TechRadar News

• Xbox has unveiled a new marketing campaign
• It focuses on the many devices that can be used to play Xbox games
• Some online argue it dilutes the brand's identity

Xbox has launched a new advertising campaign titled ‘This is an Xbox’ that showcases the many devices that players can use to enjoy Xbox games.

Among them is both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, plus more unconventional choices like a Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, mobile phone, the Meta Quest 3 VR headset, and more. A few humorous additions including a bento box and cat litter box are thrown in there too.

According to the company, the campaign “invites people to play with Xbox across multiple devices and screens” and “showcases the evolution of Xbox as a platform that extends across devices, with bold, iconic, fun visuals and a light-hearted tone.”

Xbox has also partnered with several brands for amusing crossovers, aiming to “bring the campaign to life in unexpected and entertaining ways.” As part of this, Samsung Smart TV owners will be able to see some ‘This is an Xbox’ branding on their home screens. An advertisement showing a Samsung Smart TV will also be featured in Times Square.

The campaign follows a wave of efforts to make Xbox titles playable on a wide range of platforms. Xbox Cloud Gaming is available on most PCs, while the Xbox TV app and Game Pass Ultimate were made accessible via Amazon Fire TV Sticks earlier this year.

What’s an Xbox now?

Reception to the ads has certainly been a little mixed so far, with some online commentors feeling like it strays too far from the brand’s core identity. “The downfall of the Xbox brand and its identity is so depressing,” responded one user on X / Twitter. “Surely this is the Xbox team now saying ‘we give up’,” replied another.

Other reactions have been more positive, though, with one online poster saying that “this is good Xbox marketing” and that it has “a nostalgic mid 2000's vibe.”

All things considered, I think that it’s a pretty effective campaign. The Xbox brand has been drifting towards a more software focused business model for some time, driven partially by a move to release more Xbox games on other platforms.

The option to jump into the latest Xbox games via a low-cost piece of hardware like a Fire TV Stick could be hugely enticing to more casual gamers. It also helps reduce the financial barriers associated with needing to purchase a full console, which can only be a good thing.

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• Researchers from AppOmni found a misconfiguration bug in sites built with Microsoft Power Pages
• As a result, data on millions of people was leaking on the web
• UK NHS among affected firms, with other urged to investigate immediately

Businesses in both the private and public sector have been leaking personally identifiable information (PII) on millions of people due to a fault with a Microsoft website builder platform.

Experts from AppOmni revealed the leak stems from misconfigurations in Microsoft’s Power Pages, a low-code platform within the Microsoft Power Platform suite that allows users to build websites without needing to be expert coders.

However, due to misconfigured access controls - namely excessive permissions granted to the Anonymous role - many websites were leaking “significant amounts of data”. That information included full names, email addresses, phone numbers, and home addresses.

NHS among those affected

Power Pages is especially geared toward business users and developers who need to build sites that integrate with business data from sources like Microsoft Dataverse, and apparently has more than 250 million monthly users.

“During my research, I’ve uncovered several million records of sensitive data being exposed to the public internet from authorized testing alone,” the researcher said, suggesting that the leak is probably even bigger (since this was found from “authorized testing alone”). The primary nature of this data are internal organization files and sensitive PII belonging to both internal organization users and other users registered on the website.

Among the leaksters was the NHS - UK’s National Health Service - which allegedly leaked sensitive information belonging to more than 1.1 million employees. The healthcare giant has since plugged the hole. The researchers did not want to name any other organizations leaking the data, possibly because the holes have not yet been plugged.

Misconfigured databases are one of the main causes of data leaks. Over the years, there were many instances of organizations keeping large archives of sensitive customer files without even a weak password, let alone a strong one.

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• Apple announced several improvements to the M4 MacBook Pro’s screen
• It also secretly added a new display tech
• This change could improve motion and color gamut performance

If you’ve bought an M4 MacBook Pro and get the feeling its display looks even better than it did on previous models, you’d be right. Apple has kept very quiet about it, but there seems to be a new technology at work inside the laptop’s screen, and it could be providing a handful of worthwhile benefits.

The discovery was made by well-known display industry expert Ross Young, who has a strong track record when it comes to Apple leaks and rumors. Posting on X, Young said that the new MacBook Pro is using quantum dot tech that is “very efficient” and provides “as good or better color gamut and better motion performance” compared to the previous technology used in MacBook displays.

Despite this performance increase, Apple didn’t mention the quantum dot upgrade when it revealed the M4 MacBook Pro in October. However, there was one clue that something might have changed: the maximum screen brightness for SDR content was increased from 600 nits all the way up to 1,000 nits – a significant improvement.

In our 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro review, we described the display as “gorgeous” and noted that its increased SDR brightness made it “quite effective at remaining viewable and usable in direct sunlight.” At the time, though, we had no idea about Apple’s quantum dot treatment, which has remained well hidden until now.

Getting the green light

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Back in 2015, Apple said that it considered quantum dot technology for its screens, but ultimately rejected it because it involved using the toxic element cadmium. Apple has long made environmentalism a key part of its product strategy, and that likely wouldn’t have jived with the inclusion of a harmful element in the display.

However, the new quantum dot tech used in the M4 MacBook Pro can be achieved without the use of cadmium, Young explains. This, alongside its improved efficiency, presumably gave it the green light from Apple, allowing the company to enhance its MacBook Pro displays without the environmental concerns.

The next question is whether quantum dot screens will make their way to other devices. Apple sometimes shares technology between the MacBook Pro and the iPad Pro, so it’s possible that Apple’s flagship tablet might follow its laptop in the future.

Whether Apple will actually go ahead with this move – or bring quantum dot panels to some of its other products – remains to be seen.

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• New emoji proposals have been put forward for 2025
• Unicode and developers will continue to refine the designs
• Fresh icons include Bigfoot and a "distorted face"

Yes, there is an official organization in charge of emojis, called the Unicode Consortium – and it's just put forward its annual proposal for the new graphics we might be seeing on the best iPhones and best Android phones in the next year or two.

There are plenty of interesting additions in the list (via Emojipedia). We've got a bulging, slightly overwhelmed smiley ("distorted face", above) that we can imagine getting used a lot on social media; there's also a Bigfoot-inspired one called "hairy creature" (above right).

For the times when your friends or family are scrapping in a digital space – perfect for group chats, then – we have "fight cloud" (above left), which looks like the usual cartoon depiction of a brawl, with everything hidden with smoke and stars.

On the fighting theme, another proposed emoji features two people wrestling (see below). For nature lovers, a new emoji called "orca" would add to the number of marine-themed emojis you've got to pick from.

Emoji approval

It'll be a while before you can use these emojis on your phone (Image credit: Unicode)

Rounding out the Unicode 17.0 proposals we've got an apple core, a trombone, a treasure chest, and a depiction of a landslide – so if you're about to be hit by falling rocks and don't have time to type out a full message, you can send an emoji instead.

There are actually 164 new emojis in the proposal, but we've covered the main icons – all of the others are skin tone variations on the ones mentioned above (in case you want wrestlers with two different skin tones, for example).

The procedure this year is the same as it is every year: the Unicode Consortium will continue to consult on these graphics and tweak their designs, before final approval on the official new emojis is given in September 2025.

After that, it's down to Apple, Google, and everyone else (from Microsoft to Meta) to do their own takes on these emojis and add them to their various software platforms. In the meantime, you'll need to rely on a sticker or GIF for "distorted face".

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• Code for a ‘Shielded Email’ feature is in the Google Play Services APK
• You’ll seemingly be able to use a temporary email address to avoid spam
• Doing so could also avoid your real email being leaked in a data breach

Gmail could offer the ability for users to create temporary email addresses, for signing up to online accounts or services they may be unsure about, allowing people to hide their real email address and avoid being spammed in the future (or perhaps worse dangers than that).

Android Authority got the scoop on this after digging around in the inner workings of the new 24.45.33 release of the Google Play Services APK, which contains references to ‘Shielded Email’ and a bunch of clues as to how this feature will work.

You’ll be able to create a shielded email – a temporary (Google-generated) email address different from your actual Gmail address, the mail to which gets forwarded to your Gmail inbox – when you’re forced to enter an email to sign up for an app, for example, or a website.

In these cases, with an unknown or less trustworthy firm, if you enter your real email address, you might then be spammed repeatedly by the company or website you’ve signed up with. When that inevitably happens, you can simply turn off that secondary email address – just bin it – and voila, no more spam emails.

As one of the strings of text in the hidden bits of code puts it: “To control spam, you can turn off forwarding at any time in your Google Account.”

Getting out of that bind is obviously not as simple as that if you’ve provided the company with your real email address.

(Image credit: Dell) Analysis: Security benefits

What’s also important to note is that this could be a real lifesaver of a security feature in some ways. By which we mean if you gave your real email address to a company that had lax security, and that outfit then suffered a data breach in which your email was compromised – that’s obviously very bad news. If you used a shielded, temporary email, and that’s leaked instead, then that’s no big deal – just bin it, as noted above, and the problem is solved.

This is a pretty cool addition for Gmail then – assuming it happens, of course. Right now, all we have is some code hanging around in the background, which might ultimately come to nothing. The good news is that Android Authority has also noticed a mention of shielded emails appearing in Google’s Autofill settings menu on Android, so that’s a positive glimmer of hope this is really happening.

And for those of you thinking – this sort of one-off or temporary email feature is nothing new, and you can get it from a variety of sources – well, yes, that’s true. However, having the functionality right there, integrated into Gmail, would be a considerable boon in terms of seamless access to temporary emails, with no fuss or messing about.

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• PS5 Pro has registered strong week one sales in Japan
• The mid-gen upgrade console has shifted 78,000 units in its first week
• This follows surprisingly strong pre-order performance for the console

The PS5 Pro has gotten off to a strong start in Japan - its first week on sale going better than most probably would have expected.

That's according to renowned Japanese outlet Famitsu's weekly sales report (via Gematsu) which shows the PS5 Pro topping the hardware sales charts in the region with 78,086 units sold. The Nintendo Switch OLED comes in at a distant second this week with 42,297 consoles shifted.

Despite being priced significantly higher than the base PS5 console at $699.99 / £699.99, there still seems to be plenty of appetite for the mid-gen upgrade in Japan. This follows what was, according to Sony, a strong pre-order performance for the PS5 Pro, which Sony Group President Hiroki Totoki described as "slightly stronger" than the PS4 Pro. Furthermore, Totoki said at the time that the PS5 Pro's high price tag was not “adversely affecting the product's sales plan."

While an expensive, arguably enthusiast purchase, the appeal of the PS5 Pro is clear. The mission statement is to offer the best of both worlds in terms of fidelity and performance. As a result, PS5 Pro enhanced games can offer things like 4K resolution at a smooth 60 frames per second. Several games, including Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and Stellar Blade have all been updated with Pro-exclusive performance modes, too.

The jury is still out on the console's long-term success. We're certainly not expecting to see any discounts for the Pro over the upcoming Black Friday PS5 Pro deals period, but we'd definitely welcome some tempting bundles. Potentially ones that include the disc drive and vertical stand which are otherwise (and frustratingly) sold separately.

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• Bose is bringing back its 901 speakers, first launched in 1968
• They'll be a very, very limited edition
• The speakers are a collaboration with NYC lifestyle brand Kith

Way back in the 1960s, Bose introduced a musical legend. The 1968 Bose 901 speakers are famous in audiophile circles, with some reviewers claiming that they were among the best speakers of all time. As one reviewer, Julian Hirsch, wrote: "I have never heard a speaker system in my own home which could surpass, or even equal, the Bose 901 for overall realism of sound."

And now they're back.

Bose's best-known speakers are back for good

It's Bose's 60th anniversary this year, and the company is bringing the 901s back as part of the celebrations. The new versions are in collaboration with Bose's pals at NYC lifestyle and fashion brand Kith, whose founder and owner-operator Ronnie Fieg announced on Instagram: “If you’re half as meticulous about music and how it sounds as I am, you know the significance of the Bose 901 Speakers. To celebrate the brand’s 60th anniversary, I collaborated with Bose to reimagine the speaker.”

The reimagined 901s have been created with a bit of help from custom furniture designer Mark Jupiter, but so far we don't have any details about their actual specifications – or indeed pricing. Bose has also posted to Instagram but details are sparse.

What we do know is that the new 901s will be limited to just 12 sets, so you can expect a pretty hefty price tag if they're even available to buy; according to Bose, the 12 pairs are "exclusively for our friends and family".

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Watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 online

Ant, Dec and a whole lot of creepy crawlies are back, as the 24th series of British TV institution I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! returns to screens on Sunday. UK viewers can catch episodes live and on demand on the free-to-air ITV and ITVX and you can watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 online from anywhere with a VPN.

As promised, there are no politicians on the show this year. But otherwise, it's business as usual as 12 familiar faces head to the Australian jungle to take part in all manner of stomach-turning Bushtucker Trials. If you somehow haven't seen the show before, expect spiders to be crawled through, snakes to be wrestled and a smorgasbord of kangaroo innards to be eaten.

Among this year's soon-to-be-dirty dozen are Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse, McFly singer Danny Jones, boxing hall-of-famer Barry McGuigan and, after radio presenter Sam Thompson's success last year, DJs Dean McCullough and Melvin Odoom.

The celebrity making most pre-jungle headlines this year, however, is Coleen Rooney. Wife of retired England football star Wayne Rooney, she's been a fixture of tabloid newspapers over the last few years thanks to her involvement in the infamous 'Wagatha Christie' libel case with Rebekah Vardy.

We’ve got all the information on where to watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 online and stream every episode from wherever you are.

Can I watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 for FREE?

As has always been the case, viewers in the UK can watch series 24 of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! completely FREE on ITV1 on TV and its ITVX streaming service online.

Use a VPN to access you usual streaming services from abroad. Full details on how follow...

How to watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 online from outside your country

If you’re traveling abroad when I'm a Celebrity 2024 airs, you’ll be unable to watch the show like you normally would due to annoying regional restrictions. Luckily, there’s an easy solution.

Downloading a VPN will allow you to stream online, no matter where you are. It's a simple bit of software that changes your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV just as if you were at home.

Use a VPN to watch I'm a Celebrity from anywhere.

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How to watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 online in the UK

Brits can watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 episodes every night of the week at 9pm GMT on ITV1.

It will also be available to stream for FREE both live and on demand on the ITVX streaming platform.

Its revamped sister show – I'm a Celebrity... Unpacked – goes out immediately after on ITV2 and will also be available to stream online in the same way on ITVX.

Away from the UK right now? Just use a VPN to alter your IP address so you can stream your favorite TV shows and films online just like you would at home. More details above.

Can I watch I'm a Celebrity online in the US, Canada or Australia?

I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! only airs in the UK, so you won't find it in your TV listings or on streaming services if you're overseas.

That means that the only way that Brits abroad can watch episodes is by using a VPN. We've explained above how to do that and what service we recommend.

I'm a Celebrity 2024 cast

• Alan Halsall – actor
• Barry McGuigan – former boxer
• Coleen Rooney – media personality
• Danny Jones – musician
• Dean McCullough – radio presenter
• GK Barry – social media personality
• Jane Moore – journalist and TV panellist
• Melvin Odoom – TV and radio presenter
• Oti Mabuse – dancer
• Tulisa – singer

Watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 online

Ant, Dec and a whole lot of creepy crawlies are back, as the 24th series of British TV institution I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! returns to screens on Sunday. UK viewers can catch episodes live and on demand on the free-to-air ITV and ITVX and you can watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 online from anywhere with a VPN.

As promised, there are no politicians on the show this year. But otherwise, it's business as usual as 12 familiar faces head to the Australian jungle to take part in all manner of stomach-turning Bushtucker Trials. If you somehow haven't seen the show before, expect spiders to be crawled through, snakes to be wrestled and a smorgasbord of kangaroo innards to be eaten.

Among this year's soon-to-be-dirty dozen are Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse, McFly singer Danny Jones, boxing hall-of-famer Barry McGuigan and, after radio presenter Sam Thompson's success last year, DJs Dean McCullough and Melvin Odoom.

The celebrity making most pre-jungle headlines this year, however, is Coleen Rooney. Wife of retired England football star Wayne Rooney, she's been a fixture of tabloid newspapers over the last few years thanks to her involvement in the infamous 'Wagatha Christie' libel case with Rebekah Vardy.

We’ve got all the information on where to watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 online and stream every episode from wherever you are.

Can I watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 for FREE?

As has always been the case, viewers in the UK can watch series 24 of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! completely FREE on ITV1 on TV and its ITVX streaming service online.

Use a VPN to access you usual streaming services from abroad. Full details on how follow...

How to watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 online from outside your country

If you’re traveling abroad when I'm a Celebrity 2024 airs, you’ll be unable to watch the show like you normally would due to annoying regional restrictions. Luckily, there’s an easy solution.

Downloading a VPN will allow you to stream online, no matter where you are. It's a simple bit of software that changes your IP address, meaning that you can access on-demand content or live TV just as if you were at home.

Use a VPN to watch I'm a Celebrity from anywhere.

Editors Choice

NordVPN – get the world's best VPN
We regularly review all the biggest and best VPN providers and NordVPN is our #1 choice. It unblocked every streaming service in testing and it's very straightforward to use. Speed, security and 24/7 support available if you need – it's got it all.

The best value plan is the two-year deal which sets the price at $3.59 per month, and includes an extra 3 months absolutely FREE. There's also an all-important 30-day no-quibble refund if you decide it's not for you.

- Try NordVPN 100% risk-free for 30 daysVIEW DEAL ON

How to watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 online in the UK

Brits can watch I'm a Celebrity 2024 episodes every night of the week at 9pm GMT on ITV1.

It will also be available to stream for FREE both live and on demand on the ITVX streaming platform.

Its revamped sister show – I'm a Celebrity... Unpacked – goes out immediately after on ITV2 and will also be available to stream online in the same way on ITVX.

Away from the UK right now? Just use a VPN to alter your IP address so you can stream your favorite TV shows and films online just like you would at home. More details above.

Can I watch I'm a Celebrity online in the US, Canada or Australia?

I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! only airs in the UK, so you won't find it in your TV listings or on streaming services if you're overseas.

That means that the only way that Brits abroad can watch episodes is by using a VPN. We've explained above how to do that and what service we recommend.

I'm a Celebrity 2024 cast

• Alan Halsall – actor
• Barry McGuigan – former boxer
• Coleen Rooney – media personality
• Danny Jones – musician
• Dean McCullough – radio presenter
• GK Barry – social media personality
• Jane Moore – journalist and TV panellist
• Melvin Odoom – TV and radio presenter
• Oti Mabuse – dancer
• Tulisa – singer

The total number of Disney Plus ad-supported tier users has accidentally been revealed – and none other than Disney chief Bob Iger is behind the leak.

Yesterday (November 14), Disney released its Q4 2024 earnings report before holding its final earnings call of the year. It was during the latter that Iger unintentionally confirmed how many people have signed up to Disney Plus' ads subscription, with Disney's CEO later suggesting he didn't mean to put his foot in it.

Responding to a Wall Street Journal analyst's query about Disney's growth outlook for its primary streaming platform, Iger said (as reported by Deadline) that 37% of US-based Disney Plus' users had signed up to its cheapest subscription tier. In total, around 30% of the streamer's global fanbase currently own an ads-supported account, Iger added.

Disney Plus has a higher percentage of ad-supporter tier subscribers than Netflix does (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Okay, Iger didn't divulge specific numbers as part of his answer. But, using the above percentages and the total number of paid subscribers revealed in Disney's Q4 2024 earnings report, it's easy to work out how many people are signed up to one of the world's best streaming services' most affordable tier. In the US, 56 million use Disney Plus, meaning that around 20.7 million (37% of 56 million) are signed up to its ads tier. Globally, the platform boasts 122.7 million people, which equates to 36.8 million (30% of 122.7 million) total users.

For context, Netflix recently revealed – via Deadline – that 70 million people are signed up to its ads-based tier. However, while that figure is almost twice the size of Disney Plus' ads tier userbase, Netflix's total fanbase sits at 282.7 million. The percentage of users who are signed up to its cheapest program, then, only accounts for around 25% of its global fanbase.

Regardless, Iger's slip-up was a rare faux-pas on his part – and one he wasn't supposed to disclose to the assembled press and investors. Indeed, as the call continued, Deadline quotes Iger – during a hot-mic moment – as saying: "I don’t know if I was supposed to disclose those AVOD [advertising-based video on demand] numbers". Maybe not, Mr. Iger, but we'll take any insight into the inner workings of an entertainment behemoth whenever we can.

The addition of Inside Out 2 in mid-September may have boosted Disney Plus' subscriber figure (Image credit: Disney )

Iger's mistake notwithstanding, the three-month period running July to October has been pretty fantastic for Disney as a whole. On the streaming front, the world-famous company added 4.4 million new users to Disney Plus' worldwide fanbase and an extra 900,000 people on its sister streamer Hulu. Meanwhile, Disney secured huge theatrical wins at the global box office, with Deadpool and Wolverine and Inside Out 2 grossing over $1 billion apiece. The powerhouse duo recently joined our new Disney Plus movies guide, too, so you can watch them at home if you missed them on the big screen.

Despite these money-spinning triumphs, Disney isn't getting into the pre-festive season spirit and freezing the price of Disney Plus across the globe. In mid-September, the entertainment titan increased streaming subscription fees across the board, with Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus all receiving price hikes in mid-October.

With Disney Plus' password crackdown in full effect now, too, plus the introduction of a Disney Plus password-sharing fee – essentially, how much it'll cost you to grant access to Disney Plus to someone who doesn't live with you – it's just become more expensive to own a Disney Plus account. Don't be surprised, then, if the percentage of people signing up for an ad-supported subscription has increased significantly when Disney releases it Q1 2025 earnings report early next year.

You might also like

• Sticking with Disney Plus? Check out our guide on the best Disney Plus movies
• Or learn more about the best Disney Plus shows that are worth watching
• If you've had enough, get the lowdown on how to cancel your Disney Plus subscription

The total number of Disney Plus ad-supported tier users has accidentally been revealed – and none other than Disney chief Bob Iger is behind the leak.

Yesterday (November 14), Disney released its Q4 2024 earnings report before holding its final earnings call of the year. It was during the latter that Iger unintentionally confirmed how many people have signed up to Disney Plus' ads subscription, with Disney's CEO later suggesting he didn't mean to put his foot in it.

Responding to a Wall Street Journal analyst's query about Disney's growth outlook for its primary streaming platform, Iger said (as reported by Deadline) that 37% of US-based Disney Plus' users had signed up to its cheapest subscription tier. In total, around 30% of the streamer's global fanbase currently own an ads-supported account, Iger added.

Disney Plus has a higher percentage of ad-supporter tier subscribers than Netflix does (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Okay, Iger didn't divulge specific numbers as part of his answer. But, using the above percentages and the total number of paid subscribers revealed in Disney's Q4 2024 earnings report, it's easy to work out how many people are signed up to one of the world's best streaming services' most affordable tier. In the US, 56 million use Disney Plus, meaning that around 20.7 million (37% of 56 million) are signed up to its ads tier. Globally, the platform boasts 122.7 million people, which equates to 36.8 million (30% of 122.7 million) total users.

For context, Netflix recently revealed – via Deadline – that 70 million people are signed up to its ads-based tier. However, while that figure is almost twice the size of Disney Plus' ads tier userbase, Netflix's total fanbase sits at 282.7 million. The percentage of users who are signed up to its cheapest program, then, only accounts for around 25% of its global fanbase.

Regardless, Iger's slip-up was a rare faux-pas on his part – and one he wasn't supposed to disclose to the assembled press and investors. Indeed, as the call continued, Deadline quotes Iger – during a hot-mic moment – as saying: "I don’t know if I was supposed to disclose those AVOD [advertising-based video on demand] numbers". Maybe not, Mr. Iger, but we'll take any insight into the inner workings of an entertainment behemoth whenever we can.

The addition of Inside Out 2 in mid-September may have boosted Disney Plus' subscriber figure (Image credit: Disney )

Iger's mistake notwithstanding, the three-month period running July to October has been pretty fantastic for Disney as a whole. On the streaming front, the world-famous company added 4.4 million new users to Disney Plus' worldwide fanbase and an extra 900,000 people on its sister streamer Hulu. Meanwhile, Disney secured huge theatrical wins at the global box office, with Deadpool and Wolverine and Inside Out 2 grossing over $1 billion apiece. The powerhouse duo recently joined our new Disney Plus movies guide, too, so you can watch them at home if you missed them on the big screen.

Despite these money-spinning triumphs, Disney isn't getting into the pre-festive season spirit and freezing the price of Disney Plus across the globe. In mid-September, the entertainment titan increased streaming subscription fees across the board, with Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus all receiving price hikes in mid-October.

With Disney Plus' password crackdown in full effect now, too, plus the introduction of a Disney Plus password-sharing fee – essentially, how much it'll cost you to grant access to Disney Plus to someone who doesn't live with you – it's just become more expensive to own a Disney Plus account. Don't be surprised, then, if the percentage of people signing up for an ad-supported subscription has increased significantly when Disney releases it Q1 2025 earnings report early next year.

You might also like

• Sticking with Disney Plus? Check out our guide on the best Disney Plus movies
• Or learn more about the best Disney Plus shows that are worth watching
• If you've had enough, get the lowdown on how to cancel your Disney Plus subscription

• American Associated Pharmacies allegedly fell prey to a ransomware attack
• The attackers are saying the company paid for the decryptor
• The group is asking for more money, to keep the stolen files private

American Associated Pharmacies (AAP) is joining the ever-growing list of American healthcare organizations to have suffered a ransomware attack.

Following the likes of Change Healthcare, Henry Schein, CommonSpirit, and many others, AAP appaears to have suffered the classic double whammy - having its sensitive data stolen, and its systems encrypted.

A report from The Register claims the company is yet to make an official statement regarding the attack, having only force-reset passwords for all of its users, and notify them of the change.

Say hi to Embargo

"All user passwords associated with both APIRx.com and RxAAP.com have been reset, so existing credentials will no longer be valid to access the sites," the company said in a short announcement. "Please click 'forgot password' on the log in screen and follow the prompts accordingly to reset your password."

At the same time, the group that assumed responsibility for the attack is called Embargo. You can be excused for not hearing about them, as they’re a relatively new group. ESET seems to be the first to spot the new actor, when it used endpoint detection and response (EDR) killing tools to drop its payload, last June. It also observed the group using a Rust-based ransomware kit.

New or not, Embargo claims to have stolen almost 1.5TB of sensitive data. It also claims that AAP paid $1.3 million to have its systems restored, and that it needs to pay an additional $1.3 million to keep the stolen files off the dark web.

We don’t know what kinds of documents Embargo stole from the company, but if the Change Healthcare attack was any indication, they could be highly classified information whose leak could lead to class-action lawsuits and regulatory pressure.

We have reached out to AAP with additional questions and will report if we hear anything back.

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• Prime video app code tease 'Multiview'
• YouTube TV multiview lets you watch several sports games at once
• No official word yet on when or if it'll arrive in the app

Prime Video could be getting a YouTube feature, which will be perfect for its expansion into live sports. Leaked code suggests the best streaming service could soon be adding multiview.

That’s according to Android Authority, who dug through the code of the Prime Video app – specifically v3.0.389 – and found several strings referencing “multiview”. Such as:

Set up your multiview Pause unavailable during multiview Rewind unavailable during multiview

Beyond setting up a multiview it appears that Prime Video's version of the feature won’t let users pause, rewind, or fast forward while it’s active.

What is multiview?

While a name alone isn’t much to go on, we can turn to Prime Video competitors to learn what multiview might entail. YouTube TV’s multiview version of the tool allows you to watch four sports live streams at the same time.

The advantage of this is if there are several matches on at the same time that you’re keen to tune into you can do it all on one screen without ever needing to change channel.

In some versions of the tool, you could even throw on an entirely different video feed – perhaps in Prime Video's case a new episode of a show you love – so you can watch that with sports happening in the background. Perfect for when a game gets stale, or if you can’t agree who should control the TV.

All of this is speculation for now. There’s no word yet on when Prime Video will get multiview – assuming it even does at all – and if multiview does arrive we’ll have to see what form it takes. It would make a lot of sense, so hopefully it does land in the near future, but we’ll have to wait and see.

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• Fitbit has a Sleep Journal feature in the works
• An APK Teardown revealed the feature under construction
• It could be an AI-powered feature

According to a recently-unearthed bit of code, Fitbit is looking at introducing a new sleep feature soon to Fitbit Premium subscribers. A Sleep Journal functionality would allow users of the best fitbit trackers and smartwatches to log their sleep as usual, and make notes in-app when prompted, about any sleep problems they had via text or even a voice note. The Fitbit app then uses this information to generate more personalized sleep tips.

Discovered by Android Authority during an APK teardown (a process that looks at unfinished app code) the feature is still bare-bones and under construction, but it looks as though the feature will be AI-powered. Fitbit may plan to use generative AI to pick up on key words and phrases in your journal entries, offering you advice based on those key phrases.

The feature was found by Android Authority in the Fitbit app (version 4.30.fitbit-mobile-110146981-694155636), and it allegedly “appears to be early on in development”. The UI is apparently quite basic at the moment, although the development team is clearly keen for Fitbit’s big userbase to engage with the feature - one message suggests “To get deeper insights and more personalized suggestions for better sleep, complete your journal each day.”

If you don’t submit an entry, a reminder pops up saying “Sharing what impacted your sleep helps create more personalized insights and tips”, with an option to go back if you decide not to fill in the Sleep Journal feature.

This is likely to be a Fitbit Premium feature, based on the pricing schemes for other experimental AI services like Oura Advisor. Given that it’s fairly early on in development, we wouldn’t expect it to land until 2025.

Analysis: generative AI is coming to Fitbit

I imagine this service will be similar to Oura Advisor, the experimental generative AI service used by the Oura Ring companion app, in that it uses text prompts to summon the correct wellness advice, personalized to your needs by cross-referencing your sleep and exercise data. If you sleep poorly and do a lot of exercise, you might be encouraged to dial it back in the evenings. Such is the power of generative AI.

We may be jumping ahead of ourselves (after all, there’s no hard evidence it will be an AI feature) but entering your sleep data into an artificial intelligence owned by Google, a company with a notoriously loose grasp on data privacy, may be a sticking point for some users.

Some, but not all; for others, the convenience will be worth it. A report from the National Institutes of Health found that “sleep diaries are the gold standard for subjective assessment of sleep variables in clinical practice. Digitization of sleep diaries is needed, as paper versions are prone to human error, memory bias, and difficulties monitoring compliance.” This live, responsive version of a sleep diary could be just what the doctor ordered.

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• A spike in returning lease volumes will peak in 2026
• Market could be flooded with cheap used EVs, new report claims
• Uncertainty about tax credits could upset the supply/demand balance

According to a recent study from J.D Power, which forms part of the 2024 E-Vision Intelligence Report, there will be a 230% spike in returning lease volumes of electric vehicles in 2026, potentially opening the floodgates to a swathe of cheap, second hand EVs.

It goes on to state that nearly 280,000 EV leases will end in the next two years in the United States, but thanks to the falling prices of recently introduced EV models (or those about to be launched) it means that for many, it will make more financial sense to simply lease a new car rather than buying out their current lease vehicle.

According to J.D Power, it would cost the average returning lessee in the electric compact SUV segment $477 per month to buy out the lease, while the average lease payment on a new EV in the same category would be just $457 per month.

This is based on the fact that the average buyout price for most electric compact SUVs is higher than the $25,000 threshold that would qualify for the used EV tax credit.

Although this is potentially good news for those in the market to make the switch to an electric vehicle, seeing as there will be plenty of affordable used stock in two years, it also presents numerous complications for the used car market as a whole.

J.D Power says that uncertainty about whether the federal EV tax incentive will continue and how long high manufacturer incentives will last, concern about long-term battery health, and a shortage of used gas-powered vehicles will complicate the traditional balance of supply and demand.

Analysis: Disastrous depreciation doesn't help

(Image credit: Porsche)

So far, electric vehicle sales have been skewed towards the premium end, targeting early adopters with deep pockets. For years, they have been seen as overpriced and out of reach for many mainstream buyers.

Although that is now changing, with a slew of more affordable models hitting both the US and Europe, it is already presenting a problem for the used car market.

Put simply, depreciation of some premium EVs has been huge, with models like the $130,000 /£120,000 Porsche Taycan dropping to as little as $35,000 or around £40,000 for three-year-old examples in some markets.

An investigation by Wired earlier this year found that some premium EVs, including the Mercedes-Benz EQE, Audi e-tron GT and Polestar 2, could lose up to half of their value in the first year of ownership.

The reasons for this worrying trend are numerous, from the lingering range-anxiety among buyers to the fact that battery technology is moving at such a rate that older models are being updated or replaced at a much faster pace than their internal combustion engine counterparts.

Rather than a mild mid-life facelift, as was the way with older ICE cars, today's electric vehicles are having battery packs replaced and improved, offering much greater range and improved performance.

It’s potentially putting off private buyers of new electric vehicles, worried that their latest ride will be worth a fraction of the cost that they paid for it in a couple of years.

The world of used EVs is going to create a buyer’s market in the coming years, which is great news for those holding off and waiting to make the switch, but not particularly positive for those struggling automakers, such as Ford and Volkswagen, that so desperately need to sell new cars to stay afloat.

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• Iranian state-sponsored actors are targeting aerospace pros with fake jobs
• The goal is to install backdoors and exfiltrate important data
• The style mimics that of Lazarus, a known North Korean actor

Iranian state-sponsored hackers have been observed targeting victims in the aerospace industry with fake job offers, which resulted in the deployment of the SnailResin malware, as part of their cyber-espionage campaign.

Cybersecurity researchers at ClearSky revealed how the threat actor, known as TA455, created fake recruitment sites, and fake profiles on social media sites such as LinkedIn. After that, they would approach their targets, and get them to download files as part of the onboarding process.

Among the files was SnailResin, a piece of malware that acts as a loader for the SlugResin backdoor, capable of data exfiltration, command-and-control (C2) communication, and persistence on victim systems.

Iranians? Or North Koreans? Or both?

The campaign, dubbed “Dream Job” started in September 2023, if not earlier, ClearSky noted.

TA455 is a well-known cyberespionage group, linked with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and shares similarities with other groups like APT35 and TA453. Besides the aerospace industry, TA455 was seen targeting defense, and government entities, in the Middle East, Europe, and the US. Its goal, for the most part, is cyber-espionage, gathering sensitive information for geopolitical intelligence purposes.

What makes this campaign particularly interesting is the fact that it mimics the style of Lazarus, a North Korean state-sponsored group. Fake job attacks are basically synonymous with Lazarus at this point, as they were used in some of the most destructive campaigns against firms in the crypto industry. At this point, ClearSky doesn’t know if TA455 is mimicking Lazarus, tries to hide behind the group, or is in cooperation with them.

“The similar “Dream Job” lure, attack techniques, and malware files suggest that either Charming Kitten was impersonating Lazarus to hide its activities, or that North Korea shared attack methods and tools with Iran,” they said.

In any case, be careful when getting new job offers, especially if they sound too good to be true.

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• Earlier this week, researchers discover a 9.2 flaw affecting multiple NAS models
• D-Link says it won't patch them since they reached end-of-life status
• Crooks are now targeting them with available exploit code

Cybercriminals have begun targeting D-Link NAS devices, recently found to have a critical vulnerability, but which will not be patched due to being at their end of life.

Threat monitoring service Shadowserver recently sounded the alarm in a brief thread posted on X.

It was recently reported multiple versions of D-Link NAS devices were vulnerable to a 9.2-severity flaw that could allow hackers to interfere with the endpoints. However, as the devices had reached their end-of-life, the company said it would not be addressing the flaw, and would not be issuing a patch - instead, advising users to replace the devices with newer models.

Thousand(s) of victims

While the researchers said the exploitation was somewhat difficult since the complexity of an attack was relatively high, they did stress that there is a publicly available exploit out there.

“We have observed D-Link NAS CVE-2024-10914 /cgi-bin/account_mgr.cgi command injection exploitation attempts starting Nov 12th,” the researchers said. “This vuln affects EOL/EOS devices, which should be removed from the Internet.”

They added that in total, there were more than 60,000 endpoints out there that could be compromised, including different models such as DNS-320 Version 1.00,

DNS-320LW Version 1.01.0914.2012, DNS-325 Version 1.01, Version 1.02, and DNS-340L Version 1.08.

Shadowserver also said that it observed roughly 1,100 potential victims, significantly fewer than the 60,000 that were originally claimed.

A NAS device is a dedicated data storage unit connected to a network, allowing multiple users and devices to access and store data centrally. It provides secure file sharing, data backup, and storage, making it ideal for both home and business use. NAS devices are typically easy to set up and scale, offering RAID support and other protections against data loss.

Cybercriminals frequently target NAS devices because they often hold sensitive data, including personal documents, financial information, and business files. By compromising NAS systems, attackers can steal, encrypt, or delete valuable data, with ransomware being a common threat.

Via BleepingComputer

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“Developer productivity” can be an emotive, and occasionally misunderstood term. It is not the output of individuals that we are seeking to understand, but the effectiveness of the development system as a whole.

A few percentage point increases in development efficiency in a large organization can represent hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost reduction, better time to market and improved product quality. That, coupled with the promise of significant productivity increases from AI code companions, means that being able to understand and measure the productivity of the engineering workforce should be a key priority for business leaders.

But doing so can be complex and requires a shift in perspective away from merely counting lines of code, toward evaluating the broader impact on business goals. By adopting modern productivity measures, business leaders can better understand and enhance the effectiveness of their development teams, ultimately leading to more innovative and successful projects.

Dropping esoteric productivity measures

Historically, businesses have looked to metrics like lines of code or story points to gauge developer productivity. However, these measures often don’t reflect the true value that a developer brings to a project and they can also be easily influenced. For example, developers can artificially inflate their productivity by writing verbose code or overestimating story point values.

Separately, such measures can be weaponized by management and business stakeholders to apply to deliver keystrokes more quickly, without appropriate consideration for the real drivers of value. So, it usually doesn’t serve a business well to closely monitor the arbitrary output of individual developers, because it simply doesn’t directly equate to efficiency or effectiveness. Instead, the merits of measurement lie in understanding the development team’s ability to create outcomes.

Looking to modernized measures

Healthy developer metric measurement begins with understanding the outcomes you’re trying to drive within your team, not the pace at which code is created; after all, there’s no point delivering the wrong thing more quickly. This means questioning what value you’re hoping to achieve by improving developer productivity. For example, this could be reduced delivery time and cost; increased deployment frequencies; or reduced defects and rework. The aim is then to identify metrics that will provide insight into these areas and guide you towards achieving your desired business outcomes.

To adopt modernized developer productivity measures, it’s essential to first assess and understand the existing ways of working across all aspects of value delivery – from processes and practices to tools. This helps to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies and areas of potential improvement. To do so, it’s vital to look beyond individual developers and understand the entire system surrounding delivery, including business analysis, team structure, sign-offs and DevOps infrastructure.

Designing outcome-oriented targets

Once an understanding has been reached about where improvements should be made, it is possible to then define leading and lagging indicators and proxies. In turn, these can be meaningfully tracked to help businesses make the right decisions. From a practical perspective, there are numerous tools on the market that can give insight into DORA and other measures, simply by connecting to issue tracking, project management and version control systems.

Armed with an understanding of the current state, as well as a set of areas for improvement, it is then possible to define outcome-oriented targets that are achievable, but ambitious enough to create meaningful value for the organization. By linking the targets to the outcomes that the company most values, the impact of change can be maximized without changing processes that don’t positively influence broader goals.

Once targets have been set, a clear Target Operating Model can be established to help the organization deliver in the most efficient manner. This helps to ensure that all aspects of delivery (beyond lines of code and even DORA metrics) are aligned to support the desired outcomes. At this point, developer productivity tools can be put in place to help enable the development capability, and to track its progress towards the outcomes.

Track, assess & reassess

Developer productivity is a journey, and it is essential to regularly reassess the outcome-oriented targets. In doing so, new areas might be uncovered that are more urgent than those currently focused on. Alternatively, targets might already have been exceeded and it is time to push the delivery capability to the next level.

By continuously improving and using the right tools and expertise, organizations can boost developer productivity and build a strong foundation for future growth. As technology evolves, staying adaptable and proactively refining productivity strategies will keep businesses competitive and efficient in delivering high-quality outcomes.

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Competition for the best developer talent is hotting up in every industry, with shortages growing. An overwhelming majority (69%) of software developers leave positions after less than two years, often citing undue levels of stress, excessive unpaid overtime and toxic working cultures. Even when convinced to stay, three in four developers are burned-out and unable to work to their full potential, leaving critical projects at risk of serious impact due to lack of productivity.

Developer shortages are detrimental across the board, but particularly so for e-commerce businesses. Retailers rely on software developers to create and manage engaging online experiences for customers, improve SEO visibility and drive traffic to their sites, and keep user data encrypted and secure.

If steps aren’t taken to improve developer experience, retailers risk losing top developers to forward-thinking competitors, with ecommerce experiences for customers suffering as a result. So how can ecommerce businesses keep developers on side?

Letting devs self-manage

Developers are often interrupted by required updates or routine tasks – particularly during busy seasons like the holiday shopping period. There’s no reason to waste this time with unnecessary meetings or distractions; it only widens the gap between devs and their immediate priorities.

“Flow” is a well-known concept amongst developers. Also called “deep work”, this term refers to a state of complete concentration without distraction, something that many devs deem necessary on a daily basis to remain productive. It can take a programmer between 10-15 minutes to resume coding after an interruption, meaning that even the most trivial of delays can rapidly snowball into major project setbacks.

Learning how devs use their time at work can help to restructure workflows, identify helpful tools, and shorten lead times by up to 40%. Managers should collect regular feedback from developers on how they can best spend their time at work and plan accordingly, for instance by rescheduling meetings or allowing for flexi-time if required.

Identifying the right (and wrong) resources

Considering their staggering turnover rate, devs must see many positions as “dead-end jobs”. Developer roles must be just as valuable to the employees as they are to the company, with opportunities to learn, grow and progress.

For example, 44% of devs aren’t always sure which system or resource should be used to answer a question, which affects both productivity levels and stress management. Complex coding projects require exhaustive resources, but not all teams are suitably trained on how to use them.

Managers may assume that devs are familiar with certain platforms or tools, but this assumption may end up stunting the growth of young talent, or worse, discouraging them from asking questions. This is why project managers must ensure that all resources are accessible, user-friendly and comprehensively explained to all members of staff. Communications must also be air-tight, especially when working with remote teams, to keep devs in that ever-valuable flow state.

Another way to keep devs progressing and learning new things is to offer periodical training, whether on essential work practices or to develop skills that your business might someday need. By giving devs a chance to develop their knowledge of the latest technologies, businesses can close the skills gap while ensuring their team acquires valuable skills on the job.

However, it’s important to keep time frames and workload in mind for individual team members. Devs are likely to quit intensive courses or programs if it impedes them from their core responsibilities, especially if it’s a busy retail period. Instead of long training courses, businesses could instead consider more flexible resources without time restrictions to encourage devs to learn vital new skills on the job when they are able.

Freedom at work

70% of devs code in their spare time. For them, coding is not just work, but a hobby and a craft – it’s something they love to do. However many devs (especially those in-house) find all their time consumed by bug-hunting and other necessary, but boring and laborious, fixes, further impacting their job satisfaction. When barriers are created between devs and creative coding, it impedes innovation across the board – devs become less interested, and offer fewer ideas that would enrich the customer experience.

Without addressing the issue of devs’ freedom at work, businesses may soon be faced with a dispassionate workforce – not for lack of enthusiasm, but because their ideas have not been encouraged in the first place. This complacency will keep businesses behind while major competitors roll out innovative new ways to delight their customers.

Freedom comes from using modern flexible software that takes care of the mundane jobs developers are often tasked with, like bug fixing. This also frees up developers to add to the ecosystem. By removing tedious and laborious tasks from their workload, developers have more resources to focus on providing business value and actually contributing to the overall business strategy.

It’s natural for managers to want to maintain the hygiene of their ecommerce site, but making it a dev’s full-time job is not an efficient use of their time – it stifles innovation, distracts from more urgent tasks, and disengages the team. To reduce this kind of repetitive administrative work, businesses could consider investing in tools that can automate tests and identify bugs, freeing up devs for more complex, stimulating tasks that more directly impact conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

Where composable comes in

Top developers have become a hot commodity for ecommerce businesses. A good team of developers is crucial to creating engaging, frictionless customer journeys – so retailers have got to find ways to keep developers happy and motivated.

Self management, freedom, and airtight communication are all integral to improving developers’ experience. By giving developers the freedom and flexibility to create experiences that provide business value, retailers reap the benefits with unique, engaging experiences that help them differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Investing in new technologies, such as headless infrastructure, grants developers full control of the customer experience - without constraints from proprietary front-end tech - across the frameworks of their choice. With a composable approach, developers can make use of existing capabilities, allowing them to showcase their creativity - rather than getting bogged down in fixes and mundane tasks.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Although I'm not a gamer, the Prime Video trailer for the new videogame anthology series Secret Level has certainly piqued my interest.

Secret Level is based on some of the world's most famous gaming franchises and while the only videogames I've played are the likes of Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, there's no doubt that the trailer is completely mesmerizing. It's no surprise though as the adult animated anthology show is from the mind of Netflix's Love, Death and Robots creator Tim Miller, which I'm a big fan of.

The first teaser trailer for Prime Video's new videogame anthology show was unveiled at Gamescom on August 20 and now one of the best streaming services has released a new trailer (see below) which showcases the visually striking art and animation styles that'll be shown in Secret Level.

Each episode tells an original short story set in a number of beloved videogame universes such as God of War, PAC-MAN, and Dungeons & Dragons. Secret Level is a "celebration of games and gamers", and now I definitely want to be in on the party.

What is Secret Level about?

Secret Level is a groundbreaking gaming anthology series that tells individual stories set within the worlds of some of the most legendary videogames. The potential best Prime Video show will also include relatively new game franchises like the team-based shooter Concord, which you can play on PlayStation 5 and PC.

Alongside the ones mentioned above, the games included in the 15-episode series are: Armored Core, Crossfire, Exodus, Honor of Kings, Mega Man, New World: Aeternum, various PlayStation Studios games, Sifu, Spelunky, The Outer Worlds, Unreal Tournament and Warhammer 40,000.

Secret Level, which debuts on Prime Video on December 10 along with additional episodes on December 17, also has a star-studded cast, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Keanu Reeves, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, Merle Dandridge, Claudia Doumit and more.

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