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The cheap streaming era is over. Here’s why your bills are going up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:09:00 GMT

Wendy Lee and Thomas Suh Lauder | Los Angeles Times (TNS)When a flood of streaming services entered the market four years ago, the free trials were plentiful and the prices were extremely low — with Apple TV+ selling for just $4.99 a month and Disney+ charging a mere $6.99 a month.But now, as those services become more established, subscription costs have ballooned. In 2022, prices for the 10 largest streamers have increased an average of 10% and increased 10% on average in 2023 thus far, according to the Convergence Research Group, a market research company. Fees are expected to increase even more next year, the firm said.Media companies are charging more as they struggle to transition from profitable but declining business models — like traditional television channels — to on-demand streaming services, many of which are still losing money. The surges in pricing come as consumers are grappling with inflation and broader economic uncertainty. People who abandoned expensive cable bun...

Pac-12 power ratings: Washington’s title odds drop as the stretch run begins; USC’s number soars

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:09:00 GMT

Washington’s epic victory over Oregon enhanced the program’s profile, elevated quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s Heisman Trophy campaign and strengthen coach Kalen DeBoer’s negotiating leverage for a contract extension.But it had a contracting effect on the Huskies in one regard: Their national championship odds.UW’s odds of winning the College Football Playoff have dropped significantly in the past 48 hours.The Huskies were 13-to-1 to win the title prior to kickoff on Saturday afternoon. Today, they are 9-to-1 and on the same tier as Florida State and Ohio State, according to the latest odds from BetMGM.Here are the 10 betting favorites:Georgia: 11-to-4Michigan: 3-to-1Florida State: 9-to-1Ohio State: 9-to-1Washington: 9-to-1Penn State: 13-to-1Oklahoma: 14-to-1Alabama: 18-to-1Texas: 18-to-1Oregon: 25-to-1Those numbers track with other major sports books.The Huskies are 9.5-to-1 to win the title at FanDuel and 8-to-1 at DraftKings.Bovada is more optimistic...

Crystal, a cruise line that went under during the pandemic, sails again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:09:00 GMT

Twinkies, Toys R Us and Gymboree share the distinction of being beloved consumer brands that were euthanized by their parent companies, but resurrected under new ownership to the delight of distraught devotees.A cruise line being added to the list of brand favorites brought back from the dead is nothing short of a maritime miracle on the heels of a pandemic. But when the gorgeous Crystal Serenity pulled into Lisbon the other week, completing a 12-night maiden voyage in the Mediterranean, so returned industry darling Crystal Cruises (crystalcruises.com).For its ardent and affluent following, the 1 1/2 years spent lamenting over their loss must have been rough — not unlike being without one’s favorite cellophane-wrapped snack cake or pair of children’s retailers. The hardship could be felt all the way in South America. Several months ago, off the coast of French Guiana on another ultra-luxury cruise line, a senior-aged woman from California felt the need to tell a travel writer that s...

LinkedIn announces layoffs of over 660 roles 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:09:00 GMT

(KRON) – LinkedIn announced Monday the company will be laying off approximately 668 roles across their engineering, product, talent, and finance teams. The layoffs are around 3 percent of LinkedIn's global workforce.LinkedIn released a statement about the layoffs Monday:"While we are adapting our organizational structures and streamlining our decision making, we are continuing to invest in strategic priorities for our future and to ensure we continue to deliver value for our members and customers. We are committed to providing our full support to all impacted employees during this transition and ensuring that they are treated with care and respect.”LinkedIn Bay Area tech layoffs: LinkedIn cuts nearly 200 jobs This is not the first employee reduction for Sunnyvale-based LinkedIn this year. In July, the company announced that it would be cutting nearly 200 jobs from three Bay Area locations -- Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and San Francisco.

Santa Rosa traffic stop leads to arrest for loaded, unregistered gun

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:09:00 GMT

(KRON) -- A Redwood Valley man was arrested Sunday in Santa Rosa after police officers located an unregistered, loaded firearm during a traffic stop, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.Police pulled over a silver Dodge pickup at 1:59 a.m. on Oct. 15 in the area of Sonoma Avenue and D Street after it was seen speeding 50 mph in a 35 mph zone, SRPD said.During the traffic enforcement stop investigation, authorities said officers located two AR-15 rifle magazines and a loaded, unregistered 9mm polymer 80 handgun. Viral TikTok shows Vallejo police officer punching a woman The driver was identified as Frank Pomilia, 21, of Redwood Valley. Pomilia was arrested and booked into Sonoma County jail for “possession of a loaded firearm in a public place and possession of a loaded and concealed firearm in a vehicle,” SRPD said.

Analysis: Eagles, 49ers beat themselves, leaving NFL with no undefeated teams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:09:00 GMT

On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.___The NFL’s last two undefeated teams beat themselves.The San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles struggled on the road against inferior opponents with backup quarterbacks and tough defenses.That allowed Larry Csonka and his teammates from the 1972 Miami Dolphins to pop the champagne bottles in October. They’ll remain the only perfect team in league history for at least another year.The Buffalo Bills, the NFL’s biggest favorite so far this season, also had problems on Sunday facing a losing team and a backup quarterback but they held on at the 1-yard line for a 14-9 win over the New York Giants.Brock Purdy looked ordinary without his top two playmakers in San Francisco’s 19-17 loss at Cleveland. Jalen Hurts made a critical mistake in Philadelphia’s 20-14 loss to the Jets.But there was plenty of blame to go around.Despite Purdy’s poor performance — his first in 14 caree...

OPINIÓN | América Latina y el conflicto Israel-Hamas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:09:00 GMT

Nota del editor: Jorge G. Castañeda es colaborador de CNN. Fue secretario de Relaciones Exteriores de México de 2000 a 2003, durante el gobierno de Vicente Fox Quesada. Actualmente es profesor de la Universidad de Nueva York y su libro más reciente, “America Through Foreign Eyes”, fue publicado por Oxford University Press en 2020. Las opiniones expresadas en esta columna son únicamente del autor. Puedes encontrar más artículos de opinión en CNNe.com/opinion.(CNN Español) — Ante cualquier acontecimiento internacional trascendente, resulta inevitable tratar de elaborar una especie de marcador o tablero que reseñe las posiciones de los distintos países de una región u organización heterogénea. Es el caso de las posturas recién expuestas por algunos de los gobiernos latinoamericanos ante el ataque de Hamas a Israel y, más adelante, a propósito de la respuesta israelí. Algunas naciones, lógicamente, ven evolucionar sus definiciones conforme pasa el tiempo y la situación cambia. Vea...

Five-time champion Australia gets its first win at Cricket World Cup, beats Sri Lanka by 5 wickets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:09:00 GMT

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Five-time champion Australia secured its first win at the Cricket World Cup with a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on Monday and almost 15 overs to spare.Adam Zampa spun out Sri Lanka with 4-47 in eight overs as he helped trigger a Sri Lankan batting collapse. Cruising at 125-0 at one point, the 1996 champions crashed to 209 all out in 43.3 overs, losing all 10 wickets for just 84 runs. Openers Pathum Nissanka (61) and Kusal Perera (78) were the only significant scorers.In reply, Australia rode on half-centuries from Josh Inglis and Mitch Marsh, as it reached 215-5 in 35.2 overs. Inglis top-scored for Australia with 58 runs off 59 balls, including five fours and a six.After straight losses to host India and South Africa, Australia moved off the bottom of the 10-team table to eighth. It’s level on two points with fifth-place England, Afghanistan and Bangladesh but trails those teams on net run-rate.Sri Lanka is ninth after its seventh consecutive loss t...

Southwest makes a pitch for frequent flyers by making it easier to qualify for elite status

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:09:00 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines is lowering the requirements to qualify for the top levels of its frequent-flyer program, a move aimed at travelers who are unhappy with other airlines that are making it harder to reach elite status.Southwest said Monday that it will reduce by 20% the number of flights needed to qualify for its “A-List” and “A-List Preferred” levels in its Rapid Rewards program.The airline said it won’t change the number of spending-based points that customers can also use to qualify for either level, and it will make it easier to get those points using a Southwest-branded credit card. The changes will start next year for travelers aiming to hit elite status for 2025.Southwest’s moves contrast with Delta Air Lines, which drew criticism on social media last month after announcing changes that make it harder to reach elite status in its SkyMiles program and gain entry to its airport lounges. CEO Ed Bastian says Delta is reconsidering those changes.Under Southwest̵...

Will Smith responde a Jada Pinkett Smith sobre su libro “Worthy”, mientras ella dice que están en un punto “hermoso”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:09:00 GMT

(CNN) — Will Smith compartió su opinión sobre las nuevas memorias de Jada Pinkett Smith.La pareja ha sido objeto de múltiples titulares desde que Pinkett Smith reveló la semana pasada que están separados desde 2016.Es solo una de las revelaciones de sus nuevas memorias, “Worthy”.Jada Pinkett Smith revela que ella y Will Smith están separados desde 2016The New York Times informó el fin de semana que Smith envió por correo electrónico a la publicación una respuesta a su libro.“Cuando has estado con alguien durante más de la mitad de tu vida”, escribió, “se establece una especie de ceguera emocional, y puedes perder con demasiada facilidad tu sensibilidad a sus matices ocultos y bellezas sutiles”.En el programa “TalkShopLive” del fin de semana, Pinkett Smith apareció con su madre Adrienne Banfield Norris y hablaron de su libro.Norris dijo que quería aclarar parte del “vitriolo” dirigido a su hija.“Solo quería decir...