Netflix’s use of data helps determine what its customers want to watch and how they want it presented. The company’s newest original show, “Orange Is the New Black,” is partially the result of analyzing viewer data. Netflix is using all types of collected viewer data in order to create content and to possibly shape the user experience. Viewer data is collected from multiple sources: Netflix, third party metadata and social media. Continue reading Viewer Data Used to Shape Netflix Content and Experience

Sales for compact, point-and-shoot, digital cameras have declined 42 percent in the first five months of 2013, according to the Camera and Imaging Products Association. Most major manufacturers have been affected, such as Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus and others. The declines are primarily due to smartphones that are replacing the need for stand-alone compact digital cameras, driving manufacturers to focus on premium digital camera lines. Continue reading Point-and-Shoot Cameras Face Decline in the Smartphone Era

Facebook’s growth in mobile advertising revenue contributed in part to a surprising second quarter return this year. The social network’s large user base and scalable mobile advertising platforms have become major attractions for advertisers. The company has been taking advertisers more seriously in ad platform development and is working closely with them to understand their needs. As a result, advertisers are becoming more comfortable with Facebook. Continue reading Facebook Mobile Development More Attractive to Advertisers

Advertising powerhouses Omnicom Group of the U.S. and Publicus Groupe SA of France announced a merger on Sunday that aims to fend off the growing competition from Silicon Valley tech companies including Google and Facebook. The new Publicis Omnicom Group will have combined revenue of nearly $23 billion. The Wall Street Journal describes the merger as “a $35.1 billion cross-border linkup that shows how Big Data is making Madison Avenue look more like Wall Street.” Continue reading Advertising Giants Merge in Effort to Fend Off Silicon Valley

A new Slingbox software update includes new features, the most important of which is allowing owners to invite Facebook friends to share their video stream. The update to the Watch software applies to the Slingbox 350 and 500 models. It supports both Mac and Windows, and most popular Web browsers. Web-based streaming from a Slingbox only allows one connection at a time. Friends can access the owner’s Slingbox directly from Facebook. Continue reading Slingbox Now Allows Pay TV Sharing with Facebook Friends

Television is becoming an important part of Twitter’s advertising strategy. In May, Twitter revealed an experimental advertising plan that will allow companies to use Twitter to directly engage with consumers who see their TV commercials. Twitter reported that users who are shown promoted tweets had a 58 percent higher intent to buy compared with people who only viewed the TV ad. Rates of user engagement were 27 percent higher than previous averages for companies using Twitter to reach customers. Continue reading Companies Can Target Viewers While They Tweet on Shows

About 25 percent of North American consumer Internet traffic is served by Google, more than that of Facebook, Netflix and Instagram combined, an increase from 6 percent three years ago. Estimates are that the majority of Google’s traffic is from YouTube — the rest involving searches, analytics, and advertising. To deal with the increase in Internet traffic, the company has data centers in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and has other distribution strategies. Continue reading Google Serves Quarter of Internet Traffic in North America

Chinese online-commerce company Alibaba is the latest tech firm to target the living room, with its new smart TV operating system and a set-top box. The company joins a crowded group that includes Apple, Lenovo, Samsung and others that are exploring the emerging market. Alibaba plans to integrate its Alipay electronic-payment service into the TV software. The company cited declining growth of PC use in China as a motivation for the move into TVs. Continue reading Alibaba Unveils Smart TV Operating System and Set-Top Box

Television networks are creating companion apps for their successful shows, social TV startups are developing chats and check-ins for second screen experiences, and others are pushing for new ideas to redesign today’s programming guide. But the second screen trend has thus far been based on the premise that the TV screen in the living room is the center of most consumers’ entertainment. Some are suggesting that this viewpoint is no longer accurate and, in fact, may not have been true in the past. Continue reading Second Screen Apps: Has TV Become the Second Screen?

BookVibe, created by startup Parakweet, analyzes the tweets of a user’s Twitter followers, and creates book recommendations based on mentioned books. The company uses artificial intelligence technologies to differentiate between a tweet with genuine regards to a book and a tweet that only mentions it. Parakweet is also developing tools for publishers and media companies for more advanced analysis on social media of books and movies. Continue reading BookVibe Makes Recommendations Based on Twitter Feeds

Social gaming company Zynga is releasing gambling games in the UK, where online gambling is legal. Zynga has partnered with British online gambling company Bwin.party to introduce gambling games for Facebook and mobile devices. The gambling titles plan to leverage the popular social and mobile aspects of online games. The partnership may also be a sign that others will enter the online gambling market. Continue reading Zynga Turns Social Games to Online Gambling on Facebook

A recent marketing study by research firm Vision Critical questions whether companies are using social tools such as Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest to effectively connect with customers. The study suggests that companies may not be fully utilizing the Big Data available to them. Vision Critical suggests that different social media platforms should be approached in different ways, based on the purchasing behavior of consumers and how social media influences their decisions. Continue reading Retailers Need Social Media Strategies to Drive Engagement

Lesser known musicians and indie bands can find an audience today with the help of online services such as Pandora, Spotify and iTunes, while leveraging the marketing power of social networks including Twitter and Facebook. Yet this disruption to music distribution and promotion does not hold true of live performances. Big name music acts continue to dominate while niche, indie acts receive a very small share of concert revenue. Continue reading Disparity Between Indie Music and Superstar Concert Revenue

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Graph Search earlier this year, a new way for users of the social network to access information. Considered the network’s third pillar, along with its News Feed and Timeline, Graph Search is based on Facebook’s social graph, which is essentially a map of more than a trillion connections between users. After six months of beta testing, the product is now available to those who use the American English version of the site. Continue reading Graph Search: Facebook Rolls Out Radical New Social Tool

According to a new Gallup poll, in which Americans were asked what they consider to be their main source of news about domestic and global events, 55 percent indicated television is their primary resource, while 21 percent said they mainly use the Internet. Nine percent said newspapers or other print publications, followed by radio at 6 percent. This poll marks the first time Gallup has measured Americans’ media habits with this open-ended question. Continue reading Television Remains Primary News Source for Many Americans