In a move aimed at children, the Disney Channel is promoting its new phone and tablet apps by giving away 9 episodes of “Sheriff Callie’s Wild West” online, several months before the show airs on TV. It’s an acceptance of the fact that children specifically live in a world where they’re used to on-demand entertainment service, and expect this sort of delivery from shows. It’s a new paradigm that favors Amazon, Netflix, and other digital services, that cable providers and networks are going to have to contend with, perhaps sooner than later. The next generation of children simply don’t understand – or want to live within – the limits of live television anymore.
Category: Percolate
Amazon Announces Sunday Shipping
Amazon announced a new partnership with USPS to bring packages to consumers on Sundays as well. The program will start in New York and Los Angeles, but by 2014 Amazon hopes to expand it to Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, and Phoenix. It takes away the extra fees normally associated with Sunday shipping, and opens up new avenues of profit for Amazon. It also syncs the digital and physical worlds; in the former, everything is always available on demand, while in the latter consumers sometimes have to wait for their products for longer periods. It creates a more seamless, total interface for the self-proclaimed store for everything.
Second Screen Or A Flexible First?
Much has been made of second screen apps which let you engage across devices, but many entertainment platforms are incorporating a layer of multitasking within the first screen. Just take a look at Xbox One which highlights the flexible voice control integration. With the commands, one can say “Xbox, snap friends,” for example, which will bring up your friends list in a sidebar during a game without even pausing. Another fitting instance is Touchcast’s vapps which lets creators incorporate apps within the video letting users interact with external media without ever leaving the player. It’s clear that there is fragmented attention today, but will multitasking features be able to sustain attention on a single screen or is that wishful thinking?
Facebook’s New Android Feature Sets TV Reminders
Though initially this move might seem like a minor footnote, it’s actually a pretty big deal. It positions Facebook in direct opposition to Twitter, whose IPO is largely predicated on TV and advertising dominance. Facebook’s feature works like this: Users who like a show’s Facebook Page can choose an option to get reminders about when that show starts. It’s a simple premise, but it plays into two important trends: social’s integration into TV via the second screen, and notifications as subtle forms of advertising. How well the move pays off for Facebook could be a big indication of the effectiveness of both trends.
i.TV Purchases GetGlue
After failing to partner with Viggle, GetGlue has found a new partner in i.TV. i.TV is best known for its TV guide system, as well as its access to the business space and console platforms. The goal, it seems, is to bring the very engaged, second screen television audience into contact with the brand power that i.TV has, and to bring both platforms together into a best-of-both-worlds, second screen branding experience. If i.TV utilizes GetGlue’s technology to its full potential, there’s no reason to doubt the capability of the new platform; nonetheless, that’s a pretty big “if.” This is worth watching over the coming months, to see if it reaches its full potential.
Blockbuster Officially Shutters Retail Shops
Even though you probably haven’t seen them for a few years now, all of the remaining Blockbuster retail shops will be shuttered by January. Blockbuster’s parent company, Dish Network, said that they would continue to leverage the Blockbuster brand online and across other media, but that it doesn’t make sense to leave the retail network intact at this point. It’s not a surprising turn of events by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a stark reminder that the vast majority of the population want their content digitally.
AP Introduces Native Ads
The AP has announced that it will now be featuring native advertising in both its mobile and web platforms. It’s the first concession that the AP has formally made to the fact that it’s licensing business won’t be able to financially sustain the company, and as such sponsored content will now make up a significant portion of the profits that keep the AP running. The content will sit alongside the AP material on the website. The AP is fairly late to the Native Advertising game, but for one of the most trusted names in news it will be important to see how they handle the sponsored content.
Google’s Android 4.4 Prominently Features Search
Much like the mildly-successful Facebook Home before it, Google Android’s new KitKat operating system prominently features Google Search and Google Plus integration. What used to be the home app is now just the home screen – the home screen is now, again like Facebook, pushing users deeply into the Google ecosystem from the get-go. It’s a bold play from Google, particularly in light of how users balked at Facebook Home’s over-the-top homescreen. As well, in light of continued privacy and spying issues users might be skeptical. At the end of the day, though, it’s Google; consumers have a knack for trusting them, so the brand name might overrule concerns.
Brands Flock To Instagram
According to a new study from Simply Measured, 71% of the most recognized brands in the world are now active on Instagram. That number represents an 80% year over year growth rate, and brands’ adoption of the platform rivals Google+ and Instagram. That same study also concluded that as brand activity on Instagram increases, so too do followers, with automobile brands leading the way. It’s easy to see why automotive brands would do well on Instagram; people love sharing photos of cars. But what’s also important to note is the fact that brands with the most engagement actually didn’t use hastags as often as most users or other brands. Believe it or not, hashtagging the world doesn’t give you more reach or impressions.
MediaSpike Sells Product Placement In Mobile Games
MediaSpike, a company that aims to make it easier to run product placements in mobile in social games raised a $5.2 million Series A. The clever technology, which is integrated with iOS and Android games, but tied to no particular platform to allow for the frequent updates demanded by the gaming industry, allows developers to create listings for standardized placements in their games, which advertisers then bid for. The company’s network already reaches 20 million unique users, reflecting the rapid growth they’ve experienced in the last 6 months. Mobile gaming is a booming field, and advertisers are looking for a way to natively advertise to their users. With millennials and Gen Z’ers being particularly difficult to advertise to, this sort of integration could be an indicator that some progress is being made with the efforts to advertise to them.
