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Smosh: First YouTube Channel to Hit 10 Million Subscribers

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May 29, 2013

In January, comedy channel Smosh became the top YouTube channel when it surpassed Ray William Johnson. It then became the first channel to hit 8 million subscribers, and then 9 million. Created by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox under the Alloy Digital umbrella, Smosh became the first to reach eight-digits yesterday with 10 million subscribers. The rapid growth of the channel reflects the recent explosion in popularity of online video. Continue reading Smosh: First YouTube Channel to Hit 10 Million Subscribers

Cord-Cutting: U.S. Pay TV Providers Lose Subscribers in Q1

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May 21, 2013

According to the Leichtman Research Group, pay TV experienced a disappointing first quarter for 2013. Cable companies lost an estimated 263,735 subscribers, which may have been the result of an increase in cord-cutting. While satellite TV providers and phone companies offering television gained some subscribers, the numbers were lower than in previous first quarters. Further losses are anticipated for Q2. Continue reading Cord-Cutting: U.S. Pay TV Providers Lose Subscribers in Q1

Verizon Proposes to Pay for Channels Based on Audience

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March 20, 2013

Verizon Communications wants to switch up the way things work in the pay TV industry. Presently, the provider pays fees in order to carry various TV channels, but the company is proposing to tie those fees directly to how many viewers actually watch the channels. Verizon, whose FiOS TV is the sixth-largest pay TV provider in the nation, has begun talks with several smaller media companies about the prospect. Continue reading Verizon Proposes to Pay for Channels Based on Audience

Facebook and Twitter Dominate Social Scene: Google+ Losing Momentum

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October 14, 2011
  • The Hollywood Reporter suggests that Google+ may be losing momentum in its foray into social networking, citing data analytics from Chitika recently published in The Next Web. Facebook and Twitter are currently maintaining dominance in the social space.
  • “Our monthly referrals from there are down 38 percent since their peak, while Facebook referrals are up 67 percent and Twitter referrals up 51 percent over the same period,” reports TNW.
  • After Google+ attracted 10 million users in less than a month, expectations rose. But according to Chitika, Google+’s initial spike in traffic was short lived, leveling off just four days after its launch.
  • As one Google engineer stated on his Google+ page, the social network is “a prime example of our complete failure to understand platforms” and “a knee-jerk reaction” to Facebook.
  • “Bottom line: Facebook is still the king of social networks and will be for the foreseeable future,” adds THR. “Plan your marketing campaigns accordingly.”
  • In a related post from Gizmodo, Google+ claims 40 million “users” — but the question remains regarding how many are actually using it: “‘Users’ here, being loosely defined, since Google+ is a relative ghost town of privately shared links about how Google+ is a ghost town.”

Spotify Reports Significant Losses, Despite Increase in Subscribers and Revenue

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October 12, 2011
  • Streaming music service Spotify, which recently partnered with Facebook, saw its revenue more than quintuple last year. However, the British company still showed losses totaling $42 million, an increase from $26 million in 2009.
  • “Spotify’s performance has been closely monitored by the music industry, which sees it as a kind of litmus test for the viability of digital music by subscription, which pays labels each time a listener streams a particular song,” reports The New York Times. “That system brings in lower royalties per song than downloads, but with a large enough listener base could in theory bring in substantial amounts.”
  • Spotify subscriptions cost about $10 to $15 per month and includes an ad-supported free version. Daniel Ek, Spotify’s chief executive, recently announced that the service had reached the 2 million mark with paid subscribers, although there are believed to be more than 10 million total users.

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