This week’s FWD firstly covers the recent success of Amazon‘s latest original series, ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ debut, in which Amazon reports that more than 25 million viewers from around the world watched the premiere of this highly-anticipated show. Amazon also reports that this debut is the biggest in the streaming service’s history.

News:

• Starbucks unveils its ‘blockchain-based loyalty program’ and NFT community called ‘Starbucks Odyssey’, launching later this year.
• Instagram is gearing up to give its users the ability to repost other users’ posts and reels. The new feature will be tested by select users soon.

Start-up:

• SMOVE.CITY is an app-based platform monitoring and analyzing movement data in public spaces via electric bicycles. Data gathered is being used to advise community leaders on sustainable mobility solutions.

Insights:

• Twitter will soon roll out a redesigned Spaces tab, which will include podcasts, available to Twitter Blue subscribers on iOS.
• TikTok celebrates Fashion Month with #FashionForYou campaign, a celebration of personal style, self-expression, and inclusivity.
• Roku’s latest update adds short-form video, a universal save list and a ‘continue watching’ feature.
• Instagram will scale back its in-stream shopping features, following a lack of eCommerce user activity.