Instagram Now Has More Than 500 Million Monthly Users as Explosive Growth Continues (Ad Week)
Instagram has surpassed the 500 million monthly user mark. What’s remarkable about the feat is that Instagram has gained about 100 million users in the last nine months. What’s more, the social platform has gained about 200 million users in the last year and a half.
It looks like all the money Amazon is spending on streaming video is starting to pay off (Recode)
Jeff Bezos says Amazon Video could be really big someday. It’s not there yet. But it is getting bigger. No one outside of Amazon knows how many people are streaming video from Amazon or how much video they are streaming. But industry observers do have a proxy: The internet usage numbers provided by Sandvine.
Twitter is making a huge video push — and tweaking Vine’s six-second limit in the process (Recode)
There are a lot of places you can go on your phone to watch videos — Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat are a few popular options. Twitter wants to join that group. So Twitter is rolling out a few significant changes in the hope that users will watch (and create) more video content.
NAB: Spectrum Auction Should Not Delay Broadcast Deregulation (Broadcasting & Cable)
As FCC chair Tom Wheeler prepares to circulate the FCC’s long-anticipated quadrennial ownership rule review, the National Association of Broadcasters is asking it to give broadcasters more regulatory room to be competitive, warning that the current spectrum auction and its impact on TV stations should not affect that effort.
Sen. Reid: Set-Top Plan Lacks Content, Privacy Protections (Broadcasting & Cable)
Senate minority leader Harry Reid has asked FCC chair Tom Wheeler to make sure that consumer privacy and program content are protected in the set-top box proposal. Wheeler has said they will be but has not convinced cable operators, many Republicans and some in his own party that his proposal to “unlock” the set-top will do so.
Study: Meteoric rise of mobile ads set to hit nearly $100B in 2017 (Media Post)
Global marketers are expected to spend $99.3 billion on mobile ads in 2017, overtaking the estimated $97.4 billion that will be invested in desktop advertising, Zenith reports. Mobile advertising will account for 58% of the entire advertising market by 2018. Ad Blocking In The U.S. Projected To Rise By Double Digits In 2016 (Media Post)
In its first forecast on ad blocking in the U.S., eMarketer found that more than 25% of Internet users will block ads this year. Even more alarming, ad blocking in the U.S. is projected to increase by double digits in 2016. In fact, in 2016, 69.8 million Americans will use an ad blocker, an increase of 34.4% over last year.
Media and Entertainment Meet The Internet Of Things (Media Post)
There appears to be a disconnect between media and entertainment companies and consumers using IoT products. At least that’s the conclusion of a new report by Ernst & Young focused on the impact of the Internet of Things on media and entertainment.
FireEye: China still spies on U.S. companies, but maybe less (Network World)
The US and China forged an agreement last year not to conduct cyber espionage against corporations, but it seems pretty likely that groups based in China have continued to do so. However, it might not all be the fault of the government there, according to a report from security company FireEye.
House Votes Down Bill to End ‘Obama Phone’ Subsidy (Inside Sources)
The House of Representatives voted 207-143 against legislation aimed at cutting off subsidies to help poor Americans buy mobile phone service under the FCC’s Lifeline program, otherwise known as “Obama phone.” House Republicans failed to pass the End Taxpayer Funded Cell Phones Act under suspension of the rules.
Dish Sues Tribune Over ‘Dump Dish’ Push (Variety)
Dish Network has filed a lawsuit against Tribune Broadcasting, accusing the broadcaster of deliberately spreading false statements about the satellite provider in the retrans fight that is now in its second week. Tribune’s 42 stations and WGN America cabler went dark on Dish on June 12 after the sides could not come to terms.
Online Startups Tackle Local News (TV News Check)
Some see a news hole left behind by the shrinking newsrooms of traditional city newspapers and alt-weeklies. Others want to woo smartphone-addicted millennial readers. They’re using newsletters and social media like Instagram to build an audience for their sites.
PORN AND FREE INTERNET SERVICE (Wet Machine- Commentary)
LinkNYC decided to install filters to block porn sites. Free access sites can block porn (or otherwise filter) no problem. Indeed, as others have observed in the past, free access sites (like coffee houses or libraries) do not count as broadband Internet access providers and free Internet access is not Title II broadband.