Privacy violations are becoming a major concern with young social media users. Survey data released this week by USA Network indicates that 55 percent of young people would drop social media “if they could start fresh;” 75 percent would be “somewhat likely” to deactivate their accounts if privacy breaches continued; while 23 percent said they were “highly likely” to close their accounts in the face of more breaches. “Young Americans’ sense of privacy online has been so violated that most of them believe that it’s safer to store their personal data in a box than in the cloud,” notes TechCrunch. “Indeed, the survey said that physical filing systems were actually listed as the ‘most trusted’ personal data storage method for young people.”

Hulu announced yesterday that its subscribers will have the ability to add Showtime for $8.99 per month starting in time for the July premieres of “Ray Donovan” and “Masters of Sex.” The deal represents the first time that the streaming VOD service has partnered with a premium cable channel to drive subscriptions. Hulu customers will still need to pay $7.99 per month to stream the other available content. Hulu, which originally launched as a free, ad-supported service, recently rebranded itself by removing the word “Plus” from the name of its paid tier. Continue reading Hulu to Offer Showtime for an Added Fee Beginning Next Month

Toshiba is developing a new Internet-based communication encryption system that analysts claim cannot be breached. The primary challenge in creating a foolproof system has been building a key to decode encrypted data that can be safely transferred from one place to another. “The key for Toshiba’s quantum-cryptography system will come in the form of photons that are delivered through a custom-made fiber optic cable not connected to the Internet,” The Wall Street Journal explains. “Due to the nature of the particles, any interception or wiretapping activities on the cable would change the form of data, making any spying attempts detectable.” Toshiba hopes to commercialize the service by 2020.

About 70 million photos and videos are posted daily to Instagram. This week the Facebook-owned service began tapping into that content to provide its 300 million users with the feeling of being part of current events as they unfold live. An updated Explore button, working with the service’s algorithms, will take Instagram users to the most important and timely imagery in their regions and across the nation — from live sports and concerts to breaking news. Instagram has also made it easier to find images via its search function and will feature hand-selected collections for content discovery. Continue reading Instagram Updates Put Users in the Middle of Current Events

A three-minute, 360-degree online video features YouTube star Lilly Singh (Superwoman) and other YouTubers taking on a Terminator sent from the future going crazy in the YouTube Space LA studio. “Terminator Genisys: The YouTube Chronicles in 360″ can be watched with Google’s Cardboard VR viewer. The video is “part of a partnership between YouTube, some of its creators and Paramount Studios to promote the new Terminator Genisys franchise, which also includes a three-part webisode that expands on the plot of a Terminator visiting YouTube’s production facility,” reports Variety. “For the 360-degree video, YouTube teamed up with the Venice-based VR production company Specular Theory.”

In San Diego last week, the International Telecommunication Union agreed on a definition for the 5G network requirement in addition to a schedule to commercialize the technology by 2020. ITU “has decided to define 5G as a network which is capable of transmitting data at up to 20 gigabits-per-second,” reports The Korea Times. “This means that users can download one ultra high-definition movie in 10 seconds. The 5G network will also have a capacity to provide more than 100 megabits-per-second average data transmission to over one million Internet of Things devices within 1 square kilometer.” IMT-2020 (the official name of the network) will be demonstrated at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Musicians are coming up with new ways to leverage streaming music technology. Eternify, for example, is a website that enables users to play songs from Spotify’s catalog in 30-second loops, an approach that can slowly build up the pay-per-stream revenue for a given artist. “Last year, indie funk band Vulfpeck launched an album named Sleepify that consisted entirely of silent tracks,” notes The Verge. “They encouraged fans to stream the album on repeat while they slept, promising they’d use the streaming revenue to fund a free tour.” Ohm & Sport, the band that created Eternify, estimates that each 30-second stream will generate $0.005 for the artist.

Apple Music, the highly-anticipated $10 per month streaming music service, is launching this month with a free three-month trial for music fans. Last week, Apple’s Robert Kondrk said that the company was planning to pay 71.5 percent of subscription revenue to all music owners. However, Kondrk also noted that Apple would not be paying owners during the three-month trial period. Following criticism by Taylor Swift and others, Apple changed its plans. Apple’s Eddy Cue quickly explained via Twitter that Apple would make sure that artists are paid. Continue reading Apple Music to Pay Royalties During New Service Trial Period

As part of its social media push for the upcoming series “Scream,” based on the popular horror film franchise, MTV has created an interactive online game. In a unique promotional campaign, “Choose Your Own Murder” invites participants to enter their own horror movie scenario and try to escape a killer. Users are given options as the story unfolds and brief time limits to quickly make decisions that steer the action. Once murdered, users then have the option of playing the game again or sharing via social media. The series is slated to debut June 30. Continue reading MTV Launches Interactive Online Game to Promote ‘Scream’

In the wake of E3, Sony has announced that its new PS4 will be thinner, lighter and pack more storage than its predecessor. The new PlayStation 4 1TB Ultimate Player Edition, coming to North America next month, will weigh 10 percent lighter than the current PS4 and use 8 percent less power. The new console will come in black or white with a hard drive bay cover in a matte finish, which Sony suggests provides “a more casual look.” Earlier this month, Microsoft confirmed that its latest Xbox One would feature 1TB of storage and an upcoming wireless controller. Continue reading Sony Announces 1TB PlayStation Will Be Thinner and Lighter

Parrot is introducing five new smartphone-controlled MiniDrone toys, ranging from $99 to $189, targeting consumers who cannot afford the larger, more expensive UAVs such as Parrot’s AR and Bebop Drones. Based on the Rolling Spider quadcopter and the two-wheeled Jumping Sumo, which have sold 600,000 units combined since last year’s launches, the new models will initially be made available in the U.S. and France this September. The new models include drones that skim across water, fly at night guided by LED lights, feature live streaming cameras and more. Continue reading Parrot Plans to Launch Five New MiniDrone Toys in September

According to IDC, 72.1 million wearable devices will be shipped this year. The global forecast represents an increase of 173.3 percent over 2014. Shipments are expected to experience a 42.6 percent compound annual growth rate the next several years, reaching 155.7 million units in 2019. The demand for sub-$100 wearables from vendors such as Fitbit and Xiaomi that do not require third party apps has been particularly strong. “We expect smart wearables, those capable of running third party apps, to take the lead in 2016,” said analyst Jitesh Ubrani. Continue reading IDC Projects Wearables Market to Grow 173 Percent This Year

LG’s new Minibeam Nano projector weighs just over half a pound (270 grams) and can wirelessly connect to a smartphone or tablet through Miracast and Wi-Fi Direct to screen pictures, videos and documents up to 100 inches on a flat surface. According to LG’s press release, the Minibeam Nano is the company’s “smallest, lightest, and most affordable projector to date.” While portability is the major selling point, the resolution is only 854 x 480. However, the projector’s LED lamp, designed to last 30,000 hours, offers 100 ANSI lumens of brightness. The device also includes USB and HDMI ports. Model PV150G will be available later this month in North America and other markets. Pricing has yet to be announced.

The 2015 Creative Storage Conference will take place June 30th at the DoubleTree Hotel in Culver City, California. The one-day conference — organized by the Entertainment Storage Alliance and Coughlin Associates — brings together digital storage providers, equipment and software manufacturers and M&E professionals to explore the latest developments in digital storage. ETC’s Erik Weaver will be one of the keynote speakers. In his presentation, “Exabyte & Beyond: Preparing Yourself for the Upcoming ‘Network-Based’ Revolution,” Erik will discuss the strategies and technologies surrounding the shift from file- to network-based life cycles. The full conference agenda and registration page are both available online.

Research firms Rentrak and ListenFirst Media are collaborating on a new data set designed to help advertisers identify TV shows that generate consistent viewing and high social engagement. While these programs may not always have the highest ratings, they may have some of the most impassioned fans and may be a better target for advertisers. The research combines Rentrak’s viewership data from set-top boxes with ListenFirst’s data collected from blogs, social media platforms and other sources. The companies presented the research at an Advertising Research Foundation event in New York. Continue reading Rentrak and ListenFirst Want to Measure TV Show Stickiness