Why you should not share your Netflix account
When it comes to enjoying the latest hits, Netflix is reigning over the streaming world. With an expansive collection of content belonging to a different genre and the possibility of unblocking foreign Netflix libraries with the best free VPN for Netflix, there is no surprise that the number of annual Netflix subscribers is increasing daily.
It is a common practice among Netflix users to share the credential of their accounts. There are high chances that you have shared your Netflix account with someone, or you are the recipient. Sharing a Netflix account with your friends and family seems like a great idea to save some bucks, but various security risks are associated with it.
On the surface, this practice seems safe enough, but it is a risky move when it comes to user security. Here are some of the security risks associated with sharing your Netflix account.
Increased chances of password theft
It does not matter whom you are sharing your password with; as soon as you provide your Netflix credential to someone else, the risk of password theft increases significantly. As two users are using the credential, the surface for attack widens, risking your security.
For instance, if your family or friend falls for a phishing email, your password will be entered into phony sites that can easily expose your password. Now cyber thieves are using your credentials even though you did not fall for the scam.
This is not the only approach attacker used to steal your Netflix credentials from someone else, targeting the basic concept of cybersecurity. They also install keyloggers on public computers. As your friend enjoys Netflix from a public system or Wi-Fi, he/she can enter into an unsecure network that will leak your Netflix password.
It is almost impossible to police what others are doing with your password; if you don’t share it with anyone else, you don’t have to worry about password theft so you are responsible for making sure that your cybersecurity.
Using the same password for multiple accounts
Using the same password for different accounts is considered to be the worst password. Even though most of us know the risks associated with using the same password for multiple accounts, we prefer convenience over security.
Let’s discuss this practice is considered dangerous. If you use one password for your Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, and banking account, in case of any cyber-attack, your password will be exposed and used to access all of the associated accounts.
Anyone using your password will try to find out another site with the same email address. In case you were using the same password for your bank account, say goodbye to your money. We discussed the dire consequences of sharing Netflix credentials with others; guess how much damage an attacker can do if they have the password of your bank account.
Sometimes, the person you are sharing the password with is not trustworthy. What can you do if your friends start snooping around other platforms and use your password to access your details?
Though not everyone does that, black sheep are hiding behind the facade of friendship.
Resharing of the password
When you share the Netflix login credentials with your family, it is understood that they will protect your details and will not share the information with anyone else. Maybe you are subscribed to the premium Netflix plan where you can enjoy Netflix on four screens simultaneously.
You can feel comfortable sharing your account with one person, but what if they share it with their siblings or roommates or several other people. The risk of a security breach is increasing exponentially, and you won’t even be aware of the danger. This is why Netflix is rolling out password crackdown and encouraging users to subscribe to a new Netflix account.
Getting locked out of your own account
If you are sharing your Netflix password with anyone, keep in mind that you are allowing them to access your account and providing them with the key to your account. They can go to your account settings and change your password.
Netflix provides the option to change the password and booting out all other users from the Netflix account, requiring them to enter the new credentials. If your so-called friend does this, you can lose your Netflix account. You will have the option to change your password via email and confirm the payment information, but there is no reason to go through this nuisance, so it is better not to share the password with anyone.
Closing
Even though the practice of sharing the Netflix account password is pretty common, it should be nipped. Netflix users need to take the concept of online and cybersecurity seriously. You cannot compromise your privacy if your friends are in the mood to enjoy the best Netflix content.
We hope that this article helped you understand the security risks associated with sharing your Netflix credential, and you will refrain from doing so.
A Hungarian fan made it into Friends: The Reunion — VIDEO
Six friends, ten seasons, 236 episodes and lots of laughter. This is the shortest way to summarise the Friends series. It’s been 17 years since the final episode of the series. Since then, the six actors have only reunited once, which has changed now due to the arrival of Friends: The Reunion. The special edition featured not only the actors who played the main characters and a lot of star guests but also a Hungarian man.
Attila Agg from Upper Hungary was included in the special edition with an iconic move by one of the main characters, Ross. He was one of the five fans who could tell their experiences and feelings about the series. Logging in from Lévai Castle, Attila sent a message to those who are not fans of the series. He punched his two fists together, recreating the movement of Ross, who did this in an episode of the series instead of showing his middle finger, writes hvg.hu.
“I shot this little video last year, and however the full video did not make it into the episode, these few seconds that the viewers saw are said to be funny,”
said Attila. The Hungarian living in Upper Hungary added, “On the morning of May 27, I received an email from the creators that I would be on the show. They also asked me to keep it confidential until the new episode comes out.” Attila was first approached by the makers a year and a half ago when they saw that he was an active member of the most popular Friends Facebook group. Attila Agg liked the special edition because it made it easier for him to see the actors again after 17 years. By being able to get involved in the special edition, his biggest dream came true.
The Friends movie is a real crying-laughing experience.
Since HBO’s announcement, fans were looking forward to seeing their favourites again. Many people were disappointed to learn that this was not going to be a sequel episode but a nostalgic talk show. However, seeing the result, everyone can be satisfied. Lisa Kudrow, who plays Phoebe’s character, said: “The writers ended the show very nicely. Everyone’s lives are very nice. They would have to unravel all those good things in order for there to be stories. I don’t want anyone’s happy ending unravelled.”
Along with the six main actors: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, we can see the creators, supporting actors and countless celebrities. Justin Bieber, David Beckham, Kit Harington, Lady Gaga, and James Corden were amongst the people featured. We left one more exciting piece of information for the end of the article. In the famous and iconic intro of the series, at 27 seconds behind Joey, Hungarian paprika can be seen on the kitchen shelf. If you don’t believe it check out the video below.
Mesmerising film of National Geographic about Hungary to air this weekend – VIDEOS
One of the most popular television networks showing us the most precious natural wonders of the world, National Geographic, is releasing a series called Europe From Above. Its upcoming second season will involve Hungary.
The 6 episodes of the channel’s new series will present European countries and their wonderful sites, flying above France, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Greece, and Hungary. The series will concentrate on well-known and hidden cultural, natural, and architectural wonders from a rare and unique perspective.
The episodes will present the exciting image of 21st-century Europe while looking back at the past and admiring the continent’s cultural and architectural heritage.
We will have the possibility to travel to many breathtaking natural sites still untouched by people, unveiling their original beauty, writes Magyar Hang.
The episode about Hungary will include exemplary buildings and landscapes Hungarians are all proud of.
The international team of National Geographic chose the best way to show the most impressive side of these places. For instance, they will present buildings covered with the unique Zsolnay ceramic tiles – if we already piqued your interest, you can read our article on
Szentkirályszabadja, a little village near Lake Balaton, with the history of its Soviet army base, will also be included. Its old buildings have been standing completely empty since 1996, with old panel structures reclaimed by nature for itself. The village is also referred to as the country’s “ghost town” – no wonder it was chosen to be featured.
A part of the Great Hungarian Plain, Hortobágy, Lake Bokod, and our famous Lake Balaton itself cannot be missed, of course.
The 800m2 national park of Hortobágy, the largest protected area in the country, a world heritage site since 1999, looks amazing from above, together with its large herds of Hungarian Grey Cattle.
Lake Bokod is considered one of the most precious places of Hungary, partly thanks to its unique “floating village”. Reporters of NatGeo even interviewed fishermen about life on the lake.
Apart from these lesser-known places so dear to Hungarians, those who have visited our little country will be able to recognise sites such as the thermal baths all around the country, the City Park of Budapest, or our huge castles and palaces. Thanks to a special visualisation technology, the episode will go back in time to reconstruct the castle of Szigliget in 3D.
The episode about Hungary will air on April 11, Sunday, at 9 pm on National Geographic Hungary.
Read alsoPictures that highlight why you need to visit Hungary – Beautiful lakes
Media company Bloomberg enters the Hungarian market
The media company of the world’s 21st wealthiest man will soon set foot in Hungary in partnership with a local Hungarian news magazine. The owner of the magazine has already officially confirmed the news.
After tensions of the past month in the Hungarian media concerning a social media site and Klubradio have calmed down, some new happenings are shaking up the sector again.
- read also: Deutsche Welle starts to create Hungarian contents because critical press is under pressure
Bloomberg, one of the world’s most known media brands specialised in business and finance, software and data, is coming to Hungary. The company was founded in 1981 by Michael Rubens Bloomberg, who built
one of the most important and most reliable information sources for business and finances all around the word.
After establishing his empire, Michael Bloomberg also had a very successful political career, including being mayor of New York for 12 years. In 2019 he even announced to run for president under the Democrats’ flag. However, he decided to support Joe Biden instead, both financially and by asking his supporters and followers to stand behind the new president. Furthermore, he is a huge philanthropic; he has spent over 5 billion dollars from his wealth on charities and their goals, including the fight against climate change and education. His current wealth is around 59 billion dollars, writes Forbes.hu.
According to Media1, Bloomberg has been preparing for months in secret to enter the Hungarian market. With the help of head-hunter agencies and mediators, the company had previously been conducting negotiations with several journalists of certain relevant magazines, such as HVG and 24.hu, under strict non-disclosure agreements. Finally, they
reached an agreement with news magazine 168 óra and its website.
Thus the presence of the media giant will have two elements. Firstly, certain content of Bloomberg will be published in Hungarian. Secondly, the Hungarian partner, 168 óra, will create their own Hungarian content under the Bloomberg brand name.
The cooperation does not stop at solely publishing articles, as Bloomberg has solid digital bases. Their channel, Bloomberg TV, focusing on business and capital market programming, is accessible via satellite. This means that some of their video content will also be available in English.
According to sources,
some Hungarian content will already be available over the course of this week.
10-year-old boy seen sitting behind the steering wheel on the motorway – VIDEO
Another driver took a video of a woman with a boy sitting in her lap, driving at a speed of about 50-60 kph. The police are looking for the woman.
It seems like more and more people are going a little crazy these days when it comes to children, and they often do something crazy or unbelievable.
A driver recorded a little boy sitting in the lap of a woman in the car next to him, driving in Budapest, on a 4-lane expressway leading to the airport, on Sunday. According to the man taking the video, the car was running at a speed of around 50 kph.
The video shows the child holding onto the steering wheel looking very focused.
As he could not have been able to reach the pedals due to his age, the woman pushed the accelerator for him. With a speed of 50-60 kph, they drove for around 10 kilometres.
An expert on driving skills told the TV channel RTL that if the driver suddenly had to brake, it could have led to a serious accident. He added that a test showed a deceleration of 2.5G in the case of an emergency brake or collision at this speed. “We push the kid with a force 5 times bigger than our own body weight… it is simply not worth it for those 10 minutes of enjoyment for the child to be accidentally killed,” he said.
The couple recording the video honked and waved at the woman to stop the craziness, but she did not react or even slow down, writes szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu.
The police also saw the video and are now looking for the woman who let the boy drive in order to hold her accountable.
Read also10-year-old boy seen sitting behind the steering wheel on the motorway – VIDEO
Judit Polgár, the chess player, had a wonderful conversation with the actress of Queen’s Gambit- VIDEO
If you’ve seen Netflix’s miniseries called Queen’s Gambit, you are sure to be interested in the video now. The fabulous Anya Taylor-Joy talked to the Hungarian Chess player, Judit Polgár in a video.
The Queen’s Gambit series is also fascinating and instructive for those unfamiliar with the mysteries of chess. However, Judit Polgár also experienced in reality how it feels to win the first adult tournament of her life at the age of six. During the conversation, the chess player also recalled that, at first, many people were sceptic about her talent. It was challenging to be recognised against man as well.
Anya Taylor-Joy got to live out her The Queen’s Gambit fantasy and talk all things chess with Judit Polgár, a world-renowned champion who is generally considered the strongest female chess player of all time 👑 pic.twitter.com/0FXXc9RcY2
— Netflix (@netflix) December 21, 2020
A few years ago, glamour.hu conducted an interview with Judit Polgár about women’s equal opportunities and how she managed to prevail in this masculine field.
“Ever since I was born, it was all about chess. The apartment was not full of games. When I started playing chess, my sister, Zsuzsa, was twelve or thirteen years old and had accumulated success. Zsófi, my other sister also competed well, she is only a year and a half older than me. It was natural for me to join, I didn’t have much toy doll,”
– said Judit Polgár. Her mom took care of the household. Her father was their manager. The parents were educators, parents and coaches at the same time. The family was together all day; they travelled a lot. There were some conflicts because of race starts, but there is nothing to complain about. Judit became the best among the women’s world rankings at the age of 12 and then led for 26 years. She and her sisters won the women’s chess Olympics. She was among the top 10 players among men’s world rankings as well. It was hard because many thought that women could not play chess at that time. Bobby Fischer, when he was at the top, said he could give any woman a knight advantage, he would still win.
According to the Hungarian chess player, “a woman thinks differently, according to a different logic, but they can still achieve the same results. It’s just not the same way. From the beginning, we played with men in most tournaments. I played just a few times against women in the thirty years of my career.” The framework of chess is difficult to change. For most players, everything is as good as it is.
“They reacted to my sister and me in many ways. They said at the beginning: What does this little girl want here?
They could not take them seriously because it was unusual to have to play against a little girl. Many are influenced by habit and tradition. In fact, if we look at the Top 100 World rankings, there are hardly any women in it.”
In 2016, Judit Polgár became one of the faces of the UN program promoting gender equality.
What are the best streaming choices for Hungarians
Everybody is stuck home this year during the pandemic. There isn’t much to do besides just distracting yourself with the right kind of entertainment that will keep you sane throughout this quarantine period.
And as the second wave hits Europe, so did the streaming war with numerous services going head to head. But which one is worthy enough for Hungarians to subscribe? Apart from the mainstream services, Hungary has a local gem hiding beneath these big names, all set to make a debut and take the locals by surprise.
Following are the services that Hungarians will find the best in terms of streaming their favorite shows, including local Hungarian content.
Netflix
Netflix is a universal streaming service widely popular throughout the globe. No matter where you go, Netflix will always have the highest subscriber ratio than any other streaming service in that region.
Netflix launched in Hungary in January 2016, and so far, it has managed to score 250k+ subscribers on the streaming service. There are numerous titles in the Hungarian Netflix library; some of them belong to their own local cinema.
Overall, Netflix in Hungary has 5062 titles in total, out of which there are 3409 films and 1653 TV shows. 65 of them are Academy award-winning films and 31 Emmy award-winning TV shows.
Netflix Hungary subscription plan ranges from 2490 Ft to 3990 Ft per month.
Top titles on Netflix
- A California Christmas
- The Prom
- Rose Island
- The Secret: Dare to Dream
- The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two
- The Christmas Chronicles
- Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
- Holidate
- Knives Out
- The Princess Switch: Switched Again
- Tiny Pretty Things
- The Queen’s Gambit
- The Crown
- Money Heist
- The Mess You Leave Behind
- Alice in Borderland
- Virgin River
- Grizzy & the Lemmings
- The Witcher
- Homeland
HBO GO
HBO Go is available in Hungary via Telenor’s MYTV. It is only available to those who have an active Telenor subscription under their belt. You will get a starter pack of 11 channels and a subscription to HBO GO for 2190 Ft. per month.
HBO Go was in the Hungarian market for quite some time, and users turned to it because of its benefits. One month of free service, free data traffic, and access on any device anywhere, anytime.
HBO GO even provides offline streaming, no ads while you stream, and unlimited access to original HBO movies and TV shows.
Top Shows on HBO GO
- The Big Bang Theory
- The Flight Attendant
- Game of Thrones
- Young Sheldon
- The Undoing
- The Walking Dead
- His Dark Materials
- Strike Back
- Normal People
- The Middle
- Let Them All Talk
- SPECTRE
- Joker
- Coco
- Skyfall
- Say It Loud
- Casino Royale
- Valkyrie
- Quantum of Solace
- The Goldfinch
Cinego
Cinego is Hungary’s first online streaming service consisting of Art films worldwide with Hungarian dubbing and subtitles. It features some of the top award-winning and festival winning international films, including some Hungarian classics as well.
Cinego targets a niche market and hence was a significant breakthrough for people looking for this specific genre of movies online legally. You will find films from festivals like Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, and Karlovy Vary.
The service plans on expanding its reach and adding more titles from different film distributors. The price plans on Cinego are divided into 3 categories. You can access most of the movies for 1500 Ft. In 650 Ft, you can rent the film for 30-days. While in 1300 Ft, you have the option to download the film completely.
Top Movies on Cinego
- Son of Saul
- Parasite
- On Body and Soul
- Sunset
- Toni Erdmann
- It Must Be Heaven
- Burning
- Ida
Hulu
Hulu is the US and Japan-exclusive streaming service, which offers a ton of trending US TV shows and movies along with a variety of Hulu original content online on their platform.
People of Hungary can easily access Hulu via a reliable VPN, as thoroughly described by one reliable source on what VPN would fit best for streaming Hulu internationally.
Hulu comes with 3 subscription plans that range from 1735 – 3472. They provide the same number of shows; the only difference is that one of them is an ad-supported service, while you have to pay extra to relieve yourself of the ads.
Moreover, Hulu has it’s own TV subscription service that you can subscribe to if you are tired of your own TV channels; it offers complete access to the streaming library along with several international TV channels.
Top Shows on Hulu
- Atlanta
- The Hardy Boys
- Brassic
- The X-Files
- Little Fires Everywhere
- Letterkenny
- Grey’s Anatomy
- American Horror Story
- Killing Eve
- The Handmaid’s Tale
- Ramy
- Mrs. America
- Catch-22
- Vikings
- Black-ish
Read alsoHungarian Folktales added as newest hungarikum
Golden Life – one of the best Hungarian TV shows
Golden Life (Aranyélet) is a Hungarian crime drama television series based on a Finnish series called Heippo elämä (Easy living). The series was produced by HBO Europe.
The show originally aired from November 8, 2015, to December 2, 2018, on HBO Hungary. The first season of the show was a big commercial and critical success, so HBO Europe renewed it for another two seasons, making it a complete unit. The entire third and final season was released via HBO Go in 2018, and it premiered on the same day on HBO Hungary and on all of the European HBO3 channels.
In the story, Attila Miklósi (Szabolcs Thuróczy) provides his family with a good, wealthy, and easy life in the elite suburb of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. They earn their money from mostly low-profile criminal activities. When Attila’s father dies, he decides to give up his criminal life and way of living and tries to become a decent person, but this transformation challenges the very foundations of his family.
The 24 episodes follow not only the life of the head of the family, Attila, but also the life of his family. We get to know his wife Janka (Eszter Ónodi), the pampered wife who does not care how her husband gets her money, but she does not want to give up her comfortable lifestyle. We also meet their children, their older boy, Mark (Renátó Olasz), a typical rebel teenager who always thinks about forbidden things, and their daughter, Mira (Laura Döbrösi), who is the main representative of positive values in the family. Another main character is Endre Hollós (Zsolt Anger), who is Attila’s old-time friend and partner in crime.
Golden Life has everything you need in a series. Humour, excitement, drama, great story, great characters, and great actors. The Hungarian atmosphere and milieu are a plus for all of this. The creators intended to reflect more on Hungarian society.
Golden Life has received widespread critical acclaim and has been praised by many critics as the greatest Hungarian television show of all time. Golden Life‘s rating on IMDb is an upscale 9 points out of 10. As such, Golden Life is the highest-rated television series produced by HBO Europe. At the moment, the series is ranked 129th as the only Hungarian on the list of the 250 best series on IMDb.
The series had a great impact on Hungarian pop culture. Endre Hollós’s character became the breakout character of the show. Anger repeated his role as Hollós in Hungarian pop-rap duo Wellhello’s music video and in a television promo on Hungarian TV advertising the Christmas broadcast of Home Alone with Szabolcs Thuróczy as Attila Miklósi. The characters wore the costumes of Harry and Marv, as a reference to Home Alone.
Golden Life was broadcast in many Central European countries. It premiered in 2016 on HBO Europe channels and on-demand services in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Romania, and Poland, and as an HBO Go exclusive in Spain, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. The first two seasons were released in the United States on August 1, 2018, via HBO Go and HBO Now. If you have not seen it yet, this is your chance to watch. To get started, check out the trailer below.
Exceptional series on the River Danube shot by BBC correspondent
The River Danube influences the lives of a dozen countries together with their millions of residents every single day. Countless photos and videos have tried to present its grandeur and beauty, from which the newest is a series with the objective of revealing the river’s secrets in a special way.
The brand new series of the TV channel Spektrum puts the spotlight on ordinary people with not so ordinary lives: fishermen, sailors, fierce environmental activists, and silent monks living along the banks or on the river itself. Nick Thorp’s series Duna – Árral szemben (The Danube – Upstream) brings this world closer to the viewers, writes Blikk.
The author arrived in Hungary in 1983, and 3 years later, he started working – and is still working – as the Central Europe correspondent for the BBC, living in Budapest. Since then, he has travelled along this incredibly long river several times to study it, leading to the birth of his personal, intimate, and often funny book called The Danube – A Journey Upriver from the Black Sea to the Black Forest. The book, published 6 years ago, gave the basis to the series having debuted on the 8th of November. It is an exciting audiovisual diary of a journey perfectly presenting the river itself and the life formed around it.
“We travelled by boat, ship, car, bike, kayak, bus, train, aircraft, and SUP, but we also walked a lot. Not a lot of people have the opportunity to travel along the whole of a river; I had the chance twice to do so in the case of the Danube from the Black Sea to the Black Forest – once to write my book and now to produce the series. A lot of people were open to let us into their lives even with the camera rolling,” said Nick Thorpe.
The 8-episode-long series guides the viewer through the whole length of the Danube, just as in the book, against the current. The shooting itself lasted almost an entire year, during which the crew visited 8 countries which gave the possibility to show, apart from the cultural diversity of the Danube, the dramatic events that happened in the history of Hungary and Europe on the banks of the river, from Marcus Aurelius to the Second World War.
The main character of Nick Thorp’s work is the Danube itself, which influences not only the life of Hungary but also that of many European countries. This fact makes the series fit for not only national but also international recognition, just as in the case of other previous Spektrum TV productions.
The Hungarian audience can enjoy the episodes in the narration of Pál Mácsai, Kossuth and Jászai Mari award-winning actor and producer. If we got you interested in this beautiful series, its nature, landscape, and life, you can see the new episodes every Sunday at 3 pm and 9 pm on Spektrum TV.
The next, 4th episode will air next Sunday, the 29th of November.
Read alsoTop 5 architectural masterpieces in Hungary
Orbán called “goulash with ears” on German TV – PM criticised for EU budget veto
German heute SHOW ridicules Hungary and Poland’s veto on EU budget, calls Prime Minister Viktor Orbán a “Gulasch mit Ohren” (basically calling him a jerk) and dreams about a European Union (EU) without the two “gangster” countries.
Heute SHOW is a German late-night satirical television program presented by German comedian and journalist Oliver Welke. It airs on public broadcasting channel ZDF. The show presents the weekly news with sarcastic and cynical comments, focusing on issues that are subject to the latest political discussion in Germany. Welke argues that he might help to point out “what goes the wrong way” in politics, and sometimes, he simply mocks “people who deserve it.” Last week, it was Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who deserved it.
The show’s latest episode aired on 20 November, and it had a full segment focusing on Hungary and Poland vetoing the EU’s 1.8 billion Euro-budget and post-pandemic recovery package, Telex reports. In the segment, Welke talks with an actress pretending to be an on-sight reporter from Brussels.
The topic is Hungary and Poland vetoing the EU’s budget because it would tie EU funding to the rule of law regulations. Orbán has said that connecting the EU’s budget and the recovery package to conditions where “the nature of the alleged law violation is not precisely defined” puts the trust between member states, as well as the interests of Hungary, at risk.
The fake reporter screams how “unbelievable” Hungary’s actions are, then calls Prime Minister Viktor Orbán a “Goulash mit Ohren” which literally translates to goulash with ears. However, the real meaning of the phrase has nothing to do with gastronomy. The German saying “Arsch mit Ohren” [literally an ass with ears] is often used to call someone an idiot, or an ass. Basically, she calls Orbán a jerk and goes on to say that by vetoing the rule of law clause in the EU budget, Orbán admits that Hungary is not led by the rule of law.
The reporter also says that Orbán, “together with his gangster colleague Mateusz Morawiecki are using the coronavirus epidemic to blackmail the entire European Union.”
The fake reporter and Welke also criticise the EU’s inaction regarding the matter and joke about their only response being a “stupid grimace,” and politely asking the extorters to stop their blackmail, to which Hungary and Poland say “nah, we don’t feel like it.”
The fake reporter says that Budapest and Warsaw’s actions simply “make her sick.”
She also points out that while the Hungarian government suffocates critical media, the Polish government abolished independent courts and the right to abortion, all of this in the middle of the EU.
The fake reporter comes to a simple solution: all members of the EU except for Hungary and Poland should quit the union. Therefore, the EU would cease to exist; then members could immediately form new one without Hungary and Poland, which they could call EUODBUUP, which roughly translates to “The European Union Without the Stupid Hungarians and Poles”.
She also points out how this way, the EU could save 17 billion Euros annually.
The segment ends with the reporter cutting two stars out of the EU flag, representing Hungary and Poland.
Read also‘Double standards’ on rule of law ‘unacceptable’, says Hungarian minister
Pro-government people say Fidesz predominates in the media
Even on Kossuth Radio, voters consider TV2 to be a more pro-government medium, while Fidesz voters say it is important for government-critical press to reach everyone – among other things, this is clear from research conducted by Median and the Measure Media Analysis Workshop with the support of the Friedrich Eber Foundation.
According to the report of 24, 2020 was also an unusual year in terms of news consumption because, due to the coronavirus epidemic, the demand for fresh news increased significantly, and epidemiological measures became the focus of public discourse. Online and community news sources have become more valuable as they can meet the demand for news quickly, but the question is whether this will continue after the pandemic subsides or whether television-centric news consumption with moderate openness to public affairs will resume.
One of the important conclusions of the survey, recorded by Endre Hann, Klára Megyeri, Gábor Polyák, and Ágnes Urbán, is that the importance of internet news consumption has practically caught up with television, and social media has become even more valuable. 71 per cent of internet users regularly use the world wide web to get information on political and public affairs. In addition, while Facebook has already lost its popularity due to Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok in many countries, it has significantly improved its position in Hungary in two years, and more than half of the respondents are already on the social media site.
The researchers conclude that in the next period, opposition parties should also focus even more on online and social media coverage in terms of political communication.
Not only because they do not have access to much of the traditional media anyway but also because potential voters search the internet for news. 74 per cent of those under the age of 50 use the internet for political orientation, while among those over the age of 60, that number is only 28 per cent. Among the youngest voters, the highest proportion is those who do not read the news regularly, or even at all (28 per cent, compared to 8 per cent of those over 60). For this reason, however, it is precisely the government measures that significantly affect this age group that open up opportunities for the independent media and the opposition to address young people more effectively than before.
According to the authors of the survey, the results provide convincing evidence that not only the selection of news sources but also the interpretation and evaluation of news is significantly influenced by the respondent’s party affiliation. Unsurprisingly, Fidesz voters find the pro-government media more credible, and despite encountering news sources contrary to the government’s narrative, they also interpret daily events in line with Fidesz’s position. For this reason, there is a big difference when party sympathisers are asked which news source they consider credible.
While M1, Kossuth Radio, Hír Tv, and TV2 are in the top four for Fidesz voters, RTL Klub, HVG, 24, and 444 are preferred by the opposition.
On the other hand, 444 is in last place among the ruling party, and M1 is in the last place among government-critics. The polarisation of Hungarian society, which can also be seen in news consumption, is a serious limitation of political dialogue in the long run, as those on the opposite political side do not view the media considered authentic by the other side as a serious source of news. In addition, news consumers often have a very strong view of where a news source belongs politically. TV2, for example, a commercial channel considered the second closest medium to the government for years, could only be overtaken by the public media. According to respondents, Origo has become much more pro-government since 2018, while RTL Klub is considered the most balanced.
A significant proportion of pro-government voters is also aware that Fidesz dominates the media system, but they do not view this negatively. However, even for the vast majority of Fidesz voters, it is not acceptable for an editorial office to publish externally directed and ready-made material, but this does not seem to cross their stimulus threshold. This is interesting because there is no difference between Fidesz and opposition voters in two respects: to varying degrees, they consider it important to access government-critical news sources and see the press as tasked with uncovering abuses.
The most dramatic development in 2020 for the media was the resignation of the former editorial board of Index, and this has reached even those who have previously been less interested in media market events. The editorial board of Index has since founded Telex, which is run exclusively on donations, which could be a breakthrough in the development of the willingness to pay for news, the authors of the study believe.
Hungarian Folktales added as newest hungarikum
Hungarian Folktales is officially part of the Collection of Hungarian Hungarikums, which counts 76 national values so far.
The Hungarikum Committee made the collective decision to include Hungarian Folktales in the Collection of Hungarikums at their recent meeting in Lakitelek, Index reports.
Applicants this year had a chance of winning a booster of 2.7 million euros. 360 out of the 425 approved applications received support.
István Nagy, Minister of Agriculture and Chairman of the Hungarikum Committee, said that
“Hungarian Folktales, the animated series, shares Hungarian values in a widespread and unique way.”
Among others, famous Hungarikums include Tokaj aszú, Hungarian honey, and pálinka.
Read alsoThese are the most popular hungaricums abroad
About Hungarian Folktales
Magyar népmesék [Hungarian Folktales] is a Hungarian animated series from the golden era of Hungarian animated cartoons. Hungarian Folktales was one of the most popular cartoons from the 1990s to the late 2000s. If you are interested in old Hungarian cartoons, you can check out our two-part series about the Favourite Hungarian cartoons of our childhood, including classics like Pom Pom, Süsü, and Dr Bubó.
Each episode of the series is based on a Hungarian folk tale and uses many Hungarian cultural symbols. One of the creators’ aims was to preserve the cultural treasures of the Hungarian peasantry. Hungarian Folktales was running for 32 years, from 1980 until 2012. The animated series has one hundred episodes altogether. The production of the very first episode started in 1977.
Read alsoGenerations grew up on these Hungarian Folk tales; Can you recognise any? – VIDEOS
About hungarikums
Hungarikum is a collective term indicating a value worthy of distinction and highlighting within a unified system of qualification, classification, and registry, which represents the high performance of Hungarian people thanks to its typically Hungarian attribute, uniqueness, speciality, and quality.
To describe it more simply, these are meals, drinks, and even animals, pieces of clothing, and buildings that stand out from Hungarian culture because of their worth, outstanding history, quality, recognition, and uniqueness; they are true, 100% Hungarian products. The most common ones, as some of you might know, are pálinka, Tokaj wine, Dobos cake, Chimney cake, and Törley Sparkling Wine, but there are some you might not be familiar with.
Read alsoWhat are Hungarikums? Discover some rare examples!
Hulu + Live TV + More than just streaming live television
Sponsored content
There are a lot of growing channels in the web television industry which itself is very small, with corporations seeking to get a foothold in the tech and entertainment industries. Apart from that, cable TV service providers are actively working, some have already introduced namely Spectrum TV, Xfinity TV to mention a few for reference, and the rest are gradually launching their Apps for streaming their services. The apps are, however, designed for their cable TV customers-only where they can watch their subscribed content from wherever they want on condition that reliable internet is connected to the device.
Back in 2017, Hulu, a media firm operated by television giants, joined the room with a very detailed view of how live television should look like in the future. To begin with, by separating shows from networks, Hulu with Live television (it is the real name) wants the re-contextualization of the viewing experience and, in exchange, create a more intimate Experience on television.
In this article, we are going to address the commonly asked queries or you can say most googled questions regarding Hulu services and everything a customer or potential customer must know. So, without further ado, let’s dive deeper into the details, step by step with the questions that need answers or open yet honest talk to eliminate apprehensions.
What is Hulu with Live television?
It is a streaming service with Live television – a bonus point. This means you have it on top of your usual internet connection, as opposed to getting it as a bundle. The service offers over 50 live television channels, a cloud DVR, and a complete catalog of Hulu content, including originals and classic series. All this starting from $39.99 a month and its availability is on most Apple television, smartphones, Xbox One, Roku, and more, from the Hulu app.
Have a look at Sling television, direct television now, PlayStation Vue, and YouTube television if you want to compare Hulu with Live television with its rivals.
It is impossible to make a pricing comparison between these providers, as the availability of channels, service’s look, and feel greatly vary- the fundamentals are the same, however.
If you are not really a fan of cable TV, you should definitely use one of the biggest video streaming services that are worth your money.
Is Hulu with Live television reliable?
The precise answer would be, yes. I had a few unusual issues with the freezing of live television and no on-demand video concerns.
How Hulu is with live television’s DVR?
50 hours of cloud DVR storage comes and Hulu and Live television. For an additional $14.99 a month, you can extend the DVR to 200 hours and have the option to fast-forward during advertisements.
What’s it like to use Hulu with Live television?
Hulu extending with Live Television does a good job, makes Television sound more intimate than the regular cable box. You’re faced with your “Lineup” when you first open the tab, well, tips for what to watch. With Lineup, Hulu aims to cross the boundaries as far as it is possible between live streaming and its vast back catalog. If your favorite series which you love has an episode running live now, the app will introduce it upfront instead of making you look for it in a big sea of networks and shows. The goal is to create an interface that separates shows from their networks.
Final Verdict
If you’re a current user of Hulu searching for an online television channel, adding a live television subscription to Hulu would be a perfect choice:
For the Hulu catalog you are only paying $7.99, and rivals are in line for another $30-odd bucks for live television. But if you are not a current user of Hulu, or you don’t have any interest in having Hulu’s on-demand library, all of your options should be compared.
The benefit of internet television services is that they are monthly subscriptions that could begin at any time and end whenever you want to discontinue. Try a rival, or vice versa, if Hulu with Live television doesn’t work for you. We hope the afore-mentioned answers to the most searched queries online helped you figure out what you want. Do share in the comments section below if we have missed anything or feel free to share your experience with us.
National Geographic Video Library launch in Hungary
National Geographic video library, a premium content service has its premiere launch in Hungary within the UPC Direct Now app from UPC Direct satellite TV service provider in partnership with National Geographic. UPC Direct subscribers will be the first ones in Hungary who get access to the premium service.
The National Geographic video library will offer high-end edutainment documentaries and scientific series about both timeless and up-to-date topics with breathtaking pictures. UPC Direct subscribers will be the first in Hungary to get access to this collection of outstanding documentaries from National Geographic and National Geographic Wild as part of the UPC Direct Now application.
UPC Direct subscribers can expect a wide range of topics including nature, space, history, science and technology, natural disasters among many others.
Each month National Geographic will add more interesting topics. UPC Direct subscribers will be able to choose from more than a large stock of shows available from National Geographic.
For space lovers National Geographic prepared the breathtaking series Cosmos, showing through science how magnificent space is. Viewers can unfold cosmos’ secret mysteries like never before and even look into the future.
Not only will nature lovers be overwhelmed by the gripping shows about Sharks. Sharks belong to the ancient animals of the Earth: these carnivores have a long history with our planet, they are living fossils. When dinosaurs appeared, sharks had already existed. The series introduce their long line of development throughout the ages.
For those who wish to solve history puzzles, NatGeo created sections dedicated to WWII films and war movie series.
The ambitions of Hitler destroyed most of Europe, if not the entire world. During WWII millions of soldiers and civilians died, became homeless or were taken to labor camps. The renown historical documentaries of NatGeo are archived recordings featuring the recalls of the survivors, and interpretations of experts of the field.
The series called Air Crash Investigation, which features the most dramatic moments of the biggest air crashes during the last decades.
With the help of the pilots, witnesses and experts, the documentary tries to find answers to the question: why these catastrophes happened.
Besides the magnificent pictures of National Geographic, users of the UPC Direct Now application can watch even 50 channels online and have access to their favorite shows anytime and anywhere. Using this application, viewers can watch 5 different shows on – even up to – 5 smart devices at the same time. With the restart function subscribers can watch their program from the beginning and with the help of the replay function they have a chance to watch the program they missed. Fans might also want to mark their favorites in the interactive schedule and by setting up reminders, missing a show will not be an issue anymore.
For more information visit UPC Direct’s website
Read alsoGood news for Hungarian Netflix fans wanting to expand their library
Hungarian billionaire buys Slovenia’s most popular TV channel
Chairman and CEO of TakarékBank József Vida has recently bought Slovenia’s third-biggest and most popular broadcaster. Officially, Planet TV will be part of Vida’s TV2 Group from 1 October.
TV2 Group, owned by Hungarian billionaire József Vida, recently acquired Slovenia’s most popular broadcaster, Planet TV, from Telekom Slovenije, Forbes reports.
Planet TV is one of the best-known TV groups in Slovenia with a 6 per cent prime-time audience share. It encompasses three commercial television channels: Planet, Planet 2, and Planet Plus. Regardless, the channel was struggling with serious financial difficulties.
TV2 Group showed interest in the indebted Planet TV in the past, but it was only this summer that the group was announced as the final buyer.
Telekom Slovenije eventually sold the broadcaster for EUR 5 million (HUF 1.7 billion) to TV2 Group.
The deal was approved by all authorities who found no concern in terms of competition law. Pavel Stantchev has been appointed the new CEO, and Spela Pirnat is going to be the new COO of Planet TV.
TV2 Group was formed in 2013, and it operates a portfolio including TV2 and its 14 sister channels. Following Andy Vajna’s death in 2019, the whole group was sold to Hungarian businessman József Vida. Vida is also chairman-CEO of TakarékBank and has investments in the financial, banking, IT, real estate, and financial consulting sectors.
TakarékBank is the central institution for over 60 co-operative banks and their 1,100 branch offices. It consolidates its co-operative banks and forms the Takarék Group, which is the fourth-largest bank in Hungary.
Read alsoBusiness trends in Hungary – what to expect?
Read alsoThese are the wealthiest Hungarian families in 2020
Outrageous! Hungarian phone-in show tries to sell hand sanitizer for 165 Euros
Everybody tries to get the best out of this horrible situation the world is in right now, and there seems to be no limit in exploiting desperate people. Hungarian channel screened a phone-in program that tried to sell 90ml of hand sanitiser for 165 Euros.
Pesti Hírlap writes that a clip of a phone-in show surfaced on the internet, where they are selling hand sanitisers for 165 Euros. In this clip, the host emphasises that they only have 100 packages available, and he even apologises for not having enough for everyone.
These 30-minute-or-so phone-in shows (in the U.S. known as “As seen on TV”) work with direct-response mail-order through a telephone number. These aim to sell a wide range of products from kitchen, household, automotive, cleaning, health, and beauty products, or in this case, hand sanitisers. Ékszer TV is one of these shows that run on a channel called ATV.
Ékszer TV uses all the classics: so much information on the screen that your face gets dizzy, the most dramatic background music you can imagine, and an energetic and annoying host. The most highly criticised element of the show, however, is the product: packages of hand sanitisers.
We all know by now how important it is to wash and sanitise our hands often during the current pandemic. For the sudden increase in demand, many shops struggle with supply shortages. This phone-in show clearly found this niche worth exploiting.
The idea to take advantage of desperate people, especially the target demographic of these shows (aged 60+) is in itself an ethically questionable decision. However, what outraged people the most is that they were trying to sell packages of three 300ml bottles of off-brand hand sanitisers for a starting price over 165 Euros + shipping fee!
Even though the hand sanitisers eventually did not sell for the starting price, they were still outrageously overpriced and went for 33 Euros + shipping fee. 33 Euros for 90ml of hand sanitiser is still a lot considering that you can buy 1 l of hand sanitiser for a little over 4 Euros in every drug store or pharmacy.
ATV claims that they had no prior knowledge about the product the show will advertise, but they assumed jewellery. Ékszer TV literally means Jewellery TV in Hungarian.
Read alsoCoronavirus – Soros donates 1 million EUR to Budapest to fight the epidemic
New Hungarian film commissioner’s policy to take on Hollywood
Csabal Káel who was appointed commissioner in September, eight months after the death of former film commissioner Andy Vajna, the Hungarian-born producer who after a legendary stint in Hollywood in the 1980s and ‘90s returned to his native country, as reported by Variety. The new commissioner seems to be determined to follow in his footsteps and build the already existing foundation, overseeing ambitious plans to integrate the Hungarian film and TV industries while boosting the capacity of what is already the second-biggest production hub in Europe, behind the U.K.
An essential first step was taken at the start of the year when the Hungarian National Film Institute was restructured so that decisions related to the production of films, TV series, and VOD content are all made under the same roof. The new system nearly doubles the amount of funding available to Hungarian producers, while also offering greater flexibility than the previous system. Under the new structure, for example, a project conceived for the big screen could be developed as a TV series instead.
The film institute is also developing a VOD platform that could solve some of the thorny issues of distribution in a market of just 10 million. Káel hopes such changes will also have a knock-on effect that stimulates more co-productions around the region. “For us, it’s all a local market,” he said, citing common cultural and historical bonds among neighbouring countries. “Not only Hungary but Central Europe.”
Read alsoHungarian film commissioner to Hollywood Reporter: ‘We have to take Central European stories more seriously’
No less important are plans to improve the capacity to service foreign productions in what’s been dubbed “Hollywood on the Danube.” Káel said that 0.15% of Hungary’s GDP comes from service work in the film and TV industries, noting that it’s “one of the highest proportions in Europe.”
That service work has come at a price, however, with Budapest studio space booked year-round. One way the new commissioner is responding to sky-high demand from large international productions is the expansion of the Mafilm Studio complex on the outskirts of Budapest, with two new soundstages expected to open in the next three years.
Another challenge will be remaining competitive in a region that has seen competitors like Poland and Romania introduces cash rebates as high as 45%. While Káel expressed an interest in raising Hungary’s 30% rebate, however, negotiations with the government are still ongoing.
However, it is part of a broader effort to ensure that Hungary can continue to enjoy a creative flourishing that in recent years has produced such visionary works as Ildikó Enyedi’s Academy Award nominee “Body and Soul” and Laszlo Nemes’ foreign-language Oscar winner “Son of Saul.”
On the agenda in the year ahead is the new commissioner’s first visit to Hollywood. Káel cited a rich tradition dating back to the days of trailblazers like Fox Studios founder William Fox and Paramount Pictures founder Adolph Zukor, both Hungarian immigrants. “It’s a good opportunity to develop our [relationship],” he said.
Read alsoGovernment film industry commissioner’s TV channel to expand progamme offering
Austrian TV show frightens and makes people laugh at the same time with how bad Hungary’s media situation is
Peter Klein, the host of an Austrian talk show called Gute Nacht Österreich, basically called out Viktor Orbán for 16 minutes straight on Thursday. He touched upon topics like how he built his media empire and created the infamous illiberal democracy.
The talk show caught the attention of Átlátszó.
Talk show host Peter Klein criticised almost the same things Átlátszó and other government-critical media outlets have for years. For example, how the Prime Minister used planes owned by the Defense Forces regularly for private trips to Israel, Montenegro, Moscow, and Salzburg. He also used military Airbus 604 to fly to Kyrgyzstan, Prague, Zagreb, and Milan. All flights have been deleted from the records, of course.
Klein also talked about how the independent government-critical platforms (mostly online) are the only ones reporting such news to the Hungarian people as all major broadcast companies became government-owned in the last 10 years. This is one of the things that enabled Orbán to create an illiberal democracy in Hungary. Even though politics has lurked into almost all areas of life, including education, research, and art, it still has the greatest effect on media.
Klein makes a bit about The Handbook of Illiberal Democracy and discusses a “chapter in it” which he calls: “Media Monitoring in Three Steps”. It is funny but also incredibly unfunny because it is the truth. He lists three crucial steps that Orbán and his government actually made to control the media in the whole country.
The three steps of Media Monitoring are:
- Withdraw the independent press (like how all major media outlets in Hungary are government-controlled)
- Build your own media empire (with the help of some good friends like Lőrinc Mészáros)
- Silence critical media (personally attack government-critical journalists for their liberal views and make them look like traitors of the nation)
This is not the first time that Orbán’s pro-government media empire has caught the attention of international media.
Read alsoEUobserver: Hungarian government “waging a concerted effort to capture the media”
Finally, Klein cannot resist revisiting the infamous incident when the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, slapped Orbán Viktor after greeting him as “dictator” and shaking his hand at an EU summit in Riga back in 2015.
Read also“The dictator is coming” – Juncker slaps Orbán – VIDEO