feels like the show's remit has slowly changed. Or maybe the host's voice has just started to grate on you. Whatever the reason, it's probably better to cut ties entirely rather than leaving it to loiter in your already stuffed feed, then feeling guilty whenever you see the cover artwork. It's time to say goodbye. If you want to read the complete version of this newsletter please subscribe to receive The Guide in your inbox every Friday
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Beatles: New Rumor Suggests Potential Timeline for Sam Mendes' Movies
A new update regarding Sam Mendes' movies has emerged online. Sam Mendes is currently working on four movies that will be about The Beatles. It was recently confirmed that the films will star Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr. It was also recently announced that all four Beatles movies will be released in United States theaters in April 2028. Appearing on an episode of The Big Picture podcast, Puck's Matt Belloni noted that there's 'speculation' that the movies could 'tell the story of The Beatles sequentially.' 'Meaning, the Paul story will be the first four or five years, the rise to fame, and that kind of thing,' he said. 'Then, they bring the other stuff in so that John's movie is about his relationship with Yoko and his death, ultimately. And, then, Ringo is the aftermath and the break-up, so it's sort of told through his perspective. That makes sense to me. Maybe they'll jump around or maybe it'll be the same story, just from different perspectives. I don't know.' Sony Pictures has not yet officially commented on the timeline of Mendes' Beatles movies, meaning this is just a rumor and speculation at this time. The official logline for The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event reads, 'Each man has his own story, but together they are legendary.' How the movies will be released also remains unclear at this time, as Sony has not yet announced if all four films will arrive in theaters on the same day or if a new one will come out once a week for a whole month. Mendes' Neal Street Productions will produce the Beatles movies in association with Apple Corps for Sony Pictures. Mendes serves as producer along with Pippa Harris, Julie Pastor, and Alexandra Derbyshire. The post The Beatles: New Rumor Suggests Potential Timeline for Sam Mendes' Movies appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Carrie Coon didn't return to Avengers: Endgame over Marvel pay dispute
The reason why Carrie Coon didn't return to Avengers: Endgame was due to a salary dispite, her husband Tracy Letts has said. Coon first played villain Proxima Midnight in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, in which her character was killed off. However, she was still offered the chance to return for the 2019 sequel, but she ultimately turned down the offer. Speaking in a recent episode of The Ringer's The Big Picture podcast, Letts said that Marvel didn't offer Coon a higher fee for the follow-up film, which is why she said no. 'I believe [Marvel] went to her for the second one, and they asked her to be in the second one,' said Letts. 'And she said, 'Well, the first one is the most successful movie ever made. Are you going to pay me any more money?' And they said, 'No. We're not going to pay you any more money.'' 'She said, 'Wow, you're not going to pay me any more money, then I don't think I'm going to do it,'' Letts continued. 'And they said, 'Well, you should feel yourself fortunate to be part of the Marvel Universe.' So she declined.' In 2020, Coon previously said she declined the part due to a scheduling conflict, but said she wouldn't rule out future projects. 'No one ever dies. It's very possible I could have my own Avengers movie next," she joked. "But I wouldn't hold your breath,' she told PeopleTV 's Couch Surfing. While The White Lotus actor didn't appear in Endgame, her voice was used uncredited in the film. 'We would've made a bigger deal out of this,' Letts said. 'But it would have involved us watching the movies, and we weren't going to do that.' The Independent has contacted Marvel and Coon for comment. Speaking about how she won the role in 2018, Coon said: 'I got a voice-over audition; it was not specified what the project was. They were being very secretive about it, but I was given some of the lines that did end up being in the film. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free "[The Russos] were excited about the possibility of me actually physicalising the character as well, and they invited me to come down to Atlanta. I was pregnant and doing a play at the time, so I flew down and was on set with them for about 12 hours.' She added: 'They were just looking for the voice of Proxima Midnight, and [they reached out] perhaps because they were interested in my voice or maybe because I've actually done motion-capture work previously. I used to do motion-capture work for video games, back in Madison, Wisconsin.' 'I was an athlete in college, and so it was very physical work that I enjoyed tremendously, and I had such a ball working on it." Coon and Letts met in 2010 while starring in the Broadway production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? They got married three years later before welcoming their first child, Haskell, in 2018. They also welcomed a daughter in 2021, but have yet to share her name publicly.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Turns Out Carrie Coon's Absence In Avengers: Endgame Was Over Money, And Her Husband Expertly Zinged Marvel When Explaining Why She Didn't Push Back
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a behemoth force in the entertainment industry, one that constantly puts out content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order went crazy upon the release of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, which were the cumulation of the entire franchise to that point. Carrie Coon voiced Proxima Midnight, a member of Thanos' Black Order in the first movie, but didn't get any lines in Endgame. And her husband explained that money was part of the issue. While fans are looking forward to upcoming Marvel movies, news about previously entries are still trickling out. Case in point: Coon's husband Tracy Letts appeared on The Big Picture, and revealed that the pair of actors have never actually seen Infinity War or Endgame. As he shared: I've never seen the film. Nor has Carrie. [Laughs.] . . . I believe they went to her for the second one, and they asked her to be in the second one. And she said, 'Well, the first one is the most successful movie ever made. Are you going to pay me any more money?' And they said, 'No. We're not going to pay you any more money.' Honestly, I respect the hustle. Upon its release, Avengers: Infinity War became one of the highest grossing movies of all time. So when it came to be time for Carrie Coon to record Proxima Midnight's dialogue Endgame, she seemingly wanted a pay bump. But can you blame her? Disney+: from $9.99 a month w/ ad-supported planThe MCU can be streamed exclusively on Disney+, including Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame . Plans start at $9.99 a month for its new ad-supported plan. Go ad-free and pay $15.99 a month or save 16% and pre-pay $159.99 for a Deal Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like the studio appreciated Carrie Coon's negotiations for Endgame. And this explains why Proxima Midnight didn't get any more dialogue in the follow-up blockbuster. As Tracy Letts shared: She said, 'Wow, you're not going to pay me any more money, then I don't think I'm going to do it.' And they said, 'You should feel yourself fortunate to be part of the Marvel Universe.' So she declined, but I think they put her in it anyway? They own the image. We would've made a bigger deal out of this, but it would have involved us watching the movies, and we weren't going to do that. Shots fired. It sounds like Coon and Letts had no interest in sitting down for those pair of Avengers movies, even if they wanted to fight the fact that Proxima Midnight was featured in Endgame without her performance. Guess they're not Marvel fans like so many of us. Carrie Coon's character only had a few lines during Infinity War, but her performances really helped to bring the other CGI character feel real. In the end we got a few brief, wordless appearances by Proxima Midnight during Endgame's final battle. The next MCU flick hitting theaters is Thunderbolts* on May 2nd as part of the 2025 premiere list. As for Carrie Coon, she's busy starring in Season 3 of The White Lotus.
