News written by Petteri Pyyny (June, 2025)

Netflix is venturing down a somewhat unexpected path. The company is set to introduce traditional, linear TV broadcasts within its app -- across all of its supported platforms.

This move stems from a partnership deal between Netflix and French media group TF1. Under the agreement, starting summer 2026, viewers will be able to watch TF1's TV channels live through Netflix -- much like how users can watch live TV content on many of the traditional broadcasters' own apps.

The collaboration also extends into streaming: Netflix users will have access to shows and series from TF1's streaming platform, TF1+, as if they were part of Netflix's own library.

Notably, the deal won't increase Netflix's pricing in France. Instead, TF1's content will simply become part of the broader offering on Netflix France. TF1's channels are free and ad-supported, focused primarily on entertainment and news within French-speaking markets.

A step toward content consolidation?

While the shift may seem small, it could signal a larger transformation in the media landscape. Until now, every media brand has largely sought to build and maintain its own apps and distribution channels. This approach comes with steep costs -- delivering proper streaming coverage demands development and support across Android, iOS, web, and a wide array of smart TV platforms.

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Today Google unveiled the final, stable build of Android 16, now available for smartphones, tablets, and other Android-powered devices.

As expected, the update is landing first on Google's own Pixel phones as well as the Pixel Tablet. At the same time, support for the oldest Pixel models is ending, with Android 16 available starting from the Pixel 6 series onward.

Arguably the most notable and user-facing change in Android 16 is the forced bundling of notifications. In practical terms, this means that if an app floods your device with alerts - say, for every single comment on your latest viral post - those notifications will no longer overwhelm your notification shade. Instead, they'll be grouped into a single expandable notification cluster.

Visually, Android 16 doesn't look all that different from Android 15. That's because the complete visual overhaul, dubbed Material 3 Expressive, is slated for release later this year as a follow-up update.

Pixel phone owners should already see the update available automatically via the software update menu. The one exception? Those running the Android 16 QPR1 beta builds. These users will need to roll back to Android 15 before upgrading to the stable Android 16 release. You can also find details on which other manufacturers' devices are slated to receive Android 16.

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Time flies. Our site has shrunk quite a lot since the peak years, but but we're still here, after all these years.

So, yeah, 26 years ago today, our site officially launched - back in 1999. Since those days, lots of things have changed - in technology, culture, our personal lives and Internet. But our site is still here, having survived all these years - good times and the bad ones.

I wont go over our history and our roller-coaster years now, as I've done so back in 2019, extensively when our site turned 20 years old.

Again, I'd like to thank all of you who have supported our site over all these years. Thank you, everybody!

-Petteri Pyyny, CEO
AfterDawn Oy

Last week, the European Commission launched an investigation into the largest adult entertainment websites. The inquiry aims to determine whether these platforms have taken adequate measures to restrict minors' access to age-inappropriate content.

Hidden within the Commission's press release was an almost offhand mention of a new app planned for age verification across the European Union.

Details were scarce - so we dug in. We reached out to multiple public agencies to uncover more about this app and how it's expected to work.

Our investigation ultimately led us to Finnish authorities, who were able to shed some light on the matter.

In Finland, the initiative is being driven by the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman, which is responsible for overseeing the processing of personal data in the country. The office confirmed to AfterDawn that an age verification solution is indeed headed to Finland.

The solution will come in the form of a smartphone app, slated for official release in June 2025 and set to be rolled out across the country in October.

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