Are You Ready To Pay For YouTube Content?
February 15th, 2013 by Tech Staff
Are consumers really ready to pay for YouTube content? YouTube is transitioning from a platform to a full fledge producer. Are they trying to reinvent TV? Looks like it. Could YouTube become the next internet giant? It seems they are experimenting with the idea. Back in October, YouTube announced an investment of millions in original content production of over 60 individually selected channels on its video platform, and they will charge subscription fees to viewers – like cable television. Reports show that the initial paid channels will cost $1 – $5 a month for episodic content and will debut in the Spring.
Why would YouTube enter this market? With the percentage of people using tablets and smart phones as the primary means of viewing multimedia content and Hulu now offering their own original content programming why wouldn’t they. Google, YouTube’s parent company has said it wanted to explore non-advertising revenue to generate profit. They will also consider charging for content libraries, access to live events, pay-per-view, and self-help/financial advice shows.
As for YouTube partners (vloggers) the subscription fees affects them too. YouTube is advising its current partners to consider carefully how their existing audience will react. Most have spent years building up a base of free subscribers through hard work and cross-promotion. Can they produce content worth paying for?
Nevertheless, YouTube has to get people to view their content like they watch TV. That is more difficult. How do you get people to watch a 30-60 minute programming daily/weekly, rather than a 5 minute video clips and clicks?
“But how does YouTube go from upload center to the engine that powers the video-curated web? For that, Dror looked to today’s TV formats for a clue. And what he found may surprise you. If you think about TV shows like ESPN Sportscenter, that’s essentially what these formats are. Clip shows. They have some hosts, talk for a few minutes and then they go to some content that they didn’t create but are pulling from other sources. Now we’re making that format available on YouTube. Anyone can use the giant library of video content and start to create these hosted Programs.” (www.forbes.com)
Would you pay for YouTube content?
Guess Which Of Our Favorite Viral Videos Made The Best Of 2012 List…
December 26th, 2012 by Christen
This was the year of the viral sensations, from YouTube singing stars, hilarious videos and international phenomenons like PSY’s ‘Gangnam Style’ music video (making almost $8 MIL off his sensation – this was definitely a great year for him!) Check out the web’s top picks of memorable & viral videos of this year, after all – you’ve survived the Mayan apocalypse, Christmas and now begins the countdown to 2013 (so why not relive this year’s best videos online?)
Sweet Brown – Ain’t Nobody Got Time For Dat!
Why We’ll Remember
The Catchphrase. “I said ‘Oh Lore Jeezizizafar!’ Then I ran out, I ain’t grab no shoes or nuthinjeeziz – I ran for my life! And then the smoke got me I got brawn kite us…..ain’t nobody got time for dat!”
Krispy Kreme – The Baddest
Why We’ll Remember
The snot. Krispy Kreme’s nose was the only thing running faster than his southern twanged lyrics. Don’t be fooled by glazzy face though. His real name is Tyler Cassidy and he graduated #1 from high school with a GPA of 3.95. Yes, he graduated high school.
GloZell – The Cinnamon Challenge
Why We’ll Remember
The hair. Shaking abruptly in a cloud of cinnamon. Cinnamon that was sprayed from GloZell’s face after realizing cinnamon is really, really hard to swallow. Is it staged? Probably, but who cares. It’s super funny!
Psy – Gangnam Style
Why We’ll Remember
The dance. The week this went viral, it was played in clubs across the US and everyone knew the dance. You’ll just have to take our word for it. Also, can we not talk about Gangnam Style ever again please?
Hot Cheetos & Takis
Why We’ll Remember
The hook. Someone in an office somewhere passed out from how adorable this was and needed to be kept on an intravenous diet of depression until their emotions stabilized. They only eat Hot Cheetos for lunch now.
Buttermilk The Goat
Why We’ll Remember
The leap. We like cute animal videos. That’s an Internet fact. This isn’t the cutest though. What made it go viral was Buttermilk’s aggressive leap off her sibling. The thrust was so powerful, it knocked Midnight (we assume that’s her name) off her feet.
Al Roker’s Face Breaks
Why We’ll Remember
The stare. No one knew what happened. We imagine the producers and director screaming into headsets trying to make sense of it all. The cameraman got confused, zooming in slowly as if to say, “should we just cut Al Broker out of the shot?”
Why You Asking All Them Questions
Why We’ll Remember
The hook. And the beat. And the faces. And the choreography. And just the whole thing in general. “Askin’ all them questions. Askin’ all them questions. Why you askin’ all them questions? Makin’ statements – assumin’.”
Frozen Pool Dive Fail
Why We’ll Remember
The snapback. Like, when his back snapped. Shouldn’t we have tested to see the water? Now your knees are shattered Gustav. Not only that, but you’re in negative 0 degree weather in a Speedo. Let’s evaluate our decisions from now on.
Oh My Dayum
Why We’ll Remember
The review. The original was hilarious by itself. Then this remix came out and it was just all up hill from there. Just remember, you bite the fry and the fry bites back. dayum Dayum DAYUM!
Own A Smart TV? These Are The Must Have Apps That You Can’t Be Without…
July 19th, 2012 by Christen
If you own a Smart TV, chance are – you’re not getting the most out of your entertainment. ”Younger adults desire a more social TV viewing experience,” says Manny Flores, Senior Vice President at Harris Interactive. “With the proliferation of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+, younger adults are not only more tech savvy, but are accustomed to being able to share their online experiences with their friends and family. So why not add TV viewing to the list of online experiences to share?”
Smart TV manufacturers are hoping that the popularity of apps with smartphone and tablet users makes its way to the living room. Manufacturers and retailers are selling more and more televisions preloaded with Internet-connected functionality, frequently referred to as Smart TVs. This provides an environment where consumers can use apps to do anything from surfing the Internet using a fully functional web browser, to streaming their favorite movies, TV shows and music right on their TV sets. Streaming video apps are the most popular apps for both Smart TV owners and consumers who don’t yet have a Smart TV. Three of the top five “must have” apps are Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Instant Video. Social media giant Facebook and online radio leader Pandora round out the top five.
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,634 U.S. adults (ages 18 and over) surveyed online between May 7 and May 15, 2012 by Harris Interactive.
Younger adults (those 18-35) chose YouTube (Owners 57%) as their top “must have” app over the more traditional experience offered by Netflix (Owners 54%) and Amazon Instant Video (Owners 38%).
“As the TV becomes a more overall entertainment device, it is only a matter of time before we see the mainstream use of additional content apps, such as Facebook, being used on the TV,” added Flores. “Yet, manufacturers and retailers evidently have to do a much better job of educating their consumers on what a Smart TV is and the benefits of a Smart TV experience. Increased familiarity appears to be the key to driving purchase consideration. Also, manufacturers need to hope that familiarity with smartphone and tablet apps translates into greater interest and adoption for apps that can be used on a bigger screen in the living room.”
Are you a smart TV user? Which apps do you currently own?
Every 60 seconds in social media…{INFOGRAPHIC}
March 13th, 2012 by ChristenIf you’re a lover of connecting via social media, then you’re not alone. Did you know: There are over 175,000 tweets sent every 60 seconds? If you think that’s a lot – you’ll never guess which social media site sees the most action every minute of the day! Check out the infographic below and let us know which site sees the most action from you daily…
Do you visit any of these sites more than the others? Which social media site is your favorite?
Are You At Risk Of Becoming A Google Slave?
August 15th, 2011 by Christen
IN TODAY’S BREAKING NEWS: Google announced THIS morning that it will acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. Motorola is one of 39 manufacturers of handsets that use Google’s Android operating system. Buying a hardware company is an unusual move for Google. The acquisition, Google said in a statement, “will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem.”
Now here’s the conspiracy you didn’t know. By now, you’re probably at risk of being sucked into the Google ecosystem. Most of you are already waist-deep within Google’s clutches of power and don’t even know it yet.
Google has been on a mission to divide and conquer since 2001 acquiring major companies that provide the products & services that you use daily — with it’s newest acquisition of Motorola, the Google “monster” is in prime position to control many of your daily activities one moment at a time…
Five Reasons Why You’re At Risk of Becoming a Google Slave?
5. Gmail – If you own a gmail account, use google apps or utilize Google Ad words on your website, GOTCHA! One quick security breach in Google’s products could make your life a living hell! (…and let’s not even talk about the Google+ hype.)
4. SayNow – Originally created to assist the internet deprived people of Egypt (during the 2011 revolution) by allowing phone messages to be tweeted through Twitter’s #Egypt hashtag, now acquired by Google, SayNow has the ability to become a communications lifeline, if (God-forbid) we have a huge internet shutdown or mutiny. Who will we have to look to for help? Google wins again.
3. Blogger – If you use the free blogging platform Blogger, for all of your online blogging needs – then you already know how dependent you are on Google to make sure everything is right – if not, you and your blog are subject to an epic fail!
2. YouTube – Who doesn’t utilize YouTube for a little in-office free time fun or to upload precious family moments or pure ridiculousness? Can you imagine what would happen if YouTube suddenly disappeared? You can’t — and that’s just where Google wants you.
1. Motorola – Can you hear me now? If you’re a Droid user (now controlled by Google) then it totally depends on what Google wants you to hear. Google CEO Larry Page says “Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.” – (side eyes) it sounds good, only time will tell how this acquisition will affect Droid and the user-experience in the future, just remember – if it goes to crap, you know who to blame.
Google is on a roll to control every aspect of a person’s online & offline life – it’s only a matter of time until the next acquisition could change the way we live in an instant, we’ll just have to wait and see who’s next to come under the Google umbrella and hope that it changes everything for the better and not for the worse.
Which Google product are you dependent on?
Do you think you can walk away from using Google forever?
Honda Civic Gets Musically Social…
May 17th, 2011 by Christen
What do you get when an Auto Manufacturer collides the excitement of American Idol with the interaction of Facebook? An entertaining expression of talent that may lead you to look at the Honda Civic in a different way!
To celebrate the launch of the all-new, ninth generation Civic, Honda is sponsoring a creative songwriting competition called The Sounds of Civic, encouraging Facebook fans to submit and vote for original songs inspired by the 2012 Civic. The competition is now accepting submissions until June 5. Voting then begins June 8 and will run through July 17. Information on how to submit a song and vote can be found on the Sounds of Civic tab on the Honda Civic Facebook page.
The contest has already seen a diverse group of musicians posting songs inspired by the Civic Sedan and Coupe, the sporty Civic Si and the fuel-efficient Civic Hybrid. To submit a song, contestants can enter at: http://pub.honda.com/Xqp.
The first round of voting will begin June 6. When the final votes are tallied on July 17, the top eight finalists will each receive $2,500 in music gear from Sam Ash Music Stores. The top vote getter among the finalists will be awarded a brand new 2012 Civic and have the opportunity to perform live on a 2011 Honda Civic Tour date in Los Angeles.
I haven’t seen an artist video up yet that tickled-my-fancy, so that means that YOU need to enter ASAP! What I did find this Honda Civic Commercial TOTALLY AWESOME! (Maybe because I’ve always wanted to become a secret Ninja Super Spy, darn those KILL BILL movies….but I digress…)
