Squid Game has hit a new high for Netflix’s television programming. Variety reported that the Korean show’s second season garnered 68 million views in its first four days. It’s the biggest debut for a TV show on the streaming platform, beating the 50.1 million views it had in 2022 as of Wednesday.
Squid Game’s first season also held the crown of the most-watched Netflix series for a while; it had been watched by 142 million households as of October 2021. The third and final season could mark a hat-trick of record results for the company when it airs next year.
While the show offers a scathing critique of capitalism, Netflix is turning Squid Game into a great cash cow. The streamer launched a less lethal reality show spinoff, an in-person pop-up experience, and a multiplayer mobile game based on the TV series.
YouTube is testing a new “Play Something” floating action button, borrowing a now-defunct Netflix feature of the same name. It works almost the same way, playing a random video based on your previous selections, reports 9to5Google.
Pressing the button starts a video in the Shorts player, but the content isn’t limited to just Shorts, as it will also play regular videos in a vertical format with black bars at the top and bottom. As with any Shorts video, there are buttons on the right to like, dislike, comment, and share. You can only play one video using the button, as the interface closes when a Shorts video opens.
This new feature seems to be a way for YouTube to keep viewers engaged, especially on the Shorts platform. The platform has also tested similar features in the past, including a “Play Something” banner. Netflix discontinued this feature (later called “Surprise Me”) two years after launching it due to low usage.
Marvel just released the first trailer for its upcoming animated series, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, which will take us back to Peter Parker’s early days as a high school superhero.
The art leans into a classic comic book style, and it looks like the story itself will be different from the MCU version, unlike how the show was described when it was first announced in 2021. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will consist of 10 episodes, and will debut on Disney+ on January 29.