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YouTube updates AI video policies with an automatic detection system

3 min readNew DelhiJun 10, 2026 04:25 PM IST Netflix announced new tools aimed at improving content discovery and engagement. (Image: Netflix)Netflix has announced a series of product updates across its mobile app, content discovery tools, and gaming ecosystem during its APAC Product Innovation Showcase, highlighting its focus on making the platform more personalised and engaging for users across the region. As part of the announcement, Netflix confirmed that its refreshed mobile experience will roll out in South Korea and Japan in July. The update is already available in markets including India, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Malaysia, with additional Asia-Pacific countries expected to receive the experience in the coming months.The redesigned mobile app introduces a new vertical video feed called Clips, aimed at helping users discover content through short-form previews. Users will be able to watch clips, save titles to their watchlists, share content with others, and move directly to a show’s or film’s page to begin streaming. Netflix said the feed will be personalised based on viewing habits and user interactions. The company also revealed plans to test Clips collections in the future. These curated feeds could focus on specific genres, moods or content categories, including reality television highlights, behind-the-scenes footage, and podcast-related content. Alongside its mobile updates, Netflix outlined new developments in its gaming strategy. The company said its Netflix Playground experience, a dedicated games space for children and families within Netflix Games, will continue expanding globally. From June 20, Netflix will introduce a new collection of six mini-games inspired by the film K Pop Demon Hunters on Playground. The company said the games are designed to give younger audiences additional ways to interact with characters and stories from the franchise. Netflix noted that Playground is included with all memberships and does not feature advertisements or in-game purchases. The platform is expected to add more titles based on children’s shows, films, and characters over time, while also exploring new interactive experiences.Story continues below this ad The streaming service also highlighted its efforts to improve content discovery through curated collections and theme recommendation hubs. These features are designed to help users find content based on specific interests, seasonal events, and regional celebrations. Examples include collections built around occasions such as Diwali in India and Golden Week in Japan. More recently, Netflix introduced ‘Watch Your Favourite Books’, a dedicated hub that helps viewers discover screen adaptations of popular books. According to the company, such themed collections are intended to complement its recommendation systems by making browsing more intuitive and relevant for different audiences. “Our job is to blend smart recommendations with real human understanding of what matters to members, so that finding something to watch feels easy, and even fun,” said Eugenie Yeo, Senior Director, Product Merchandising for Asia Pacific at Netflix. Through the latest updates, Netflix is seeking to strengthen engagement across mobile viewing, content discovery and gaming, while continuing to tailor its platform experience for users across Asia-Pacific markets.Story continues below this ad (This article has been curated by Shivani P Menon, who is an intern with The Indian Express)

Indian ExpressJun 10

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Instagram cracks down on content aggregators

Meta is testing a new “Series” feature for Reels that’s designed to make it easier to keep up with serialized content on Instagram and Facebook, the company told TechCrunch. Select creators will now be able to create a series using their Reels, both new and old. Each Reel will become an episode in a bigger story with a dedicated hub on their profile, mirroring an experience that’s already available on TikTok. The launch of the new feature indicates that Meta is embracing longer-term viewing, rather than quick scrolling sessions, as is normally the case with short-form videos. With organized series, the social media giant is looking to bring audiences back repeatedly and build stronger viewing habits. As for creators, the new feature offers a more organized way to release episodic videos, like tutorials and challenges. Image Credits:Meta Meta told TechCrunch that it’s considering ways to monetize the new feature, but didn’t share specifics on what that could look like. It’s worth noting that Instagram rival TikTok launched a Series feature back in 2023, allowing creators to post collections of premium content behind a paywall that viewers can purchase for access. It’s possible that Meta could follow a similar playbook with its own series feature in the future. Meta says it’s already seeing serialized content take off, so its newest test feature is meant to make it simpler to catch every episode. For example, if a creator is doing a “10 days of healthier baking” series, they can bundle all ten videos into a single series. The series would appear in a new tab on the creator’s profile with its own page so people can find all the episodes, watch them in order, and pick up where they left off. When viewers discover episodes of a series while scrolling their feed or the Reels tab, they will see the option to tap into the full series to see other episodes. Users also have the option to save a series to watch later or stay up-to-date. For the testing phase, Meta is working with select creators and content producers who have already shared serialized content on Instagram and Facebook. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Aisha is a consumer news reporter at TechCrunch. Prior to joining the publication in 2021, she was a telecom reporter at MobileSyrup. Aisha holds an honours bachelor’s degree from University of Toronto and a master’s degree in journalism from Western University. You can contact or verify outreach from Aisha by emailing aisha@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at aisha_malik.01 on Signal. View Bio

TechCrunchJun 2

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YouTube rolls out likeness detection for all over-18 users to combat AI deepfakes

3 min readMay 22, 2026 09:23 AM IST Spotify executives outline the company’s AI-focused future and new premium features during Spotify Investor Day 2026. (Image: Spotify)Digital audio streaming service, Spotify on Thursday, May 21, outlined its long-term strategy at its 2026 Investor Day. The company that has been witnessing a steady growth in users, is focussing on AI-powered personalisation, new premium features, creator subscriptions, and expanded audiobook capabilities. The platform said that it wants to deepen user engagement and create more paid experiences apart from music streaming. Speaking at the event, Spotify Co-CEO Gustav Söderström said the company is building what it calls a “Large Taste Model”, using Spotify’s user data and listening habits to personalise experiences in real time. “We’re entering the era of Generation, where the experience isn’t just selected from a catalogue. It’s shaped by each of our users, in real time, around their taste, context, and intent,” Söderström said.Further, the company said it plans to evolve beyond a traditional streaming platform into a broader media and audio ecosystem spread across music, podcasts, audiobooks, and AI-generated content. Meanwhile, co-CEO Alex Norström said the company’s growth strategy is centred on increasing long-term engagement rather than short-term spikes in usage. He added that users who engage with music, podcasts, and audiobooks together tend to use Spotify almost daily. Spotify also highlighted the growth of its Premium business, saying some subscribers are willing to pay more for additional features and services. The company noted that audiobooks have become one of its fastest-growing paid offerings. Key announcements from 2026 Investor Day Among the announcements was a new feature called Reserved, which will allow select Spotify Premium users to access concert tickets before they go on sale to the general public. Spotify said the feature is aimed at rewarding artists’ most dedicated fans. It also announced new licensing agreements with Universal Music Group and Universal Music Publishing Group. Under the deal, Spotify plans to launch a tool that will let users legally create song covers and remixes using participating artists’ catalogues. The feature will be offered as a paid add-on, with Premium users getting early access.Story continues below this ad Further, the company introduced Memberships, a creator-focused subscription system that will let eligible creators offer paid subscriptions directly to fans on Spotify later this year. It is also developing AI-generated Personal Podcasts, where users can enter prompts and receive short private audio content tailored to their listening preferences and interests. On the audiobooks front, Spotify said it expects its Audiobooks+ offering to reach $100 million in annualised recurring revenue by July. The company also plans to introduce new audiobook add-on tiers for Family and Student plans later this year. Additionally, Spotify unveiled Studio by Spotify Labs, a standalone desktop app that can generate personalised audio content, including podcasts, playlists, and daily briefings, using a user’s Spotify activity and connected tools such as calendars and inboxes. The app will initially roll out as a research preview in more than 20 markets.

Indian ExpressMay 22

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YouTube tests variable display sizes for video thumbnails

Amazon is adding a short-form video feed to the Prime Video app called “Clips,” the company announced on Friday. Rolling out first in the U.S., Clips will include…well, clips of shows on Prime Video that are designed to hook a viewer and get them to give the full show a try. From that clip, users can add a title to their watchlist, share it with a friend, or navigate to rent, buy, or access the title through their subscription. “Clips gives customers a whole new way to browse with short, personalized snippets tailored to their interests,” said Prime Video’s director of global application experiences, Brian Griffin, in a press release. “Whether they have a few minutes to scroll or are looking for something to watch when they have more time, entertainment is just a tap away.” Amazon first tested this short-form feed during the NBA season, showing highlights that users can scroll through as though they’re watching TikToks. It’s not a surprise to see Prime Video make this change — Netflix, Peacock, Tubi, Disney, and others have recently rolled out similar experiences, which are designed to promote discovery. Netflix’s short-form feed even shares the Clips name. Clips is first rolling out to select U.S. customers on iOS, Android, and Fire tablets, but it will be available more broadly this summer. Users can navigate to Clips by scrolling down on the Clips carousel on the Prime Video mobile home page, which will surface a full-screen vertical feed. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture. She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos. You can contact or verify outreach from Amanda by emailing amanda@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at @amanda.100 on Signal. View Bio

TechCrunchMay 8

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Google Translate now lets you practice pronunciation

Google Cloud, the business under parent company Alphabet that provides enterprise AI solutions, had a blowout first quarter, with revenues topping $20 billion for the time, a 63% increase from the same period last year. However, investors were concerned about the constraints surrounding the business and how Google decides to allocate cloud capacity. In the first quarter of 2026, the company said its cloud growth was driven by strong performance in the Google Cloud Platform, which grew at a higher rate than the Google Cloud division’s overall revenue growth. (The Cloud...

TechCrunchApr 29

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