Stories for Jun. 19, 2013
The New York Times is making ads for the future — but where’s the money right now?
The Idea Lab of the New York Times has cranked out a series of innovative ad products. Here’s some examples — and a look at why the flashy ads haven’t lifted Times’ ad sales out of a rut. Read more »
For some in Arab nations, Facebook is the only news source that matters
photo: Richard Engel, NBC
A new study shows that Facebook is one of the top sources of news in some Arab nations, thanks in part to a growing use of social media — and a distrust of traditional media sources. Read more at GigaOM »
Feedly hits 12 million users, launches web version and quits relying on Google’s backend
Feedly is no longer relying on Google Reader’s backend, and on Wednesday it announced a much-requested web-only version and a bunch of new apps. Read more »
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Apple TV gets HBO Go and sports with WatchESPN
None of this makes Apple TV a viable cable replacement for those who want premium content and live sports because it still requires that pesky cable subscription. But Apple is slowly broadening its living room play to compete with Xbox and Roku. Read more at GigaOM »
Janus Friis’ video service Vdio opens up for everybody. Next up: subscriptions?
Users don’t need a Rdio subscription to access movies and TV shows on Vdio anymore – but the services are working on even closer ties. Read more at GigaOM »
Netflix will launch in the Netherlands in late 2013, as its international expansion slows
Love Amsterdam? So does Netflix: The streaming service revealed that it’s going to launch in the Netherlands later this year. Read more »
Stories for Jun. 18, 2013
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When journalists attack: Glenn Greenwald takes on Kurt Eichenwald over the NSA story
photo: Flickr user Abysim
Some of the tension between Glenn Greenwald and other national-security journalists over the NSA surveillance story broke out into the open on Tuesday in a Twitter fight between the Guardian writer and Kurt Eichenwald of Vanity Fair. Read more »
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Google files free speech challenge to FISA gag orders, renews criticism of Guardian
photo: Google
Google has sued to shine more light on the secret court that approves controversial national security letters — the petition also represents part of the ongoing PR strategy of tech companies caught up in a surveillance scandal. Read more at GigaOM »
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Netflix and Amazon step up battle for kids’ eyeballs over summer vacation
photo: Shutterstock / James Blinn
Netflix and Amazon both want to be the company that captures your kid’s screen time this summer. Read more »
Introducing the next 6 digital media startups from the BBC’s accelerator in London
The BBC’s young accelerator program, called BBC Labs, has launched its latest batch of London digital media startups. Read more at GigaOM »
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Must read
Photographer sues BuzzFeed for $3.6M over viral sharing model
photo: BuzzFeed
A photographer says BuzzFeed should pay copyright damages not only for an unauthorized photo that appeared on its site — but for the dozens of other sites on which the photo appeared. Read more »
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Yet another YouTube funding: Bedrocket invests in Shira Lazar’s What’s Trending
Thought there was no money in producing original content for YouTube’s audience? The folks at Bedrocket Entertainment beg to differ — and just invested in What’s Trending. Read more »
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As Apple ebook trial enters last week, it’s all about Steve Jobs
photo: GigaOM
As the Apple ebook pricing trial enters its final week, much of SVP Eddy Cue’s testimony Monday focused on Steve Jobs’ involvement with the launch of the iBookstore. Read more »
Sponsored post: Monetizing content: an API case study with Pearson Education
Watch the paidContent Live panel discussion featuring Pearson Education, the world’s leading learning company, as they discuss their API strategy and how they are breaking the silos between business strategy and technology to create a compelling, consistent and digital experience. Read more »
Stories for Jun. 17, 2013
The NSA story isn’t “journalistic malfeasance” — it’s a story that is evolving in real time
photo: Shutterstock / wellphoto
Some critics of the recent NSA surveillance stories by the Guardian and Washington Post say the reports are filled with so many errors that they amount to “journalistic malfeasance.” But is this really the case? Read more »
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Who wears the pants in the family? Netflix betting that it’s the kids
Kids love their characters, and Netflix is hoping they love their new Netflix programs just as much. Read more »
Time Warner Cable: No, we don’t throttle YouTube — it’s all about peering
photo: Shutterstock / Swetlana Wall
No, your ISP isn’t intentionally slowing down your YouTube or Netflix video streams. But it may also not exactly be helping to get them sped up. Read more at GigaOM »
Digg’s RSS reader is arriving in beta next week on desktop and mobile
Want to see what Digg’s RSS reader will look like when it comes in beta form next week? The company released a few more details and photos of the news reader for desktop and mobile. Read more »
News is like water now — it takes the path of least resistance
Even the venerable New York Times appears to be getting the message that the news is no longer beholden to certain traditional outlets — it can and will find the easiest route to reach the audience it deserves. Read more »
Mobile sports consumption now at 35% – report
photo: NBC Sports
An industry group has put out an annual report showing trends in how America’s 170 million sports fans use media. Here are some highlights. Read more »
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Not a good sign: Barnes & Noble just keeps slashing Nook tablet prices
Why is Barnes & Noble extending price cuts on Nook tablets? It may be because the retailer is trying to clear out stock. Read more »
Netflix signs big, exclusive deal for original DreamWorks shows
Netflix and DreamWorks have signed a deal to create a bunch of original shows based on DreamWorks properties like Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. Read more »
Should YouTube stars forget about CPMs, sell handbags instead?
photo: laurenindvik
There’s no denying that many creators are making a profit from their content — but the launch of a new Pinterest-style site curating YouTubers’ favorite things is a reminder of how important non-Adsense-related revenue streams are. Read more »
Stories for Jun. 15, 2013
Why Facebook isn’t the right company to create a Google Reader replacement
With speculation that Facebook might be launching an RSS reader at its press event next week, it’s important to think about why users loved the Google Reader experience. Hint: it wasn’t because Google Reader was social. Read more at GigaOM »
Stories for Jun. 14, 2013
New ebook DRM will change the text of a story to prevent piracy
photo: gazzaPax
Don’t judge a book by its content — at least not if it’s copy-protected: German researchers are working on a new DRM system that would change individual words of a story to track pirated book copies back to their original owners. Read more »
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Harry Potter site Pottermore launches platform to work with other brands
Interactive Harry Potter site Pottermore.com has launched an offshoot business to work with other brands. Pottermore will also launch apps later this year. Read more »
The Atlantic launches weekly iPhone magazine for $2.99 a month
The Atlantic’s anticipated paid product is now here in the form of a weekly collection of curated content. New issues will be distributed to the iPad and iPhone every Friday. Read more »
Stories for Jun. 13, 2013
With new SF studio, online education startup creativeLIVE looks even more like a cable TV channel
Online learning startup creativeLIVE is breaking in its new San Francisco studios with a special broadcast featuring several big names from Silicon Valley. Read more at GigaOM »
Stories for Jun. 12, 2013
The Washington Post’s new “sponsored views” offering is actually pretty smart
Critics of the whole concept of “native” advertising may see the Washington Post’s latest foray into sponsored content as problematic, but it’s actually a pretty smart experiment. Read more »
How big cable uses its muscles to prevent online competition
Apple’s long-rumored Apple TV has yet to materialize – and one reason for the delay may be that cable companies have been engaging in anti-competitive behavior. Read more at GigaOM »
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Apple’s iAd Workbench lets smaller developers better target ads in iOS
With the lower prices, smaller developers with very limited budgets will have a better chance to participate and advertise their ads and drive installations. Read more at GigaOM »
Global study shows more journalists embrace social media — Germans, not so much
photo: Flickr user Rosaura Ochoa
A survey of journalists in fifteen countries reveals some interesting differences in attitudes to social media. Here are some highlights. Read more »
Apple: We have 20 percent of the U.S. ebook market
photo: GigaOM
Apple now holds about 20 percent of the U.S. ebook market, director Keith Moerer testified in court on Tuesday. Moerer also said that the iBookstore’s sales grew by 100 percent in 2012. Read more »
Stories for Jun. 11, 2013
News Corp investors bless break-up plan: publishing assets to swim alone June 28
News Corp shareholders formally approved a plan that will split the corporation and, for the entertainment assets, end the so-called “Rupert discount” on the share price. Read more »
Audible ends the program that gave authors $1 for every audiobook sold
photo: Audible.com
Digital audiobooks site Audible.com is ending the 18-month-old program that gave authors $1 for every audiobook sold. Read more »
Comcast CEO promises more binge-viewing, faster platforms
photo: Comcast
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts showed off some of the company’s new tech and explained how Comcast is responding to changing viewer expectations. Read more »
Here’s how cable will hit gigabit speeds and create a tricky business problem in the process
photo: NCTA
Executives at this year’s annual Cable Show are trying to figure out their industry’s future. The technology for delivering faster broadband is ready, but the business model of the future isn’t. Read more at GigaOM »
Google: video ads for news tripled last year, 2 in 5 bought ads for first time
Doubleclick, an ad service owned by Google, published new findings that suggest the online video ad market is rapidly becoming bigger and more diverse. Read more »
Day 5 of the Apple ebooks trial: Publishing execs testify; Rupert Murdoch’s role
At the Apple ebook trial on Monday, HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray and Macmillan CEO John Sargent offered testimony as witnesses for the government. Emails showed that News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch expressed the desire to “screw Amazon.” Read more »
Stories for Jun. 10, 2013
Lessons from PRISM: Sometimes it’s better not to be part of the media establishment
The Guardian and blogger/journalist Glenn Greenwald shocked the U.S. and much of the world with their stories about government surveillance, scoops that may have come about in part due to their outsider status in U.S. media circles. Read more »
