Canadian movie exhibitor Cineplex launched its SuperTicket service this summer that bundles admission to a theater screening with a digital copy of the same film, delivered electronically months later. The package costs more than twice as much as a ticket to see the movie in a theater. The company experimented with SuperTicket deals for three films: “The Smurfs 2,” “Pacific Rim,” and “Kick-Ass 2.” While the approach could be a remedy for declining DVD sales, it remains unclear whether fans will pay in advance for a digital copy. Continue reading Canadian Exhibitor Bundles Movie Admission and Home Video

Nielsen is now measuring the “unique audience” for Twitter posts related to television, providing advertising and television executives with a more complete view of social TV. The company introduced Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings yesterday, a previously announced service that intends to measure the reach of Twitter conversations related to television shows. Nielsen expects that networks will eventually promote Twitter TV Ratings the same way they promote traditional broadcast ratings. Continue reading Social TV: Nielsen Measuring Unique Conversations on Twitter

Facebook announced that it will begin using popular photo- and video-sharing service Instagram, which it acquired last year for about $1 billion, as a new vehicle for delivering advertisements. The move marks the first attempt by Instagram to leverage its growing popularity for revenue (it has yet to generate income for social giant Facebook). The announcement came shortly before competitor Twitter released financial details regarding its planned IPO. Continue reading Facebook to Start Using Instagram as New Advertising Vehicle

Twitter has revealed its plans to raise up to $1 billion in its long-anticipated public offering. Potential buyers finally got a glimpse at Twitter’s financials yesterday, which indicate the social platform’s revenue more than doubled to $254 million during the first half of 2013. However, while the popular messaging service continues to transform electronic communication and public conversation, the company is still losing money while facing hurdles drawing new users and advertisers. Continue reading Twitter Reveals its Financials and Plans for $1 Billion IPO

Facebook announced a new ad service this week that addresses the problem of neglected mobile apps. The service enables companies and developers to distribute targeted ads that remind consumers to open apps on smartphones that have been downloaded, but are rarely used. Facebook hopes to generate new revenue by targeting mobile app neglect. The company has already built a business to help companies get their apps discovered and downloaded; its app discovery ads have 145 million downloads. Continue reading Facebook Targets Neglected Mobile Apps with New Ad Service

Japan has vending machines for a wide array of products — from batteries, beverages and magazines to fresh fruit and vegetables. Google joined the fray this week with the trial introduction of Google Play game-dispensing vending machines. Three different machines will each sell a collection of 18 free-to-play and paid-for titles. Consumers with an NFC-enabled smartphone running Android 4.0 can stop in front of the Parco department store in Tokyo’s Shibuya district to access the games. Continue reading Google Introduces Tokyo to Android Game Vending Machines

Pinterest users typically use the service for ideas, suggesting that they may be receptive to advertising and branding. In contrast, Google and Amazon users may already have chosen what they wish to purchase and use the sites for price comparisons. The number of Pinterest users continues to rise, and the service is positioned to become a money-making ad platform, gaining more attention from venture capitalists and retail companies. Continue reading Pinterest Service Positioned to Become Advertising Platform

Sunday’s series finale of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” led to unprecedented social media activity, especially on Twitter and Facebook. While AMC was running a marathon of the Emmy-winning drama leading up to the finale, Twitter experienced more than 100,000 tweets a day, sparked in part by interaction with cast and crew. Additionally, Facebook says that more than 3 million users generated about 5.5 million interactions on its social network during the finale. The activity comes as both social platforms are pursuing television dollars. Continue reading “Breaking Bad” Fans Flock to Social Media for Series Finale

Facebook will start sharing its wealth of user data with the major TV networks in an effort to compete with Twitter’s move into measuring social TV. Data that the company offers will be limited and stripped of users’ personal identifiers. Facebook hopes to provide data on users’ viewing habits and what they share regarding television shows. The company plans to increase its user base and boost ad revenue, and prove it is a useful service to TV broadcasters. Continue reading Facebook Shares Social User Data with Major TV Networks

DirecTV is entering the world of film financing through a new partnership with startup movie studio A24 Inc. Through the deal with A24, the satellite operator will acquire independent films in exchange for exclusive rights to offer them on DirecTV’s video-on-demand services 30 days before the indies are released theatrically. DirecTV will initially commit $40 million to co-finance and market independent films; the first acquired with A24 is the thriller “Enemy,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Continue reading DirecTV to Co-Finance Indie Films in Exchange for VOD Rights

The National Football League and Twitter are partnering to deliver football highlights and related content through the social media service. Content will include in-game highlights from the NFL Network on Thursdays and clips from games after they’ve aired on CBS and Fox. The NFL will offer news, analysis and fantasy football advice. The move is part of Twitter’s Amplify program that allows TV content owners to integrate programming in Twitter feeds. The revenue from embedded ads will be shared by the companies. Continue reading Social TV: NFL Highlights Coming to a Twitter Feed Near You

Speaking at Advertising Week on Monday, Twitter exec Matt Derella noted that 85 percent of American consumers watch TV with a phone or tablet in their hands, while 70 percent of tweets are sent during programming rather than commercials. He suggests that these statistics are an important sign. This could mark a second revolution for TV viewing — the first being when consumers began channel-flipping with remotes, and the second involving the inclination to contribute via social media. Continue reading Advertising Week: Twitter Sees Opportunities in Social TV

Twitter is planning to become a paid advertising service for TV networks. In recent months, Twitter has been attempting to lure television and advertisers with a more advanced marketing product called Amplify. Twitter is primarily a free service, and it can already create significant real-time traffic regarding specific TV shows. This traffic is gaining more recognition from companies, such as Nielsen, and competitors like Facebook. Continue reading Social TV: Twitter Launching Paid Ad Products for Networks

At this week’s Advertising Week conference in New York, Nielsen is expected to announce that it will start incorporating viewership on mobile devices into its TV ratings system in the fall of 2014. The move is in response to changing viewership trends in addition to networks and industry analysts that have been critical of the company’s slow adoption of new technologies. Nielsen’s ratings data helps determine how advertisers spend about $66 billion each year. Continue reading Nielsen to Include Tablets and Phones in TV Viewership Data

Google may change the way that online browsing activity is tracked by developing an anonymous identifier for advertising, or AdID. This identifier would essentially replace third-party cookies to track browsing information, which would then be used for marketing purposes. The identifier would be sent to advertisers and ad networks that agree to certain guidelines, while providing users with greater privacy and control over how they browse the Internet. Continue reading Google May Implement Anonymous Identifier to Replace Cookies