Google Unveils New Privacy Changes

On By grosso611In Google1 Comment

Google has just released its new privacy tools to help users hide their digital footprint online. In an attempt to maintain their user traffic, Google is now offering a bunch of new changes relating to Google maps, Password saves, and YouTube.

Storing Passwords, while convenient, is one of the main reasons people get hacked and their data becomes breached according to Google. In addition to that, an estimated 59% of people reuse or recycle old passwords, creating an increased risk of a data breach. In attempt to combat these bad practices, Google is now recommending its users to change their passwords and advising them to make definitive changes once they create one using Chrome.

Along with this heightened awareness towards stronger passwords, Google is now deleting past searches from its Google Assist extension on Chrome and Google Home devices. Google Assist, Google’s voice-functioned helper, similar to Alexa, will now automatically delete questions it was asked the week prior in an attempt to make users feel more secure when using it.

One thing that Google offers in their Chrome browser is an “incognito mode”, a mode that does not record your search history and does not track the websites you visit. Due to the success of this mode, Google has made a version for YouTube and Google Maps. Plans of releasing this for Android and IOS are also in the works to bring this mode to the applications.

While all of this seems nice, I think the reasoning behind these added functions is very interesting. I get the impression that Google only did this to make sure its users continue to use Google products instead of actually wanting to limit the data tracking. According to the article, a heightened awareness of tracking appeared when Apple updated its IOS and notifications appeared on a user’s iPhone. While I appreciate to idea, I still question if the incognito mode actually stops tracking all together. I think this trend of technology companies releasing modes that ban tracking is only going to become stronger as data becomes a more popular topic.  

Article: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/google-just-upped-its-privacy-game-will-allow-users-delete-n1061486

Instagram has removed it’s Following Tab, and Now, Users Cannot See The Activity of Accounts They Follow.

On By tuj52701templeeduIn Instagram, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Instagram has decided to remove it’s “following” tab, a feature which has become somewhat of a “stalking” tool. The original intent of the feature was to aid users in account discovery. Today, Instagram users find that the Instagram Explore tab has become much more useful at that, helping them discover new accounts, places and hashtags to follow. Instagram claims that the Following tab on the other hand was only used by only a small portion of its audience, and so, they removed the feature. With the tab gone, users are now only left with seeing activity which relates to their account.

The “Following” tab was notably associated with “micro-cheating” simply because it had the ability to confirm when someone in a committed relationship was spending too much time liking someone else’s posts (think some Instagram model), or even doing so much as engaging with the Instagram content of their Ex. The same dilemma could even be seen in contexts revolving friendships as well, simply because it could allow users to see what their friends were doing on the app. For instance, if a friend had sent you a text and you didn’t respond, they could see your activity under the “Following” tab, which could give suggest that you were lying to them, or you didn’t care enough to answer their text.

Gossip tabloids also were known to follow the tab, as it had the potential to reveal who celebs are engaging with the most, which could serve as an indication for determining the possible personal and professional relationships of celebs.

When I used it, I’d see what my friends were into and that’s pretty much it. I also liked the feature because I liked knowing that my friends could see the things I like and who I follow. Although I wasn’t actively using the following tab, I found pleasure in using it while bored.

Yet, in knowing of it’s existence, it made me put off liking certain things knowing that others could see it. And so, I find this to be somewhat good on my end of things.

If anything I feel like this could cause a little trouble for media businesses who use the tab to keep up with celebs as I can see how it may have served some convenience in this aspect of things.

https://www.wtap.com/content/news/Instagram-kills-Following-tab-called-a-stalking-feature-562676481.html

The Dark Side of Amazon Twitch

On By rachelshelley22In Uncategorized1 Comment

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/341818/amazon-twitch-used-to-stream-shooting-outside-syna.html

“A shooter outside a synagogue in Germany on Wednesday used Amazon Twitch to broadcast the killings on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews.” (MediaPost.com). This was the opening sentence for an absolutely horrifying article on Media Post’s website. The live video was 35 minutes long and streamed the killing of two people.

Twitch issued a statement offering condolences to families, witnesses, and others involved. Obviously, they have a policy against hateful conduct but the fact is that an app was used to broadcast an incident so terrible it can most likely never be forgotten by those who saw it. In addition to the statement, Twitch said that they were working hard to remove any accounts that could be associated with any hateful or terrorist content.

Twitch is mostly a home for gamers but essentially is a live-streaming app. In fact, in September, the company released a brand new advertising campaign emphasizing that Twitch is an “all-purpose live-streaming platform,” which moves away from the focus on a video gaming platform.

Facebook experienced a similar incident in 2019 when the massacre in New Zealand was streamed. These incidents are pretty much unable to be prevented. Streaming systems are designed to stream any sort of content. Unless there is some way for the content to be evaluated live time, there is no way for the stream to be shut down in action.

Consumer Video Streaming Spending Expected To Skyrocket

On By William HauserIn Media Covergence, StreamingLeave a comment

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Image: Apple Website

It’s the time in streaming that everyone has been waiting for. Four of the world’s largest media companies will release their own major premium video streaming service (Apple TV +, Disney +, HBO Max, and NBC Peacock). As cord cutting progresses and consumer markets move towards paying for media through streaming services, major players in the industry have recognized this shift and made moves towards innovation.

Consumer video streaming spending is forecasted to continue its rapid growth into the next year rising from 14.1 billion to an astonishing 22 billion. This 25% growth rate is one of the largest spending increases seen by media companies in history. The Consumer Technology Association believes this year will be the sharpest increase in consumer video streaming spending as new platforms are released, which will eventually lead to a steady level-off in the next coming years.

In addition to consumer subscription spending, researchers also predict the sales of popular smart TV’s will also see a significant 4% increase in sales to around 29 million. Though many have a positive outlook on smart TV’s, the increase in sales is significantly lower then streaming platform spending due to the fact that not all smart TV app software includes the large selection roster of channels that platforms like Hulu, Netflix, and Disney + have.

Another interesting area in streaming that media analysts are anticipating to see in the next coming year is growth in “free ad-supported” video streaming from popular companies such as Tubi, Pluto TV, and Xumo. Though not as profitable as their competing counterparts, many are interested to see how these companies will fair in this industry shift.

Many are calling this enormous growth phase in how consumers receive and choose their media one of the most influential events in media history. What is interesting to see is the amount of selections and control these companies are giving to its customers and the level of satisfaction they will seek from these platforms. A large question that still lingers going forward as these new platforms such as Disney + and Apple TV + unveil their services is how hard will it be to access specific content without these paid subscriptions?

For example, if an individual desires to watch popular TV shows such as “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” which is a production by FX Network (a television unit of the Walt Disney Company), will the famous series only be available through a subscription to Disney +? These kind of questions are what could potentially be make or break for the streaming industry and will place a heavy focus on the strategy and marketing of these media giants software moving forward.

Sources:

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/341734/consumer-video-streaming-spending-to-see-sharp-24.html

 

AT&T bought DirecTV for $49 billion. It’s still paying a price for the deal

On By niarobIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Image result for AT&T bought DirecTV‘When AT&T bought the direct broadcast service provider DirecTV four years ago , we can only guess they didn’t expect people were going to get rid of their cable and streaming would take off. Or maybe they knew, but thought the benefits of buying DirecTV outweighed the risks. AT&T bought DirecTV in 2015 for $49 billion + DirecTV’s. debt which came to a combined total of $67.1 billion. Since then, DirecTV has been on a downwards spiral, and its not exactly doing nearly as well as AT&T would like them to be doing.

AT&T originally acquired DirecTV because they wanted to expand their offerings and differentiate themselves in on the market and stand out more. However AT&T bought the company right around the time when the pay TV market began to change dramatically. Shareholders are revolting, with most feeling like AT&T’s acquisition of  DirecTV has had “damaging results” to the company. Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, etc. have made cord-cutting (getting rid of cable and utilizing streaming services exclusively) a feasible option for many cable customers. People can easily access their favorite TV shows online, eliminating the need for live and appointment TV. On the other hand, streaming services such as Sling, YouTube TV, and Philo deliver live TV with tons of other features such as cloud DVR– all at a way lower price than cable providers such as DirecTV. The cable service also doesn’t provide internet like their competitors VerizonFios and Comcast Xfinity. These companies have retained customers in a way DirecTV can’t.

When AT&T bought DirecTV, they had approximately 20.3 million customers and AT&T’s own U-verse cable had about 5.7 million customers. As of the second quarter of this year they are down 17% in customers in the last 4 years. Experts believe that this number in customers will only continue to decrease.

Now it seems DirecTV is relying on Sunday Ticket, which lets subscribers watch out-of-market NFL games every Sunday. This has become the centerpiece of the satellite cable company.

Transit App speaking out Against Lyft, for their Attempt To Take Over Mobility.

On By tuj52701templeeduIn Media Covergence, Technology, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Transit is an app used by hundreds of New Yorkers each month as means of navigating between the subway, buses, commuter rail, and a few other services as well. It provides users with real-time travel time predictions, which allows for more convenient trip planning. Transit also allows for bike-share, car-sharing from car2go, and ride hailing options from Lyft, Uber, and Via so this way their users can combine all options to create one easy trip.

Back in April 2018, Transit partnered with Motivate, the owner of Citi Bike, and made a deal, which would offer single tickets ($3 for a 30-minute journey) and allow Transit users to unlock the bicycles through using a five-digit code produced in Transit. That deal allowed Transit to be the first app other than Citi Bike’s, where cyclists could unlock bikes.

Transit’s deal with Motivate eventually transferred to Lyft when Lyft obtained ownership of the company Motivate. Before obtaining Motivate, Lyft was in charge of operating Citi Bike and other bike sharing systems in Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco.

Recently, Transit has declared issue with the app Lyft for what they perceive to be the company’s attempt at taking over mobility, specifically because Lyft has decided to block Transit users from using the app to Citi-bikes.

Now, when customer try to unlock a Citi Bike using the Transit app, an error message appears informing prospective drivers that Lyft has decided to discontinue the function they’re trying to use.

Lyft, the company – which once described themselves the “one app to unlock your city” has come forward to admit that it has severed customers from using the Transit app to unlock Citi bikes. Yet, dispute Transit’s claims over a lack of data transparency.

Personally, I side with Transit on this issue as it does seem as though Lyft is attempting to kind of “takeover”, and force people to use their app. I find what they’re doing to be unfair because it makes things more complicated for Citi-Bike customers who used to use the Transit App to unlock Citi Bikes.

https://ny.curbed.com/2019/9/30/20891536/nyc-transit-app-lyft-citi-bike

Sony’s PlayStation 5 set to release Holidays 2020

On By Chris ColeIn Technology, Video GameLeave a comment

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan announced the release details of the next-generation console, the Playstation 5, in a blog posted on Sony’s page. This is a huge deal for video gamers because many wondered what the system would be called and are happy to hear that they can get their hands on it during the holiday season of 2020. The blog post talked about some improvements made to the Playstation system. Wired journalist, Peter Rubin, shared the information he learned from Sony’s CEO regarding the vision for the Playstation 5.

Sony plans to make loading times within games shorter to nonexistent. Rubin spoke with the chief studio Officer for EA, Laura Miele, for more insight as to how video game companies are transitioning to new consoles. Miele stated that “We’re stepping into the generation of immediacy. In mobile games, we expect a game to download in moments and to be just a few taps from jumping right in. Now we’re able to tackle that in a big way.” This is a good improvement. Shortening loading screens help keep the gamer in the game longer and more smoothly.

The Playstation 5 will allow players to transition instantly between games, apps and social platforms. Sony’s system architect Mark Cerny explained to Rubin that, “Multiplayer game servers will provide the console with the set of joinable activities in real-time. Single-player games will provide information like what missions you could do and what rewards you might receive for completing them—and all of those choices will be visible in the UI. As a player, you just jump right into whatever you like.” Making the Playstation more interactive is exciting to think about.

The DualShock 5, Playstation 5’s new controller is designed for making gameplay more interactive and immersive. Rubin explained that the controller has “‘adaptive triggers’ that can offer varying levels of resistance to make shooting a bow and arrow feel like the real thing—the tension increasing as you pull the arrow back—or make a machine gun feel far different from a shotgun. It also boasts haptic feedback far more capable than the rumble motor console gamers are used to, with highly programmable voice-coil actuators located in the left and right grips of the controller.” With all of this new technology, it is no doubt that the Playstation 5 will pick up where the Playstation 4 left off and change the way we play video games on its console.

Disney Bans Netflix Ads

On By dylanmajerusIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/business/media/disney-netflix-advertising.html

The streaming wars are heating up. With the arrival of Disney Plus launching in November, Bob Iger and Co. are not playing games, and that means banning companies like Netflix, who can longer distribute ads across their entertainment networks, such as ABC or Freeform.  

As more entrants are looking to advertise in traditional television, Netflix is unable to rely upon subordinate business units to advertise its own brand. In terms of targeting a varied audience, Netflix will now have to find other entertainment outlets to market content. Unfortunately for Netflix, a sizable portion of their marketing share was spent on Disney related advertising. In 2018, the company spent about $1.8 billion on advertising last year, about $100 million of which bought ads on television networks. Roughly 13 percent of that $100 million went to Disney-owned entertainment networks. 

Strangely enough, Disney decided not to restrict advertising from HBO Max or Peacock, which are owned AT&T and Comcast, the two biggest cable service providers in the United States. Although, Disney added that the ban reflects “the comprehensive business relationships we have with many of these companies.” 

Disney may not need Netflix, but it will be interesting to see how Netflix adapts to new marketing strategies from here on out. At this point, it seems as if Disney is pivoting to control every aspect of the media space. The decision to restrict advertising from HBO Max or Peacock isn’t as significant because the streaming services are no where close to mirroring Netflix’s stature and dominance in the current market. Disney is picking off the big players one by one, and overtime, will probably have seized full control of the streaming industry as well.

New move shows the BBC is ready for change

On By Jared GiovanIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

apple_tv_remote_control_by_julian_o_hayon_cc0_via_negative_space-100751396-large

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi3__iMkI7lAhWImOAKHUFcBfsQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.techhive.com%2Farticle%2F3275885%2Fhow-to-stream-tv-on-vacation.html&psig=AOvVaw0SHU6CNLBReVfM65M3nqVt&ust=1570674354719475

In light of the recent trends regarding how individual’s view and interact with television, the BBC is preparing to revamp its streaming service. This move from the BBC comes after facing tough competition from Netflix in the past couple of years. Besides competition from Netflix, the BBC is attempting to combat the changes in the way individuals view television and is also planning to focus on their younger audience. The BBC’s streaming service is titled iPlayer and will become the main avenue for people to view their programming. Television shows on the service will now be available for up to a year, instead of the previous 30-day restriction. In previous years, the BBC’s iPlayer held a 40% share of the streaming market however, that number has dropped to 15% after the growth of Netflix.

The relaunch of the iPlayer will change the entire “look and feel” of the service. BBC’s director general says that the relaunch will open “a new front door for British Creativity”. The director general also promises their talent “unprecedented levels of freedom” and a “broader shop window” on all of their platforms. The Director of Content for the BBC also says that, “the iPlayer will become the heart of everything we do; the gateway to all our programmes – a total TV experience, which will bring everything you want from BBC television into one place for the first time.”

I find this article interesting because it is another example of a media company trying to adapt and change to the increase in streaming and the decrease in traditional television practices. With the coming years, we will see more and more of these articles describing different ways companies are switching to streaming and the innovative ways that they decide to make the switch. It is nice to see the BBC admit that what they were doing wasn’t working how it should have been. They took the necessary steps to grow with the changing times and it will be interesting to see how this works out for them.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/oct/07/bbc-iplayer-revamp-life-beyond-channels

Quibi & ESPN Team Up

On By tue65232In UncategorizedLeave a comment

Quibi is a tech and entertainment startup company that is  all about being brief and quick bites. The company was built with millennials in mind because they know and understand that streaming services is the present and definitely the future. The mobile video platform that plans to launch in April 2020 has just struck a deal to collaborate with ESPN. ESPN, the home for all sports content plans to create a short daily sport show that talk about the big moments in sports from the day before. The content will be shorter content that viewers tend to watch on Sports Center and other Daily 30 minutes to an hour sports talk show. Connor Schell, EVP of Content for ESPN states:

“Wherever fans are having a conversation around sports, ESPN wants to be there. We’re looking forward to taking the best of what we do and delivering it in a way that resonates with Quibi subscribers looking to be informed, entertained and engaged around the sports news of the day.”

CBS News has already come to an agreement to work with the upcoming company. They will be producing a news show that will ultimately be the extremely short version of 60 Minutes. Not only Disney, who is the parent company for ESPN, but many other media giants are coming together and getting behind this company. Both consumers, collaborators, and investors are expecting great things once Quibi launches in the upcoming months.

The concept behind Quibi is incredible because we are in a time now where humans have 6 seconds attention span, so things need to catch our eyes right away and we don’t want to waste a a lot of time getting to the point. Quibi is truly sticking to their plan of targeting millennials – the platform will be quick, easy, and on-the-go.