Category: Streaming

Twitch opening doors to more diverse content

On By William StroughIn Consumer behavior, Streaming, Technology, Video GameLeave a comment

Twitch.tv, a mostly video game streaming service, is opening up its platform for more than just gaming. The platform that saw over three months 2.7 billion hours of content being viewed by users is far and above the largest streaming platform right now for video games. At peak times more than a million people in just a single category but twitch is looking for how to create a more diverse platform than just gaming. 

At the annual twitch con, which is held in San Diego every year, it was announced that twitch would start creating more categories and avenues users can upload and explore other than gaming. Their new slogan “You’re already one of us.” exemplifies the new mindset of twitch that anyone even you can be apart of the community twitch has created. New talk-shows where users can share anything they want without having to play a game or using the platform to help inform people. This past year, the Great National Debate was released on twitch. Produced by the French government, they streamed for more than 10 hours of debates to reach the young audience of twitch in a way the audience would never find out about any other way. 

Twitch has even entered the sports market with partnerships with Major League Baseball and National Football League. Twitch users can stream the game hosted by streamers in their browser and have a direct chat with the broadcaster. Something non existent in sports broadcasting today. Users can ask questions, interact with each other, and interact with the broadcasters and creates a community while watching sports. This interactivity does not seem to be going anywhere with the advances in technology and could very well be the future of how we receive and interact with the content available to us.

“Disney is mining nostalgia to make Disney+ a success”.

On By marlaynebIn Consumer behavior, Media Covergence, Partnerships & Copyright, StreamingLeave a comment

Disney+ Showcase Presentation At D23 Expo Friday, August 23Article and Image: https://www.engadget.com/2019/09/25/disney-plus-nostalgia-play/

This article is written by Edgar Alvarez of Endgadget. The article discusses the content available on Disney’s new streaming service and how they’re gathering a very large following of people who would use their platform. Alvarez discusses how Disney is sealing the deal to make their platform a huge success and lock in the views. He says Disney is doing this by ensuring all of their content is available to watch. They struck a deal with Pixar and will have every Pixar movie on Disney+ along with every Marvel movie and Lucasfilm productions. Alvarez quotes, “Never [has so much of] our content been previously available, whether you’re nostalgic for your childhood favorites or simply need Baby Groot”. By November 12th, Disney+ will offer over 500 feature films and more than 7,000 show episodes. The other way Disney is attracting even more audiences by rebooting their old TV shows, they rebooted That’s So Raven and just released the promotional clips for their new show Lizzie McGuire, a reboot of their show by the same title from 2001.

I found this article interesting because Disney has a very interesting marketing scheme. They understand the power they have and how much they can produce and their expansive library. By rebooting these d-comm classic shows, they are appealing to millennial’s and gen-z’s. Along with having all their movies from the past and their classic Disney princess films. While reading this article I even found myself thinking, “that’s a really good deal”, because they have so much content that their competitors won’t. They are successfully using nostalgia to sell their new platform because baby boomers will appreciate their nostalgia for Steamboat Willie and other classics, while Gen X, Y, Millenial’s, and Gen Z will appreciate the 90s classic films and the shows they grew up with. They have successfully created a platform every age group will enjoy, which is mind-boggling. It brings up the concern about any competitors although. How will independent artists get found? Will every show and filmmaker have to go through Disney to get their content out to the masses? It’s really interesting to see how competitive these platforms are going to get to ensure they have the most viewers. It also brings a fear about how limited entertainment will get with this much consolidation.

I’ve talked about Disney+ on this blog before but hearing more and more about how Disney+ will be the only streaming service a person needs and that is their goal, is very interesting. Alvarez also mentioned about how Disney might run into huge problems because the sheer scale of their content library might overwhelm their site. I too am curious to see how Disney+ will change Disney and streaming services since if one is to compete with Disney+, they probably have to own their own channel/content conglomerate.

Sony’s State of Play excites Gamers

On By Chris ColeIn Streaming, Technology, Video Game, YouTubeLeave a comment

Yesterday was a big day for video gamers as Sony held their State of Play press conference. State of Play is a video program that showcases all the latest updates, announcements and new trailers from PlayStation. State of Play allows fans and video game critics to watch the stream live on the official PlayStation Twitch, YouTube or Facebook channels. Many people were excited about yesterdays conference because Sony has been teasing an announcement regarding one of their biggest games, The Last of Us II. They teased this announcement by simply putting up promos for the State of Play conference with items that resembled weapons from the first, Last of Us, game. Fans were ecstatic to see a more in-depth trailer showcasing scenes from the story and were even more excited to see that the game is set to release in February of next year. Even though this seems a little far away, Sony has built up a lot of hype with their compelling and action-packed trailers. Other announcements during the conference was a PS4 Pro bundle deal including another big game title for the Playstation platform, Death Stranding. Death Stranding is starring actors Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen with writing and directing from Guillermo Del Toro and Hideo Kojima, a video game legend. Other announcements included a new trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and trailers for new games like Humanity and Wattam. Last but not least, Sony is remaking Medievil and Civilization 6 for the PlayStation platform. Hopefully this ‘end of the year’ press-push will get fans excited to participate in the video game world that Sony is creating for the near future.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/24/20882361/sony-state-of-play-ps4-announcements-trailers-the-last-of-us-release-date

Meet SoundCloud’s Rival Audius

On By khelt0In Consumer behavior, Music, Nielsen, Streaming1 Comment

SoundCloud has been one of the last free streaming services for music and a home for new and upcoming artists. Many artists have made their names public due to the exposure that they received on SoundCloud but that could change. Fan and musicians are sick of SoundClouds expensive hosting costs and their take downs. On the technical and interface side of things, the app and website are slow and lagging to many consumers so that is a concern as well. Audius is supposed to be the exact opposite of SoundCloud and it’s supposed to be a new home for artists and music lovers. It is said that the artists who put their content on Audius will be available to earn 90% of revenue earned. That alone will be a good incentive for some artist to consider putting some of their music on the platform. Another incentive will be that the platform can not take down music themselves.
I found the article interesting because I like competition. I like to hear about a company coming into the market that tries to knock out the top dog. I use SoundCloud occasionally, but because that it doesn’t have a lot of music that I want, in the right versions I tend not to use it as much. It will be interesting to see how many artists begin to make a switch from SoundCloud to Audius and also how many new artists will blow up from the new platform. Audius is incorporating cryptocurrency into the app as well which is new to me, but could be something that can be picked up in the near future if proven successful. https://apple.news/AEbZw042JRKWJjHHok3ut4w

Disney+ Headed Towards Streaming Service Launch Date: Now Offering Preorders

On By William HauserIn StreamingLeave a comment

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Image: Disney

As many await the arrival of a new streaming service era of media, companies such as Disney have been putting in new tactics to try to separate themselves from its competition. Many are familiar with streaming platform giants Netflix and Hulu which pushed the industry towards a “cord-cutting” environment. In other words many are leaving their traditional cable and satellite television packages and using streaming  services to access their favorite television series, movies, live TV, games, etc. Media companies such as the Walt Disney Corporation, WarnerMedia, and Apple have followed in the footsteps of this shift and are releasing their own streaming platforms in the next coming months.

Disney+ in particular, which is set to release on November 12, is gaining wide spread attention and could potentially become a top contending steaming platform in the industry. Recently the company announced that they will be offering a preorder promotion for the standalone app which includes a seven day free trial. The free trial will actually begin on the release date of the service and following that subscribers will pay a price of $6.99 a month ($69.99 per year)

The preview site advises those who want the app “as part of a $12.99-per-month bundle with Hulu and ESPN+ to wait until November 12 to sign up” (Disney+). This preorder and bundle reflects similar prices of other streaming services in the industry leaving it entirely up to the consumers the platform they wish to use and the content they feel as though they want to be paying a low monthly fee for.

Disney+ representatives believe their streaming service will have an edge in the field and attraction to new consumers because of the platform’s stress on “the best stories in the world from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.” Additionally, subscribers will have the capabilities of having unlimited downloads, simultaneous streaming on a maximum of four different devices, and up to seven profiles.

Disney+ is entering the streaming world in November confident that they will be part of the 2 to 3 monthly subscriptions that the average viewer is paying for each month as the cord-cutting shift grows stronger. Disney in particular compared to its competition also has a vast library of original content to offer that other services will not be able to have as contracts expire such as Disney Studios, 21st Century Fox, Marvel, Lucasfilm, etc.

News stories such as Dinsey+ offering promotions like early preorders is just the beginning of the wave of options and outreaches to media consumers to try out new streaming platforms. For the past couple of years Hulu and Netflix have been the dominant streaming services in the industry but as their contracts run out for content from other media companies such as WarnerMedia and Disney, these companies are looking to dip their feet in the large profit as well.

The real question that remains is as households switch from cable to streaming for their media needs, how many subscriptions will they be paying a month and most importantly which platforms will they choose? Will streaming platforms work together and accept customers using multiple platforms or will they try to offer one entire package to fit all of a specific individuals needs?

Sources:

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/341144/disney-now-offering-preorders-7-day-free-trial.html

https://preview.disneyplus.com/

Stairway to Heaven Back in Court

On By William StroughIn Music, Technology1 Comment

Image result for Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin in London in 1968

Back in 2014 Led Zeppelin made the news, when the trustee of the band Spirit tried to sue Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin for stealing the opening of the song Stairway to Heaven. The case made national headlines across the country and in 2016 Plant and Page beat the case and did not have to pay any money. Cases of copyright infringement like these always bring attention to how complex and grey these laws are and how hard it sometimes is for these musicians. Big names like Katy Perry and Robin Thicke have had to pay multiple millions of dollars after being accused of copyright infringement but these laws are not easy to interpret. 

When listening to both songs, you can hear some resemblances but just sounding similar is not enough for a lawsuit. When you strip both songs down to their bare bones of just notes and melodies that is when you can make a judgement on whether one song copied the other. Cases like this shine light on how hard it is to make a call whether someone “stole” someone else’s work or used it for inspiration for their song. 

Looking towards the future of music and copyright law it seems like the area between the two keep becoming more and more grey. Artist since the dawn of time have used others for inspiration or cord and melodies that have been around for so long any musician can use them. The band Axis of Awesome brought showed that the same four chords are used in mostly all popular songs of the last decade but is not copyright infringement because those cords have been used forever and no one can own them. Using this mentality there could never be a copyright claim because music is constantly building on the works of others. This makes even the blatant theft of songs and melodies even harder to sue someone for. With new technologies coming out today this makes spotting a theft even easier for these bands and hopefully can help bands get the recognition they deserve.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/business/media/stairway-to-heaven-copyright-appeal.html#

Taking Plastic Straws and Making Records

On By marlaynebIn Environment, MusicLeave a comment

Article and Image: X

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In light of the climate change protest that happened on Friday, Bacardi spirits has teamed up with Lonely Whale to combat single use plastic straws. Their proposition? Taking old and used plastic straws and making vinyl records. Melissa Locker wrote this article and discussed how these two companies plan to create and produce these “vinyl’s”. Locker writes about how Major Lazer is one of the artists who will have their music pressed onto the limited-edition vinyl records in early December. She also mentioned that this weekend, Bacardi will set up a booth at a music festival in Las Vegas and show people their new idea. In November, 55 partnering bars will set up collection bins for straws and send them to Bacardi. It is Bacardi and Lonely Whale’s goal to rid the world of one billion single-use plastic straws by 2020.

What’s interesting about this article is the idea of up-cycling in a really creative way. Single use drinking straws have been a hot topic in the news for the past few months. Using reusable straws has become a very big craze because it’s a new way a person can reduce their carbon footprint in an immediate way. The idea of taking those straws and making records out of them is very innovative. Up-cycling is becoming more popular and even though many bars and restaurants use paper straws, it hasn’t stopped the issue fully. Taking the straws from the bars and making them something new is a good way to help the problem. I also find it interesting that vinyl records have become more popular in the past decade, so much so that Bacardi can create these records knowing that there will be a market for them. I think Bacardi is taking some positive steps to help resolve an issue that drinking straws have created. As mentioned, the cardboard straws aren’t the most favorable straw because they become soggy and hard to use after a short amount of time. Personally, I like this idea because it brings awareness to the issue drinking straws have created for the environment, while reminding people that there are creative ways to make something new out of single-use products. It helps to reinforce that one person’s trash can be another person’s treasure.

The new Apple TV Plus streaming service for children?

On By aalesanIn StreamingLeave a comment
Helpsters, Apple TV Plus

https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/18/20873176/apple-tv-plus-helpsters-ghostwriter-trailers-childrens-shows

Apple is coming out with a new streaming service on November 1st, 2019. The streaming service will charge $4.99 a month for their customers. They released two new trailers on children’s shows, Helpsters and Ghostwriter. Helpsters is made by the Sesame Workshop, this show is based on monster characters who help solve problems throughout the show! What is interesting about the show is that it is more based on computer programming which gives children an idea of coding.

Referring to Helpsters, I believe that it is a bit too early to introduce children to computer programming. Children should be learning more about letters and numbers, rather than the computer. It seems a bit controversial because of analysis on how computers, the Internet, and mediums can impact children negatively.

Ghostwriter, 2019

The other show, Ghostwriter, is based on children who teach reading and writing. This show is a PBS reboot, which is quite obvious because PBS does well with teaching kids in a way where technology isn’t involved. It also involves fictional characters in real life, which is a fun way to learn through a television screen.

With Disney+ coming out on November 12th, I am curious to see what will happen when Apple TV Plus and Disney+ are released. Both streaming services target children and it seems like there is going to be mass competition between the two streaming services.

Nike’s Political Commercial wins Emmy

On By Chris ColeIn Consumer behavior, Sports, Streaming, YouTube1 Comment

Nike’s “Dream Crazy” commercial wins an Emmy for “Outstanding Commercial” at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards Ceremony.  This is the first time since 2002 that a Nike commercial has won this award. There is much debate regarding Colin Kaepernick’s relationship with Nike. Many people fully support their collaborations because Kaepernick has become a symbol of justice and equal rights. While others, like President Trump, view him as an overdramatic, sub-par athlete. When this commercial came out the mixed reactions showed in Nike’s stock. According to CNBC, Nike’s stock closed the day after the ad’s release after dropping roughly 3.2%. Despite the drop in the stock market, Nike’s online sales saw a major spike. According to Edison Trends, a digital-commerce researcher, Nike product orders rose 27 percent a few days after the ad’s release. Many contribute this spike to the fact that many customers want to support a brand that speaks on political and social issues. Nike does just that and has made this image a key piece of their brand. They recently announced a pro-hijab campaign with dri-fit hijabs to wear while exercising. They have also been known to toss ideas if they are racially triggering. Nike has successfully branded themselves as trend setters and social innovators. Hopefully, Nike will continue this going forward as they continue to receive support from people of many different backgrounds across the world.

Picture Credits

HBO Max Snags The Big Bang Theory

On By grosso611In StreamingLeave a comment
The Meteorite Manifestation

The streaming wars have begun, and HBO Max just became a major contender. With every major media company launching a new streaming service, the battle to obtain IP has commenced. Just recently, Time Warner’s streaming service, HBO Max, announced it will feature all 279 episodes of The Big Bang Theory at its launch in the Spring of 2020. The streaming service will have a rumored starting price of $15.00 a month. However, TBS has confirmed it will continue to air the show until 2028.

While all the services are in a bidding war, Robert Greenblatt, the chairman of Warner Media, is very excited since The Big Bang Theory is one of the biggest show on broadcast television in the in the last decade globally. HBO Wow has also confirmed it will have Friends available to stream.

In the last week, many shows have been sold to a variety of streaming services. The Office, which was previously on Netflix, will be switch to Peacock, NBC Universal’s streaming service, while Netflix snagged Seinfeld, which was previously on Hulu.

I find this so interesting how all the streaming services are in a fight to gather as much IP as possible. The only frustrating thing for me is how much money all of these services are going to cost. While some argue that being able to pick and choose which streaming service to subscribe to is beneficial, I find it to be a burden. These services just feel like cable with less steps. With all that being said, I am excited to see who buys what and which streaming services will survive the war.

Article: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/hbo-stream-big-bang-theory-warnermedia-prepares-take-netflix-n1055276