Fluency News #7 – Who’s next year’s Super Bowl halftime show performer?

Hello everyone!‍

Welcome to another episode of Fluency News! Here, you’ll practice your listening and get informed on all that’s happening in the world; all the major headlines of the week, all in English! During the episode, we make sure to explain the things that we believe need extra attention, so you don’t miss any details!

In this episode we’ll talk about entertainment news! Instagram confirms that videos under 60 seconds in stories will no longer be split into segments, international icon Rihanna takes center stage for Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, The 10 best mobile games you can play with a Netflix subscription.

We have an Instagram page with English tips, go check it out! @fluencytvenglish
We’ll have a new episode of Fluency News every week, don’t forget to listen! See you!

‍Episode Transcript‍

Hey, guys. What’s up? Adam Collins here, your host, and welcome back to one more episode of our podcast Fluency News.

We can’t wait for that day of the week when we come up with a new episode, right? I’m always very excited to stay tuned in the most recent news on the top stories from all over the world, while having the chance to work on your comprehension and listening skills.

Before we start, it’s nice to remember that, besides practicing your comprehension and listening skills, you can also work on your reading skills! By going to en.fluencytv.com, you will find the transcript of this episode. I’ll leave the link in the description, cool?

So, I’ll stop beating about the bush and go straight to the point!

Social Media lovers and influencers are already passionate about this one, because Instagram has finally heard all of us: the platform recently announced that the 15-second stories will no longer exist. They’re testing a new update that videos of up to 60 seconds in length will not be broken into different segments. The idea of its video options is aimed at simplifying the app, while it will also help Instagram maximize user engagement.

Are you an Instagram user? What do you think about that? So, let’s talk about some interesting vocabulary from this news. You’ve heard me saying that 15-second stories will no longer exist but do you know what the expression “no longer” means?

No longer means “not any longer”. Something in the past, but not now. For example, you could say “they are no longer together”. That means the couple was together in the past, but now they are not. Got it? So, 15-second stories on Instagram will no longer exist, that means they had that option before, but now they don’t.

Alright! Now let’s move on to our next story…

Every year, we’re eagerly waiting for one piece of information: who’s performing at the Super Bowl halftime show? And that’s because it’s always a great show with amazing artists. And this year is not going to be any different. Apple Music, the NFL and Roc Nation announced that the international icon, entrepreneur and philanthropist Rihanna will take center stage at State Farm Stadium for the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show at the Super Bowl. I can’t wait to watch it!

Alright guys. Let me explain to you what a halftime show means. Halftime is the short period of time between the two parts of a sports event such as football, rugby, or basketball, when the players take a short rest. And a halftime show is a performance given during this brief period of time. The show usually lasts around 15 minutes, but it takes time to setup and strike the stage too so the Super Bowl halftime can last anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes.

Halftime shows are a tradition during American football games so I bet everyone is excited to see Rihanna performing at the Super Bowl 2023 halftime show.

Ok so for the next news, I’ll start with a question: is Netflix a streaming service for movies and series, or a game developer? Well, I’ll answer that myself: it’s both! Yeah, that’s right. Besides having awesome movies, series and production, Netflix is also a game developer. Netflix Games is available to everyone with a subscription. It can be accessed exclusively through Android and iOS apps, and it has collected a tasteful suite of mobile games from third-party publishers that are all free to play. Its catalog even includes Stranger Things 3: The Game, where fans can team up in two players to explore the world of Hawkins, solve puzzles, and battle the emerging evils of The Upside Down. Netflix nailed it!

Pretty cool, right? So let’s go over some interesting vocabulary. Game developers are responsible for designing and developing video games for PC, console, and mobile apps. That means Netflix is now investing in video games and opening its first internal game development studio.

So, besides streaming movies and series, they are also developing games. Here is an interesting word: besides. Do you know the difference between “besides” and “beside”? Beside, without the s, tells us the location of something. It means “at the side of” or “next to”. So I can say for example: there is a small table beside the bed. The small table is next to the bed.

Besides, on the other hand, means “in addition,” “in addition to,” “moreover,” or “as well,” depending on context. I could say, for example: “what languages do you know besides Arabic and English?”. That means “what languages do you speak in addition to Arabic and English?”

Alright guys, well we’ve made it to the end. Now it’s time to finally take a break and play Stranger Things on my cell phone.

But first, I have some English sentences to practice on Memhack. Have you downloaded the app yet? If you haven’t, since you’re already downloading the games from Netflix, you can also download the Memhack app and start practicing right now. The app is totally free and the link is also in the description of this episode. That’s it for today guys. I’ll see you in the next one.

‍Stories:‍

‍Instagram confirms that videos under 60 seconds in stories will no longer be split into segments
‍https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/Instagram-Announces-Videos-Under-60-Seconds-Stories-No-Longer-Split-Segments/632598/#:~:text=Instagram%20has%20confirmed%20the%20new,into%2015%2Dsecond%20clips.%E2%80%9D‍

‍International icon Rihanna takes center stage for Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show
‍https://www.nfl.com/news/international-icon-rihanna-takes-center-stage-for-apple-music-super-bowl-halftim‍

‍The 10 best mobile games you can play with a Netflix subscription
https://www.vulture.com/article/netflix-games-subscription-service-best-games.html