Netflix Is Now a ‘Global TV Network’ After Launching in 130 New Countries (Ad Week)
Netflix has truly gone global. During a keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show, Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings turned on the streaming service in 130 countries, including Vietnam, Poland, Russia, India, Nigeria and South Korea. For comparison’s sake, Netflix was live in only 60 countries before.
TV Stations Eye Selling Spectrum Twice (Broadcasting & Cable)
Broadcasters who decide to put spectrum in the upcoming incentive auction could have the opportunity to sell it twice. Jan. 12 is the deadline for broadcasters to signal they are potentially putting spectrum in the auction and some of those broadcasters are busy figuring out what auction play makes the most sense for them.
VOD Ad Impressions Jump to 11B in 2015 (Broadcasting & Cable)
Demand for commercials in cable video-on-demand programming jumped last year, according to new data released by Canoe. Canoe, a joint venture of some of the largest cable operators, says it served up more than 11 billion viewed impressions in free VOD programming during 2015, up 75% from 6.3 billion ads in 2014.
Wheeler: Dingo Helped Drive Title II Interest (Broadcasting & Cable)
FCC chair Tom Wheeler gave HBO’s John Oliver credit for helping drive consumer interest and comment on new net neutrality rules. Wheeler said Oliver’s satirical jab got people interested in an issue with “real, live consumer impact,” taking the ultimate in arcane and making it into something that millions of people weighed in on.
FTC Head Calls for Greater Transparency on Data Collected by Internet of Things (Recode)
Amid the euphoria over connected devices at CES in Las Vegas, Federal Trade Commission Chair Edith Ramirez injected a note of caution. Ramirez said the proliferation of Internet-connected gadgets raises concerns about the personal information that is being collected, how it’s being used and whether it is adequately secured.
How the Daily Fantasy Sports Industry Turns Fans Into Suckers (NY Times- Commentary)
It’s a rapacious ecosystem in which high-volume gamblers, often aided by computer scripts and optimization software that allow players to submit hundreds or even thousands of lineups at a time, repeatedly take advantage of new players, who, after watching an ad, deposit some money on DraftKings and FanDuel and start betting.
How Online Video is Defeating Ad Blockers (Media Shift- Commentary)
Twenty-one billion dollars. Not a trivial sum. For clarity, this isn’t a holiday spending figure, either. This number represents the dollar amount in lost ad revenue last year alone. As the 2015 holiday season ended, some were referring to ad blockers as a modern day Grinch — a grumpy, dispirited character seeking to take from others.
As Virtual Reality Evolves, Firms Seek Well-Produced Content (Hollywood Reporter)
Well-produced content is “desperately needed” to help virtual reality take off. That’s the sentiment from Cliff Plumer, president of virtual reality firm Jaunt Studios and an alum of Lucasfilm, speaking at CES. “A lot of good technology is being developed. … But there’s a lot of bad virtual reality [content] out there,” the exec explained.
GROUPS ON FACEBOOK IN INDIA (The Hill)
Dozens of Internet rights groups are pressing Facebook to clean up its “unfounded and divisive” advocacy in India around Free Basics, the social media company’s program to offer limited Internet access for free. The groups believe the program is at odds with net neutrality.
GOOD BROADBAND NEWS FOR CONSUMERS BAD NEWS FOR FCC? (Tech Policy Daily- Commentary)
The 2015 Measuring Fixed Broadband Report contains much overwhelmingly positive data. ISPs deliver better average performance than advertised: you pay for 20 Mbps per month, and your ISP gives you speeds of 25 or even 50. That’s a nice surprise for consumers, and it contradicts the pervasive perception that ISPs under-deliver.
THE COMPLEXITY OF ‘RELEVANCE’ AS A BARRIER TO BROADBAND ADOPTION (Benton- Commentary)
The digital divide is a complex phenomenon that cannot be boiled down to a single issue. In doing so we have disregarded how the digital divide is much more. Part of the problem is how we have studied the digital divide. Often our approaches have not allowed us to examine multiple factors simultaneously.
Social Expands Media Reach, But TV Still Tops (Media Post)
Social media continues to expand its reach as a media vehicle. In its third-quarter media report, Nielsen says 156 million adult consumers engaged in social networking on a smartphone alone for an average week in the third quarter of 2015 — about 65% of the U.S. population. This amounts to a 13% increase from a year ago.
MLB reaches deal to stream baseball to China (USA Today)
What was the Commissioner of Major League Baseball doing at the world’s largest tech trade show? Rob Manfred attended CES to announce a three-year strategic partnership between the league and Le Sports in China, to stream America’s National Pastime live to fans in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau.