Entertainment
Saudi Arabia bans Doctor Strange in the Multiverse: Read the reason here
Marvel fans are desperately waiting for the long-awaited follow-up to the hit 2016 superhero film Doctor Strange. While the film is set to release across the globe in the first week of May, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been banned in Saudi Arabia. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed the news. Rumours are rife that the ban on the film, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, might also be levied in Kuwait, but no official statement has been out as of now. To those wondering why the ban? It is said that the decision came in considering the LGBTQ issues.
Homosexuality is still, officially illegal across the Gulf. Films that feature any LGBTQ references or issues fail to get past censors. Now, the sequel of Doctor Strange will be introducing the character America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez). Now as per her portrayal in comics, she is gay. Following the decision of the authorities, advanced tickets are no longer available on the websites of cinemas in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. Notably, people of UAE can still book tickets suggesting that the film will be released there.
As part of the global rollout, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse was due to be released across the Gulf on May 5. In India, the film will release on May 6. The ticket bookings were open a month before.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse is not the first Marvel movie to face a ban in the Gulf nation. Previously, Chloé Zhao’s Eternals was also banned across much of the Gulf in November. The film had included a same-gender couple in the film and the MCU’s first gay superhero, hence, the ban. At the time, the censors had requested a series of edits to be made in order to release the film, but Disney was not willing to make it. However, an edited version of the film did screen in the U.A.E.
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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