CYNOPSISDIGITAL
11.13.15 Good morning. It’s Friday November 13, 2015, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.
Watch your back, Spotify. YouTube has launched YouTube Music, a new music app. Among other features, the app allows users to search for artists and play individual songs and albums. It has a pool of about 30 million licensed audio tracks, similar to competitors. The service includes other numerous other features, like music videos, concert footage, and even karaoke tracks. There’s a free, ad-supported version of the app, as well as an ad-free version for YouTube Red subscribers. The subscription version includes additional features, including the ability to relegate videos to the background or even eliminate them altogether, listening only to the audio, to conserve battery life and data. YouTube Red subscribers can also opt for offline playback, and have the service create an automatic playlist – updated daily – that falls within whatever data restrictions the user specifies.
Facebook is stepping up its 360-degree video efforts. The company, which unveiled its 360-degree video feature in September, announced that the feature is now available on Android devices, the web, and via the Facebook iOS app. Facebook has also added new 360-degree content partners; those include Nickelodeon, ABC News, and Fox’s Scream Queens, which has published a virtual set tour. On top of that, Facebook is beginning to test video ads employing 360-degree video technology.
The 2015 Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards Luncheon is today at noon. It’s your last chance to register – and Cynopsis still has some late tickets available. Check out our finalists’ outstanding work, and register for the Luncheon, HERE: http://cynopsis.com/model-d-finalists/
CBS Studios International just found a massive new audience. The company inked an exclusive, multi-year pact with PPTV, China’s leading SVOD operator. CBS will now provide PPTV with current series from CBS and CBS-owned Showtime. (As of yet, it’s unknown which ones.) PPTV will also have exclusive rights to the China premieres of select upcoming CBS new event series, as well as select Showtime series. PPTV reaches a little less than a third of the country – but in China, that means 400 million users.
Blast-off! Astronauts Wanted, the digital studio from former MTV Networks CEO Judy McGrath, has inked a content deal with Verizon’s Go90 streaming service. Verizon has ordered a spinoff of extreme sports web series HeyUSA, titled HeyUSA_X. The company has also ordered two new seasons of Tawk with Awkwafina, a comedic talk show hosted by the series’ titular rapper (real name Nora Lum). Both shows will premiere exclusively on Go90, likely in early 2016. The news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Shane Dawson has some new friends from Hollywood. The comedian and director, best known for his YouTube channel, is partnering with two major digital studios on a new feature film. Maker Studios (owned by Disney) and Off the Dock (owned by Lakeshore Entertainment) will produce Internet Famous, a mockumentary spoofing digital celebrity. The film’s digital release is set for 2016. It will be co-written by Steven Greene and Michael Gallagher. Dawson will star alongside Greene, Amanda Cerny, Christian DelGrosso, Wendy McColm, and Richard Ryan.
YOU On Demand just took something of a stranglehold on the Chinese IPTV market. The Chinese VOD service provider inked a deal with Ai Shang Media, China Network Television’s Internet protocol television operating entity. Under China’s current system, China Network Television acts as the only national broadcaster in control of the country’s IPTV platforms. YOU On Demand can now stream its premium movie content nationwide on China’s IPTV platforms, and will have right of first refusal on all movie content distribution – any China Network Television IPTV distributed content will first be sourced from YOU On Demand.
Six seconds? Vine stars-turned-actors Nash Grier and Cameron Dallas had no problem going nine whole innings. Their feature-length film The Outfield, which debuted Tuesday exclusively on iTunes, is now the best-selling drama on Apple’s iTunes store. The Outfield was produced by Fullscreen Films.
Goo-goo ga-ga. The YouTube comedy network Jash has launched Baby Talk, a new web series featuring celebrity guests who joke around about the silly ruminations of children. (In the first episode, one kid offers his philosophy on human mortality: “Sometimes every two seconds, six people die in the world. I wish no one dies in the world until the end of the year.”) The series is hosted by Dan Levy and Jensen Karp. The premiere features comedians Neal Brennan and John Mulaney, as well as NBA star Blake Griffin. Given the show’s content, that seems appropriate: Seated next to Griffin, Brennan and Mulaney do indeed look like children.
The Climate Reality Project’s upcoming event, 24 Hours of Reality and Live Earth: The World Is Watching, starts today. The Climate Reality Project will live stream the climate change-focused event during its entire run, all day today and tomorrow. Meanwhile, Pharrell Williams will be using Facebook Live to support one segment. The musician is asking participants to submit climate-related video questions via Telescope’s submission tool, to be answered by a panel of experts during a live broadcast today at 7p EST. Williams’s efforts were launched in collaboration with Telescope and the music marketing agency Listen.
MTV News has partnered with Lionsgate to live stream the red carpet ceremony at the U.S. premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. It will run on Monday, November 16 from 8:30p to 10:30p EST, and be available on the MTV News YouTube page.
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VR content studio Ovrture has launched Lockup 360, a new virtual reality short-form video app designed to build on MSNBC’s long-running prison franchise Lockup. The app’s 360-degree content places viewers in the middle of America’s jails and prisons. Available for Android, iOS, Oculus Share, YouTube360 and on Vrideo.com, it will soon debut on Samsung Milk VR. Cynopsis Digital asked Ovrture CEO Mike Drachkovitch about Lockup 360, and the appeal of nonfiction VR content. “Nonfiction stories are uniquely positioned to make great VR content, as the nature of VR blurs the distinction between what’s happing in real-life, and what’s happening on the television screen,” he said in an email. “As our country continues to debate criminal justice reform, we think it’s important to share these stories in the most immersive media form possible.”
VC FUNDING + INVESTORS
VC and VR: more and more these days, they’re going hand in hand. NextVR, a virtual reality live streaming start-up with a focus on live events, has raised $30.5 million in its latest funding round. Formation 8 led the round. Other investors included MSG, dick clark productions, Comcast Ventures, and Time Warner Investments. NextVR also raised $5 million just over a year ago. The funding round was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
In the fight against ad-blocking, mobileand consumers under 30are key. “The increase in ad blocking is a sign of a larger fundamental generational shift,” says Manny Puentes, CTO of Altitude Digital. “People under 30 are more technically savvy than any group that’s come before, and they are going to continue to control and de-clutter their digital environment, especially on their mobile devices. The industry as a whole needs to fundamentally shift the way we stream information to these users.” Puentes will join Cynopsis as a panelist for the November 17 webinar, Beating the Ad Blockers. Register here: http://cynopsis.com/webinar/cynopsis-digital-webinar-beating-ad-blockers/
Vimeo is rolling out some new features for video creators. The platform has introduced two new Video On Demand features: Firstly, users will now be able to launch “coming soon” pages before their videos go up for selleven weeks ahead of time if they choose. Those pages give content creators the opportunity to build buzz and raise money ahead of release. The second new feature: Without changing their selling plans, creators can now give out special access codes to VIP viewers of their choice, who can then view their videos ahead of the official launch.
RESEARCH
Some informative Twitter data from Nielsen about Tuesday’s Republican debate:
6 million people in the U.S. saw one or more of 1.2 million Tweets sent about the “Republican Presidential Candidates Debate” on Fox Business Network on Tuesday, 11/10/15.
In the U.S., Tweets about the TV event were sent by 225,000 people and seen 181 million times (Twitter TV Impressions).
The most Tweeted minute of the night was at 9:45pm ET, when 8,900 Tweets were sent following Ted Cruz’ comments about securing U.S. borders.
The top mentioned candidate of the night was "TedCruz," who was mentioned in more than 65,500 Tweets around the TV event.
– Source: Nielsen
Conde Nast Entertainment, Conde Nast’s digital media arm, has a new exec. Jonathan Koa will join the company as SVP of Scripted Programming on November 16th. He’ll be responsible for developing and producing scripted content, reporting directly to CNE President Dawn Ostroff. Previously, Koa served as ABC Entertainment’s Executive Director of Comedy Development.
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
As mentioned up top, YouTube Music has arrived. The Verge has a brief but comprehensive video overview of the new app’s features. It’s available on their YouTube page (where else?), but you can also check it out here.
See you Monday,
David Teich
11.13.15
Roberta Caploe: Associate Publisher @robertacaploe
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JOB OPENING: AUDIENCE PROD ASST/Meredith Vieira Show/NYC: PT position looking to hire a freelance prod asst immediately. Must be a people person w/great comm skills, excellent research ability, able to provide high level of guest svc. Full info/apply HERE (11/18)
JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, REGIONAL/NATIONAL SALES/CT: Leading and directing the operations in the Ad Sales Division of Comcast Spotlight. Establish direction of all sales activities within regional and national markets. 9+ years related experience. Full info/apply HERE (11/18)
JOB OPENING: MGR, PROMOTIONS ACQUISITIONS/COMEDY CENTRAL/NYC: Resp to rsch/evaluate prgrmng that best fits with the Comedy Central brand in order to drive ratings, create ad-sales opportunities ad revenue. 4+ yrs exp prgrmng & acquisitions TV/ent industry. Full info/apply HERE (11/18)
JOB OPENING: NEWS PRODUCER/SUCCESSFUL NATIONALLY SYNDICATED TALK SHOW/LA: 3 yrs solid conflict booking exp req’d. Must possess strong managerial, pre-interviewing, writing & rsrch skills. Ability to book conflict stories/resourceful/deadline driven. Benefits offered. Resume HERE (11/18)
JOB OPENING: MEMBERSHIP SVCS COORD/NonFiction Producers Association/LA or NY: Outgoing, results-oriented staff for trade association w/40 prod. co.members. Full-time, report to GM. Strong writing, comm skills, exp. serving customers, webfriendly. Resume HERE (11/18)
JOB OPENING: NAT’L TV SALES PLANNER/BET/LA: Prep sales plans using Dealmaker. Must have TV Exp, Agency a plus. Media Math, Excellent Comm and MS Office Full info/apply HERE (11/18)
JOB OPENING: MGR, DIGITAL AD INVENTORY/AMC/NYC: Drive execution of yield optimization strategy across our ntwk of properties. BA deg Bus., Engineering, Mathematics, Economics. 3+ yrs exp digital ad sales in inv mngmnt/quantitative/analytical role. Full info/apply HERE (11/18)
JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, RESEARCH & ANALYTICS/DISCOVERY DIGITAL NETWORKS/SF: Oversee the collection, analysis & distribution of data for DDN business. 8+ years of digital research experience. Strong data & analytics exp, expert with YouTube, FB analytics. Full info/apply HERE (11/18)
JOB OPENING: COORDINATOR, CNBC PRIMETIME/East Coast: NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global. Full info/apply HERE (11/18)
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