Yahoo’s Big Move To Snag Mobile Ad Dollars From Google and Facebook

BY

Yahoo, the search giant known for its ambitious endeavors under current CEO Marissa Mayer, is planning on expanding its mobile reach to compete directly with Facebook and Google.

Fresh off their July acquisition of in-app ad analytics platform Flurry and Q3 2014 move to separately report revenues from mobile ads, Yahoo now plans to take mobile ads beyond their own network, allowing them to serve as a competitive ad platform on numerous third-party sites and services.

It’s expected that Yahoo’s native ads — called Stream Ads — will be served through Yahoo Recommends, carrying on from their August move to expand Recommends’ reach to third-party websites.

Yahoo’s new strategy appears to be paying dividends already, as a December eMarketer report projects them passing Twitter to take third place in the American mobile ad market with 3.7 percent share this year. Though that figure is still a far cry from Google‘s 37.2 percent and Facebook‘s 17.6 percent, respectively, it is still impressive and encouraging news for a company looking to reclaim its old perch atop its industry.

 

Further plans for Yahoo’s mobile ad growth include a decision to give advertisers more latitude to expand their reach with bundled ad campaigns across multiple Yahoo properties, facilitated with help from Yahoo Gemini and their recent acquisition of video ad leader Brightroll.

Though they still have a ways to go, Yahoo has made it abundantly clear that they are not a company to be counted out in the world of mobile, something marketers will certainly note when selecting a network for their advertisements.

Amazon Studios To Release 13 New Pilots In January

BY

By Sahil Patel

Amazon Studios has unveiled the full list of pilots coming to its Prime Instant Video streaming service in January. It features seven previously announced drama, comedy, and docu-series pilots, and six new kids pilots.

As usual, the talent behind these potential series is stellar; the adult-oriented slate includes shows from Samuel Baum (“Lie to Me”) and Sam Shaw (“Manhattan”); Cris Cole (“The Bill”) and Shawn Ryan (“The Shield”); Frank Spotnitz (“The X-Files”); Will Graham (“Onion News Network”); Alex Gibney (“The Armstrong Lie”); and Carlton Cuse (“Lost”) and Randall Wallace (“Braveheart”).

Amazon Studios also plans to beef up its kids’ programming slate, with four new animated pilots and two live-action pilots from a roster of creators that includes May Chan (“Phineas & Ferb”), Carol Greenwald (“Arthur”), Jennifer Hamburg (“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”), Rob Hoegee (“Generator Rex”), Guy Toubes (“The Adventures of Chuck & Friends”), Angelo Santomero (“Creative Galaxy,” which was greenlit by Amazon), and Joanna Lewis & Kristine Songco (“Sullivan & Son”).

All of these pilots will arrive on Prime Instant Video in the US, UK, and Germany on January 15, after which viewers will get the chance to watch each for free and rate whether they like them or not. Amazon Studios will then determine which pilots get a shot at a full season, to join the likes of “Alpha House,” “Mozart in the Jungle,” and “Transparent” in the company’s original programming slate.

Check out the full list of what’s coming…

This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.

 

What’s On Display At CES and What It Means To The Game Industry This Year

BY

The Consumer Electronics Show is a massive show of everything in any way related to consumer technology, and every year we get a glimpse of the new technologies that will shape our lives — and our businesses. There are a number of interesting new devices, technologies and services being announced this week at CES, and many of them affect the gaming industry either directly or indirectly. The [a]listdaily takes a look at what’s on display at CES and what it means to the game industry this year.

There’s plenty of new versions of old technology putting in an appearance in Las Vegas, as well as a few surprises. We can expect some of the products announced to never actually make it to market, some to appear and not sell very well, and a precious few to go on and become major sellers or harbingers of entirely new market segments. It’s this element of chance that brings people to Las Vegas every year, and we’re not talking about the casinos. Fortunes are made or lost on the CES show floor every year, so let’s take a look at some of the big bets being placed in 2015.

4K Is Rolling Out

The next big thing in displays is higher resolution, and it’s coming to displays of all sizes — from smartphones to tablets to laptops to monitors and to TV screens. The trend appears unstoppable, as every major manufacturer is showing off 4K or UHD displays, and some are even displaying prototypes of 8K displays. The technology is becoming standard on smartphones and tablets, and it’s quickly reaching notebook and laptop computers. The bigger news for gaming is that 4K monitors are rapidly dropping in price and gaining significant features, such as 60Hz or greater speeds (for fast-moving games), sync lock to eliminate screen tearing (both Nvidia and AMD have released this for their new graphics cards, and display makers are building it in to some displays), and even curved screens with wide aspect ratios.

The action is getting even hotter on TV screens, as makers like Sony, Samsung, Vizio and LG bid to offer 4K resolution in screens of all sizes, with prices ranging from less than a thousand dollars to north of $10,000. Still, content creation and distribution for 4K is lagging behind the displays themselves, though Amazon and Netflix are offering 4K streams (if you have enough bandwidth), and several companies are working on higher-capacity Blu-Ray discs or other distribution ideas for 4K video.

So far, though, even the newest consoles (the Xbox One and PlayStation 4) aren’t capable of generating a 4K signal, though that may be possible at some point in the future. (Perhaps a future console revision, if the format becomes popular enough ) The gaming action for 4K is first going to take place on PCs, as some game makers are already offering 4K display modes (such as the recently released Elite: Dangerous). Gamers will need to spend something more than $600 or so on a 4K monitor, and probably at least that much on a graphics card, to get a good 4K gaming experience. As in the past, though, the price of these new display technologies will quickly drop, and 4K gaming on a PC should become more common in the next year or two among the most motivated gamers.

New Chips Promise Better Mobile Games

Mobile gaming continues to advance in graphics power, as both Nvidia and Intel showed off their latest chips to eager crowds at CES. Nvidia rolled out its latest Tegra chip, the Tegra X1, which the company said possesses a teraflop of processing power — a mark that supercomputers were boasting about little more than a decade ago. Nvidia claimed that the Tegra X1, which combines an 8-core 64-bit CPU with 256 GPU cores, is more than twice as fast as Apple’s latest A8X chip at some graphics functions. The Epic Games’ “elemental” demo, developed to show off high-end PC graphics cards in 2012, was shown running on a Tegra X1 — with just a fraction of the power required for a PC graphics card.

Intel wasn’t about to be outdone in the processor department, as the company is racing to catch up with the fast-moving mobile market that is now dominating personal computing. Intel’s Broadwell chips are finally shipping, using a 14nm process technology that puts more than 1.3 billion circuits on a tiny chip. The Broadwell chips promise battery life improvements of between 20 percent and 30 percent over the latest Haswell chips, so that a 15W Broadwell chip will last 90 minutes longer than its predecessor when playing video. 3D graphics have improved by 22 percent, while video encoding has been improved by over 50 percent. The net result is notebooks and tablets that can last longer and display better graphics faster, making Windows more mobile than ever — and thus PC gaming more mobile than ever before.

Virtual Reality Gets More Real

So far at CES we’ve been treated to a number of interesting extensions of VR technology, but we haven’t yet heard from either Sony or Oculus about product introductions in the near future. Still, we have an interesting controller (the 3DRudder) for VR, letting you use your feet to move around a virtual world. Perhaps even better for VR users, the clever folks at Leap Motion have introduced a way to quickly switch from VR to seeing the world outside the googles, so you can interact with the real world when you need to without struggling to take off your VR headset.

The sleek and clever Avegant headphone-like wearable display has finally been given an arrival date, and you’ll be able to acquire one this fall. It’s not exactly VR, but it does look pretty darn cool — plus you can watch and listen to whatever video you want without anyone else intruding or spying.

5 Predictions For Digital Video In 2015

BY

By Peter Csathy

2014 proved to be a transformational year for digital-first video and the YouTube economy. The short-form video world essentially “grew up” and traditional media, major brands, and even previously cynical Northern California investors took notice.

It was easy to see why: 2014 introduced the video content-driven mega-deal. Disney bought leading multi-channel network Maker Studios for up to $1 billion, Otter Media uploaded rival MCN Fullscreen in a deal rumored to be up to $300 million, and European-based RTL Group tried on StyleHaul for a deal that values that vertically-focused MCN up to $200 million.

So, with that backdrop, here are my top five predictions for digital video in 2015:

1. The pace of MCN acquisitions will accelerate as more studios jump into the M&A game rather than try to figure out this new content platform themselves.

Some leading MCNs ripe for acquisition include foodie-focused Tastemade, dance-focused DanceOn, Latino-focused MiTu, sports-focused Whistle Sports, and Collective Digital Studio. (Note: Manatt Venture Fund is an investor in DanceOn and Whistle Sports is a client.

2. But the MCN action won’t be just domestic.

International becomes a major new battleground in the borderless digital video world. Companies big and small will extend their reach via major partnerships, investment, and M&A. Notable 2014 deals included RTL’s acquisition of StyleHaul, Sky’s $7 million strategic investment in Whistle Sports, and Fullscreen’s partnership with major Indian MCN Qyuki.

3. Major consumer brands follow suit.

For the first time, marketing dollars shift in significant scale from traditional media to more measurable digital platforms. This takes the form of branded content — not just ads. As a result, investors place major bets on ad-tech companies to maximize and measure those spends. We will see a number of significant ad-tech exits like Yahoo’s recent acquisition of BrightRoll for $640 million. Several brands will go even further and invest big to become digital-first lifestyle media companies themselves a la Red Bull, developing and aggregating content. GoPro, Pepsi, and Marriott have proudly announced such ambitions.

Read more…

This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.

CREATIVE: First Look At New Martial Arts YouTube Series ‘Clandestine’

BY

Clandestine is a brand new martial arts action series exclusive to YouTube. Produced by Ayzenberg with influencer marketing by ION and directed by Chris Cowan, Clandestine is an episodic saga following bloody conflict and political intrigue amongst warring clans in a fantastical far-away realm.

You can catch the first episode of Clandestine, titled Epic Rival, for free on YouTube today.

PlayStation Now Gets Subscription Service

BY

Sony’s PlayStation Now game streaming service has been up and running for a few months now, but has had trouble gaining traction, mainly due to the ludicrously high rental prices of most games. However, this morning, Sony announced a new subscription plan that makes it easier to access the service’s enormous game library.

The subscription program will kick off on January 13, with a seven-day trial period that will allow players to see what it has to offer without any given charge. After that, fans can either pay $19.99 on a monthly basis to access the games, or fork over $44.99 for a three-month plan.

As of right now, the program is only for the PlayStation 4 console, but a rollout to other platforms, such as PlayStation 3, PS Vita and some Sony and Samsung television models, is expected over the next few months.

From the picture above, you can see the 100+ games that will be available through the service, including popular favorites such as The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension and the Ratchet & Clank games, as well as more obscure favorites like Darksiders II, El Shaddai and Red Faction: Guerrilla. The rotation is expected to change on a monthly basis, similar to what Sony does with its PlayStation Plus game program.

There may be concerns from those wondering why the service isn’t being integrated into the PlayStation Plus program, which requires its own monthly (or yearly) subscription. However, this is a big step forward for the service, and it should no doubt pick up circulation with the PlayStation Now program as it moves into a new year.

Sony is expected to provide more details – and possibly a demonstration – later today during its press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show. For now, though, players should definitely look forward to the official launch of the subscription service next week.

 

Anticipating The Future Of Tech At CES

BY

Even though larger companies like Apple, Microsoft and Google may no longer be attending, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas continues to be a huge draw for a number of companies, with thousands of journalists, “tech heads” and others attending to see what the next big trends are in television, mobile technology and additional departments.

The CES Unveiled event, which took place last night, gave a taste of what’s in store for attendees, with a number of companies showing off some promising tech devices, as recapped by Fortune’s website.

These innovations included AcousticSheep, which includes a soft headband with speakers woven into the fabric of a pillow so people can comfortably listen to music without needing oversized headphones; Narrative, a company that makes a small square camera that clips onto clothing to record memories without the hassle of oversized equipment; and Drone Mobile, which allows people to use their smartphones to remotely control certain functions on their car, including starting up on a cold day and locking the doors.

Obviously bigger companies will have their own technology on hand, including LG, with a fleet of new 4K and 5K-based televisions; Ford, with new “smart car” models for the public to check out; and, of course, big names like Samsung and Sony, who will offer everything from virtual reality displays (like the Project Morpheus) to amazing new television models to the latest in mobile and online gaming.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), who hosts the event every year, also highlighted some of the more promising tech at the show with this past evening’s 2015 CES Innovation Awards, which nominated both large and small companies for their forthcoming innovations. Among them was Samsung, whose forthcoming Galaxy Note Edge mobile phone stole the show, featuring a second screen that runs alongside the edge of the phone, providing additional information without needing to access the main screen. The company is expected to have the device front and center at their booth this week.

Indeed, CES continues to be quite the big deal – even for those who aren’t exactly “tech heads.”

Wearables Open Up A New World Of Interaction At Disney Parks

BY

Anyone who’s visited the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida recently and stayed in any of the 25 Disney Resort hotels has already experienced the future of theme parks with Magic Bands. Guests who don’t stay at the Disney resort can also get in on the action by purchasing a $13 RFID-enabled wrist band and downloading the free My Disney Experience app. Together, this technology has opened up a whole new world of interaction.

Tom Staggs, Chairmain of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

From the moment a guest makes their reservation for a Disney hotel, they can log onto their My Disney Experience and choose the color and name for their Magic Band. Those bands will arrive in the mail and can be programmed via smartphone, tablet or laptop before entering the park, or during one’s time at the Magic Kingdom on-the-fly. They even expedite the process when landing at Orlando International Airport, doing away with all papers and allowing a quick scan to get onto the Disney Magical Express bus to the hotel. Once at the hotel, the bands become a room key, virtual wallet and theme park tickets. It makes the entire vacation experience more streamlined and fun, and gives Disney a huge heads up over competing Florida theme parks like Universal Studios, LEGOLAND and Sea World.

“My Magic+ was about investing in a core experience for our guests,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “What drove this initiative was a comprehensive view of what our guest experience was and how to make it better. We’re hearing from our guests that we’ve accomplished that, as the system is meaningfully enhancing their experience at the parks. That’s what drives this business.”

After testing the system for months with guests, the old turnstiles have been permanently removed and replaced by the futuristic-looking Magic Band kiosks. Guests simply scan their band and enter the park when the green Mickey Mouse outline lights up.

“The Magic Bands are a fun and popular form factor,” said Staggs. “We’re leveraging new technology and then making it disappear to make it as magical as possible. If we get the technology out of the way, then the guests can immerse themselves more and interact more with their loved ones at our parks.”

Staggs said this system was designed to evolve, even as our guest experiences evolve. Walt Disney Imagineers are already dreaming up new ways to add interactivity to attractions that are being designed.

“As I meet with the Imagineering teams about some things we’re installing down the road, My Magic+ is already an integral part of our design process for our guests to connect the virtual and physical worlds we’re creating,” said Staggs. “It’s allowing guests to stay connected with our parks pre and post visit. You saw tiny inkling of that with Disney Infinity game with the Easter Egg gameplay that opens up when you put the Magic Band on the game port. We’re just scratching the surface of what can be done. We can’t just go on novelty. We need to figure out how to connect the virtual and real worlds together.”

Staggs said technology has given Disney the ability to have its guests opt into activities like the real-life role-playing game Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom at Disney World and take on even deeper story and more immersive roles in the parks. He added that Disney is just at the beginning of how to take advantage of that opportunity.

“If you set out to use a specific technology and then try to figure out how to use it, that’s upside down,” said Staggs.”First you need to know the experience you’re after and then find what technology can get that end experience. We’re already thinking about the My Magic+ platform installed in Disney World, and I think the technology will continue to evolve.”

On the wearable side with Magic Bands Staggs noted that Disney is in Gen 1, broadly speaking, and there are real evolving consumer desires and needs that can be served, including mobile connectivity.

“Some guests are using smartphones, while other parts may be enabled by more convenient form factors,” said Staggs. “We’re looking at different things to work into enhancing our experiences. We didn’t get into this to sell Magic Bands.”

The move into upgrading Disney World is something unique for the company, which traditionally has invested capital in things like new attractions or new hotels.

“When you think about our business, we’re well known for Cinderella’s Castle and Mad Tea Party and Thunder Mountain, but at end of the day that doesn’t represent all of our products with Disney Cruise Line or Adventures by Disney,” said Staggs.”We think about ourselves as being in the experience business. When we’re putting capital into something, it’s a new ship or a new attraction. But the genesis of this is rooted in the overall recognition by the company several years ago that technology could elevate the guest experience.”

The evolution of smartphones, tablets and now mobile payment technology have also changed the dynamics of guests inside Disney parks, allowing Disney to decrease transaction time and friction.

“With My Magic+ we’ve achieved one of our core goals, which was to take cast members out of a transaction mode and put them into an interaction mode,” said Staggs. “They become heads up experiences with them helping guests personalize and enhance their experience. We can make our cast more effective at driving the experience. The cast is training us as they find ways to do their jobs better and we’re adapting to that and capitalizing on that.”

Disney employed similar RFID technology across all four Disney Cruise Line ships. These Oceaneer Bands are used for the kids clubs and are used for check-in at the kids program and for on-board Youth Activities programming.

“Disney cruise ships have kids clubs where the entire ship can be enabled with this technology in ways that we haven’t seen before like interactive games that can played throughout the ship,” said Staggs. “These tools can enhance that experience and get guests more immersed in the game. Technology allows for a seamless facilitation and a more magical experience for kids as well as parents.”

With a new Avatar Land in development for Disney Animal Kingdom and new Star Wars attractions in the works, RFID should forever change the way guests interact and engage at Walt Disney World.

Marketers Pay Attention To Female Gamers

BY

Video games have changed quite a bit over the years, as has the audience that’s playing them. In addition to a larger portion of online streaming gamers and “hardcore” fans of titles like World of Warcraft and League of Legends, women are also playing a larger part, taking a majority stake in the mobile gaming audience and getting a fair share of numbers on consoles and PC as well.

According to Adweek, YouTube has begun noticing this trend and has picked up on it, indicating that female viewership of gaming content has doubled over the past year, with women over the age of 25 becoming the fastest growing demographic for video game-themed clips on its online network.

The IDC concurred with YouTube’s findings, stating that 45 percent of eSports fans (who either watch an event online, attend in person or actually play a competitive part) were women.

“Ten years from now, the next great global sports leagues will not be played on soccer pitches – it will be online,” said Lewis Ward, IDC gaming research director. This no doubt points towards the possibility of better equality with players, male and female alike.

As a result, brands and marketers are beginning to pay attention to the growing demographic. Coca-Cola recently held a Mario Kart 8 gaming session on Twitch, featuring both male and female players taking part. Before that, Pizza Hut became a sponsor for the eSports Defense of the Ancients 2 competition at Madison Square Garden, which, again, featured a diverse audience of male and females; and Amazon is getting a piece of the action, not only picking up a number of developers for its own game studios, but also creating a team-up with fellow sponsors like Foot Locket and Axe.

“With so many eyeballs and so much time spent, it’s making gaming as an entertainment expression a very attractive media platform,” said Matt Wolfe, global head of gaming for Coca-Cola. The company plans to diversify with its gaming content over the year, and experimenting with new ideas that caters to all types. “As a game maker myself, I would certainly like to explore those waters.”

Oculus Rift’s Marketing Future

BY

Even though the Oculus Rift still has yet to see a finalized release date, we do know that it’s coming sometime this year – and it has the potential to be an exquisite marketing tool for certain brands.

The Rift has already been used a number of times before for marketing purposes, with a number of companies utilizing the 3D tech at shows like San Diego Comic-Con to advertise a number of properties, such as movies like Pacific Rim, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Into the Storm. However, according to Adweek, that’s just scratching the surface, as marketers could come up with new methods in terms of using the technology to paint a much bigger picture.

That’s not to say some companies haven’t gotten a jump start on the process. Marriott has already teamed up with Oculus to present a 4D travel experience that allows people to visit another location from the convenience of a kiosk at the hotel. Still, some companies are already planning on thinking bigger.

“We didn’t really have any virtual-reality work this time last year,” said Nancy Bennett, chief content officer for Two Bit Circus, whose agency dabbles greatly in the virtual reality department. “Now we’ve built our own camera rigs, we’ve built our own livestream viewing capability, so directors can actually see the (360-degree) spherical projection while they are on set. It’s a lot of technical geekery going on, but this enthusiasm is not just because the space seems to be blossoming. There’s a lot of forces at work – look at what Facebook has invested in VR.” She is, of course, referring to the company’s record $2 billion investment in Oculus VR.

The device has gained huge buzz at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, and intends to be used greatly at South By Southwest in a few weeks by a number of companies. This could very well open a gateway to new virtual reality-based business.

“I knew that virtual reality would become important to the public at some point, but I thought it would take a much longer time,” said Oculus Rift founder Palmer Luckey, speaking to Adweek. “I did not take into account the fact that unlike some new technologies, VR has already established mindshare as a concept.

“Time travel, flying cars, artificial intelligence and VR are all sci-fi stapes – and we are in the lucky position of bringing one of those things to life.”

With Google, Samsung and other companies delving into their own projects in virtual reality, Oculus probably shouldn’t dilly-dally too long when it comes to release – but, according to the company, we’re “months” away…so the future isn’t too far off.