Tesla Keeps Drivers Entertained With ‘Easter Eggs’

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Tesla Motors, known for innovative electric vehicles, is quickly becoming known for hiding ‘Easter eggs’ inside their software updates for drivers to find. For context, an Easter egg refers to an undocumented and often amusing feature that can be unlocked and experienced by a user—hidden and fun to find, hence the reference to the holiday tradition.

With software 7.1.2.16.17 pushed out to Model S and Model X over this past weekend, a few drivers discovered that in GPS view, they can drive down the rainbow road from Mario Kart, accompanied by the famous Saturday Night Live sketch about ‘More Cowbell.’ You can see the Easter egg in action here:

Turn on the sound to hear ‘more cowbell below.’ (Credit: Brian Stucki)

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Tesla founder, Elon Musk responded to the find on Twitter:

Musk’s tweet implies that more hidden features will be added in the future, which leaves Tesla drivers wondering what’s next. Previously discovered Easter eggs have allowed drivers to see their vehicle on-screen as the Lotus submersible car from the James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me; achieving Ludicrous Speed from Space Balls; and an homage to A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, in which the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything is the number 42.

Here’s how to unlock these known Easter eggs on your Tesla:

  • Rainbow Road: Activate autopilot 4 times in a row. The GPS will change the normal, grey road into a rainbow one, accompanied by Will Ferrell’s stirring cowbell performance.
  • James Bond Mode: Hold the ‘T’ logo, enter ‘007’ into the login, and then adjust your suspension to a depth of 20,000 leagues under the sea. The diagnostic mode will display your car as the Lotus amphibious vehicle from The Spy Who Loved Me.
  • Ludicrous Speed: On a Model P90D(L), slide the Acceleration toggle from Sport to Ludicrous and hold for 5 seconds. The display will pay homage to the Ludicrous Speed animation in Space Balls.
  • Meaning of Life: Tapping the ‘T’ located towards the top center of the main 17″ touchscreen will reveal the ‘About Your Tesla’ screen. This is the screen that displays your VIN#, your odometer reading, the current firmware’s release note, and the name of your vehicle. Tap the existing name of your vehicle to reveal a pop up which will allow you to rename your vehicle. Erase any existing name that’s present and input ’42.’ Your Tesla’s name will now be displayed as ‘Life, The Universe and Everything’.

Despite recent setbacks, including a recall of 2,700 Model X sport-utility vehicles, Tesla Motors is engaging consumers with unlockable secrets to enjoy and share across social media. The recent discovery of the ‘psychedelic cowbell road’ made headlines this week, and drivers are trying the autopilot trick for themselves. With the upcoming launch of Tesla’s Model 3, for which over 325,000 have been reserved, Tesla is ramping up production but haven’t forgotten their existing fan base and isn’t afraid to inject a little humor into their software updates to keep things fresh.

The resulting buzz has left consumers, like Christopher Walken on SNL, with a fever—and the only cure is more (Easter egg) cowbell.

Kobe Bryant Is Basketball Royalty For Both Fans And Brands

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Kobe Bryant’s iconic and illustrious twenty-year career comes to a close tonight.

Ever since he penned his “Dear Basketball” retirement letter on Nov. 29, 2015, the NBA has been sending off the greatest player of his generation in grand fashion. Tonight, the Kleenex comes out as we officially say goodbye.

The legion of teams, opponents and fans he tormented since entering the league in 1996 as a wire-thin high school prodigy from Pennsylvania have showered him with endless adulation and persistent standing ovations in recent months. It’s a strange sight from the parade of people who found him to be a polarizing pariah and heroic sociopath during his prime.

The final farewells have been proper for the 18-time All Star, five-time NBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and the league’s third all-time scoring leader.

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Basketball fans will fall short of superlatives trying to illustrate the Black Mamba’s legacy-defining career and his global impact on basketball. One thing is for certain, though. No matter where you have him on your personal “all-time” list, he’ll forever be on the NBA’s Mount Rushmore.

“You never disappointed the city, Laker fans, and basketball fans worldwide,” Magic Johnson wrote in a letter on Wednesday. “All you cared about was winning games and championships and that’s why so many people love you.”

Bryant retires having earned $680 million for his efforts on the hardwood—the most in NBA history, per Forbes. From that figure, $350 million came from endorsements from Nike, Adidas, McDonald’s, Sprite, Apple, Smart Car and Nutella, among countless others. The earnings would be even more astronomical, but sexual assault allegations cast shadows on his image in 2003, and it took sponsors some time to warm up to him again.

Companies still eagerly lined up though, much like fans will tonight at Staples Center—up to $25,000 a pop if you want to be within handshake distance of Jack Nicholson.

As Bryant suits up for the final time in an NBA uniform versus the Utah Jazz—the hardwood will have special No. 8 and No. 24 decals—a team of brands are sending him off to the sunset in style.

The front page of today’s edition of the Los Angeles Times:

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Nike has declared April 13 as “Mamba Day,” and of course, there is a special pair of sneakers to celebrate the occasion as well.

Their touching ad titled “The Conductor” features Kobe hitting one last buzzer beater on the road, and orchestrating the banter from his foes before he walks off the floor.

Nike’s “Don’t Love me. Hate me.” remarkably hits the spot as an homage to Kobe’s tenacity and unending desire to be great—and hated. The stirring tribute was made especially for the Chinese market, where Kobe is a rock star. He recently signed a deal with Alibaba, China’s biggest online marketplace, to create and sell a series of Kobe-branded products.

Nike also rolled out their A-list team of athletes featuring LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Serena Williams, among others, to chronicle what Kobe’s fierce and unrelenting attitude means to them.

Sometimes lost in the love and fanfare is that Kobe is having a historically bad season while playing on the worst Lakers team of all time. He’s often seen late in games wrapped in ice and towels like a mummy. Such is the case for a 37-year-old who’s played 50,000 taxing minutes of professional basketball. Apple used actor Michael B. Jordan to poke fun at Kobe’s decline.

In a laundry list of career highlights and achievements, perhaps the most remarkable for Kobe was scoring 81 points in one game. It’s a feat even difficult to duplicate in video games. NBA 2K celebrated the fact that anyone can be Kobe with a special “Legend Edition” of NBA 2K17, set to be released this September. Here’s the smorgasbord of goodies included in the $79.99 preorder:

Physical Items: Limited-edition Kobe poster; two Kobe Panini playing cards; Black Mamba game controller skin.
Digital Content: 30,000 Virtual Currency; MyTEAM Bundle + (includes three packs with guaranteed Kobe limited-use card); Nike Kobe 11 retirement shoes; Kobe No. 8 Mitchell & Ness jersey; Kobe hoodie, and more.

For 2K, it’s a fantastic marketing move to capture Kobe-crazy fans.

2K’s “through the years” collage also showcases an impressive and nostalgic evolution of the Mamba’s video game likeness (below). If you’re old enough to remember Bryant’s formative years in the league, then you’ll also recall the Nintendo 64 series Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside and jacking up shots just like the real-life version. In fact, Kobe is a veteran of the video game industry, as evidenced by his cameos for Guitar Hero and Call of Duty.

As the season came to a close, American Express hosted a “Teamed Up” event with Kobe to provide a super-exclusive event for card members, giving them special access to Bryant. Kobe was joined by former teammates Rick Fox and Robert Horry for a night of storytelling and celebration. This should be a reminder as good as any for Lakers fans not to ever leave home without an AmEx card. And if you do forget, use the L.A. Metro Blue Line Pico station, otherwise known as the Kobe station, to go back and pick it up.

As Kobe’s retirement loomed, his merchandise sales surged, too. According to CBS, Kobe-related merchandise sales were up more than 100 percent this year and in the last 30 days, sales increased by 500 percent—NBA.com chronicled all 36 jerseys he’s ever worn. If you have an extra $38,000 laying around, AEG and the Lakers team store unveiled the “24 Collection” featuring a New Era, 18-karat gold hat that would even make Robin Leach blush—2 Chainz was impressed by the selection of lavish garb, too. The collection also includes a limited-edition boxed jersey, priced at $824.80.

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If you’re looking for something more modest, Stance has released special-edition socks that will be worn by the entire Lakers team tonight, just as Kobe did during L.A.’s upset victory over the Golden State Warriors earlier this season.

If the socks prove to have the winning mojo again on Wednesday, it will be the best sendoff Kobe could ever ask for.

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan.

Nielsen Report Details How ESports And Virtual Reality Improve Engagement

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Nielsen has released a new report, Nielsen 360 Gaming Report: Mobile, eSports and VR Expand and Increase Engagement, which analyzes gaming trends and explains how they appeal to a broad range of players across different age groups.

“The definition of ‘gaming’ continues to evolve, and mobile gaming is playing a large role in broadening traditional perspectives,” states the report. “While many consider ‘gamers’ to be a niche group of PC and console players, the rise of mobile gaming has expanded the definition to a much wider group. While gamers from yesterday might have been more likely to be teenagers playing Halo down the street, mobile gaming apps have made the activity more accessible to the masses–even the grandmother next door.”

The first statistic the report broke down talks about how mobile gaming is just as appealing to women as it is to men, especially in comparison to other forms of play. 51 percent of men and 49 percent of women ages 13 and up love to play video games. Over on consoles, 65 percent of the general gaming audience are men.

With mobile gaming, the general player is aged at 36, while console players (Xbox One, PlayStation 4) are between 31-34 years of age.

The report also touches on eSports, explaining how roughly 10 percent of the population show interest in these competitions, with fans more likely to be male (by 81 percent) and in the millennial group (51 percent). Fans also come from a higher average income group, making at least $69,000 — making tournaments a huge draw for marketing partners.

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Virtual reality and augmented reality were also covered in the report. Though Nielsen states that only 16 percent of gamers are aware of its availability, they will eventually “change the way consumers game as well as the way people consume other forms of entertainment,” noted the report.

But the big focus went towards how marketers can reach out to gamers. While some campaigns have proven effective with TV and online advertising, the biggest draw to both console and mobile games seems to be word-of-mouth. 42 percent of players learn more about their favorite Xbox One/PS4 games in this way, while 35 percent of mobile users tell their friends about their experiences. Other popular choices include app stores, social networking, and TV commercials.

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Wargaming Wants To Unionize ESports

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There’s no question that eSports has become quite big over the past few years, but is it big enough to be unionized? The creators of World of Tanks seem to think so.

Speaking with MCVUK, Wargaming has expressed interest in creating a union for and run by pro gamers. European eSports head Nicolas Passemard has spoken on the subject, explaining how it has become a necessity.

“We don’t want it to become a Wargaming organization, we want the pro players to run it for the pro players, but we want to help them with things like legal advice and extra security so that they are better protected,” said Passemard.

Some people believe that a union may seem unnecessary in eSports, but Passemard explained the need for it.

“It comes from a need to do something. We faced a few issues and incidents, and of course we didn’t like that because these incidents were not in favor of the players.

“So at a point we have to make a decision–either we get more directly involved or we keep having issues. We still want the players and the teams to lead a life of their own, because if we help them too much or if we do things for them they kind of lose the warm feeling of doing it themselves or they lose motivation, but in the end we had to do something. So we looked at some options and the best one is to help the pro players create a union for themselves.

We have to do it, there will be issues maybe we aren’t ready, (for a players union) but we will find a way.”

Would it also pave the way for new organizations to arise? Maybe, but Passemard said that Wargaming would be open for team-ups as well. “I’d like the union to be successful in a year, and get to a point where other games are looking and saying they would like to be a part of it. If it’s run by the players and made by the players then at a point, maybe, it’s a natural evolution to bring in other games, if it is successful they will see the benefit of it.”

Wargaming plays a huge part in the eSports game, having just hosted the World of Tanks League Grand Finals, which were watched by thousands of fans across the globe. Whether that’s enough to launch an effective players’ union is yet to be seen.

‘Captain America: Civil War’ Twitter Promotion Reacts To Your Decisions

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The push for Marvel Studios’ latest film, Captain America: Civil War, has begun and it’s taking the fight online.

Marvel has launched a new promotion alongside its partner, online ticket sales company Fandango, asking fans to choose a side on Twitter using the hashtag #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan.

While making positions publicly known is good fun, some lucky users are getting something back: a response from a member of the film’s cast. Actors like Paul Rudd, Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie spent a good deal of time recording responses with popular names, which the Captain America Twitter then posted as replies to these users, making them seem like they’re actually talking to them.

A few samples are below. While most of them are positive, some express disappointment with the user’s decision to back the other team.

And of course, I decided to give it a shot…

The program has been a success thus far, with tens of thousands of responses. It’s the latest promotion to be introduced for Civil War for Twitter, following the debut of custom emojis for #TeamCap and #TeamIronMan, which arrived earlier this month.

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With just under a month until the movie releases, Captain America: Civil War is getting huge promotional pushes with partners like Fandango, Pizza Hut and others launching their campaigns. New film clips are popping up online, including this one, where Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) meets up with Captain America (Chris Evans) and his team for the first time.

The film opens May 6th. Those that can’t get enough of Marvel’s media takeover can also enjoy the debut trailer for Benedict Cumberbatch’s upcoming Doctor Strange both online and on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and it performed well on social media. The late night talk show host is interviewing actors from Civil War and across the Marvel movie and TV show universe this week.

 

The Mobile Midcore: What It Means And Why Developers Say It’s The Future

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We’ve all heard of hardcore to describe someone, particularly in the world of video games—but the lesser-known midcore demographic may be the future of mobile game marketing, according to leading developers. Games that cater to this demographic include MMOs like Clash of Clans and Game of War, RPGs like Nuclear Farm and complex match-3 games like Kill Me Again: Infectors and Star Trek: Wrath of Gems. While many midcore games share similar visual styles with casual titles like Candy Crush and Angry Birds, the main differences lie in the ability to level up a character, the strategy required and a sense of competition.

Who makes up the midcore demographic?

The term midcore refers to those who enjoy video games, but make time to play around their busy schedule. Adults who grew up playing video games and wish they could play more often choose a midcore title to satisfy that craving. A midcore title is defined as being more challenging than the average casual game, requiring strategy and skill to level up your characters and rank among worldwide players. For this reason, this demographic is more invested in their gameplay progress than they would with a casual game, where the goal is simply to solve puzzles.

Session times range from short to mid-range, and male users outnumber female, according to recent estimates by NewZoo.

Midcore games are a growing market

In 2016, U.S. mobile gaming revenue is expected to reach $3.31 billion, up from $2.03 billion in 2013. Candy Crush giant, King Digital, has expanded into the midcore market with its more strategically-challenging title, Candy Crush Jelly Saga and the move is literally paying off. Earning an estimated $125,000 per day, Jelly Saga earned the #12 top grossing spot in February’s iOS sales.

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Kabam, a AAA free-to-play mobile game publisher agrees that when it comes to audiences, midcore is the way to go. “This audience is having a huge impact,” Aaron Loeb, Kabam’s president of studios told Develop. “If you look at the top grossing charts in China, U.S., South Korea and Japan, they’re dominated by mid-core. Many of the Japanese mid-core games look casual due to their play pattern and art styles, but they’re deep RPGs.”

Mobile MMO, Clash of Clans, rules the U.S. charts with an estimated $1.1 million in daily revenue. The game’s publisher, Supercell enjoyed an annual revenue of €2.11 billion (about $2.4 billion USD) in 2015 alone. With the growing number of television ads for mobile titles, user acquisition is on the rise. Machine Zone spent an estimated $40 million in advertisements for Game of War, including a highly-effective Super Bowl Ad in 2015.

As adult gamers find themselves caught up in the daily grind, but craving adventure, mobile developers are answering the call. Free-to-play models are obviously not hindering revenue streams, and it pays to market to those who enjoy strategy, but don’t have a lot of time on their hands.

Op-Ed: How Changes in Games Media Is Changing Marketing Strategy

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We’ve seen massive growth and fundamental changes transform the games industry over the past decade or so. The mobile platform has gone from nowhere to the largest single segment of the games industry, and new business models for games appear, thrive, and dominate. China has become the leading games market on the planet, and Chinese company Tencent is now the largest games company in the world by far. So it should be no surprise that the media is also in the process of fundamentally changing, and so is the nature of games marketing.

Changes have gradually snuck up on games media, but we’re now in the acceleration phase of the curve. Once, games media meant a handful of monthly games magazines, which were the major source of information for games fans. They were also the most important places for game marketing and PR to focus on. As magazines and newspapers have faded in significance, the growth of websites and blogs as the primary purveyors of game news became critically important. Marketing followed, and the most important websites and blogs were places to advertise and support.

Now, as YouTubers and streamers are becoming the place where hundreds of millions of gamers are absorbing the latest info about games, the websites and blogs about games have declined in importance. We’re seeing the effects now in layoffs, restructurings, and shutdowns. Long-time games journalist Dean Takahashi outlined this on GamesBeat: “Layoffs recently hit the Durham, N.C. office of The Escapist, and the 11-year-old Game Politics web site is shutting down on April 18. Others that have or are shuttering include CVG, GameTrailers, Official Nintendo Magazine, Official PlayStation Magazine, Official Xbox Magazine, Edge Online, Xbox World, and PSM3. I would list more, but it’s starting to get a little depressing. I wouldn’t exaggerate the situation. This year isn’t necessarily worse than previous years, but it’s not a good trend.”

Adding to that list is the shutdown of Yahoo Games on May 13 (along with closing other verticals) and sites like Mashable moving more to TV and video. We’re seeing a sea change here, and it has people like Takahashi wondering where the future lies for games journalism.

Certainly, video is becoming far more important as a medium for people to get the latest news about games, but it’s more than news. It’s being able to see the games, watch people play them proficiently, and listen to people talking about them in an entertaining way. That’s a skill set many game journalists just don’t have, so transitioning to video is difficult. Which is why we’re seeing a whole new generation arising of people who are comfortable sharing their thoughts on games via social media and video.

See The Message

There are some important takeaways for marketers in this evolution of game media. First, is the move towards video. It’s imperative that games marketers have a video strategy that is comprehensive and long-term. It’s about much more than doing a killer trailer for a game. Although that is more important than ever, your video strategy either starts there or uses trailers as part of a bigger strategy.

Video has many important differences from text for marketers. Yes, it’s images, and action, but it’s also highly effective at transmitting tone, style, emotion, and personality. Marketers need to consider all of these facets in video creation, and employ talent capable of striking the right notes.

Video is a tool with utility for many aspects of marketing. Yes, snippets of gameplay can be shown, or backstory. But there’s also behind-the-scenes looks at the process of game development, or messages from various parts of the development team, conversations with developers and fans… the list is endless. True fans of a game want to engage deeply with all aspects of the game, its past, present and future, and video is a great way to accomplish that.

That’s not at all to say that video should be used to the exclusion of other tools, of course. Many times ideas are best conveyed by text, or still images. Discussions and conversations on forums or on social media can be terrific at communicating, though you must be ever-vigilant for trolls. While game media sites may be changing, they are still a very important way for millions of gamers to find out about games, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

User-Generated Marketing

The second key part of this media revolution for marketers to comprehend and embrace is the shift of marketing control. Marketers and companies once had absolute control over marketing message. Every part of the message that anyone ever saw was designed, executed, and overseen by the brand’s guardians.

Now, the control of your product’s message is largely in the hands the audience itself. This is the era of user-generated marketing. The audience is making videos, describing things in their own terms, praising or mocking it, and concentrating on whatever part of your game they deem important. Attempts to control the message can easily result in a backlash, or even the audience turning away to go engage with some other game that wants their input.

Marketers still have the ability to influence the conversation, and to highlight parts of the message of frame them in a desired way. If you do this well enough, the audience will pick up on that in their own communications. Fundamentally, the game you’re marketing has to live up to what you’re saying about it, because the fan base will quickly tear down any hyperbole. Worse, if you exaggerate some aspect of the game, that can result in a greater level of criticism than the game may warrant. It’s best to under-promise and over-deliver in the era of user-generated marketing.

Games journalism, is shifting from the purview of a small number of journalists to a media of expression for the audience. Your marketing efforts become the starting points for the efforts of the audience. You are providing seeds rather than complete gardens. Yes, you may help nurture and tend this garden of messages, but do it carefully, so as not to damage the plants or the harvest. The growth of the marketing is beyond your direct control in this day and age, but that also means that the possible scope can be much larger than you dreamed of in times past. Would Minecraft have ever had millions of videos created by a publisher if the game had appeared a decade ago? Of course not, nor would it have become the monster hit it is now without the efforts of thousands or perhaps millions of dedicated fans doing a lot of marketing for the game without even understanding that they’re doing it.

Azubu Brings Broadcasters And Brands New Monetization Model

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Azubu, a global eSports broadcasting platform, announced today they’ve introduced Everest, the code name for their innovative HD, flash-free online media player that offers higher resolution than Twitch and gives broadcasters and brands a new revenue stream through an interactive clickable overlay product.

Everest’s other key features include a “flashless” HTML 5 player, 4K playback capability, full HD streaming with consistent frame-rate (1080p/60 fps), live DVR, pre-roll and live mid-roll support, and ad-free viewing for subscribers. But maximizing the on-screen real estate by introducing an innovative way to make eSports growth possible and sustainable through overlays takes the cake.

“We want to give the power to our broadcasters. One of the things that streamers have done in the past is try and bring in their advertisers and partners into the conversation or entertainment experience,” Reed Anderson, Azubu’s chief technology officer, told [a]listdaily. “I’m thrilled to say we’ve developed the most advanced eSports video player in the world.”

Bringing branded content into a livestream and attracting advertisers is a sizable step forward for the Sherman Oaks, California-based company that in December raised $60 million in new capital and now competes with rival juggernauts like Twitch and YouTube for a fair share of the eSports livestreaming market.

Chris Barnett, ‎director of product engineering for Azubu, offered the following example as a likely scenario with the broadcaster-controlled clickable overlays: The broadcaster is using a Razer Sabertooth controller during a livestream, and wants to promote it—along with his special discount code. So, a call to action then appears on the upper right hand corner of the page. Once it’s clicked on by the viewer, it goes into a more branded experience. A click-through after that takes the viewer to Razer’s page where they can make a purchase. Meanwhile, the broadcaster is getting real-time engagement statistics, as well as detailed analytics to share with his sponsor.

“While the content was on-screen, there was no way to track engagement and understand how successful a particular campaign may have been,” Barnett explained, adding that there will be a module showcasing the artillery of gear being used as well. “Our goal was to change that.”

Anderson joined [a]listdaily to explain how Azubu is enhancing the eSports streaming experience for viewers, broadcasters and brands, and how eSports could be setting the paradigm for how millennials will consume TV moving forward.

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How is Azubu staying ahead of the curve as you compete with YouTube and Twitch? How is your livestreaming platform different?

One of the fundamental flaws of our previous generation, and all of our competitors, with the exception of YouTube, is they actually have to use Flash to transcode the video. We’re specifically leveraging ad-overlays, which allows us an entirely new concept of putting the control in the broadcaster’s hands. It’s a new idea, and a new revenue stream to make our broadcasters successful. We look at them as a ‘small business,’ where they can showcase their partner sponsorships with their gear. That was one of the foundational things we put in the player. As for the behind-the-scenes tech side, we’ve made it ‘CDN’ agnostic where we can leverage any content delivery network, which is good because from a business standpoint it allows us to manage cost. From a viewership side, we can find the best content delivery network because we want to be global. Also, for large events, we can do redundant streams. I would say the Internet is not designed for livestreaming, so we can actually send two streams into the networks and then the player can decide which stream comes down the best to avoid network congestion.

How can brands and broadcasters monetize through ad-overlays via endemic and non-endemic audiences? How will it become a reality?

To look at monetizing livestreaming, most of it is advertising, or subscriptions, or some sort of pay-per-play type of thing. This is exciting because it’s a brand-new revenue stream. At the same time, since it’s a brand new product, you have to spend a lot of time iterating with your customers.

Are you securing exclusive streaming rights?

We’re certainly controlling the scarcity of supply, and having exclusive content is a big part because it drives viewership to one location. That is absolutely the path we’ve been pursuing. We just signed a deal with ESL. Some of their stuff is exclusive, some of it is non-exclusive. But we certainly strive for exclusive content, which is why we signed folks like Keyd Stars and Pain Gaming from Brazil. We also have folks from Europe who stream exclusively on our system. We’re also an open broadcast model, so anybody can go download the software and begin broadcasting.

How is the platform conducive to mobile?

We have both iOS and Android award-winning mobile apps. A lot of the functionality you get on the platform is possible in the application on your phone, or tablet. The site is also optimized to run on the browser through your phone. But things like the overlay have yet to transfer over.

How would you describe your user base?

It’s still more predominantly desktop. I’d say roughly 70-30. But mobile is growing quite a bit. Some of that has to do with adoption in some countries. Korea, for example, is a lot higher for mobile, whereas Brazil is a lot lower, and some of that is a function of the way the data plans work in each of those countries. So people can tend to be conservative about streaming.

Brazil and India are key markets you’re pursuing. Why are those two countries important to growing your platform?  

For Brazil, it’s huge. We were able to sign a deal exclusively with UOL BoaCompra last year. They are like what AOL was in the ‘90s of Brazil. Seven out of 10 users go through that portal. I would say we are the de facto standard streaming platform in Brazil. ESports is a huge, up-and-coming market there. We look at emerging markets; we look at the competition. Twitch had done a great job in North America and Western Europe. We wouldn’t be here without them. We looked at markets that were underserved through technology and through recognition in the space.

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How are you building out capability to grow your business?

In looking at making money off of streaming, whether it be live, or video on demand, not many companies make money doing it. Even YouTube loses money because of the cost to run that. We’ve looked very hard at finding new revenue streams and opportunities, like the overlay. What we’re looking for as a business right now is advertising and subscriptions—which is fine. That is a totally normal thing that people have been doing for a very long time. Advertising is not there yet. People debate whether advertising will or won’t be part of the future. Maybe it will be much more targeted. But giving the broadcasters tools to monetize is a big thing. We’ll have to figure out what the commercial model looks like. We’ve started with our partners. It’s a brand-new idea, so starting with the new idea of figuring out we want the broadcaster to be successful in the business, we want the partner to experience the same, and we provide the service, and want some of it, too. So it will be a three-sided model, to a certain degree, with always an eye toward exclusive content.

In December, Azubu raised $60 million to bolster the platform and expand into new territories. How else do you plan on using the funds?

Most of the money is predominantly used to acquire great content, and to build a great product. Those are the areas where we’re focused at, aside from some overhead of running offices. We’ve been focused heavily on our streaming platform and building out things like players and overlays. We got a lot of great differentiators that we’re looking to put into market—all with an eye toward supporting the broadcaster. We have some more announcements lined up in the next couple of months.

Everyone is high on eSports right now, and its growth potential. What do you think is possible? How do you think broadcasts can change?

I think eSports is definitely at the tip of the spear. Timing is everything, and it’s a perfect time for eSports right now. It’s got the hype, it’s got the market, and the technology is finally there. What eSports is going to do for livestreaming is set a paradigm for how millennials consume television moving forward. Watching TV, or streams, is no longer going to be a passive thing. … One of the big thematic shifts we’ve been trying to make is designing for the customer first—specifically for our viewers and our broadcasters—and learn from them, iterate and make the product better. 

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan.

Samsung Introduces Milk VR App To Watch Growing Collection Of 360-Degree Videos

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With the accessibility of low-cost mobile phone viewers like the Samsung Gear VR, 360-degree video content is on the rise, using the “in the round” format to immerse viewers into their experiences. So it make sense that Samsung would partner to introduce the Milk VR mobile app on Google Play, capable of displaying full 360-degree videos with Gear VR headsets. But those that haven’t picked up a VR viewer won’t be left out. They’ll be able to use the app with their Galaxy smartphone as a portal.

“The Samsung Milk VR mobile app allows you to discover, search, download, and play 360 video content on your Samsung phone anytime and anywhere,” the description reads.

There are some videos that require Gear VR because they have touch pad controls, but for the most part, the library is accessible across a number of devices, promising bold new video viewing experiences.

Several partners are already on board with the program, including Mountain Dew, the NBA, 20th Century Fox, WWE and Skybound Entertainment. A Samsung spokesperson confirmed that the library of videos has already reached more than 700, with expansion likely to continue into the thousands by year’s end.

“The new companion app virtually eliminates the download waiting period when ‘in goggles’, allowing content to be downloaded in advance,” said a Samsung spokesperson, speaking with Variety about the convenience of having video on demand.

This is a big move for Samsung, as the company already faces fierce competition from the likes of Facebook, which is already ramping up its own division of 360-degree compatible videos. Even Google is expected to be a heavy competitor in the field, with its promotion of the low-tech Cardboard viewers using YouTube 360 videos.

The only catch is that the app will only work with newer Galaxy phones like the S7 and S7 Edge, and not older models or competing Android devices. Expect Samsung to continue its push into the format over the course of the year.

GQ’s Second Season Of ‘The Grind’ Takes On ESports

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ESports have grown impressively over the past few years, including tournaments that provide millions of dollars worth of prizes, online promotions through livestreaming, and large-scale partnerships. What’s really impressive is how many mainstream companies such as ESPN and Yahoo Sports have begun to take eSports seriously with their coverage.

Now it’s GQ’s turn. The popular lifestyle magazine has debuted the second season of its show The Grind, which focuses on the lives of athletes. However, this time around, the show is looking towards eSports by focusing on legendary players as they arrive for the Summit DOTA 2 Tournament in Los Angeles, each gunning for a prize of $250,000.

Although eSports tournaments are usually quite a spectacle, this one has a unique twist. Instead of holding the tournament at a jam-packed venue, it’s being hosted from a house, with the commentators sitting in easy chairs as they watch the action go down.

The series is known for tackling the hardships of athletes over the course of their careers, and eSports players are no exception. Facing their own share of ups-and-downs, these athletes compete for fame and cash prizes. It will continue to debut new episodes over the course of the season, covering the tournament and how these players take a part in it.

Episodes and other videos from the series can be found here, and they include everything from explaining eSports careers to parents to watching rivals go at it in heated match-ups.