A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM VIDEOLOGY

Cynopsis: DIGITAL
04.23.13

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, April 23, 2013, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

Netflix’s Q1 numbers are in, and the company reports that it now has 29.17 million subscribers in the US alone — that’s 2 million more than the number of subscribers the streaming video provider had at the end of 2012. Globally, Netflix reports more than 36 million subscribers, an addition of 3.05 million new customers when compared to the end of 2012/previous quarter. The company’s net income during Q1 was $2.6 million on revenue of $1.02 billion, the first time it’s topped the billion-dollar mark.

In other words: You have to wonder how much of an impact House of Cards had on the subscriber total (at press time, Netflix’s earnings call had not begun, though it’s very unlikely the company divulges specific data on how many people watched the show). The show premiered during the middle of the quarter (February 1), and Netflix put a lot of money and effort behind promoting the show to subscribers and non-subscribers. In a statement, Netflix said: “We believe the value of our original series in driving acquisition and retention improvements will be borne out as we add more seasons of already popular shows like House of Cards and further series. Harry Potter was not a phenomenon in book one, compared to later books in the series.”

CNBC Digital has launched the CNBC Digital Workshop, a production studio that will develop and produce original video programming for CNBC Digital properties (including CNBC.com) and its content partners. With the launch of the production studio, CNBC Digital has also unveiled four new web series:

• 3 to Watch: A daily “after bell” show hosted by CNBC Markets Reporter Josh Lipton. He will identify three stocks to keep an eye on during the following day’s trading session.
• Hacking America: A weekly Friday round up hosted by CNBC Senior Correspondent Scott Cohn and CNBC Washington Correspondent Eamon Javers. The show will cover the “global fight against cyber-terrorism.”
• Chew & Brew: Weekly series featuring CNBC Reporter Jane Wells discussing the “latest and greatest epicurean delights” and covering companies in the space.
• The Puppets Can Hear You: Puppets will reenact comments overheard in Wall Street elevators (inspired by the popular @GSElevator Twitter account).

Scripps Networks Interactive plans to unveil a new video site called ULive.com, which will offer access to the company’s television programming as well as original content produced exclusively for the web. As first reported by VideoInk, content on ULive.com will be available across five categories: Travel, Home, Food, Parenting, and Wellness. The company is also apparently looking for “digital natives,” online celebrities/influencers who have managed to build a large following on social media sites like Twitter, or have already launched a successful web series. The site is targeted for a June launch and might be ad-supported, according to the report.

HuffPost Live is programming a week of college-themed content and discussions as part of “HuffPost Live College Week 2013.” Beginning today and running through this Friday, the streaming network will bring in students and professors from various universities as well as other experts to discuss issues and topics relevant to students and college life. Each day will be themed: Tuesday will focus on social life, including discussions on substance abuse, hazing, sexism, and sexuality; Wednesday will cover academic life, including the value of a degree and on-campus activism; Thursday will deal with “real life,” including conversations on debt, post-grad unemployment, and higher education elitism; and Friday will be more open-ended as the students will decide which topics they want to tackle.

IFC has launched a new five-part web series called Maron In Space. Produced by Funny or Die, the series stars comedian James Adomian as Marc Maron, a fellow comedian and host of one of the most popular comedy podcasts on the web. Adomian’s portrayal of Maron is as the captain of the Starship Maroner, commanding a crew through space while fighting off an enemy ship called The Hive. All five episodes are available on IFC.com right now. The show is created and written by Adomian and John Roy, and co-directed by Chris VanArtsdalen and Jefferson Dutton, two members of the sketch comedy group The Birthday Boys, which has a TV series premiering on IFC later this year. The launch of Maron In Space will lead into the debut of a new scripted comedy series, Maron, starring the actual Marc Maron. The comedy will premiere on IFC next Friday, May 3, at 10pm ET/PT.

Tribeca Enterprises and Maker Studios have launched a new short film called Wrecked on YouTube. The film, about a fighter pilot who crashes in the desert, stars Maker talent KassemG and Arron Shiver (Boardwalk Empire), and is written and directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead, the duo behind last year’s Tribeca Film Festival entry, Resolution. Wrecked is part of Picture Show Originals, a new video series on the Picture Show YouTube channel, which will host content co-developed by Tribeca and Maker’s roster of YouTube. Other series on the YouTube channel include: Really Fast Films, a monthly documentary series that follows writer/director/actor Michael Gallagher as he tries to create a short film in 48 hours; The Bigger Picture, a weekly playlist of movie trailers, clips, and how-to videos; Remix the Movies, a bi-weekly series providing alternative takes on iconic cinematic moments; and Picture Show Presents, a bi-weekly series from Tribeca’s Head Short Film programmer Sharon Badal, who curates interesting short films for the audience to watch.

Driver Digital, a producer and distributor of video programming for women, kids, and tweens, will syndicate web series from its Just Her Network across Meredith Corporation’s 14 websites, including BHG.com and Parents.com. Driver Digital’s web series, including Project Nursery, The Recipe Box, Baby Names, Growing Wisdom, and FullyRawKristina have pulled in more than 6.5 million views to date on YouTube and an array of sites and blogs the content is distributed to. They will join Meredith’s growing digital video portfolio, which currently features over 7,000 videos. The deal is a part of Meredith Digital’s planned commitment to offer more than 2,000 original videos to its users this year.

Outdoor Channel has inked a multiyear TV Everywhere pact with Comcast to distribute its lineup of outdoor/lifestyle programming to Xfinity On Demand, Xfinity.com/TV, and the Xfinity TV Player app. “We are proud to broaden our affiliation through this premier partnership with Xfinity TV from Comcast, as this marks the first-ever TV Everywhere agreement in the outdoor genre,” said Tom Hornish, President and CEO of Outdoor Channel, in a statement. As usual, all Outdoor Channel content will be available to Xfinity TV customers who have authenticated their account and subscribe to Outdoor Channel as part of their cable package.

Cartoon Network is bringing back Annoying Orange for a second season, which will debut on Thursday, May 16 at 7:30pm ET/PT. Originally a massively successful web video property (over 1 billion views on YouTube), The Collective (owner of Collective Digital Studios) developed a TV show version of Annoying Orange, which debuted on Cartoon Network last year. The first season of the show pulled in close two million viewers for every premiere episode. The second season brings back the regular voice cast and will feature guest voice turns from the likes of Rainn Wilson, Olivia Munn, Gilbert Gottfried, David Cross, Jack McBrayer, and Maria Menounos.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

WPP’s 24/7 Media is partnering with online ad solutions provider TripleLift to help brands extend the life of their paid display ad campaigns by driving engagement and traffic via earned social media campaigns. The partners are initially offering three products: 24/7 SociAble, a social retargeting solution that allows brands to reach users based on the brands’ images and products those users have engaged with on social platforms; Adlift, which dynamically overlays a social sharing button on an ad unit without modifying the creative; and Imagelift, which identifies branded images that are generating the most interest online and in the social sphere and then dynamically inserts that image into the brand’s creative. The three products are available through 24/7 Media’s two divisions: Real Media Group and Media Innovation Group.

The IAB has created the Traffic of Good Intent Task Force, which will look to weed out inefficiencies in the digital ad ecosystem by addressing the issue of “non-intentional traffic.” Per the IAB, non-intentional traffic is visits to publishers that occur without knowledge of the user, or is driven by non-human actors such as automated bots. The Task Force will raise awareness of the issue and offer insights and recommended solutions, according to the IAB.

CBS has purchased a minority stake in Syncbak, a company that uses location-based authentication technology to enable local TV stations to stream content to in-market consumers. Other investors include the NAA and CEA. CBS says it expects to use Syncbak’s technology for the network’s owned and affiliated TV stations. The broadcaster also says it will work closely with advertisers, rights-holders, and its cable, satellite, and telco partners “in the coming months and years” as the Syncbak technology is activated and deployed. Syncbak will continue to make its technology, which is currently being tested by more than 100 TV stations in 70 markets nationwide, available to other broadcaster networks and station groups.

Jim Baldwin, VP/Engineering at Intel Media, has left the company. Intel Media told GigaOM that it was to “pursue opportunities outside the company,” though GigaOM noted that Baldwin’s updated LinkedIn profile simply read “retired” as his current job. Intel Media is currently hard at work on a web-based pay-TV service, which it hopes to debut by the end of the year.

Reality TV production company Good Clean Fun has hired Matthew Wrablik as its new VP/Development. He will develop characters and formats in traditional and new media to create original reality programming. Good Clean Fun is the company behind Style’s Tia & Tamera, and two new series, Mountain Movers on National Geographic and Glam & Gold on WE tv.

USA Today Sports has launched For The Win, a new social news/content site that also serves as the first product incubated by the USA Today Sports Media Group’s Digital Properties unit. The goal of the site is to create easily shareable content by tapping into what’s trending in the world of sports. The site was created and is managed by Mark Pesavento and Jamie Mottram (creator of the Yahoo sports blog network). The staff at For The Win includes editorial talent from BuzzFeed, The New York Times, ESPN, and Yahoo Sports, among other well-known outlets. Right Guard has signed on as the site’s launch sponsor.

While we’re on the topic of social content and sports, Sqor is a new site that will look to connect famous athletes with fans. Developed by the Virtual Fan Network, the site aggregates sports content from social networks like Twitter and Facebook as well as sports publishers such as ESPN and Sporting News, and combines it with original videos from the athletes themselves. As it gears up for launch, Sqor has brought in future Hall of Famer Brett Favre to provide video commentary on the upcoming NFL Draft. On Thursday, April 25, Favre will evaluate the top of the NFL Draft. Currently in beta, Sqor will eventually be available on iOS and Android devices.

Later – Sahil
Sahil Patel, Editor for Cynopsis Digital
04.23.13

Roberta Caploe: Editorial Director
Denise O’Connor: Group Publisher, Cynopsis Media
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group

Cynopsis Ad Sales: Mike Farina | VP Sales & Marketing | 203-218-6480
Classifieds Sales: Trish Pihonak | Director of Operations & Content | 888-702-3858

To subscribe to any Cynopsis edition(s) click here.
To unsubscribe from this edition, click here.

Cynopsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here.

JOB OPENING: ACCT MGR/NYC: Bilingual Spanish AE to dvlp new biz for ad sls @ client & agcy lvls on all SXM channels, incl Latino. Own sls process from pitch to close & acct mgmt thru-out campaign. Some travel. [email protected] (4/30)

JOB OPENING: DIG. MKTG MGR/MTV INTEGRATED MKTG/NYC: Conceptualize digital and convergent mktg opps in response to RFPs & to proactively take to mkt. 5 yrs exp mktg w/major brands as a client or partner. More info/apply here (4/30)

JOB OPENING: MGR, DIG MKTG, USA Network/NYC: Dev & execute Digital/360 Ad Sales Mktg.Research Knwlge: ComScore, Neilsen, Omniture. Dig media plan/buy acumen. Adv PPT skls. 5+ yrs mktg TV/agncy exp www.nbcunicareers.com (9791BR) (4/27)

JOB OPENING: SALES DIR WO NETWORK/NY: Exp selling to large cable nets, solid understanding of plan’g/buying/stewardship & systems that support this. Sftware sales exp is a +. Must be in tri-state area. Apply here (4/27)

JOB OPENING: POST PROD SUPV/ PROMO PRODUCER/NY: Min 12 yrs TV Network exp. Support network programming/ Manage team Sports background a plus. Send res and cov ltr Attn: Rose to [email protected] (4/27)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST SR (TV/MEDIA RSCH)/OUTDOOR CHANNEL/TEMECULA,CA: Compile, anlyz ratings data; metrix/anlytx; make recomndtns; expert Excel; deg & 3-5 yrs resch exp TV/cbl/brdcst. Apply: www.outdoorchannel.com/Employment (4/27)

JOB OPENING: MGR-PARTICIPATION & RESIDUALS/IFC Films/NY: PT position, manage participation reports for all P&Ls, residual processing, primary guild contact, 4-7 yrs exp accounting. Click here (4/27)

JOB OPENING: SR PROD/HISTORY Digital/A+E/NY: write/edit/prod plus out-sourcing feature and news articles for cross-platform distr.; 4+yrs writing exp/editing & prod for dig. Outlet. – BA/BA degree in History and/or English or related. Apply: here (4/26)

JOB OPENING: CREATIVE ART DIR/A+E/NY: Lead dig. design team to strategize, concept & oversee brand mngmnt, creative dir & redesigns. Mng all of phases of creative work. 8+yrs exp & portfolio showcasing web, mobile, social, app solutions. Apply: here (4/26)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS/NESN/Watertown, MA: Lead/mng the network’s brdcst operations including studio, master control, prod & remote operations, and media assets. To apply: https://home.eease.com/recruit/?id=4513951 (4/26)

JOB OPENING: DIR, MEDIA RELATIONS/CABLEVISION/BETHPAGE, NY: Background in conv./modern media rel, interest in tech, knowledge of cable industry. 5-7 yrs exp, strong writing skills. Apply here (4/26)

JOB OPENING: WRITER/PRODUCER/iN DEMAND/NYC: Write, rough edit & produce through post prod process promos & marketing campaigns. Bachelors & 2-3 yrs industry exp. Apply: [email protected] (4/26)

JOB OPENING: MGR Devel/PROD/Discovery/MD: Dynmc idea genratr, exp in biz of devel/deal mking process. Confid/effctve cmnctr, take pitches/rprsnt dept., dvl ntwk cont. Suprts EPs. 5 yrs agncy/ntwrk exp, strng indstry cntcts: Apply here (4/26)

JOB OPENING: MGR-DIGITAL MEDIA & TECH/Sundance/NY: 5-7+ yrs. exp web tech & PM. PM site dvt., knwlg WordPress, HTML, PHP & CSS. Res here (4/26)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR WRITER/PRODUCER/Sportsman Channel/NY: Highly creative/innovative thinker. Strong writer with a keen eye. 6+ yrs exp in TV promotions dept or agency. Apply here (4/26)

JOB OPENING: DIR MEDIA RELATIONS/FX/LA: Resp: planning & implementation of PR campaigns, launch of new shows, cultivate Media support & awareness. 5+yrs Media/PR exp (Network/Studio) http://goo.gl/PK1Zu (4/26)

JOB OPENING: KIDS DEV & CURRENT EXEC/AMAZON STUDIOS LA: Develop 11 & 22 min programs for online and traditional dist. Past dev/current experience required. Strong network of writers/artists pref. [email protected] (4/24)

JOB OPENING: DIR AD SALES OPS/TENNIS CHANNEL/LA: Lead/Mnge a staff resp for execution of ad sales ord, traffic, on-air promo sched’g/log creation. Live, sprts prog environ. BA & 7+yrs exp TV ad sales ops w/3+ yrs mgmt/sprvsry exp. [email protected] (4/24)

JOB OPENING: COUNSEL/IFC&SUN/NYC: Negotiate material deal terms, draft/finalize agreements relating to daily ops of IFC, Sundance for pilot/series agreements for script & non-script prgrmng, film, dig. Dist. etc. Submit res http://tinyurl.com/chmcnwh (4/24)

JOB OPENING:  MANAGER, PR/SUNDANCE/NYC: Develop, implement PR strategies, publicity campaigns, etc for Sundance. Handle programming, digital, mktng initiatives & events. 3+ yrs PR exp. Submit res http://tinyurl.com/blcdomx (4/24)

JOB OPENING: SUPERVISING PROD/Discovery/MD: Passionate inventive thinker/envelope pusher w/ new ideas to keep vetrn shows fresh, strng story/editorial chops. Thrives w/in a close creative team, gifted prblm solver, 6 yrs exp. Apply (4/24)

INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free, and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at [email protected].

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED… There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad… for more information contact Trish Pihonak at [email protected].

SITUATION WANTED: NYC Based Former ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT at CBS and Customer Service Rep seeks entry-level position. Degrees in TV Production and Media. Knowledge of linear editing and social media. Contact: [email protected] (4/30)

E-mail [email protected] or call Trish Pihonak at 888.702.3858 for rates and specs for Job Openings.

Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email [email protected] for specs.

Copyright Cynopsis 2013

All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free. Copyright Cynopsis 2013