Category: Media Covergence

Cancel Culture–Harmful or Effective in Holding Our Fellow Celebrities Accountable?

On By Kirsten BeachIn Brand, Commercials, Diversity, Instagram, Media Covergence, Music, News Media, Social Media, Television, Twitter, Uncategorized, YouTubeLeave a comment

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For those who aren’t as familiar with what cancel culture is, canceling and cancel culture have to do with the removal of support for public figures in response to their objectionable behavior or opinions (which can include boycotts or refusal to promote their work.)

In late 2018, comedian Kevin Hart publicly stated he would be hosting the 2019 Oscars; an announcement that triggered intense public scrutiny regarding homophobic jokes and tweets he had previously put forth. While the backlash against Hart came from many different directions, a majority derived from the social media platform, Twitter. Although ‘cancel culture’ is not a new phenomenon, it is evident that it was brought to the forefront of American pop culture after Hart’s “canceling,” and has continued since.

With this idea of “canceling” in mind, the question many have is whether or not canceling is harmful or effective in holding these celebrities and public figures accountable.

Last night during the Oscars, Joaquin Phoenix gave a discursive speech in which he both criticized “cancel” culture and advocated for social justice while accepting the Oscar for best actor for his performance in “The Joker.” In his speech he said,

“I have been a scoundrel all my life, I’ve been selfish. I’ve been cruel at times, hard to work with, and I’m grateful that so many of you in this room have given me a second chance,” Phoenix said. “I think that’s when we’re at our best: when we support each other. Not when we cancel each other out for our past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow. When we educate each other; when we guide each other to redemption.”

Like Joaquin, many believe that cancel culture is merely harmful to society and those individuals being “canceled,” but, according to the article on Daily Toreador, many also feel that it’s unfair that celebrities can seemingly “get away” with hurting other people or making damaging and harmful statements, even after being canceled for a little while. At the same time, however, it is both concerning and detrimental that as a society, we perpetuate a culture of simply canceling someone instead of encouraging them to be better and holding them accountable in a constructive way (similar to what Joaquin said.)

I think we can all agree that public outrage against celebrities is expected and sometimes even justified in some cases, but is it possible that sometimes cancel culture can go too far? What do you think?

 

Sources:

http://www.dailytoreador.com/opinion/opinion-what-another-hostless-oscars-says-about-cancel-culture/article_b66c13f6-4ba0-11ea-ae0d-9fe86d0364ea.html

Joaquin Phoenix Criticizes Cancel Culture in Oscars Acceptance Speech

They’ve Gotta Have Us

On By David SonIn Diversity, Marketing, Media Covergence, National coverage, Netflix, Streaming, Television, UncategorizedLeave a comment

A new documentary series on Netflix has just been released yesterday. It takes a deep dive into understanding how African-Americans were portrayed in media entertainment. Ever since the #Oscarssowhite movement that took place around five years ago, anti-discriminatory notions have taken over social media. With African-Americans feeling they have not been properly acknowledged for their part in the movie entertainment industry, They’ve Gotta Have Us looks into how the perception of having people of color in films has changed.

This documentary series discusses the effects having African-American cast members had earlier in the movie industry. The idea that having people of color in movies would result in less sales and less popularity across seas is changing. Notable African-American films are having major success such as Moonlight’s and Get Out. These films have changed the script for African American producers dreaming to make it big in the film industry. (“The color the really care the most about is green.”, Don Cheadle) The film industry will really change for what the people want.

Another highlighted point of this documentary is that having African Americans in front of the camera is not enough. More recognition has to be made for the African Americans who are also excellent producers and writers. Essentially, the directors and producers are the ones who call the shots. They make the big decisions and in order for African American people to be shown true appreciation, the people behind the cameras need their recognition.

With the growing number of streaming services, more creators of any color will have the opportunity to put their work out there.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/05/entertainment/theyve-gotta-have-us-black-movie-history/index.html

The Commercial That Stole The Show On Football’s Biggest Night

On By Kirsten BeachIn ads, Brand, Commercials, Data, Google, Marketing, Media Covergence, News Media, Search Engine, Social Media, Sports, UncategorizedLeave a comment

LorettaSuperBowlCommercial

It’s quite evident that football’s biggest night is the perfect opportunity for companies to persuade all who are watching to utilize/buy their products through the use of captivating commercials. In saying that, this year’s Superbowl had commercials that ranged from happy, to humorous, to serious/emotional, to completely strange and seemingly pointless.

To get a professional opinion on these commercials, KDKA sat down with Shannon Baker–the president of a local ad agency to get her opinion on which spots were the winners and the losers on football’s biggest night. Baker is president of the Gatesman Agency in Pittsburgh and has 18 years of experience in the ad business (so she knows a good bit about how companies and clients can accurately convey a message that resonates with audiences and further persuades them to either adopt an idea, utilize a software, or buy a product.)

According to Baker, she believes that if you craft a story that is short, tight, and memorable, it is going to make people feel something–which is critical to the success of the commercial.

She says Google set the bar very high with its emotional “Loretta” ad, and many others would agree. Millions of people were raving about the heartfelt tearjerking ad that was based on a true story. For those who didn’t get to see the commercial, it begins with a man typing into Google “how to not forget,” and then asking his Google Assistant device to show him photos of his late wife named Loretta. The man continues to ask Google to remember certain things about her, like the fact that she hated his mustache, loved going to Alaska, and always snorted when she laughed. In the end, Google recites all of the things the man had asked the device to remember. It closed out with the man saying, “remember I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

Overall, Baker and many others believe that Google set the bar very high with their ‘Loretta’ ad because not only did it tug on the emotional heartstrings of audiences, but it also marketed the product in a simple yet compelling way.

Sources:

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/02/03/ad-agency-super-bowl-commercial/

https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/unruly-ranks-google-tearjerker-loretta-as-the-most-effective-ad-of-super-bowl-2020/

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a30751020/super-bowl-google-commercial-ad-true-story/

Penn National Gaming Purchases Stake in Barstool Sports

On By Jared RohlfingIn Brand, Media Covergence, News Media, SportsLeave a comment

Penn National Gaming recently purchased a stake in the online media sports site Barstool Sports.  The purchase will make Penn the new official gaming partner for the next forty years. According to CNN, Penn purchased a thirty six percent stake in Barstool worth 163 million dollars.  The report states that the company will increase their stake in the company in the next three years. Penn National Gaming operates dozens of casinos and racetracks around the country so their presence in the gambling business is already quite substantial.  The Supreme Court in 2018 struck down the longtime ban on sports betting so the purchase overall makes sense and is not totally unexpected. Many companies in the industry are now beginning to expand their operations as sports betting is projected to hugely increase in its exposure nationwide.  

Barstool Sports in recent years has become a juggernaut in the sports media industry, becoming one of the dominant forces in the online community with their blog posts.  In their article covering the purchase by Penn, CNN made a great point that the purchase will begin to blur the line between sports media companies and the sports betting industry.  I found this article in particular to be interesting as I’ve witnessed over the past few years Barstool’s rise from an unknown blog site to one of the biggest media companies in the sports industry; specifically in its appeal to the younger demographic.  I also found it incredibly interesting that Penn will be Barstool’s official betting partner for the next forty years. This substantial amount of time, which I’m sure was done solely for legal purposes, shows that Penn sees tremendous value in Barstool as a brand because of this huge commitment. 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/29/media/barstool-penn-national-gaming/index.html

Being ‘Visible’ in the Media Has a Deeper Meaning for LGBTQ+ Individuals and Here’s Why:

On By Kirsten BeachIn Diversity, LGBTQ+, Movie, Netflix, News Media, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Within the past decade, we have seen tremendous progress being made to accurately represent LGBTQ+ individuals in the media, but even with that progress, we still have a ways to go until representation is equal across the board.

It is evident that social media has played a huge role in the increased acceptance and representation of the LGBTQ+ community–with trans and nonbinary representation in media and fashion growing tremendously (as evidenced by the success of breakout hits such as “Drag Race” HBO’s “Euphoria,” and Netflix’s “Pose”). In saying that though, things have not always been this way. Even just 15 years ago, LGBTQ+ individuals were very much ‘invisible’ in terms of media representation–with only a few accounts of gay and lesbian characters being depicted (often times not even in accurate ways.)

However, to further shed light on this evolution of LGBTQ+ depictions on television, comedian Wanda Sykes and actor Wilson Cruz executively produced a 5-part docuseries called ‘Visible: Out on Television’ that will launch on February 14th on Apple TV Plus. Sykes and Cruz said that they created this series to act as a testament to how LGBTQ people and their allies harnessed TV to tell the community’s stories.

Best known for his roles as ‘Dennis’ in 13 Reasons Why and Dr. Hugh Culber in Star Trek: Discovery, Cruz said, “It’s through television that we got to tell the entire society and our own culture what our lives are really like. Because of that amount of authenticity, we were able to move the needle to acceptance.” With that being said, visibility in the media has a much deeper meaning for those who are apart of the LGBTQ+ community, and we as a society should push to make sure their representation (along with other marginalized groups) continues to be made apparent in the media.

 

Sources: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/out-television-tracks-evolution-lgbtq-portrayals-n1119401

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/decade-lgbtq-pop-culture-visibility-stalled-political-progress-ncna1108786

How NBC’s Strategy For Their New Streaming Service, ‘Peacock’ Sets Them Apart From Other Streaming Services

On By Kirsten BeachIn Brand, Data, Marketing, Media Covergence, Streaming, Television, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Screen-Shot-2020-01-16-at-3.37.57-PM

NBC Universal has some exciting things coming this year, with the most notable being the official launch of their new streaming service ‘Peacock.’

For those who haven’t heard of ‘Peacock,’ it’s NBC’s new streaming service that is set to launch of July 15th, 2020. ‘Peacock’ was named after the logo of NBC and is an American over-the-top subscription video on demand streaming service.

The majority of us utilize streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu to stream originals on each platform or catch up on missed shows, but did you know that ‘Peacock’ offers something that those rival companies haven’t made available yet?

NBC Universal will offer 3 different tiers for ‘Peacock,’ with the first tier being free (it will make the majority of its money from advertisements,) the second tier offering more content and only some advertising for 4.99 a month, and the final tier that will be 9.99 a month with no advertising. Although this tier system differs from that of other streaming platforms, what really sets ‘Peacock’ apart from other platforms is the fact that they don’t want consumers cancelling cable–instead, they want Peacock to be a supplement product.

In saying this, NBC Universal plans to offer ‘Peacock’ Premium for no additional charge to cable subscribers because of the fact that they don’t want you canceling cable or replacing cable. It’s evident that streaming products do have the ability to replace the cable bundle, but NBC Universal’s strategy hedges this outcome by building something that could one day operate as the company’s primary source of content distribution while also marketing it as an add-on service that’s free to many people. If this happens, the question is whether NBC Universal can turn ‘Peacock’ into a vehicle that generates more revenue-per-user than the cable bundle for the same amount of subscribers — today (while keeping costs the same or lower).

Netflix acquires Nickelodeon deal to compete with Disney+

On By Chris ColeIn Consumer behavior, Content Restriction, Media Covergence, Netflix, Partnerships & CopyrightLeave a comment

As the war for streams starts to become more crowded, Netflix decides to change the game with a production deal, valued at 200$ Million dollars, with Nickelodeon. According to the New York Times, Netflix announced its partnership with Nickelodeon a day after the release of Disney+; a very strategic move to stir conversation and try to shift focus. Children’s media has always been a huge market for media companies, and now that Disney has their own streaming service, the ante is raised to a new level.

Disney owns the rights to the content that millions of children, young and old, grew up loving and watching. Many consider Disneyworld to be the place where dreams come true and often referred to in moments of celebration. How can a streaming service compete with that? Netflix responded with a network that is just as important in the lives of young children; Nickelodeon. Its genius because they can now produce shows with characters like Spongebob Squarepants, Danny Phantom, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jimmy Neutron and Timmy Turner, etc. which is huge for many people because these some of these shows still air today and there is still the sentimental aspect of these shows that lives within multiple generations. Since these shows aired in the late ’90s to early 2000s, the ages that can connect to these shows will vary between children, teens, and young adults. According to the article, Brian Robbins, Nickelodeon’s president said, “Nickelodeon’s next step forward is to keep expanding beyond linear platforms, and our broader content partnership with Netflix is a key path toward that goal”.

It’s interesting that Viacom, the company that owns Nickelodeon, decided not to create their own streaming service. They certainly have enough shows given that they also own MTV and BET. However, this is a good choice because it allows Nickelodeon to test the waters, so to speak and Netflix is already an established streaming service, which is less work for them as opposed to starting a new streaming platform in the midst of a bunch of other streaming services releasing. Netflix will continue to create and produce original animated feature films and television series based on Nickelodeon’s mass library of characters, with the opportunity to create new characters. I am excited to see the adventures that Spongebob and Timmy Turner will go on now that they have a new company writing their stories.

Apple TV+ Movie “The Bankers”

On By Chris ColeIn Media Covergence, Streaming, TwitterLeave a comment

A few days ago Apple released their trailer for their new movie entitled, “The Banker”. The movie is based on the story of two African American businessmen, Bernard Garrett and Joe Morris, and follows their aspirations of starting a banking empire. Unfortunately, due to societal setbacks, the pair had to employ a working-class white man named Matt Steiner (Nicholas Hoult) to pose as the face of their operation. Mackie and Jackson teach Steiner how to socialize with other rich white men and create deals they can’t due to their skin color. According to HYPEBEAST, The Banker will serve as Apple TV+’s first original film and Oscar contender. Many Marvel fans are excited to see Anthony Mackie (Falcon) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) as the leads in this movie. As a fan of both actors and a fan of the story, I hope that this film is historically accurate and not merely based on the outline of the story; two black men buy a bank. I say all of this because recently another black biopic was released, Tubman, which was very loosely based on the story of Harriet Tubman. The only thing that was true in the movie was that there was a woman named Harriet Tubman… most of the characters on the screen and the conversations depicted were fabricated. This angered me because Harriet Tubman was an amazing woman who lived an extraordinary life. The movie that came out about her did more of an injustice to its audience by not framing the story around the truth. Given the problems with race that we have today. and have always had, it is important to see the world and its history for what it truly is. For those excited to see the Banker, make sure you check it out when it releases in theaters on December 6 and will release on Apple TV+ in January.

Roku stock jumps 10% as company adds Apple TV app

On By Alexa SouthardIn Media Covergence, StreamingLeave a comment

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/15/roku-stock-jumps-10percent-as-company-adds-apple-tv-app.html

Image result for roku images

The media company Roku is experiencing a rise in stocks after the release of an Apple TV application available on their streaming device. This speaks volumes to the influence Apple has as a media company as well, and how highly anticipated their Apple TV+ streaming service may be.

The streaming service will be available Nov. 1st, and at a lower subscription price than its competitors. Based on the jump in stock when Apple TV was added to Roku, it is obvious Apple and Apple TV are popular and valuable to the growth of companies that it converges with, showing the dominance Apple has in the media market.

Because of this, Roku will be experiencing a rising in popularity, as other media outlets predicted either way. Roku is an affordable and practical way to consume media via television, and to be able to access all of your subscription platforms. The device and its partners allow for convenient viewing via online streaming.

It will be interesting to see the outcome of Apple TV+ release, and the impact it has on other streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu, and how it affects the purchasing of streaming devices like Roku. The release is right around the corner, so we will be able to see the market trends and result very soon.

Roku buys Dataxu for 150 Million: The Strive to Become the Top OTT Platform Through DSP

On By William HauserIn Media Covergence, Streaming, TechnologyLeave a comment

roku-acquire-dataxu-CONTENT-2019-600x315

Image by: Getty Images, Roku, DataXu

Over-the-top media services (OTT) are a growing form of media consumption platforms that offer users the ability to stream media directly over the internet. OTT media service giants such as Amazon Fire TV and Roku have competed to be the top platform for years in a growing world of streaming consumption.

Roku recently has shocked the industry buying the DSP, Dataxu, a marketing company that helps media professionals use data to improve their advertising. Dataxu goes off their company mission which is “Our software empowers you to connect with real people across all channels, including TV, capturing consumers’ attention when and where it matters most” (Dataxu)

The deal between the merger consisted of a 150 million in cash/stock deal. Roku intends with this deal to be able to use the data/marketing company to better be able to compete with other major OTT platforms like Amazon Fire TV who currently claims north of 34 million users. Roku has around 30.5 million users as of the summer of 2019, but one key feature has set Amazon Fire TV and Roku apart. Amazon currently has its own Demand-side platform (DSP) which is a system that allows buyers of digital advertising inventory to manage “multiple ad exchange and data exchange accounts through one interface” (Wikipedia).

As Amazon Fire TV has begun to allow video publishers to sell advertising through their own DSP, Roku hopes to use their newly acquired DSP, Dataxu, as a media-planning tool to help optimize their business outcomes since the software provides marketers with an automated self bidding, and self-serve platform for managing advertising campaigns.

Roku will not only now be able to compete more strongly with other OTT media services with Dataxu as as Demand-side platform to help them drive their number of users, but also receive profit from Dataxu’s current users all over the world.

Acquisitions such as these put an emphasis on the idea of media convergence as well as the importance of media companies to be innovative and involved in marketing/advertising technology, an area in which most of these giants make their revenue off of. Instead of integrating their own Demand-side platform like Amazon, Roku raised the stakes of the game by buying one to not only help their growing media service platform, but increase company profit/share in the technology realm significantly.

Sources:

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/342311/roku-buys-dsp-dataxu-for-150-million-in-cashstoc.html

https://www.adweek.com/programmatic/streaming-service-roku-acquires-dataxu-150-million/