CYNOPSISDIGITAL
01.08.16
Good morning. It’s Friday January 8, 2016, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.
TOP NEWS
Hulu is looking to up its status in the original content game. Lucky for them Hugh Laurie is drawn to projects with snappy one-word titles. The former House star is set to play the titular role in Chance, a new psychological thriller series based on a novel by Kem Nunn. Hulu just picked the show up for not one, but two ten-episode seasons. Nunn is attached, as is director Lenny Abrahamson, showrunner Alexandra Cunningham, and producer Michael London. The series comes from Fox 21 TV Studios – its first foray into the SVOD space. Chance is slated to debut in late 2016.
Yahoo may be a fan of the exclamation point, but don’t be surprised if its employees start fretting in hushed tones. According to sources who spoke to Business Insider, the troubled Internet company is planning to lay off at least 10% of its workforce – or roughly 1,000 employees – starting as early as this month. Yahoo, which is currently in the midst of a major restructuring, has had a rough go of it lately, jettisoning its video hub earlier this week.
Make love, not war: Despite the buzz around cord-cutting, execs at CES said traditional and OTT realms are working together quite well. “The hybrid TV/OTT model is rapidly growing,” said Ian Greenblatt, VP, strategy and business development, Arris. “It’s not a zero sum game.” NBC has already begun wading into OTT waters, and Tennis Channel head of digital media Adam Ware predicted the other broadcasters will follow suit this year with hybrid offerings. “It’s only a matter of time before we see CBS, Univision, ABC getting into the OTT space,” he said.
If you want your viewers’ living room lights to dim while they watch romantic content, you’re in luck. At CES, the Connected Living Room session at the Tech Futures Suite, sponsored by Cynopsis, GK Digital Media, and MyersBizNet, featured an enticing carousel of items that will soon be “connected” in the home, from ovens to doorbells and more. “We need devices that talk to each other,” says Parks Associate Research Analyst Glenn Hower. “Right now, a lot of them don’t, which is stifling adoption.” One product that doesn’t have that issue is Amazon’s Echo, the wireless speaker and voice command device. But Charlie Kindel, Director, Amazon Echo & Alexa, is well aware of the issues the Connected Home is facing. “People aren’t clear about the value proposition,” he said. “We explain to customers that we want to enrich their lives and solve problems.”
NEW PROGRAMMING + DEALS
Major League Baseball is doing something that even Netflix hasn’t managed to pull off yet: It’s heading to China. Thanks to a three-year deal with Le Sports (a unit of Chinese streaming services provider LeTV), MLB games will be shown live in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau beginning this month. Le Sports will broadcast 125 games per season (along with MLB-related programming in Mandarin) over mobile apps and OTT devices, as well as its Internet platform.
The Chernin Group has taken a 51% stake in the fast-growing sports, comedy and lifestyle brand Barstool Sports. Barstool delivers video, podcasts, and editorial content through its website, social platforms, and app. The Chernin Group is led by media investor Peter Chernin, though it was the group’s President of Digital, Mike Kerns, who oversaw the acquisition. David Portnoy, who founded Barstool in 2004, says that he will remain in charge of content despite losing his majority ownership. Portnoy will remain on Barstool’s board, where we will be joined by Kerns and Chernin Group President Jesse Jacobs.
A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE
“I was honored to be named as one of the Inaugural Cynopsis Top Women in Digital and privileged to be side-by-side with the most forward-thinking, innovative and game-changing women in the industry.”
– Kristin Frank, EVP, Connected Content – Viacom Music & Logo Group
2015 Top Women in Digital Award Honoree
Don’t miss out on the chance to name or be named among our previous winners. For more information visit: http://www.cynopsis.com/event/2016-women-digital-awards/.
VIRTUAL REALITY
This is what 360 degrees of sticker shock looks like. Preorders for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset are now live. But while the Rift has been much anticipated, a lot of folks will have to keep on anticipating until the price comes down. At launch, it will cost $599. (The Rift also requires a high-powered gaming PC in order to function, which will force many consumers to upgrade. Oculus has partnered with certain computer-makers on Rift-ready PCs, with prices starting at $1,500.) Oculus founder Palmer Luckey told Variety that, for the Rift to ship with its current level of display technology, the high price tag was necessary. The headset will first ship March 28.
ADVERTISING
Audience Network, Facebook’s ad personalization platform, achieved an annual run rate of $1 billion in revenue in Q4 2015, according to an announcement from the company. It was the first time that Facebook has revealed revenue numbers for Audience Network. The platform was launched in 2014.
CONTENT PROGRAMMING
You’ve gotta love a show that offers an audio description option for visually impaired viewers. Everyone’s favorite blind superhero will be back soon: Netflix has set a March 18 premiere date for season two of its Marvel original series Daredevil. Netflix also released a new season two teaser – you can check that out here.
Fandango has officially launched its fashion-themed version of its I Love Movies web series. The new edition of the series, which features fashion celebs discussing their favorite films, was launched in partnership with InStyle. Plans for the series were initially announced last month. The first five episodes are available on InStyle’s and Fandango’s digital networks.
CYNOPSIS SPORTS MEDIA AWARDS
The Cynopsis Sports Media Awards are coming this April, and this year, we’ve got an exciting new category: eSports. Be sure to check out all the categories here: http://www.cynopsis.com/event/2015-sma. And don’t forget – the deadline to enter is January 21.
RESEARCH
Many have said that virtual reality holds enormous potential for gaming fans. But what do the gamers themselves think? According to a study from consulting firm Frank N. Magid Associates, 70% of people in the U.S. play some type of game, and a majority of them have heard of VR. But that majority – 56%, to be precise – is a relatively slim one. A quarter of respondents called themselves “very interested” in home-based VR experiences, while 23% called themselves “interested.” Interestingly enough, other types of VR experiences drew more interest than gaming: Movies and TV came in at first place with 66%, while console and PC gaming came in at second with 59%. Music videos (41%), travel (39%), and sports (38%) were also on the list.
EXECUTIVE MOVES
Andrew Essex has been named CEO of Tribeca Enterprises. Best known for operating the Tribeca Film Festival, the company also operates several other branded entertainment businesses. Those include the digital production company Tribeca Digital Studios, and the recently launched SVOD platform Tribeca Shortlist. Essex previously served as Vice Chairman (and founding CEO) of the creative agency Droga5.
HelloGiggles, a mobile- and social-first brand geared toward millennial women, has hired Leonora Epstein as Executive Editor. Epstein previously served as the Deputy Editorial Director of BuzzFeed. HelloGiggles has been owned by Time Inc. since October.
DIGITAL SPOTLIGHT
Time for some scene-setting: A European man with an enviable physique launches into a soaring monologue. He’s smacking balls with a tennis racket. Also, he’s standing on a whale’s back. And, naturally, the whale is wearing giant sunglasses. The new Legendary Man campaign from ad agency W&K Portland has all the trademark absurdity we’ve come to expect from Old Spice. Check out one of the new ads here.
See you Monday,
David Teich
01.08.16
Roberta Caploe: Associate Publisher @robertacaploe
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JOB OPENING: DIR MKTG STRATEGY/Discovery Channel/LA: Discovery, home of cable’s biggest and best shows is on a quest for a seasoned marketer to come aboard and help launch innovative consumer campaigns everyone will be talking about in 2016. Curious? Click HERE (1/19)
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JOB OPENING: PROGRAMMING COORD/Tennis Channel/Santa Monica: Point person for Prgrmng Group, working w/Prod & Ops to ensure that all deliverables are accounted for & prepared to go to air. Able to handle confidential discreetly. Min 1 yrs exp TV & sports ind exp a +. Resumes HERE (1/16)
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JOB OPENING: VP SPONSORSHIPS & AD SALES/Interlude/NY: Leader to dvlp/grow our rev stream. Exp building/leading teams that generate rev from brand advrtsrs & record of closing big deals, a ntwrk of contacts & a self-starter spirit needed. 15+ yrs exp Full info/apply HERE (1/15)
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JOB OPENING: COORDINATOR, AD SALES MARKETING/Travel Channel/NYC: Seeking strong communicator to support development and activation of client-specific marketing solutions and maintain communication tools. www.scrippsnetworks.com #5161 (1/13)
JOB OPENING: TRAFFIC COORD/Tennis Channel/NYC: Proactive ind who takes initiative can work both independently & part of team seamlessly. Analytical & critical thinking skills. Strong knwlg log editing, formatting & copy req’d. 1-2 yrs log editing, exp w/copy pref’d. Res HERE (1/13)
JOB OPENING: ACCT EXEC/ABC Full Circle/SFO & NYC: (2 needed) ABC Full Circle the business dvlpmnt team of NTVS needs a passionate, career-minded, self-motivated sales professional for team. Min 5 yrs business dvlpmnt exp brdcst & dig platforms. Apply HERE (1/12)
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The post 01/08/16: Hulu picks up new original series starring Hugh Laurie; Oculus Rift to ship with $599 price tag; Yahoo braces for layoffs appeared first on Cynopsis Media.