YouTube Aims For Trending Videos to Come From Own Site

On the heels of a controversial quarter, YouTube chief executive Susan Wojcicki sent a newsletter to YouTube users and creators announcing that half of all featured videos on the site’s trending tab will come from YouTube itself. This assurance is meant to alleviate worries from some of YouTube’s most popular content creators who have concerns over copyright challenges, advertising policies, and video monetization, particularly related to YouTube’s favoring of more traditional content (movie trailers, TV clips) on its trending tab.

Continue reading YouTube Aims For Trending Videos to Come From Own Site

Netflix Marks Strong Q1 Subscriber Growth, Beating Forecasts

Netflix’s latest quarter showed subscriber growth exceeding its own forecast and Wall Street expectations. Wall Street analysts predicted Netflix would add 6.5 million new subscribers in Q1; in fact, it added 7.41 million subscribers in that quarter, of which 5.46 were international. In response to the news, shares rose 4.9 percent to $322.85 in after-hours trading. This follows a 1.2 percent decline during regular hours on Monday, representing shareholder concern over the imminent announcement of stalled growth. Continue reading Netflix Marks Strong Q1 Subscriber Growth, Beating Forecasts

Networks Seek Safer Way to Deliver Screeners to the Press

Networks are changing how they deliver screeners to the press, due to rising concerns over piracy. HBO, for example, was hit by two cyberattacks on “Game of Thrones,” and now is moving access to screeners from its own portal to MediaSilo’s Screeners.com. Amazon, Hulu and El Rey Network have also moved screeners to the same site. Fox moved its screeners from one proprietary site, Fox Flash, to another, Screeners.Fox, and Starz is now delivering shows to the press via DAX’s cloud-based software. Continue reading Networks Seek Safer Way to Deliver Screeners to the Press

Facebook Plans to Introduce Original Programs This Summer

Facebook is meeting with Creative Artists Agency, United Talent Agency, William Morris Endeavor and ICM Partners as part of its effort to debut original programs by the end of summer, say sources. The social media titan also said it will commit to hefty production budgets — up to $3 million per episode — similar to those of high-end cable shows, as well as more moderately priced shows costing mid-to-high six figures per episode. Facebook’s plan is to own as much of the content as possible. Continue reading Facebook Plans to Introduce Original Programs This Summer

Disney/ABC Group Strikes Expanded Content Deal with Yahoo

Disney/ABC Television Group and Yahoo have announced a partnership extension that will integrate each other’s content across various properties. Clips from popular ABC series (including “Scandal,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “Dancing with the Stars”) will be accessible via Yahoo Screen and Yahoo TV, while different segments of “Good Morning America” will feature content from Yahoo’s digital magazines and properties such as Flickr and Tumblr. ABC News and Yahoo News plan to “deepen their collaboration on major news events.” Continue reading Disney/ABC Group Strikes Expanded Content Deal with Yahoo

Nielsen Breaks Down Rankings of TV-Related Twitter Activity

In the 2013-2014 television season, CBS had five of the top ten broadcast shows, but none of them were among the top ten most-tweeted, possibly because it has the oldest median viewer age. In a report released by Nielsen Social, “Breaking Bad” and “The Walking Dead” were the two top series on Twitter over the last year, with “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Bachelor” and “Game of Thrones” following close behind. The ranking includes specials and moments that engaged the most fans. Continue reading Nielsen Breaks Down Rankings of TV-Related Twitter Activity

News Corp. Scandal May Impact BSkyB Acquisition

  • New allegations have emerged that News of the World, a British paper owned by News Corp., illegally hacked into and tampered with the voicemails of crime victims, including a kidnapped 13-year-old girl.
  • The allegations arrive just as News Corp. was poised to acquire BSkyB, the largest pay TV service in Britain.
  • British regulators have yet to give final approval to the deal, which has already taken 13 months due to complicated regulatory hurdles.
  • It is unclear whether the growing scandal will affect its fate. However, Prime Minister David Cameron said the allegations are a “separate issue” from the regulatory process.