Entertainment
‘Bigg Boss 13’ set for a makeover?
“Bigg Boss 13” is still some months away, but the buzz around the changes one would get to see in the new season is gathering steam.
Superstar Salman Khan will reportedly return as the host of the Colors’ show in which contestants survive 100 days under the constant glare of multiple cameras.
But the grapevine has it that after the failure of the last season, which had a mix of celebrities and commoners as contestants, the show will have an all-celebrity line-up for the new season.
However, a source in the know of developments told IANS that a “mix” may be expected again.
Another source said that considering the show comes in September or October, it is too early to comment about any changes that may be incorporated.
Amidst a spate of names that are already doing the rounds as likely contestants is Reena Dwiwedi, the PWD officer who became an Internet sensation after her photograph went viral on the social media.
She has said she would love to participate in the next season of “Bigg Boss” if she gets an invitation.
“‘Bigg Boss’ would be a great opportunity if I get it,” she said.
Meanwhile, the location of the “Bigg Boss” house will change from Lonavala to Mumbai this time. It will be shot in Film City, Goregaon.
The Marathi version of the popular reality television show is also being shot in Film City.
“Bigg Boss”, which began in 2006, is an adaptation of an international reality show. In India, it now has Bengali, Kannada, Marathi and Tamil versions too.
The Marathi version, hosted by Mahesh Manjrekar, will premiere on May 26.
Entertainment
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.
Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.
The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.
Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile
The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.
The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.
“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.
Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings
Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).
Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.
The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.
Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.
Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities
The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.
On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.
Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.
“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.
The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.
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