Feb 25, 2020 - Economy & Business

Netflix introduces top 10 lists for movies and TV shows

Illustration:Rebecca Zisser/Axios

Netflix said Monday that it will begin putting out daily lists of the top 10 movies and top 10 TV shows in each country.

Why it matters: The company says that the lists will help users "easily see what’s in the zeitgeist," but industry onlookers argue that by releasing the lists, Netflix is undermining its almighty algorithm, which is supposed to surface personalized content recommendations for users.

Be smart: In typical Netflix fashion, the company offered little clarity around what it will be using to determine which shows are "popular."

  • According to Bloomberg, no outside party verified the lists. The lists are based on viewership in the first 28 days after a show was released, and the numbers include "people who watched at least two minutes of a program — rather than all the way through."

Go deeper ... Exclusive: Netflix reveals its 9 government takedown requests

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Mike Allen, author of AM
21 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Biden pushes unity message in new TV wave

A fresh Joe Biden ad, "New Start," signals an effort by his campaign to make unity a central theme, underscoring a new passage in his stump speech that says he won't be a president just for Democrats but for all Americans.

What he's saying: The ad — which began Friday night, and is a follow-up to "Fresh Start" — draws from a Biden speech earlier in the week in Manitowoc, Wisconsin:

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Axios
Updated 47 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 6:30 p.m. ET: 32,390,204 — Total deaths: 985,302 — Total recoveries: 22,286,345 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 6:30 p.m ET: 7,020,967 — Total deaths: 203,481 — Total recoveries: 2,710,183 — Total tests: 98,476,600 — Map.
  3. States: "We’re not closing anything going forward": Florida fully lifts COVID restaurant restrictions — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam tests positive for coronavirus.
  4. Health: Young people accounted for 20% of cases this summer.
  5. Business: Coronavirus has made airports happier places —The expiration of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance looms.
  6. Education: Where bringing students back to school is most risky.
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Jonathan Swan, Alayna Treene, Sam Baker
58 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Trump prepares to announce Amy Coney Barrett as Supreme Court replacement

Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Photo: Matt Cashore/Notre Dame University via Reuters

President Trump is preparing to nominate federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett of Indiana, a favorite of both the social conservative base and Republican elected officials, to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Republican sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Barrett would push the already conservative court further and harder to the right, for decades to come, on the most important issues in American politics — from abortion to the limits of presidential power. If confirmed, she would give conservatives a 6-3 majority on the high court.

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