Business Insider deputy editor Nicholas Carlson admits that he did not plan on watching this year’s Academy Awards ceremony until he logged in to Twitter and read the many comments about the red carpet. He then tuned in, compelled to be a part of the ongoing conversation. Twitter believes that this type of response will allow the company “to get in on the $70+ billion that Nielsen says is spent on TV advertising in the U.S. every year.” Continue reading Social Second Screens: Twitter Wants in to TV Ad Business

As part of its new initiative to offer original content, Amazon has announced production of a comedy series based on the Columbia Pictures film “Zombieland.” The series will have the same name and will be available for free to subscribers of Amazon Instant Video and LOVEFiLM. This marks the seventh original comedy series added to the new lineup from Amazon Studios, which will also feature six pilots for children. Continue reading Zombieland: Amazon Announces Original Comedy Series

NAB announced that next month’s show in Las Vegas will feature 10 up-and-coming media and entertainment companies invited to participate in the new SPROCKIT program. Selected for their innovative video, mobile, social and analytics technologies, the market-ready startups participating in the program are expected to provide a glimpse into the future of content creation, management and delivery. Continue reading 2013 NAB Show: Startups Invited to SPROCKIT Program

When the fourth season of NBC’s “Community” aired in February, it pulled in 4 million viewers, which is roughly a quarter of the audience that tunes in to top hit sitcoms. Until recently, Nielsen numbers in that range might be the end of a series (think “Firefly,” “Jericho,” “Freaks and Geeks”). But on the night of the “Community” premiere, the show spawned two worldwide trending topics via Twitter — perhaps a more important metric today. Continue reading Should Nielsen Change How it Measures TV Audiences?

JVC first revealed a prototype of its 8K Super Hi-Vision projector at CEATEC in 2008. After five years of development, the company is reportedly ready to ship a product version later this month. The DLA-VS4800, which uses JVC’s e-Shift pixel technology, is expected to initially be made available in Japan for about 25 million yen, or $261,000 U.S. (without the four available lenses). Continue reading JVC Plans to Ship 8K Projector to Japan Later This Month

Zurich-based online video startup Viewster is making waves after drawing 8.3 million viewers in the United States for February, making comScore’s recent Top 50 U.S. video properties list. The small company may not have the top box office titles in its collection, but with six months free for new comers, it has been gaining momentum globally and in the U.S. Viewster features content from 150 partners and is distributed in 120 countries. Continue reading Startup Viewster Makes International Waves with VOD Site

Yesterday we posted findings of a Coca-Cola study, which concluded that online buzz did not have a measurable impact on short-term product sales. Response to the story, first published by Advertising Age and others, was met with a significant amount of online debate, which prompted a Coca-Cola exec to post that the finding can be viewed as accurate in isolation, but should not diminish the crucial role of social media across multiple screens. Continue reading Marketing Exec Defends the Crucial Role of Social Media

HP Labs has developed a new kind of three-dimensional display that can play hologram-like videos without requiring moving parts or glasses. Videos hover above the screen as viewers walk around them and experience an image or video from up to 200 viewpoints, essentially simulating the experience of moving around an actual physical object. The LCD-based approach could be used by phones and tablets to produce holograms. Continue reading New 3D System Could Help Mobile Devices Create Holograms

Intel Media is preparing to launch an Internet television service later this year. The group is looking to hire 60 additional people to its staff of more than 300, and could even build to more than 400 within the next six months, said spokesman Jon Carvill (the group had less than 100 staffers a year ago). The hiring spree underscores the chipmaker’s seriousness regarding the new venture. Continue reading Intel Media Group Staffing Up for New Internet TV Service

With March Madness underway, many sports fans will be using social media to read and share updates about their favorite college basketball teams. To enhance the social and second screen experience this year, Twitter has joined forces with Turner Broadcasting and startup SnappyTV to provide instant 15-second replay videos of popular game highlights through Twitter’s news feed. The move will also create new opportunities for advertising revenue. Continue reading Twitter Offers Video Highlight Clips During March Madness

The Walt Disney Company reportedly has an app in the works that will stream ABC programming live to the smartphones and tablets of cable and satellite subscribers. For example, subscribers could watch “Good Morning America” live via phones while in line for their coffee or watch “Nashville” on their tablets will riding a bus home from work. The app could be available as soon as this year. Continue reading Disney Plans App for Live Streaming ABC to Mobile Devices

According to a new study from Coca-Cola, online buzz has no measurable impact on short-term product sales. However, online display ads are about effective as TV ads, noted company exec Eric Schmidt during this week’s Advertising Research Foundation Re:think conference in New York. As a point of clarification, a top marketing exec for the company, Wendy Clark, was quick to note that social media still plays a crucial role. Continue reading Online Buzz Has No Measurable Impact on Short-Term Sales

Verizon Communications wants to switch up the way things work in the pay TV industry. Presently, the provider pays fees in order to carry various TV channels, but the company is proposing to tie those fees directly to how many viewers actually watch the channels. Verizon, whose FiOS TV is the sixth-largest pay TV provider in the nation, has begun talks with several smaller media companies about the prospect. Continue reading Verizon Proposes to Pay for Channels Based on Audience

A new YouTube-funded channel called the Jash Network has launched from a group of comedy creators led by producer Daniel Kellison, edgy comedienne Sarah Silverman, indie star Michael Cera and entertainers Reggie Watts, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim. YouTube executives approached Kellison to be part of an initiative that is spending several hundred million dollars to develop high-quality original content for the site. Continue reading New Hollywood Turns to YouTube with Original Content

In the battle to capitalize on the growing mobile content market, and the trend toward original online video, Amazon has commissioned a series of big-budget, Web-only shows — starring actors such as John Goodman and Bill Murray — in order to compete with Netflix and others for attention on smartphones, tablets and connected TVs. The company is producing at least 11 pilots to be made available starting this spring. Continue reading Viewers to Determine the Fate of Amazon Original Pilots