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More than a thousand new surveillance towers will be erected along U.S. borders, according to a recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assessment by the Government Accounting Office.

The expanded autonomous surveillance plan, including tech upgrades to existing towers overseen by DHS, is estimated to cost around $1 billion and aims to be finished by 2034. Upon completion, the country's borders will boast 2,300 surveillance towers — it currently operates around 830, the Electronic Frontier Foundation reports.

SEE ALSO: Google's AI Search is a minefield for schools

The expenditure is part of the Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) consolidated Integrated Surveillance Tower (IST) program, which operates a network of intel-gathering towers and surveillance that detect "items of interest" along the border and in nearby towns. The towers are integrated into a central system accessible by agents.

"It’s not just a barrier. A lot of people miss that [it] has technology built into it," said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott during an April budget hearing with lawmakers regarding the agency's plans.

Building on years of work to outfit border regions with technologically-advanced security systems, the White House has proposed millions in infrastructure for a "smart" border wall, including autonomous and AI-powered surveillance towers that alert agents to potential security threats. In 2025 and 2026, more than $240 million was allocated for the IST program. The 2027 budget steered another $97 million toward the construction of 95 new towers over the next year.

There's a reason Paramount+'s fast-paced new movie Wardriver sits at the top of the streamer's Top 10 rankings—it's a thriller, and people love them. In fact, according to FlixPatrol, most of the biggest streaming services currently have thrillers among their top five because they offer mystery, crank up the tension, and dare you to look away lest you miss something.

Disclosure Day, which hit theaters in early June, marks a return to sci-fi for legendary director Steven Spielberg. Not just sci-fi, but specifically alien-themed sci-fi. It also reunites him with many of his longtime collaborators, including screenwriter David Koepp, who also wrote Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds. In other words, if you're a Spielberg fan, it's a must-watch.

The best ways to watch 'Disclosure Day' at a glance: Watch now Buy or rent 'Disclosure Day' on Prime Video $19.99 or $24.99 Shop Now Watch now Buy or rent 'Disclosure Day' at Apple TV $19.99 or $24.99 Shop Now Watch now Buy or rent 'Disclosure Day' on Fandango $19.99 or $24.99 Shop Now Watch later Peacock Premium yearly subscription $109.99/year (save $21.89) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium for Students and Young Adults $5.99/month for 12 months (save $5/month) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium for First Responders and Medical Professionals $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium for Active Military and Veterans $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium for Teachers $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Watch later Instacart+ (includes Peacock Premium for free) $99.99/year (save $109.99/year) Get Deal Watch later Walmart+ (includes Peacock Premium for free) $98/year (save $109.99/year) Get Deal

"With Disclosure Day, I experienced the distinctive thrill of watching a master filmmaker do what he does best," Mashable's Kristy Puchko cheered. In her review of the film, she called it "a dizzying mix of action, humor, adventure, sci-fi, and wonder."

Unfortunately, it underperformed at theaters, despite an 80 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating. Universal Pictures is hoping to find a wider audience this month, as the alien thriller is officially making its at-home debut. Here are all the streaming details you need to know to watch Disclosure Day.

What is Disclosure Day about?

Disclosure Day follows cybersecurity administrator Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor), who is on the run from a military-industrial corporation called Wardex after he steals sensitive files that he seeks to reveal to the world. I'm not saying it's aliens, but it's definitely aliens. He teams up with TV meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), and they fight "not just for the future of humanity, but also humanity's understanding of the universe," as Mashable's entertainment editor puts it in her review.

Check out the official trailer below.

How to watch Disclosure Day at home Credit: Universal Pictures

As of July 21, Disclosure Day is available to watch at home. You can buy it or rent it at digital-on-demand retailers for as low as $19.99, or you can wait a little longer to stream it on Peacock. See all the details below.

Buy or rent it on digital

A little over a month after its theatrical release, Disclosure Day made its digital debut on July 21, 2026. This means you can buy or rent the movie from on-demand retailers for $24.99 or $19.99. If you choose to rent, you'll get 30 days to watch the film and just 48 hours to finish it once you start. If you choose to buy it, then it's yours to keep and watch as many times as you want.

Here are some quick links to rent or purchase the film. Note that these prices will drop in the coming weeks.

• Apple TV — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Fandango — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Google Play — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Prime Video — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

Stream it on Peacock

While no specific streaming date has been officially announced, we can make an educated guess that Disclosure Day will make its streaming debut on Peacock in September 2026. We'll update this story with the latest information once it's revealed.

While the cheapest Peacock subscription costs just $7.99 per month, it unfortunately won't grant you access to theatrical releases. You'll need at least Peacock Premium, which costs $10.99 per month, to stream Disclosure Day. Before you sign up, be sure to check out some of the best ways to save some money on a subscription below.

The best Peacock streaming dealsBest Peacock deal: Save up to $33 on an annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium annual subscription $109.99 per year or $169.99 per year (save 17%) Get Deal

The best way to save money on a streaming subscription on any given day is by opting for the annual plan instead of the monthly plan. Paying for a year of Peacock Premium or Premium Plus up front saves you up to $33.89 per year.

Peacock Premium (with ads) costs $10.99 monthly, which adds up to $131.88 for 12 months. If you pay for the annual plan, however, it'll only cost you $109.99 — a savings of $21.89. Likewise, the Premium Plus plan costs $16.99 per month, which adds up to $203.88. The annual plan, on the other hand, costs just $169.99 — a savings of $33.89. You'll essentially be getting two months of streaming for free by opting for an annual subscription.

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Nothing beats free. If you're an Xfinity customer and have yet to check if you get Peacock for free, I highly recommend heading to Xfinity.com for more details. Here's a brief breakdown:

• Xfinity Internet customers who are Diamond or Platinum Xfinity Rewards members can get Peacock Premium for free by redeeming a reward for it. Sign in at xfinity.com/rewards and choose Peacock as a reward. Then, wait for your email (it may take a few hours) with instructions on activating the offer.

• NOW TV customers can also receive Peacock Premium as part of their service.

• New customers with Xfinity Internet and an X1 TV Box, Flex streaming TV Box, or a Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity can get Peacock Premium for free for six months.

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Both students and young adults (ages 18 to 24) can take $5 per month off a Peacock Premium subscription all year long. Verify your student status or age through SheerID and generate a unique promo code to knock the price down to just $5.99 instead of $10.99. Just a heads up that once the promo year is up, you'll be charged full price unless you cancel.

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First responders, medical professionals, teachers, and military personnel can all unlock Peacock Premium subscriptions (with ads) for a discounted rate of $6.99 per month by verifying professional status through SheerID. If you continue to meet verification qualifications, then you can renew your subscription at a discounted rate each year. Prices are subject to change year to year.

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An Instacart+ membership ($99.99 per year) unlocks a free Peacock Premium subscription ($109.99 per year value) on top of free grocery delivery, lower fees, and credit back on eligible pickup orders. You'll even get a free two-week trial to kick things off. Pro tip: Sign up for your trial of Instacart+ when Disclosure Day debuts on Peacock so you can watch it for free. Just be sure to cancel before you're charged the full amount. We recommend setting a calendar alert to remind you.

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One of the best ways to score streaming services for free is by signing up for a Walmart+ membership. A $98 Walmart+ subscription unlocks either Peacock Premium or Paramount+ Essential as a free perk — and you can switch every few months. Since Peacock Premium is a $109.99 value, the $98 Walmart+ membership is already a better deal than paying for Peacock on its own. With Walmart+, you'll also get free shipping with no order minimums, fuel discounts, a Scan & Go checkout tool, and early access to deals during Walmart's major shopping events.

Spotify is giving music videos their own Top 50.

On Tuesday, July 21, Spotify launched its first global chart dedicated to music videos, ranking the 50 most-watched videos on the platform each day. Artists can also pitch new videos directly to Spotify's editorial team for the first time, giving them a chance to appear on playlists including Best New Videos, Live Performances, and Today's Top Videos.

The features arrive after a steady expansion of music videos across Spotify, including full-length uploads, personalized recommendations, and early premieres from artists like BTS, Jelly Roll, and Taylor Swift. Artists can also now upload their own videos through Spotify for Artists.

SEE ALSO: Spotify adds editor videos to New Music Friday. We asked its curators why.

Add it all together, and Spotify is beginning to resemble a version of MTV built for the streaming era, complete with exclusive premieres, countdowns, and ever-changing rankings. There may not be a VJ telling viewers what comes next, but there is an AI DJ if you're into that sort of thing. Otherwise, Spotify's editors and recommendation algorithms fill the role.

Spotify has built its own music video countdown

The new Music Video Charts Global ranks videos by daily stream counts, refreshes daily at 6 p.m. ET, and lives in Spotify's Charts and Music Video Playlists hubs. Every Tuesday, the company will also highlight the week’s top 10 videos across its social media accounts.

Shakira and Burna Boy claimed the chart’s inaugural No. 1 with "Dai Dai," the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which just surpassed 130 million total streams on Spotify.

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For anyone who remembers MTV countdown shows, the idea should feel familiar.

But Spotify’s version comes with a more modern, personalized layer. Its Videos For You playlist, the platform's first personalized music video playlist, recommends videos based on an individual user's listening habits. Someone who wants a broader view of what is popular can visit the global chart, while everyone else can receive a lineup tailored to them.

Videos can also appear on Spotify’s Home screen, artist profiles, release pages, editorial playlists, and the Now Playing view. Followers may receive push notifications when an artist releases a new video, increasing the likelihood that a listener will encounter it.

Spotify is also using early releases to give fans a reason to watch music videos inside its app rather than automatically heading to YouTube.

On July 17, 2026, BTS premiered the video for "NORMAL" on Spotify and kept it exclusive to the service for its first 48 hours. Spotify said the release set a platform record for the most-streamed K-pop music video in a single day. BTS currently occupies six of the top 10 positions on Spotify's inaugural Global Music Video chart.

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Jelly Roll gave Premium subscribers a similar 48-hour first look at “Hands Up,” which was filmed at San Quentin State Prison. Fans in Spotify's beta markets could watch both premieres on mobile, desktop, or television by playing either song and selecting "Switch to video."

Taylor Swift took a slightly different approach with "Opalite," releasing its video on Spotify and Apple Music in February 2026 before bringing it to YouTube — rumored to be because YouTube pulled itself from the U.S. charts in January 2026.

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For years, YouTube views helped determine where songs and albums appeared on the Billboard charts. That ended in January 2026, after YouTube and Billboard failed to agree on how those views should be counted.

The dispute centered on Billboard's decision to give more weight to streams from paying subscribers than to those on free, ad-supported services. YouTube argued that the formula undervalued its viewers, but Billboard kept its methodology. YouTube subsequently withdrew its U.S. data, and its views no longer contribute to either chart.

That does not make YouTube any less useful for reaching fans. More than 2 billion logged-in users watch music videos on the platform each month, according to the company. YouTube Music also offers more than 100 million songs alongside official videos, live performances, remixes, covers, Shorts, and fan uploads, much of it available without a paid subscription.

That enormous audience brings in money, too. YouTube paid more than $8 billion to artists, songwriters, labels, and publishers between July 2024 and June 2025. Its Music and Premium services had more than 125 million subscribers globally, including users in free trials. Some online consider YouTube the reigning champion among music video platforms — that hasn't changed.

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What has changed is the automatic assumption that every major music video should appear on YouTube first. Spotify also says its eligible music videos can earn royalties and qualify for charts, though chart eligibility depends on the release and the chart's rules.

Smaller artists can upload videos, too

The biggest premieres may bring fans into Spotify’s video section, but artists do not need a BTS-sized rollout to appear there.

Until recently, music videos primarily reached Spotify through labels, distributors, or services such as DistroVid, a paid video-distribution tool operated by independent music distributor DistroKid. Artists use the service to send music videos to platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Vevo without going through a record label. That changed on June 17, when Spotify began allowing artists in its beta program to upload full-length videos directly through Spotify for Artists.

Nearly 100,000 artists now have access to the feature, and everyone else can join a waitlist. Labels and distributors will remain Spotify's primary delivery route for music and video, but participating artists no longer have to rely on either to get a video onto the platform.

They also have more options than producing a traditional music video. Spotify accepts live performances, acoustic and studio sessions, and covers, all of which can earn royalties and may qualify for its charts, giving artists room to work with the content they can realistically produce.

Spotify pointed to indie rock band The Runarounds as one example of how that can translate into additional listening. According to the company, people who watched the band's live cover of "Valerie" went on to stream 67 percent more of its wider catalog than people who only heard the audio. They also listened to 21 percent more individual tracks.

For artists already making video content, Spotify gives that work another chance to reach listeners and lead them directly into the music.

Spotify says watching leads to more listening

Spotify is investing in video because the company says viewers tend to keep listening after the screen goes dark.

According to Spotify’s latest data, users stream a song 64 percent more frequently during the three weeks after watching its full-length video than comparable listeners who only heard the audio. They are also 1.4 times more likely to save it, share it, or add it to a playlist.

That interest can spread. Spotify also says viewers stream 57 percent more of the artist's catalog during the same period. Among "super listeners," its name for an artist's most active monthly listeners, streaming increases by 62 percent after watching a video. Spotify adds that equals more than an hour and 40 minutes of additional listening on average.

The company has therefore built video directly into the standard listening experience. When a song has a video available, users can select “Switch to video” without restarting it. They can then switch back to audio at the same point. The process keeps every part of the interaction within Spotify: a user can hear a song, watch a video, save it, and continue exploring the artist’s music without leaving the app.

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It also gives Spotify another way to keep users engaged as it expands beyond its original music-streaming business. The company already offers audiobooks and video podcasts, and by late 2025, almost 500,000 video podcast shows were available on the platform.

Some listeners would still rather Spotify stick to audio

Spotify's growing focus on video has created some friction with people who open the app simply to listen. WIRED reported that videos had sometimes played automatically, consuming additional data and battery life. In other cases, the video replaced the album recording with audio containing dialogue or sound effects.

Spotify has since added settings that let users disable music videos, Canvas animations, and video podcasts, giving audio-only listeners a way to remove most of the app's visual features.

Even so, finding a particular music video can still be hit or miss. WIRED also found that Spotify's catalog appeared inconsistent, with some videos available while others were missing.

The bigger question is whether Spotify can persuade listeners to become viewers. If it can, the next breakout music video may begin not with a YouTube search, but inside a personalized Spotify playlist.

A federal judge in San Francisco has granted final approval to a $1.5 billion settlement between Anthropic and a class of authors who accused the AI company of illegally downloading their copyrighted books, closing out what the court called the largest copyright class action settlement in history.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín signed the order on July 20, resolving claims brought by lead plaintiffs Andrea Bartz, Kirk Wallace Johnson, and others over Anthropic's use of pirated libraries LibGen and PiLiMi to build its book collection. Notably, the underlying dispute centered on how Anthropic acquired the books, not on whether training AI models with copyrighted material is lawful.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic to provide California government with AI tools

In an earlier ruling cited throughout the order, the court had already determined that the use of training itself constituted fair use.

Per the settlement, authors and publishers whose pirated books ended up on Anthropic's "Works List" can claim roughly $3,000 per book — about four times the usual minimum for copyright infringement cases. More than 91 percent of eligible works, over 440,000 books, have already been claimed. Anthropic also has to delete the pirated files it downloaded.

The settlement only releases Anthropic from liability for how it acquired the training data in the past — not from future lawsuits over what the chatbot generates, or new claims going forward. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín was explicit that the settlement does not release claims for future harm or claims "based on the output of AI models."

The court overruled all 54 objections and comments filed by class members and third parties, including requests to expand the list of covered works, add non-monetary remedies like source attribution, or even deletion of Anthropic's models entirely. Per the court's judgment, those requests went beyond what this lawsuit could address.

With the order finalized, the case is officially closed, though the court will keep an eye on how the money actually gets distributed to authors.

I have broken Linux desktops in all the usual ways. I have installed a random PPA because some forum comments from 2018 sounded confident. I have removed a package that looked useless, only to discover it was holding the login screen together with tape and ancestral prayers. Not only that, but I upgraded at midnight, watched the system return with a black screen, and then pretended this was “learning” (copeeee!).

HBO Max has a reputation to uphold. It's one of the O.G. premium cable networks and has been the home of prestige TV for decades—it's the home of the dragons, the mushroom-zombies, the goombahs, and the rich people misbehaving at luxury resorts. But it's also got a whole lot of weird and funny stuff to make a marathon out of.

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is finding new fans in more places than the stadium.

According to new data from the league, views across its YouTube channels increased 41.7 percent through the first 10 weeks of the 2026 season, reaching 11.2 million. Watch time climbed nearly 50 percent, while subscribers grew 17.9 percent.

Those gains are part of a strong first half of the season for the NWSL. Attendance is up, the league’s social following has expanded, and merchandise sales have increased. New clubs and a wider mix of broadcast and streaming options are also creating more ways for people to follow the league.

So, who are these new fans, how are they discovering the NWSL, and what is turning their interest into a lasting connection with the league?

Who is watching the NWSL?

The NWSL's audience is broader than the young, predominantly female fan base often associated with women's sports.

Nielsen estimated that the league had 39.3 million fans in the United States in 2025, up from 30.8 million in 2023. On ESPN, women accounted for nearly half of the NWSL audience for the second consecutive season, while viewership among women ages 18 to 34 increased 30 percent year over year. The league’s average audience on ESPN Deportes also more than doubled from 2024, rising 109 percent.

Women now account for nearly half of the league's audience on ESPN, while women ages 18 to 34 are among its fastest-growing viewer groups. Spanish-language viewership is also rising, introducing the league to more fans across the United States.

That growing audience is increasingly visible in the stands. Mashable senior reporter Matt Binder attended a recent Gotham FC match at Citi Field, where more than 40,000 people came to watch the team play — the biggest women's sporting event in New York history.

"There were way more younger girls there than even young boys at any NYCFC game I've been to," Binder said.

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For young fans, following a team goes far beyond attending matches. NWSL clubs and players share highlights, interviews, training videos, and behind-the-scenes content across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. This lets fans stay connected between games while drawing in new supporters.

YouTube and social media are becoming a larger part of the NWSL

NWSL's recent YouTube gains are part of a broader increase in viewing across its media lineup. Through Week 10, match coverage generated more than 1 billion minutes viewed across broadcast, streaming, and digital platforms.

The platform has played a similar role across other women's sports, giving leagues and athletes an additional way to reach younger viewers. Matt Hochberg, who runs Hochberg Sports Marketing, a FIFA-licensed women’s soccer agency, described the platform as a key growth driver for several women’s leagues.

"Women’s sports fans skew younger [and] digital-first," Hochberg wrote in an X post about the NWSL's YouTube gains, adding that the audience is also attractive to brands trying to reach the same demographic.

The league's broader social audience is growing, too. Its combined following increased 24 percent year over year to 3.1 million across six major platforms. According to the NWSL, fans are engaging with highlights, behind-the-scenes access, player-focused stories, and other league content.

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Individual players also bring massive audiences of their own. Trinity Rodman, Rose Lavelle, Sophia Wilson, and Mallory Swanson have each built social followings of hundreds of thousands of fans that reach far beyond their NWSL clubs.

U.S. national team players are only part of that equation. The NWSL included players from 55 national teams in 2025, allowing clubs to reach fans who already follow those athletes in their home countries. Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga, for example, represents Malawi and has become one of the NWSL's biggest stars after winning back-to-back league MVP awards.

More fans are attending matches

The NWSL's digital growth comes as attendance is also increasing. Clubs averaged 11,044 fans per match during the first half of the 2026 season, up 10 percent from the same period last year. The league reached one million attendees faster than in any previous season and is on pace to average more than 10,000 fans for the fourth consecutive year.

The season's largest crowd arrived in Denver back in March 2026, where expansion club Denver Summit FC hosted the Washington Spirit at Empower Field at Mile High. The match drew 63,004 fans, setting a league attendance record and becoming the largest crowd for a professional women's sporting event in the United States.

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Denver Summit and Boston Legacy FC both joined the league in 2026, expanding the NWSL to 16 teams. The additions created local clubs for fans in two new markets and gave the league more matches, players, and storylines to feature across its platforms.

Matches are available through CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, ION, Victory+, and the league's NWSL+ service. Highlights and other clips then extend the life of those games across YouTube and social media.

Fans are also buying more merchandise

The league's retail numbers offer another sign of increased engagement.

Combined merchandise sales across NWSL clubs rose 72 percent during the first half of the season compared with the same period in 2025. Sales through NWSL Shop increased 207 percent.

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The league didn't disclose total revenue, but attributed the growth to rising demand for club merchandise, player products, and league-branded apparel.

There's also been plenty for fans to follow on the field. Every NWSL club has defeated a higher-ranked opponent at least once this season. At the midway point, the league has recorded 10 percent more upsets than during the same period last year, and twice as many matches have been decided in the final 15 minutes.

Those late goals and upsets create a steady stream of can't-miss highlights. For the NWSL's growing fan base, sometimes one highlight is all it takes to get the ball rolling.

Google Photos caps your free storage at 15GB, and that isn't just your email—it is pooled between Drive, Gmail, Photos, and every other Google service. Given how many things it gets used for, that storage space disappears pretty quickly. If you need more storage, or if you use iCloud, you're basically forced to opt into a monthly subscription.

When it comes to in-flight entertainment, there are two kinds of flyers—the ones who gamble on the random crud on the seat-back screen or the airplane Wi-Fi and those who download their entertainment the night before. Be the second kind. TV shows offer the ultimate flexibility when flying. You can watch a single episode between the drink cart and your nap, or binge a whole season on a long-haul flight—it's your call.

If you've ever held the power button to shut your PC down, you've done an "unsafe shutdown," and chances are that your SSD wasn't too happy about it. The event was probably logged, adding up to your error count.

The last year has been a roller-coaster for those competing in the world of electric vehicles. From tariffs to the removal of the federal tax incentive for EVs, demand for electric vehicles has slowed down drastically. For those that invested the most, like Honda, this turbulence has been quite costly. Now it has officially claimed another victim.

Leaving Love Island USA can give a contestant the kind of audience most aspiring creators spend years trying to build. By the time Islanders get their phones back, they may have millions of new followers, brands filling their inboxes, and television producers considering where they could appear next.

But leaving the villa does not necessarily mean they are free to accept every opportunity waiting for them.

That could matter for Mackenzie "Kenzie" Annis, whose commitment to practicing her splits throughout Season 8 inspired fans to campaign for her to join Dancing With the Stars. Professional dancer Ezra Sosa encouraged the idea beneath Annis' first post-villa TikTok.

"The mirrorball is CALLING your name," Sosa commented.

"SHUT THE FRONT DOOR," Annis replied.

Turning that exchange into an actual trip to the ballroom may require more than an invitation from ABC. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Love Island USA contestants enter a one-year exclusivity period that can limit their television appearances, brand partnerships, and other commercial work after the show.

Because Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+, outside Peacock’s NBCUniversal family, Annis may need approval before she can compete. Her situation provides a useful look at what happens after Islanders leave Fiji, when sudden internet fame collides with the contracts they signed before anyone knew their names.

What happens after Islanders leave the villa?

Love Island USA places a group of singles in a Fiji villa, where they date, compete in challenges, and try to remain coupled up long enough to win. Viewers follow their relationships almost every night on Peacock, discuss each episode online, and vote on who stays, leaves, and ultimately takes home the prize.

The contestants experience the season very differently. Like the casts of Big Brother, The Traitors, and many other reality shows, Islanders are largely cut off from the outside world while filming. They do not have their phones, cannot check social media, and have no way to see which conversations, outfits, or facial expressions have become memes.

An Islander can therefore enter the villa as a relatively unknown person and return home several weeks later as a major online personality. Season 8 generated more than 4 billion social video views and ranked as the No. 1 social program during its run, according to NBCUniversal. Winner Trinity Tatum emerged from the season with more than 3 million Instagram followers.

That kind of attention quickly attracts agents, managers, publicists, brands, and television producers. Representatives generally have about 10 days to meet with the most sought-after Islanders before the contestants begin receiving interview requests, sponsorship opportunities, and choosing representation.

It also forces Islanders to absorb several weeks of memes, criticism, fan edits, and public discussion about decisions they made without knowing how viewers would respond. Trinity asked viewers to stop directing "hate & ignorant comments" at Zach Georgiou, called him one of the most "amazing" people she met in the villa, and reminded fans that the Islanders are "people just like everyone else."

All of this happens just as they begin deciding how to turn their new audience into a career. Their options, however, may be more limited than they initially appear.

How does the Love Island USA exclusivity period work?

According to a report, Love Island USA contestants are subject to a one-year exclusivity period, and ITV America, the show's production company, must approve their brand partnerships. The contracts also govern which television appearances contestants can make, meaning an Islander may receive an offer without having the sole authority to accept it. Former Season 4 contestant Deb Chubb supported their claims, saying in a June TikTok: “contract-wise, you can't go on any shows a year after the finale.”

The full terms of the current agreements have not been made public, but available reporting suggests the restriction is more complicated than a blanket ban on television appearances.

These restrictions are not unique to Love Island USA. A publicly available Survivor agreement defines an exclusivity period lasting one year after the finale and requires contestants to obtain permission for certain media appearances. Contracts used by RuPaul’s Drag Race have also included one-year exclusivity clauses, while allowing contestants to participate in live performances and personal appearances.

The agreements can also help networks manage conflicts with advertisers. If a company already sponsors Love Island USA, for example, Peacock may not want one of the show’s contestants immediately promoting a competitor. A source told THR that limited noncompete provisions have become standard in reality casting and can give networks veto power over outside brand and commercial deals.

Networks frequently recast personalities from their own franchises

Dancing With the Stars has featured a steady supply of contestants from ABC’s The Bachelor franchise, including Matt James, Gabby Windey, Charity Lawson, Joey Graziadei, and Jenn Tran over five consecutive seasons. Disney personalities and stars from Hulu, another Disney-owned platform, also regularly appear in the ballroom.

Season 34, for example, included Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt from Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, while Disney Channel actor Chandler Kinney competed during Season 33.

Netflix takes a similar approach by treating its unscripted shows as a connected "Netflix Reality Universe." Contestants who become popular on Love Is Blind, Too Hot to Handle, The Circle, and The Ultimatum are regularly brought back for crossover programs such as Perfect Match and Battle Camp; some later become hosts or receive shows built around them, including Too Hot to Handle breakout Harry Jowsey’s Let’s Marry Harry. This lets Netflix keep recognizable personalities on the platform after their original seasons end.

Peacock and NBCUniversal have their own growing reality ecosystem. Former Islanders can return for Love Island Games, compete on The Traitors, or appear in Love Island: Beyond the Villa, which follows cast members as they navigate their relationships and careers after leaving the show.

Season 6 Islander JaNa Craig joined NBC's Destination X less than a year after leaving Fiji, for example, while fellow Season 6 contestant Rob Rausch later competed on and won Peacock’s The Traitors. A third season of Beyond the Villa is expected in 2027, creating another potential destination for members of the Season 8 cast.

For contestants, that means one successful reality show can lead to several more opportunities, but the network that introduced them may have the first say in where they appear next.

Could Kenzie still compete on Dancing With the Stars?

The exclusivity period may complicate Annis' chances, or those of any other Islander hoping to strap on their dancing shoes, but it does not necessarily keep them out of the ballroom.

Two celebrities announced for Season 35 show that NBCUniversal is willing to let some of its reality personalities compete on Dancing With the Stars. Maura Higgins, who became known through the British version of Love Island before appearing on Peacock's Love Island Games and The Traitors, will join the cast alongside Bravo's Ciara Miller. Miller stars on Summer House, hosts Love Island USA: Aftersun, and also competed on The Traitors.

Christine Cowan, the NBCUniversal executive who oversees casting across Bravo, NBC, and Peacock, said during the ATX TV Festival panel "How Familiar Faces Drive Fandom" in May, that the company had allowed Higgins and Miller to participate.

"We want them to be happy, and we want to continue our relationship with them," Cowan said.

Cowan characterized Dancing With the Stars as a one-off opportunity rather than a permanent departure for a competing entertainment company. She also said NBCUniversal makes its talent available to outside productions under certain circumstances.

Do the restrictions help or hurt Islanders?

For contestants, the arrangement brings both opportunities and tradeoffs.

ITV America sets rules for how contestants choose representation and offers a list of preferred managers and agents. This guidance can help someone navigating sudden fame evaluate offers, negotiate contracts, and avoid jumping at the first deal that lands in their inbox.

Staying in NBCUniversal's orbit can open doors to more television opportunities. The company has several programs ready to transform a successful Islander's season into a longer reality TV career.

The downside becomes apparent when the best opportunity comes from outside the network. The weeks right after a finale are when contestants get the most attention from viewers and brands. Another network might want to cast an Islander while the season's still buzzing, or a company might want to build a campaign around a viral moment or catchphrase that’s currently making the rounds online.

Those offers may not remain available for a year or even a month. Requiring approval can reduce contestants' control over the audience and the opportunities they gained on the show.

Leaving Fiji may end an Islander's search for a connection, but their relationship with Peacock could just be getting started.

A quick look at some of the best deals at Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale Hisense 75-inch UR8 RGB Mini LED 4K TV $1,699.99 (save $800 plus get $500 off soundbar system) Get Deal Therabody TheraFace Mask Glo $299.99 (save $80) Get Deal Shokz OpenFit 2+ Open-Ear True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds $159.99 (save $40) Get Deal Apple AirTag 2nd gen (4 pack) $89.99 (save $10) Get Deal HP OmniBook 3 14 OLED (Snapdragon X, 8 GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $499.99 (save $100) Get Deal Unlocked Apple iPhone Air (256GB) $839.99 (save $160) Get Deal

Last year, Best Buy ran its Black Friday in July sale as direct Prime Day competition. But with Prime Day being in June in 2026, Best Buy couldn't exactly call its competition sale Black Friday in July (the retailer went with Tech Fest instead). But that just means we get two major Best Buy sales this summer — just one month after Tech Fest slash Prime Day, Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale event is bringing even more heat.

The sale is live now through Sunday, July 26. Best Buy is likely to drop new doorbusters more than once, so be sure to check back over the next few days.

SEE ALSO: The 6 best open earbuds stay put, sound great, and keep us aware of the world

Black Friday in July deals span all of the categories you expect from a Best Buy sale: TVs, iPads and MacBooks, unlocked phones, smartwatches and fitness trackers, you know.

In true Black Friday fashion, there's a whole landing page dedicated to deals that are 50% or more off — actually, way more than one page, considering more than 8,000 items are half off. If you're not trying to make any big purchases, this section is still a great spot to stock up on necessities like AirTags, charging cords and portable chargers, screen protectors, or phone cases.

We've pulled out just a few of our favorite 50% off deals from that list, though you should peruse on your own to see this variety for yourself:

50% off TVs Opens in a new window Credit: TCL TCL 65-inch A3G Designer Series QLED 4K Art TV with Flush Wall Mount $599.99 at Best Buy
$1,199.99 Save $600   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG 77-inch B5 OLED 4K TV $1,399.99 at Best Buy
$2,999.99 Save $1,600.00   Get Deal 50% off laptops Opens in a new window Credit: Lenovo Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook 14 (MediaTek Kompanio 540, 4GB Memory, 64GB eMMC) $199 at Best Buy
$419 Save $220   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: HP HP Chromebook 14 (Intel Celeron N4500, 4GB Memory, 64GB eMMC) $159 at Best Buy
$399 Save $240   Get Deal 50% off headphones Opens in a new window Credit: JBL JBL Vibe Buds 2 Noise-Cancelling Earbuds $29.95 at Best Buy
$64.95 Save $35   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Sennheiser Sennheiser Accentum Bluetooth Noise-Cancelling Headphones $89.99 at Best Buy
$189.99 Save $100.00   Get Deal 50% off gaming gear Opens in a new window Credit: Razer Razer Wolverine V3 Tournament Edition 8K Wired Gaming Controller $49.99 at Best Buy
$119.99 Save $70   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Insignia Insignia Essential PC Gaming Chair $89.99 at Best Buy
$179.99 Save $90.00   Get Deal 50% off home tech Opens in a new window Credit: Blink Blink Outdoor 4 Wireless Smart Security Camera (5 pack) $104.99 at Best Buy
$299.99 Save $195   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 3.1 Channel Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer (HW-B650/ZA) $199.99 at Best Buy
$399.99 Save $200   Get Deal

X has officially rolled out a rebuilt version of its Android app, following through on a project the company first teased roughly a year ago.

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In an August 2025 post on X, Head of Product Nikita Bier announced he was recruiting what he called the "Android Dream Team," describing the effort in characteristically hyperbolic terms and asking engineers to help "rebuild the X Android app" from the ground up. The recruitment push came as users had periodically flagged bugs and performance issues with the app in the months since; for instance, tapping tweet links from other apps, like WhatsApp, would incorrectly load the main timeline instead of the intended post.

Nearly a year after Bier's initial call for engineers, Bier announced on July 20 that the rebuild was complete, calling it one of the largest engineering projects in the company's history. He described the new app as faster, smoother, and more reliable, and said the updated foundation would let the team ship new features more quickly going forward.

An X spokesperson elaborated on the changes in an email statement to Mashable: "X modernized the foundation so everything is faster, smoother, and more reliable, including scrolling, loading, and notifications."

Beyond the underlying performance improvements, the update doesn't appear to introduce new user-facing features at launch. The company is framing this release as an infrastructure overhaul, with the spokesperson reiterating that Bier's posts on X, including support for hosting Spaces and better performance on older devices, are expected in future updates.

Google has introduced two additions to its Gemini "Flash" lineup, along with a specialized cybersecurity model, 3.5 Flash Cyber, while holding off on releasing a long-awaited Gemini 3.5 Pro.

In a July 21 blog post, Google announced Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, describing them as built to give developers the "efficiency, low latency, and reliability" needed to run AI agents at scale. The post also detailed Gemini 3.5 Flash Cyber, a specialized model paired with Google's CodeMender security agent.

Our big Guessing Game is back! Enter now for a chance to win an Apple Watch.

The announcement also included a brief update on Gemini 3.5 Pro, which Google says "is currently testing with partners," with general availability "as soon as it's ready." The post added that Google has already begun training runs for a future Gemini 4 model.

At the Google I/O event in May, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced that Gemini 3.5 Pro would launch in June. Since then, Anthropic and OpenAI have launched new frontier models, Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol, while the Chinese AI lab Moonshot recently launched Kimi K3, a more affordable but still competitive open-source AI model. It's against this backdrop that Google announced its new trio of Gemini models.

SEE ALSO: Where is Gemini 3.5 Pro? The AI model announced at Google I/O is still MIA.

According to the post, Gemini 3.6 Flash is positioned as the company's general-purpose "workhorse" model, offering improvements in coding, knowledge work, and multimodal tasks compared to 3.5 Flash. Google also priced the model lower than 3.5 Flash, at $1.50 per million input tokens and $7.50 per million output tokens. Google released benchmark evaluations of Gemini 3.6 Flash, showing improvements in a variety of domains.

Credit: Google

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite, meanwhile, is billed as the fastest model in the 3.5 series, reportedly capable of 350 output tokens per second, per Artificial Analysis figures cited in the post, at a lower price point of $0.3 per million input tokens and $2.5 per million output tokens. Google writes that the model is intended for high-throughput, latency-sensitive workloads like agentic search and document processing, and that it outperforms the prior Flash-Lite generation across agentic benchmarks.

Credit: Google

The most narrowly targeted release, Gemini 3.5 Flash Cyber, is designed specifically to detect and patch software vulnerabilities and is being deployed inside CodeMender, Google's code security agent. Per the post, the model will not be broadly available; Google says it plans to offer it exclusively to governments and select partners through a limited-access pilot, citing the dual-use risks associated with a model capable of finding security flaws.

Google also said the newly released 3.6 Flash model includes expanded safety measures to resist jailbreak attempts related to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear misuse, as well as cyber offenses, while aiming to avoid unnecessary refusals for legitimate use cases.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Google Maps has quietly evolved far beyond turn-by-turn directions. Buried in its settings and menus are tools that can change how you explore, navigate, and trust the places you visit. Here are three worth turning on.

You might not have heard of Xteink, but it's shaking up the eReader world through the miniscule size of its devices: you can fit them in your pocket so that you're more likely to read your favorite book than your Instagram feed. The Chinese brand is capitalizing on this by releasing the X4 Pro, a similarly tiny reader that adds some heavily-requested features.

SAVE $1,180.02: As of July 21, get the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus for $1,618.98 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $2,799. That's a discount of 42%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus $1,618.98 at Amazon
$2,799 Save $1,180.02   Get Deal

We're right in the middle of one of the stormiest seasons of the year. Summer thunder and lightning can ruin a beach trip or even a staycation if your power goes out. Be ready for any challenge with the help of a portable power station that can easily get you powered up again should anything happen. We've found one that's well worth grabbing while it's available at a significant discount.

As of July 21, get the Jackery HomePower 3600 Plus for $1,618.98 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $2,799. That's $1,180.02 off and a discount of 42%.

SEE ALSO: Portable power stations explained

This power station offers 3600W of output (7200W in parallel), with 3584Wh capacity that's expandable up to 21kWh per unit or 43kWh with multiple units. That means it can keep a 3-person household for over 2 weeks, which should be plenty of time to get things in order should the power be out for an extended period.

It's simple to plug in and charge, and it has 6,000 cycles as well as a 10-year lifespan. Jackery claims it will work and remain reliable in a variety of conditions as well, even during severe cold and blizzards. And when it's been depleted, it's simple to charge. You can bring it from 0 to 100% in just 2 hours when charging with AC+DC.

If you want to make sure you're ready no matter what happens with the weather and your electricity, this power station is well worth picking up while it's discounted.

The modern gaming landscape has changed drastically over the past decade. In the early-to-mid 2010s, games like Grand Theft Auto V, Far Cry 4, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt heavily favored strong single-core performance. This played directly into Intel's strengths. With its focus on strong single-core performance and fewer but faster cores, Intel's CPUs dominated gaming for years.