10/06/17: Netflix hikes prices - and its stock value

Good morning. It’s Friday October 6, 2017 and this is your your first early morning Digital briefing!

TODAY’S CODEBREAKER

Attribution Window: An attribution window is a defined period of time in which a publisher can claim that a click or a view led to a conversion. Attribution windows are generally pre-agreed upon by publishers and advertisers.

JUST IN…

Netflix just raised its prices for U.S. customers. New subscribers will now have to pay $10.99 for the service’s standard two-stream HD tier, a $1 increase over the previous fee. Likewise, existing subs will be moved to the new $10.99 rate over the coming months. In addition, Netflix is increasing the cost of its four-stream family plan from $11.99 to $13.99 per month. Wall Street liked what it saw: Netflix shares climbed over 5% after the price increases were announced. The company’s stock closed at $194.39 per share – an all-time high. Netflix’s market cap now sits at $83.9 billion.

Recode reports that Google is close to unveiling Stamp, a mobile media product that lets users swipe or tap through collections of videos, images and text. The format is similar to that of Snapchat’s Discover platform. It also bears similarities to Instagram’s version of the Snapchat-pioneered Stories product. Notably, Recode reports that Google has actually been paying select sites to participate in the project, an incentivizing move that’s intended to help defray publishers’ costs. Publishers that are currently on-board the Stamp project reportedly include Conde Nast, Time Inc., CNN, and a number of others. Google had hoped to roll the product out to a limited number of users this month, but Recode reports that the launch may be delayed.

YouTube reportedly rushed out a significant change to the way its search algorithm selects videos. (The Wall Street Journal was the first to report to news; a source who spoke with Business Insider also confirmed it.) The update rolled out Wednesday night. The change is reportedly geared toward differentiating authoritative news clips from conspiracy theory videos. The update had been in the works for a while, but YouTube reportedly moving up its launch due to the aftermath of the recent Las Vegas shooting, when a number of users encountered conspiracy-heavy clips in their search results. Separately, Business Insider reports that YouTube is working on a new update to its “up next” video recommendation tool – though that change (the details of which are still hazy) is still under development, and won’t be released for some time.

APPS + PLATFORMS

Facebook started testing a new feature designed to combat misleading news items that show up on users News Feeds. “We are testing a button people can tap for additional context on an article, without needing to go to another page,” a spokeswoman explained. Facebook is turning to a number of sources to offer contextual info, ranging from Wikipedia entries to related and trending articles on Facebook’s own network.

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Check out the 2017 Cynopsis Digital “IT” List Honorees!

Joining us from 38 companies that cover all elements of the industry, digital’s movers and shakers will represent the top brands and innovators in the business at our 5^th Annual Digital Awards Ceremony. Share insights and connect with your peers as we celebrate the honorees at this fabulous awards event on November 10 at Tribeca’s ThreeSixty (NYC). See the full list of honorees, companies and event details here .

OTT + SVOD

Sports-focused OTT TV service fuboTV has emerged from beta on a number of devices, including Apple TV, Google’s Chromecast, and iOS and Android devices. The service had already left the beta stage on desktop and the mobile web. FuboTV also announced that it’s introducing a new design, which can already be seen on the new version of its Apple TV app. (Also coming to the Apple TV app are several new features, including cloud DVR service and entertainment-on-demand content.) Finally, fuboTV announced that it’s now live with CBS affiliates in five new markets: Seattle/Tacoma, Nashville, TN, Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, Louisville, KY, and Oklahoma City.

VIRTUAL + AUGMENTED REALITY

Discovery Communications announced a major new VR project. Called Discovery TRVLR, the 38-episode travel docu-series visits all seven continents. It’s the largest-scale VR project that Discovery has created so far. Google’s virtual reality group will help distribute the series: Aside from DiscoveryVR.com and the Discovery VR app, it’ll only be available through YouTube. Users won’t need a cable subscription to watch. (Discovery has signed an exclusive brand partner for the series; that partner will be announced at a later date.) The series can be watched using the Google Daydream View headset, the Google Cardboard viewer, or in a non-VR format via Android and iOS devices, as well as on the web. Discovery TRVLR debuts November 3.

PROGRAMMING

Amazon Prime Video is taking on Shakespeare. The service is working with the BBC on a film adaptation of King Lear. The cast is headlined by Anthony Hopkins in the titular role, along with Emma Thompson is the king’s middle daughter, Regan. The movie, set in a fictionalized version of present-day England, is set to debut next year. It’ll air on BBC Two in the U.K., and will stream on Amazon in the U.S. and Germany. Amazon will also stream the film in the U.K. in a second window following its broadcast.

Netflix has ordered a ten-episode season of Raising Dion, a new sci-fi/drama series. The series is based on a comic book of the same name by Dennis Liu. (It was also made into a short film, which Liu directed.) Raising Dion centers on a young, African American single mother who discovers that her young son has magical abilities. Carol Barbee, executive producer on Lifetime’s UnReal, will serve as executive producer and showrunner. Actor Michael B. Jordan will also serve as an executive producer, and will appear in the series as the titular character’s deceased father.

Live-streaming platform Twitch has partnered with Rooster Teeth and 4K Media for a new month-long anime marathon. The marathon will feature content from the two companies, including Rooster Teeth’s RWBY and 4K Media’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. Twitch will also host live talk shows, art streams from Twitch creators, gameplay, and anime content from New York Comic-Con. The programming kicks off on October 9, at 2 PM ET.

LET’S MAKE A DEAL

SVOD service YouTube Red has never quite caught fire in the way Google had hoped, and a new distribution pact may be the latest evidence. YouTube is giving Gunpowder & Sky, an indie production studio and distribution company, the rights to distribute numerous YouTube Red titles across non-YouTube platforms. All told, G&S will gain distribution rights to nine original series and films, all of which had previously been exclusive to YouTube Red. (Those include Escape the Night, hosted by digital star Joey Graceffa, and The Amazing Tour Is Not On Fire, a documentary following YouTube stars Phil Lester and Dan Howell.) Under the pact, G&S will be able to distribute the titles across numerous new platforms, including broadcast and cable TV, transactional VOD, home video, and electronic sell-through. The deal does forbid G&S from distributing the content to ad-supported VOD platforms, and doesn’t cover subscription VOD rights.

TRIVIA

Which veteran comedian stars as a fictionalized version of herself in Netflix’s Lady Dynamite? (Email trivia@cynopsis.com with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and state.)

Our Last Trivia Question: One of the co-creators of Big Mouth, the adult-oriented animated series that recently premiered on Netflix, spent years as a writer and producer for Fox’s Family Guy. What’s his name? Answer: Andrew Goldberg. Kudos to Andrew Bellamy-Producers Guild of America/NY, Susan Nessanbaum-Goldberg-M and S Entertainment/CA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Federal Credit Union/CA, Lorrie Shilling/CA, and Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/CA

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

DEADLINE ALERT
Submit your short form video content by 10/20!

The deadline for the Cynopsis Short Form Video Festival is just 2 weeks away and we could not be more impressed by these short form innovators who are continuing to shape the landscape and push boundaries in the space.Winning videos be screened at our one-of-a-kind festival on March 7 in NYC ( details here )

SUBMIT YOUR VIDEO HERE

DIGITAL SPOTLIGHT

Above, we mentioned Discovery Communications’ upcoming VR docu-series Discovery TRVLR, a sprawling production that explores all 7 continents. It debuts November 3. Discovery just dropped a new trailer for the series (and don’t worry, you won’t need a VR headset to view it). Check it out here.

David Teich
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