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Disney hooks Playdom in $563M Acquisition

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:39:28 +0000

Disney’s slate of family-friendly characters includes epic names like Mickey Mouse, Hannah Montana, and others, but the company isn’t stopping there. Disney is staying that sociable route and today announced it will acquire casual gamemaker Playdom for more than half a billion dollars.

The deal will see Disney obtain Playdom–which was founded just two-and-a-half years ago–and its properties for $563.2 million. Additionally, Playdom shareholders can expect a “performance-linked earn out of up to $200 million” on top of the previous financial figure, according to Disney. The deal is expected to be complete by the end of Disney’s 2010 fiscal year.

Playdom is famous for its casual Facebook games, which include Social City, Sorority Life, Market Street, and Bola. Additionally, Playdom’s label reportedly collects 42 million active players each month.

Excerpt from Gamespot.com. Read the full article here.

Netflix to launch streaming video service in Canada

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:41:07 +0000

American online movie rental giant Netflix is coming to Canada, a move that is set to send shockwaves through the country’s entertainment industry.

The company already offers more than 17,000 movies and TV shows through its Internet-based Watch Instantly service. For $9 U.S. per month, subscribers in the U.S. can watch as many of those movies and TV shows as they want, all commercial free and on-demand.

The company has revealed very little details about its Canadian expansion, except to say Monday it will be available this fall. Canada will be the first market outside of the U.S. to get access to Netflix.

“We have aspirations to expand internationally. We chose Canada because of its proximity to the U.S., the available content we are acquiring and the broadband penetration (high speed Internet) is very strong,” said Steve Swasey, vice-president of corporate communications. “It was just a natural choice.”

Excerpt from Vito Pilieci’s article in the Ottawa Citizen. You can read the full article here.

Nominees announced for the 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:30:26 +0000

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Interactive Media Peer Group (IMPG) has announced the nominees for the 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Creative Achivement in Interactive.

The nominees for the Emmy Award for Creative Achievement in Interactive Media: Fiction are:

Dexter Interactive (Showtime.com)
Glee Hyperpromo and Superfan (Fox.com)
Star Wars Uncut (StarWarsUncut.com)

The nominees for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media: Nonfiction are:

The Biggest Loser Digital Experience (NBC.com)
The Jimmy Fallow Digital Experience (LateNightWithJimmyFallon.com)
Top Chef: Las Vegas (Bravo.com)

A Blue Ribbon Panel from the IMPG will evaluate the nominees in both areas of competition on August 3rd, and their vote will determine the winners. The winners will be presented with their awards at a televised ceremony on August 21st.

Immediately following the announcement of the nominees for the 2010 Interactive Media Emmy Awards, ITVT interviewed Geoff Katz, co-governor of the IMPG and Suzanne Stefanac, who leads the IMPG Awards Working Group. Among other things, Katz and Stefanac discussed the voting process for the Interactive Media Emmys, the IMPG’s efforts to reach out to the interactive media community, what distinguished this year’s nominees, and emerging trends they observed this year.

From ITVT.com.

YouTube Wins Summary Judgment in Copyright Battle with Viacom

admin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:44:55 +0000

A judge granted Google’s YouTube motion for summary judgment in Viacom’s copyright lawsuit against the online video giant.

Viacom filed a $1 billion suit against YouTube back in March 2007.

The original complaint claimed 160,000 unauthorized clips were available on YouTube and those clips had been viewed 1.5 billion times.

This is hardly the end of this battle — Viacom says it’s going to appeal this ruling.

In the three years since the suit was filed YouTube has gone to great lengths to identify all the clips on its site and to monetize those clips for the content owners. While YouTube has gotten a range of media giants on board—from Disney to the Associated Press to CBS, Viacom has remained firm in its opposition.

Excerpted from Julia Boorstin’s article in CNBC’s Media Money. You can read the article in its entirety here.

Hulu Could Begin Testing Subscription Service This Month

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:35:34 +0000

Online video site Hulu could begin testing a paid subscription service as early as later this month, according to people briefed on the plans, a high-profile test of whether consumers will pay to watch television shows online.

The popular video site is working to finalize agreements with content owners and hoping to wrap them up in the coming days, these people said.

The service, which is being referred to as Hulu Plus, marks a new effort from the Web venture to address the shifting Web strategies of its three big-media owners, General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal, News Corp. and Walt Disney Co.

The service would initially be a “preview,” available only to invited users, said the people briefed on the matter. Those users would pay a monthly fee of around $10 for access to additional content on top of Hulu’s free offerings, and also get the ability to watch Hulu on Apple Inc.’s iPad and possibly other devices, said one of these people.

This person cautioned that the timing could be pushed back and some details could change.

Read the full article at the Wall Street Journal.

Enhanced Kids’ Website at TVO Reflects Changing Media Habits

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:35:47 +0000

An increasing number of young people use the Web as an alternative to watching TV – or they use both platforms simultaneously – so programmers at provincial educational broadcaster TVO have revamped and redesigned TVOKids.com, the online destination for kids from ages 2 to 11.

“The way children consume content is changing rapidly,” explained Pat Ellingson, Creative Head Children’s Media at TVO. “Traditional television continues to be a powerful draw. We are not decreasing our focus on providing a unique broadcast offering. However, the tastes and wants of the “kid” audience are changing and web-based entertainment is part of this change. Our research shows that kids 2-11 years old and their parents are spending more and more time online. We wanted to stay ahead of the curve and not just keep up with what others are doing but anticipate what kids will need and be there first.

Read the full article at nextMEDIA-source.

Twilight Eclipse Fans Camp Out for Premiere: Crazy or Cool?

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:33:07 +0000

Next up in the “Twilight Fans Are Kinda Kooky” department: At least a thousand die-hard “Twi-hards” have lined up, day and night, at the Nokia Theater in LA, where the third movie in the series, Eclipse, is set to premiere tonight. Only 550 are even guaranteed to land on the carpet.

The movie’s production company, Summit Entertainment, is rewarding camped-out fans with a live-streamed concert featuring songs from the movie’s soundtrack, a screening of the last movie, and even appearances by the actors.

An internal memo reveals an orderly plan to give fans coded wristbands and even relocate some fans so the staff can set up for the premiere. It’s good to see Fan activities so well managed.

Read the full article on The Stir.

Social Networking Bill Of Rights Released

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:00:00 +0000

In the aftermath of much-publicized breaches by heavyweights Google, Facebook, and AT&T, among others, attendees of the annual Computers, Freedom, and Privacy (CFP) conference spent last week creating a Users' Bill of Rights that is now available for public consumption, feedback, and approval.

The 14-point bill is available for comment on Facebook and Twitter. It was adopted unanimously, save for one dissent on data portability, during a vote at the twentieth annual event, held in San Jose, Calif.

Before presenting the 14 points, the elements were circulated for comments, drafted, and redrafted, said Jon Pincus, chief technology officer at Qworky and co-chair of CFP 2010.Facebook, which recently rebutted an open letter seeking further protection of users' personal information, said that although it wants to provide a safe and trusted environment for users, "we don't agree with all of the proposed elements of the Bill of Rights for social-network users."

Read the full 14-point bill on nextMedia-source.

Canada Media Fund Pledges To Support Digital Content Creation

admin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:10:05 +0000

With its scheduled opening on April 1, 2010, the new Canadian Media Fund is promising to support Canadian content and software application development for current and emerging digital platforms.

Some $350 million in funding support will be distributed, officials describe, through two main streams. The combined CMF is funded partly by Heritage Canada, and partly from cable and satellite TV distributors like Rogers, Telus and Bell.

The new fund does not represent a new source of cash for the industry, as it unites two existing funds, the Canadian Television Fund and Canadian New Media Fund, but the working pot of funds has been expanded, the government describes.

Read more about the CMF announcement at nextMEDIA-source

How Women Engage With Brands on Social Games

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:39:08 +0000

A study from Q Interactive and Social Media World Forum of more than 2,000 women in November of 2009 found them actively engaging with brands while social media gaming.

97% of women prefer to earn virtual currency through either winning more or accepting a branded offer – versus paying for it with “real” money
Only one in ten women have actually used “real” money to purchase virtual currency; of that, 85% have spent under $100 in their gaming and aping activities – ever
Of women who have signed up for branded offers to get more virtual currency, 67% found the offer useful
3% of those women chose the branded offers based on “content”; 17% went for offers with free products or services

Read the whole article, and press release, at Social Media at Work