Netflix Playground makes saying yes to screen time a little easier.
Netflix
Netflix wants to win over families with Netflix Playground, a brand new standalone gaming app built specifically for kids 8 and under. There are no ads, no in-app purchases, and no extra fees on top of your existing Netflix membership. It is currently live in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, the Philippines, and New Zealand, with a worldwide rollout set for April 28.
What can kids actually do on Netflix Playground?
You download the app on a phone or tablet, sign in with your Netflix account, and kids get instant access to a growing library of games featuring characters they already love. Peppa Pig, Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Storybots, Horton, and more appear across various activities.
Kids can care for guinea pigs and make smoothies in the Peppa Pig game, practice memory matching and connect-the-dots with Sesame Street characters, explore cause-and-effect play with Horton, or make a “fart-filled song” using a turntable in the Bad Dinosaurs game.
Every game is instantly playable and works offline too, which makes it genuinely useful for long trips without a strong internet connection.
What else is Netflix bringing for kids?
Beyond the app, Netflix also announced a new preschool animated series called Young MacDonald, created by Gabrielle Meyer of Ada Twist, Scientist fame. The show follows Mac, Old MacDonald’s grandson, as he tends to his farm with a pig named Dumpling.
Trash Truck and The Creature Cases also got renewed for additional seasons, and a packed slate of returning favorites, including CoComelon Lane, Ms. Rachel, Mark Rober’s CrunchLabs, Sesame Street, and Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie, is coming through summer 2026.
Netflix’s gaming efforts haven’t taken off the way the company hoped, partly because it has fewer iconic franchises than rivals like Disney+. Focusing on kids’ content helps close that gap, and families with young children are simply less likely to cancel their subscriptions.
Manisha likes to cover technology that is a part of everyday life, from smartphones & apps to gaming & streaming…
Netflix told by court to refund customers over repeated price hikes
Italian customers could get refunds and lower monthly bills after a Rome court sided with consumers.
Netflix may owe you money, at least if you’re in Italy. A court in Rome has ordered the company to repay customers for years of subscription increases, opening the door to payouts worth hundreds of euros and lower monthly bills.
The decision covers changes made between 2017 and January 2024, and it goes further than repayments alone. Netflix is expected to roll back subscription rates and notify users about their eligibility for compensation.
Is Dunesday dead? Would a new release date actually save Avengers: Doomsday or Dune: Part Three?
Would Earth’s Mightiest Heroes be better off not battling the forces of Arrakis in theaters?
Hollywood is always chasing popular trends, from cinematic universes to live-action remakes to, more recently, double features. However, it looks like Marvel Studios may avoid chasing the latter with one of its superhero films. Hollywood insider John Campea reported that Marvel Studios is considering moving the release date of Avengers: Doomsday, saying, “The very non-committable discussions have taken place.” This news suggests the movie may premiere on the same day as Dune: Part Three, thereby burying the “Dunesday” double feature in the sand.
It is still too early to say whether this news is true. The announcement comes after Jumanji 3 arguably saved itself by moving its release date from December 11 to December 25, a week after Dunesday. Campea speculated that Marvel could move Doomsday’s premiere to December 11 so it could have a week to show the film on IMAX screens originally reserved for Jumanji 3 before they are taken by Dune: Part Three.
Maul – Shadow Lord is returning for a second season to expand the Star Wars lore
Maul’s comeback just got a lot bigger!
Season 1 hasn’t even aired yet, and Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is already coming back for more. Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni has announced that Season 2 is officially in the works at Lucasfilm Animation.
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord Season 1 kicks off on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere on April 6, dropping two episodes weekly after that. No release date for Season 2 has been shared yet, but the early renewal signals serious confidence in the show.
