Cynopsis: DIGITAL
10/26/12

Good morning. It’s Friday, October 26, 2012, and this is your first early morning digital briefing. 

Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system and Surface tablet are officially here. Those using computers powered by Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP, can upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $40. The Surface tablet, which is Microsoft’s first stab at producing a computer device on its own, is available starting at $500 for the 32GB version. It initially comes with Windows RT, a stripped down version of Windows 8 that uses ARM processors and can only run apps designed for the new Windows UI. Versions of Surface that run on Windows 8 will be available down the road.

Yahoo and Paramount’s Insurge Pictures have announced the second and third seasons of Burning Love, a comedy series that parodies reality dating shows like The Bachelor. “At Yahoo, we program based on insights about what our users want to watch,” said Erin McPherson, VP and Head of Video at Yahoo, in a statement. “We knew we found a hit with Burning Love given the caliber of talent and the subject matter — and it was proven shortly after the launch with all the binge viewing that took place.” The first season of Burning Love, which arrived on Yahoo on June 4, starred Ken Marino (Party Down) as a fireman who was looking for the perfect woman. The show featured a cavalcade of stars from film and TV, including Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, Michael Ian Black, and Ken Jeong, as well as appearances from Ben Stiller, Adam Scott, and Paul Scheer. Erica Oyama is returning to write the next two installments of the series, which will once again be directed by Ken Marino. The second season will follow a character from the first season, Julie, who was voted off but now returns to find the perfect man. The third season, titled Burning Down the House, brings everyone back. The show is executive produced by Ben Stiller’s Red Hour Digital, Abominable Pictures, and Ken Marino and Erica Oyama. Insurge Pictures is distributing the project. Both seasons will return to Yahoo Screen in 2013.

Samsung has made the Amazon Instant Video app available on its line of Smart TVs. Available for download on any 2012 Samsung Smart TV, the Amazon Instant Video app offers access to the online retailer’s library of over 140,000 movies and TV shows, which users can rent or purchase at their leisure. In addition, Prime members can access more than 30,000 titles via Prime Instant Video at no additional cost. Features of the app include Your Watchlist, closed captioning, and personalized content recommendations. Amazon Instant Video joins a number of other video-streaming apps available on Samsung Smart TVs, including those from Netflix, Hulu, Blockbuster, YouTube, Vudu, AOL, Vimeo, and BBC News.

Announced earlier this month, the Reserve Channel on YouTube has officially launched three new talk shows hosted by musician Pharrell Williams, actress Joy Bryant, and chef Tom Colicchio. In ARTST TLK with Pharrell Williams, the musician/rapper invites guests from different creative sectors to discuss each other’s work and inspirations. Painter David Salle and renowned graffiti artist KAWS are the two guests in the first episode. Across the Board with Joy Bryant is an “action talk show” in which the actress interviews guests who enjoy skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding, while they both actually partake in that very activity. The first episode features pro-skater Paul Rodriguez. The third show is Hooked Up with Tom Colicchio, which features the chef going on a fishing trip with athletes, celebrities, and even other chefs, to discuss an array of topics over cocktails. The first episode features chef Eddie Huang as Colicchio’s guest/fishing mate. The Reserve Channel is a member of YouTube’s original programming initiative.

Telemundo is hosting its first ever Google+ Hangout today to support the live finale of its “social drama” series, Secreteando. The show follows a group of executive assistants at a record label as they try to scheme their way into becoming the assistant for the new mystery boss. The “social” element comes in how the show interacts with its audience, as fans have been allowed to vote via social media platforms on which character should eventually get the position. The Google+ Hangout today, which begins at 2pm ET, will allow fans tuning in (via Telemundo’s page on the social network or the network’s YouTube channel) to influence the outcome of the show.

Sony’s ad-supported streaming service, Crackle, has premiered a new two-part episode of its music performance series, From the Basement. The episode features the bands Foster The People and Shearwater performing a collection of their most popular songs. From the Basement is the brainchild of Grammy-winning record producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead). The series first launched in 2007 and since has featured acts like The Shins, Aimee Man, and Feist & The Happiness Project.

The CW has inked a deal with Comcast to make the network’s programming available on Xfinity On Demand. It’s the first time the network is making its primetime programming available on a VOD service from a cable provider. Xfinity On Demand subscribers will be able to watch the four most recent episodes of shows from The CW for free, beginning the day after they air.

Here’s an update to that Netflix global subscriber total from yesterday. The company says it has over 30 million streaming members worldwide, including over 25 million in the US. In the Q3 earnings report, the company said its global streaming subscriber number stood at over 29 million. However, it also noted in the report that the number did not include those who have signed up for Netflix Instant Watch in the Nordic region. The 30 million announced yesterday includes every region in which Netflix is currently available.

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Yahoo has purchased mobile start-up Stamped for an undisclosed price. Stamped, which was launched last year, offers a mobile app that lets users review and share recommendations on their favorite restaurants and music. The app will be discontinued by the end of the year, according to a blog post from Stamped Co-Founders Robby Stein, Bart Stein, and Kevin Palms. This deal falls in line with CEO Marissa Mayer’s decision to put a larger focus on mobile development at Yahoo. In that same blog post, Stamped’s Co-Founders also said that they are tasked with creating a new mobile product and engineering office for Yahoo in NYC, and they’re already looking to hire “talented engineers and designers.” A separate post from Yahoo’s SVP/Emerging Products and Technology, Adam Cahan, refers to this office as a “new center of mobile product development for Yahoo.’ This is Marissa Mayer’s first acquisition since she became CEO. Stamped’s investors included the likes of Ryan Seacrest, Justin Bieber, Mario Batali, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Google Ventures, and The New York Times, among others.

The top web properties in the US in the month of September, according to comScore‘s Media Metrix, are: Google Sites with 186.61 million unique visitors; Microsoft (166.76 million); Yahoo (163.57 million), Facebook (150.35 million), and AOL (110.98 million). Of note, ESPN jumped six spots to #23 (47.07 million) due to a 24% bump in traffic and Pinterest cracked the top 50 for the first time, landing at #50 with 25.33 million unique visitors in September. As for the top ad networks and buy-side networks, the Google Ad Network stood tall at #1 with a 92.6% reach of online Americans, followed by Specific Media (85.8% reach), Vibrant Media (84.7%), AOL Advertising (84.1%), and AT&T AdWorks (82.4%).

US IPTV subscribers will jump from 8.8 million in 2011 to 18.6 million in 2017, according to Parks Associates. This will apparently come at the expense of pay-TV operators, as the research firm projects cable’s share of the pay-TV market to drop to 52% (from 60.7 million subscribers in 2011 to 56.1 million in 2017) and satellite’s share to fall to 30% by 2017. Conversely, IPTV’s market share will rise to 18%. “The era of huge subscriber gains in the US pay-TV market is over,” said Jim O’Neill, Research Analyst of Parks Associates. “Cable TV providers are losing subscribers to IPTV services from AT&T, Verizon, and CenturyLink. Satellite providers will also experience subscriber loss as telcos continue to expand fiber footprints, leverage pricing on triple- and quad-play bundles, and offer advanced TV Everywhere products.” Parks Associates notes that while satellite and cable subscriptions in the US have plateaued, operators such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable are already shifting their messaging to emphasize their high-speed services.

Join us on November 14, 2012 at the Cynopsis Digital Video Measurement Summit in NYC. We’ve got some great speakers lined up, including executives from AOL, Adap.tv, comScore, My Damn Channel, Nielsen, Vuguru, and YouTube. You won’t want to miss it. REGISTER NOW.

FX has launched the FX Networks app for Windows 8 devices. Via the second-screen app, viewers can access relevant information tied to what they’re watching on FX, including exclusive short-form videos supporting the channel’s original shows. Other features include a programming schedule for FX’s lineup of movies and show-based hubs for each FX original TV series. Viewers can also keep track of and contribute to discussions on social services like Facebook, Twitter, and GetGlue regarding the FX programming they’re watching. The live social feeds on the app are available in two formats: Timeline and Cloud View.

Count NBC News as another media entity ready for the Windows 8 launch today. NBC News has launched a new app for the Windows 8 operating system, allowing users to access breaking news, analysis, videos, rich media graphics, and social media updates from the news-reporting operation. NBC News says stories are cached within the app so users can access them when they’re offline. Users can also personalize the news feed based on the categories they’re interested in, ranging from top stories of the day, politics, and world news to content from NBC News programs like Nightly News, Today, Meet the Press, and Rock Center with Brian Williams. There’s also a Decision 2012 section so users can keep track of the election frenzy over the next couple of weeks.

DailyCandy, a unit of NBCUniversal’s Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media, has launched DailyCandy Scout, a new photo-sharing app for iOS devices that lets users contribute local discoveries (“food, fashion, and fun”) while they’re on the go. The DailyCandy editorial team will be responsible for curating this crowdsourced content, while also programming new content for the app by launching multiple weekly “Scout Challenges.” DailyCandy plans on inviting “key marketing partners” to co-create these Scout Challenges. For example, launch partner H&M is promoting the “Scout That Street Style” challenge, which will award the person “with the keenest eye for capturing a candid fashion pose” a $500 shopping trip at the retailer. In addition, a group of over 80 designers, boutique owners, chefs, TV talent, entrepreneurs, and bloggers have agreed to contribute their own personal discoveries via the app, interact with other users, and participate in a series of content initiatives with DailyCandy. Collectively, they are referred to as the DailyCandy Scout Society.

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NOV 14 | Cynopsis: Digital Video Measurement Summit

Superb Networking Opportunity
Thought-provoking Sessions
Robust Panel of Speakers
Don’t Miss Out: REGISTER NOW

Silver Sponsors | Tremor Video & Yahoo!
Spotlight Sponsor | Videology
Media Partner | Ad Club of NY
Ad/Sponsorships? | Mike Farina.

Vox Media, the online publisher behind the sports-blogging network SB Nation and the consumer technology editorial The Verge, is now setting its sights on the video game industry. Polygon is the latest site from the publisher, tasked with covering all aspects of the $25 billion gaming industry, from the games and hardware to the people who make them and their cultural impact. Vod Media has signed up a solid cast of editors in advance of the launch, including the former Editor-in-Chief of Joystiq, Chris Grant; former Editor-in-Chief of Kotaku, Brian Crecente; and former Editor-in-Chief of The Escapist, Russ Pitts. Other staff additions include those from the likes of The Daily, IGN, and Videogamer.com.

As for the site itself, it features one of Sahil’s favorite things, responsive design, optimizing the site to the device/screen on which it’s accessed. The Polygon team has already been hard at work, publishing up to 50 stories and videos every day on The Verge in order to build an audience in advance of the site going live. If you want to more insight into how/why this site came into being, Vox Media produced a 13-part original documentary, titled Press Reset, to chronicle just that.

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Later – Sahil
Sahil Patel, Associate Editor for Cynopsis Digital
10.26.12

Denise O’Connor: Group Publisher, Media Entertainment
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JOB OPENING: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/Travel Channel/Chevy Chase: Creates & develops new original programming. Manages all aspects of original commissioned productions. Maintains and evolves ongoing series. 6 yrs exp. Click here to apply (10/31)

JOB OPENING: VP, BRAND CREATIVE/A&E TV/NY: Mng all creative work that represents the A&E & Bio brands incl. writing/producing all net brand creative. Min 8 yrs exp in creative exec role in media co. Apply: www.aenetworks.com/careers.html (10/30)

JOB OPENING: ABC RESEARCH CONSULTANT/ABC Burbank, CA: TV and digital media research exp, Solid computer skills, organized & detail oriented, college degree required, please contact [email protected] (10/30)

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JOB OPENING: INT’L SALES REP/NY: Multimedia co. seeks energetic/driven ind. to license content to int’l ntwrks & operators worldwide. +7yrs int’l sales exp. req. pref. in media ind. Sports bckgrnd a +. Res: Attn Rose [email protected] (10/27)

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