Social media platform Facebook celebrated its 10th anniversary this week. Pew Research Center reports that 57 percent of American adults and 73 percent of teens 12-17 currently use Facebook, with adult use on the rise. According to Pew, 64 percent of adult users visit the site daily, up from 51 percent in 2010. And while teens’ relationship with Facebook may be complicated and evolving, Pew notes that younger users are not abandoning the site, as some reports have recently suggested. Continue reading Facebook Turns 10 This Week: Pew Releases Survey Results

According to Nielsen estimates, Sunday’s broadcast of Super Bowl XLVIII on Fox drew 111.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched television broadcast in U.S. history. The overall ratings may have even gone higher had the game not been such a blowout. Last year’s Super Bowl on CBS averaged 108.69 million viewers. Sunday’s viewership totaled 112.6 million, when including those who watched on digital platforms Fox Sports GO and FoxSports.com, and fans who opted for the Spanish-language feed on Fox Deportes. Continue reading Super Bowl Sets Records for Game, Halftime Show, Social Media

Tech entrepreneur and musician will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas has teamed up with Maker Studios to launch an online video platform featuring original content, behind-the-scenes video and artist collaborations. The videos will appear on the performer’s YouTube channel, as well as other possible platforms. Will.i.am serves as the director of creative innovation for Intel and follows rapper Snoop Dogg in collaborating with Maker Studios. Continue reading Will.i.am to Launch Online Video Platform with Maker Studios

When it comes to big data, video is being regarded as the next big thing to help collect — and help make sense of — information from consumers. At the Structure Data 2014 conference in March, techies and business people will come together to talk about how video can be used for things other than content creation and passive surveillance. Video analysis, for example, is becoming more widely used by retailers and companies to figure out consumers’ shopping habits. Continue reading More Companies Turning to Video Analysis to Measure Big Data

A new Web application named Hola is bypassing copyright laws to deliver content to users who otherwise don’t have access to it. The app essentially unlocks international versions of Netflix so U.S. users can watch shows like “True Grit” or “Community” — only available overseas — whenever they want. By changing users’ IP addresses and making their devices act as routers, content is never copied illegally. Since beta testing began, the app has become incredibly popular, and it could alter the way the Internet operates. Continue reading Hola: New App Skirts Copyright Law to Stream TV Shows, Music

Although many have thought that phones are largely used to consume short form content, stats recently released by BuzzFeed suggest otherwise. More than 50 percent of BuzzFeed’s traffic now comes from mobile devices. Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith believes this is partly due to the form factor of mobile devices. They feature a simple singular screen that allows the reader to infinitely scroll through an article without any disruptions, similar to a regular page of a book.  Continue reading BuzzFeed: Consumers Reading Longer Stories on Their Phones

Twitter is targeting second screens with a strategy that focuses on the intersection of video and data. The company has reportedly been meeting with agencies and brands this year, including several meetings held during CES, to showcase its ad product road map. Those who met with Twitter signed non-disclosure agreements and could not discuss upcoming products, but the strategy is believed to be bullish on video and data, and a counter to Facebook’s recent push into video. Continue reading Twitter and Facebook to Battle for Second Screen Ad Dollars

While the distinction between paid advertising and editorial content online can sometimes seem blurred, it was recently suggested that Microsoft was paying Machinima partners to post videos featuring the Xbox One. Machinima’s UK community manager revealed in a tweet (that is now deleted) that video partners were receiving an additional $3 per thousand views for videos featuring the Xbox One. In a related story, Electronic Arts is said to be taking a similar approach with its Ronku program. Continue reading Some Question Stealth Marketing Approach for the Xbox One

Following a strong showing at CES last week, Valve kicked off its 2-day Steam Dev Days conference in Seattle (Jan. 15-16) with the announcement that the online gaming platform now has 75 million users, a 15 percent increase from numbers released in October. Global sales for 2013 were strongest in North America and Western Europe. Steam Dev Days is an invite-only event, and the first of its kind for Valve, where 1,200 developers and publishers gathered to discuss the new Steam Machines. Continue reading Valve Says There are Now 75 Million Worldwide Steam Users

In an effort to join the official conversation on how to come up with a solution for copy protection of videos on the Web, the Motion Picture Association of America has joined the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which makes official decisions on Web standards like HTML. A new HTML component allows websites to host video directly on their sites instead of having to use a video tag, which doesn’t enable copy protection. Some, however, don’t care for the new approach. Continue reading MPAA Joins W3C to Help Standardize Video Copy Protection

How would you like to exchange LinkedIn, Facebook and/or Twitter connections with a simple handshake? You can do that now with Razer’s Nabu, the company’s first wearable device. CES attendees responded enthusiastically, giving it the People’s Choice Award. The win was among finalists in 13 categories, including Best Startup, Best Automotive Electronic Device, Best Video and Best Software, and accounted for nearly 50 percent of the total 54,511 Engadget reader votes. Continue reading Nabu: Razer’s First Wearable Wins CES People’s Choice Award

In a world of multiple platforms, anyone starting a studio today needs to think beyond the 100+ year old model. “A key part of these [traditional] studios is that they are very siloed,” explained Evan Bregman of digital studio Electus. “Consumers want to consume wherever and whenever, so whether you’re a distributor or a content creator, you have to understand the nuances of the platforms. It’s not a TV show or a Web show… it’s a business.” Continue reading Lines Blur Between Traditional and New Media Across Platforms

In addition to the curved displays and 4K tech touted during Samsung’s press briefing on Sunday, the company also introduced its “Multi-Link Screen” feature, in what could potentially be the first step forward in contextual smart TV apps. Through the new feature, Samsung’s 2014 TVs will essentially allow consumers to view a split screen for perusing Web and YouTube content while still watching live TV. This could lead to social apps, for example, automatically providing related info during broadcasts. Continue reading Samsung Multi-Link Screen to Spur Contextual Smart TV Apps?

Digital marketing had a significant presence in 2013, when some of the biggest viral campaigns were rolled out and more money was flooding into Hollywood’s digital marketing budgets. Intent, interest and awareness levels among consumers could be accurately measured by sites such as Google, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, specifically allowing for box office predictions — often predictions of great accuracy — in the early stages before films were released. Continue reading Social Media and Digital Marketing Show Box Office Impact

Some 73 percent of online adults now use a social networking site, while 42 percent now use multiple social networking sites, according to new figures released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. In terms of number of users, Facebook remains the dominant platform, but an increasing number of consumers are diversifying onto other services such as Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter. In addition, Instagram users are nearly as likely as Facebook users to check in daily. Continue reading Social Media Update: 73 Percent of Adults Access Social Networks