Quantcast
Channel: Business Insider
Viewing all 103067 articles
Browse latest View live

Since getting rid of human editors, Facebook has repeatedly surfaced fake news (FB)

$
0
0

Facebook continues to be the largest media outlet in the world.

Yes, Facebook is a massive social network. It's a place to post baby photos and rage about the US election, all at once. It's also the number one place where humans get news online in 2016. Whether Facebook admits it or not, it's responsible for disseminating news to millions of people all over the world.

There are two ways to encounter news on Facebook: through your News Feed (posted by friends or media outlets you follow), or through the "Trending Topics" section.

When you land on Facebook.com, you see both:

Facebook news

Since the News Feed is customized to each Facebook user based on how you use Facebook, that section is entirely on you. (Sorry!) But when it comes to Facebook's "Trending" section, things get a bit more complicated.

The Trending section is intended to highlight actual news that lots of Facebook users are reading and sharing. And up until a few months ago, that section was overseen by a handful of actual human beings — editors, even!

But back in August, Facebook fired its editorial staff after reports surfaced on Gizmodo that the section actively leaned toward liberal news (and away from conservative news). And then things got worse. The weekend following the firing of the editorial staff, a false news story became a top hit on Facebook's Trending section. 

Facebook Trending Topics (Megyn Kelly)

Facebook's response to the false report? To remove it. No editorial update. No mea culpa. The millions of people who read it had no way of knowing they'd read a false report. 

And in the weeks since Facebook's big change, the situation has only gotten worse. In a new report from The Washington Post, a variety of false stories have been surfaced on Facebook's Trending section over the past several weeks.

"In the six weeks since Facebook revamped its Trending system — and a hoax about the Fox News Channel star subsequently trended — the site has repeatedly promoted 'news' stories that are actually works of fiction," WaPo's Caitlin Dewey writes

What kinds of stories?

A man is silhouetted against a video screen with an Facebook logo as he poses with an Samsung S4 smartphone in this photo illustration taken in the central Bosnian town of Zenica, August 14, 2013. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

They range from satirical stories being picked up as legit news to conspiracy-theorist nonsense (like this one claiming that the September 11 terrorist attack in New York City was a controlled demolition). And then there's the issue of press releases being included with actual news, to say nothing of Trending links pushing directly to company stores. 

As the report admits, each person's Trending section is slightly different. Unfortunately for Facebook, that doesn't excuse the situation; it actually may make things worse.

"The observation that Facebook periodically trends fake news still stands — if anything, we’ve underestimated how often it occurs," Dewey writes. 

It's not clear exactly what changes are coming to Facebook's Trending section, but they are coming. As Forbes reported in mid-September, the section is being re-worked with a focus on making it more like News Feed. Here's hoping that results in less fake news being disseminated to Facebook's 1.7 billion users.

We've reached out to Facebook about this issue; we'll update this story if we hear back.

SEE ALSO: Facebook refuses to accept it's a media company — here's why that's terrible for you

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Hidden Facebook tricks you need to know


How the vulgar Donald Trump tape from 2005 was discovered at NBC and leaked to the public

$
0
0

donald trump billy bush leaked tape

Somehow a three-minute recording made 11 years ago is now the cause of the biggest scandal of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential run and the potential end of Billy Bush's TV hosting career.

A lot can be said in three minutes.

On the leaked tape, Trump, who was newly married to Melania Trump at the time, could be heard boasting of trying to sleep with a married woman. Trump made the comments while riding on a bus with Bush, who could be heard egging him on.

"Access Hollywood" identified the woman Trump said he had tried to sleep with as Nancy O'Dell, a current "Entertainment Tonight" host. She and Bush hosted "Access Hollywood" at the time the tape was made.

Trump also bragged that he could grope women and kiss them without consent because of his celebrity status. All the while, Bush was right there affirming Trump's statements.

So it looked particularly bad for Bush when the two arrived at the "Days of Our Lives" studio, where Trump was set to do a cameo on the soap opera, and were greeted by actress Arianne Zucker. Not only did Trump and Bush ogle her through the window, but Bush insisted that she hug Trump and then him.

How did the tape escape years of being hidden away to becoming a bombshell of the election year? Here's a look at how it went down:

SEE ALSO: Billy Bush is reportedly leaving NBC after vulgar Donald Trump tape leak

DON'T MISS: Trevor Noah angrily rips apart Donald Trump's 'locker room' excuse for vulgar tape: It's a 'crime'

August 2016: The New York Post reported that Billy Bush, while covering the Rio Olympics, bragged about having a "tape of Trump being a real dog." NBC staffers overheard, and that's reportedly how the search for the tape started.

Source: New York Post



Monday, October 3: NBC News says this is the day it first heard of the tape. It and "Access Hollywood" began working on separate stories about the recording.

Source: CNN



Tuesday, October 4: NBC News reportedly forwarded the video to its legal department for review, where it remained for two to three days.

Source: Politico



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Here's how Amazon's new music service stacks up against its rivals (AMZN)

$
0
0

Amazon launched its own standalone music streaming service called "Amazon Music Unlimited" on Wednesday, joining the already crowded market that includes big players like Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora.

In case you're confused by all the different services and how they stack up against each other, Bank of America has come up with a chart that makes it easy to compare them.

Amazon and Pandora have the most economical plans, but Google and Tidal seem to offer the highest number of songs. All 6 services have their own special features, so you may want to choose accordingly.

Here's the chart:

Screen Shot 2016 10 13 at 9.52.06 AM

It's unclear how Amazon's new music plan will change the broader landscape, but it may not be a zero-sum game as this chart by Cowen & Co. suggests. A big chunk of Amazon Prime users, who already had access to a music streaming service (albeit with less song selection), are paying customers of other music streaming services.

Screen Shot 2016 10 13 at 10.21.18 AM

SEE ALSO: Amazon has doubled its stock price in just 17 months but Wall Street sees another 20% upside

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Dating app founder: Men need to stop putting these 4 things in their profiles

President Obama sums up what makes Bob Dylan a living legend in one perfect quote

$
0
0

obama bob dylan

In the wake of legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's somewhat surprising win of the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetic music, President Barack Obama has joined the chorus of voices lauding Dylan, his "favorite poet," as well as a "well-deserved Nobel."

Throughout his presidency, Obama has repeatedly made his deep appreciation for the music icon known.

The president has, on numerousoccasions, listed Dylan's songs as among his all-time favorites, but one particular quote from Obama is an even more striking testament to Dylan's greatness and singularity. 

In 2010, after Dylan performed at the White House for the first time, Rolling Stone asked Obama about Dylan's performance. Obama raved about the experience, but also revealed quite a bit about what it's like to encounter the real Dylan — whose stoic, "skeptical" demeanor impressed the president:

"Here's what I love about Dylan: He was exactly as you'd expect he would be. He wouldn't come to the rehearsal; usually, all these guys are practicing before the set in the evening. He didn't want to take a picture with me; usually all the talent is dying to take a picture with me and Michelle before the show, but he didn't show up to that. He came in and played 'The Times They Are A-Changin'.' A beautiful rendition. The guy is so steeped in this stuff that he can just come up with some new arrangement, and the song sounds completely different. Finishes the song, steps off the stage — I'm sitting right in the front row — comes up, shakes my hand, sort of tips his head, gives me just a little grin, and then leaves. And that was it — then he left. That was our only interaction with him. And I thought: That's how you want Bob Dylan, right? You don't want him to be all cheesin' and grinnin' with you. You want him to be a little skeptical about the whole enterprise. So that was a real treat."

There are few artists who can keep up their mystique even in front of the sitting president. Dylan is apparently one of them.

In 2012, Obama took his praise even further when he awarded Dylan the Presidential Medal of Freedom, "the country's highest civilian honor." The president's speech at the ceremony celebrated the musician in a grand manner.

"There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music," Obama said of Dylan, adding that the singer-songwriter's "unique gravel-y power" and artistic voice redefined "not just what music sounded like, but the message it carried and how it made people feel."

SEE ALSO: Bob Dylan just won the Nobel Prize in Literature

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's everything we know about 'Westworld' — HBO's mysterious new sci-fi series

Jon Hamm opens up about going to rehab for alcoholism

$
0
0

jon hamm

Jon Hamm hasn't had the easiest couple years, but he's getting refreshingly frank about the experience.

The 45-year-old "Mad Men" actor has talked to fashion site Mr. Porter's The Journal about when he went to rehab for alcohol addiction in 2015.

Hamm is pushing against the stigmas that can often be attached to rehab.

"It has all these connotations, but it's just an extended period of talking about yourself," Hamm said. "People go for all sorts of reasons, not all of which are chemically related. But there's something to be said for pulling yourself out of the grind for a period of time and concentrating on recalibrating the system. And it works. It's great."

He's also a proponent of therapy, something he said he's done since the '90s.

"I find it very helpful," Hamm said. He started therapy after the death of his father. "So what do you do? Go and see a professional. I preach it from the mountaintops. I know it's a luxury and it's not something everyone can afford. But if you can, do it. It's like a mental gym."

Hamm was a little-known actor in Hollywood for years before "Mad Man" launched him to stardom. While his career has slowed down since the ending of the AMC drama series, he has a number of projects on the way. His espionage comedy with Isla Fisher and Zach Galifianakis, "Keeping Up with the Joneses," is out in theaters October 21.

SEE ALSO: Here are the must-see movies most likely to win Oscars in 2017

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's everything we know about 'Westworld' — HBO's mysterious new sci-fi series

Apparently the new PlayStation 4 VR headset also works with the Xbox One

$
0
0

Sony's got a brand new virtual reality headset: PlayStation VR. You use it by plugging the headset into your PlayStation 4, which powers the experiences therein.

And Sony's got 30 virtual reality games launching alongside the $400 headset. If none of those appeal to you, you can slap on the headset and play any PlayStation 4 game — rather than experiencing these games in an immersive virtual reality setting, games are projected onto a massive virtual screen. Lay on your back and play "The Last of Us" (or whatever).

playstation vr

Or, you could plug the PlayStation VR headset into your Xbox One. Which, um, what?

According to gaming site Polygon, plugging the PlayStation VR's HDMI cable into the back of the Xbox One enables a similar experience on Xbox One to what I described above with non-VR games on PlayStation 4.

Here's how Polygon's Allegra Frank describes it

"It’s like playing the Xbox One in a cinematic mode. You’ll see a static screen, and there’s no head-tracking, but considering we didn’t think this was possible at all, it’s still a pretty neat view."

As you might expect, this isn't an intended use of PlayStation VR. Yet, since PlayStation VR uses the same type of cable that all game consoles use for outputting video/sound, the Xbox One is able to take advantage. 

The experience, of course, isn't exactly optimal. "Games also look a little worse for wear; we tried out 'Forza Motorsport 5,' which looks fine, but certainly not as good as it usually does on our 60-inch HD television," Frank writes. 

forza motorsport 5

That said, the fact that this is even possible is fascinating. Presumably you could use PlayStation VR with any device that outputs video/sound using an HDMI cable. All of which is to say: Yes, finally, you can use your Apple TV with a VR headset for no reason at all. Enjoy!

SEE ALSO: The 31 games coming to the PlayStation 4 VR headset on launch day

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 5 hidden features to get the most out of your Xbox One

THE FUTURE OF TV (It's toast — this is what will replace it)

$
0
0

Over the last couple of years, some of the best analysis on the future of TV and digital video has been published at a site called REDEF.

For many excellent articles and analyses, please scroll through the "Originals" section here, and make sure to sign up for the newsletter, which has topped our list of the best newsletters to make you smarter.

REDEF analysts Matthew Ball (@ballmatthew), Jason Hirschhorn (@jasonhirschhorn), and Tal Shachar (@tweettal) have recently created an updated slide deck that they are presenting at industry conferences and events. They have kindly allowed us to publish it below.

The bottom line?

The traditional TV business has passed its peak and entered a period of long-term decline. The production and consumption of video, however, is going through the roof.  Over the next decade or two, the traditional TV business will crumble and be replaced by a new generation of producers, distributors, and packagers.

Enjoy!

SEE ALSO: Mary Meeker's stunning annual presentation on the state of the web







See the rest of the story at Business Insider

A 'Walking Dead' producer explains the fascinating, surreal concept of her new show 'Falling Water'

$
0
0

falling water premiere usa.JPG

Gale Anne Hurd, who's best known as an executive producer on AMC's "The Walking Dead" franchise, was attracted to her new show, USA Network's "Falling Water," because it's different for her.

"What I love is that we’re not dealing with aliens or monsters," Hurd told Business Insider recently of "Falling Water," which premieres Thursday at 10 p.m. EST. "We’re not dealing with zombies or time travel, or any of that. So in essence, it’s a contemporary show that deals with something we all do, which is dream. And the power of those dreams."

"Falling Water" follows three strangers — played by Will Yun Lee, Lizzie Brochere, and David Ajala — who are somehow connected to one another. Each one is having strange dreams and will soon find out that they're experiencing separate parts of the same dream.

"I’ve never done anything quite as grounded as this," Hurd said. "And yet, because our dreams are not bound by the rules of the waking world, we can go to fantastical places, because that’s what happens in our dreams. But, at the end of the day, we wake up, and we’re back in the real world."

For viewers who have a tough time connecting to genre shows, Hurd believes there's enough realism in "Falling Water" to make it relatable.

falling water stars and producers usa.JPG"We have deja vu experiences all the time where — wait a minute, wait a minute — I’ve done this before," she explained. "I’ve seen this room before. I’ve had this conversation with someone I’ve never even met, but I know I’ve had this conversation before. So we all have various degrees of that, and let’s face it, we all dream. So what if we could harness those dreams, and what happens if someone else can enter our dream? How will that change us? And how will that change the world?"

And while Hurd enjoys the departure from the zombie apocalypse of "The Walking Dead," she says both series start with the same goal.

"In both shows, we are entering a different world through our characters, and we need to understand the rules of that world," Hurd explained. "Rick Grimes was searching for his family, searching to reconnect and to understand the rules of the zombie apocalypse. Well, in this case, our characters are all seeking something, and they can only find the answers to what they’re seeking in their dreams. So it’s important, because we have three characters that we have the opportunity to get to know each one of them very, very well."

Watch the first 10 minutes of the "Falling Water" premiere below:

SEE ALSO: 7 TV shows you need to watch if you love 'Game of Thrones'

DON'T MISS: 'Westworld' star Thandie Newton defends her decision to play a brothel madam

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The first trailer for the 'Power Rangers' movie is here and it blows the TV show away


Chris Rock just made a groundbreaking $40 million deal for 2 Netflix specials

$
0
0

Chris Rock

Chris Rock has just landed a groundbreaking deal with Netflix.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rock is being paid $40 million for two stand-up specials on the streaming video service. The first one will tape in 2017.

Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos and Lisa Nishimura, VP of Original Documentary and Comedy, made the announcement on Thursday afternoon.

“I'm very excited to be working with Ted and Lisa and all the good people at Netflix," Rock, who's currently planning a world tour, said in a statement. "I can't wait to get back onstage.”

This deal is a big win for Netflix and a harsh loss for HBO, which aired Rock's previous five stand-up specials through 2008. Rock also directed last year's Amy Schumer comedy special for the pay channel.

The last time fans saw Rock on television was onstage as host of the 2015 Oscars.

Netflix didn't immediately return Business Insider's request for comment.

SEE ALSO: Here are the 20 most popular Netflix original shows, according to a research company

DON'T MISS: How the 'Friends' cast nabbed their insane salaries of $1 million per episode

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The story behind the Donald Trump fortune teller machine that everyone’s talking about

Netflix may have found a fix for its international growth problem: moving beyond English

$
0
0

reed hastings

Netflix’s key to finding international success might lie in moving beyond the English language.

In January, Netflix launched in over 130 new countries on the same day, bringing it to every major market except China. But there was a problem. Many of the new countries had a Netflix catalog that wasn’t that useful to a big chunk of their citizens.

Why?

Analysts from UBS broke it down in a recent note: “The [Netflix] content and website/app was mostly in English without local language subtitles or dubbing and [Netflix] generally accepted only international credit cards as payment.”

These "skim" markets had performed “poorly” as a result, according to the analysts.

But this quarter Netflix made a big change in two of those markets: Poland and Turkey. In its Q2 earnings report, Netflix declared that it would roll out local language support for the pair of markets, and followed through on that promise in September.

For Turkey, Netflix has said that means over 80% of its content will be dubbed or subtitled in Turkish, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

This change has made a huge difference in Turkey and Poland, according to analysts at both UBS and Pacific Crest.

"In both markets the ranking of Netflix app downloads has catapulted in September," UBS wrote, using app downloads as a proxy for general interest and subscriber growth.

Here is the chart for Turkey from UBS:

image10

And for Poland:

image11

Pacific Crest looked at another proxy, Google Search volume, and found a similar trend. Here is the chart from Pacific Crest:

Screen Shot 2016 10 13 at 10.34.34 AM

This is certainly good news for Netflix and its investors, but how good?

"We would estimate the incremental change, should it sustain (we only have a couple weeks of data post the investment) could be on the order of +200-500k subs in 4Q16 vs. 3Q16," UBS wrote. "Further, these results suggest Netflix stands to benefit from other skim market conversions, though Turkey and Poland are among the largest skim markets (13m and 10m broadband homes resp.). India and Russia (24m and 27m) are the other large skim markets, with a very long tail of smaller markets thereafter."

Netflix will report its quarterly earning on Monday, October 17.

SEE ALSO: The 8 movies and TV shows President Obama thinks will 'expand your mind'

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Dating app founder: Men need to stop putting these 4 things in their profiles

‘Star Wars’ fans try to figure out who Rey’s parents are

Billy Bush is waging a legal battle with NBC over his exit after vulgar Donald Trump tape

$
0
0

billy bush donald trump

Billy Bush isn't leaving NBC and the "Today" show without a fight.

It's been reported that Bush is on his way out of the network after the vulgar 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape of him and Donald Trump leaked. Now The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Bush has hired a prominent Hollywood lawyer for the task of negotiating the terms of his exit.

That lawyer, Marshall Grossman, has represented stars including Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood, and is "one of LA's fiercest and well-respected attorneys," according to THR.

Grossman told the outlet that he belives Bush was not in a position when the 2005 tape was made to challenge Trump, an NBC star (Bush was a cohost on NBC's "Access Hollywood").

"If Billy had been passive or responded 'Shut the f--- up' to Trump, Billy would have been out of a job the next day," Grossman told THR.

The outlet also reports that negotiations for Bush's exit are underway. Bush reportedly believes he has leverage in the matter of his $3 million-a-year contract.

SEE ALSO: How the vulgar Donald Trump tape from 2005 was discovered at NBC and leaked to the public

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's what 'Game of Thrones' stars look like in real life

The Washington Post goes interactive on Apple TV (AAPL)

$
0
0

Interactive VideoThis story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Digital Media Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.

The Washington Post launched its first-ever interactive ad on its official Apple TV app this past week with hopes to increase consumer attention while attracting further ad dollars, according to Digiday.

The Post tapped creative digital firm Velocity Made Good to craft an ad for Jaguar that enables the ability to click and move around the inside and outside of the automotive company’s new F-Pace model. The ad will shut down after 15 seconds if there is no sign of viewer engagement, as to avoid any frustration for those that do not want to interact.

Last year, Apple introduced an open app platform on its Apple TV, allowing publishers to post video directly to it. The Post uploads roughly 20 videos a day there, but this is the first time the company is utilizing an interactive format. 

While still in rather early days, interactive video presents a unique opportunity for both brands and publishers to:

  • Increase engagement and view rates. Completion and view rates on connected TV and OTT devices were higher among interactive video ads than standard pre-roll ads, according to video marketing firm Innovid. View rates were 3.8% higher while completion rates were 7.5% higher, when compared to pre-roll ads. These higher engagement metrics allow for companies to charge a premium price for these ads.
  • Overcome ad-blocking. Sixteen percent of US online users actively use ad-block software this year, which is expected to more than double by 2020. Outside of asking users to turn off ad blockers (or whitelisting their sites), publishers and brands can produce creative and personalized ads to change the “intrusive” and “annoyance” perception of the overall advertising ecosystem consumers have today. 

Over the last few years, there’s been much talk about the “death of TV.” However, television is not dying so much as it's evolving: extending beyond the traditional television screen and broadening to include programming from new sources accessed in new ways.

It's strikingly evident that more consumers are shifting their media time away from live TV, while opting for services that allow them to watch what they want, when they want. Indeed, we are seeing a migration toward original digital video such as YouTube Originals, SVOD services such as Netflix, and live streaming on social platforms.

However, not all is lost for legacy media companies. Amid this rapidly shifting TV landscape, traditional media companies are making moves across a number of different fronts — trying out new distribution channels, creating new types of programming aimed at a mobile-first audience, and partnering with innovate digital media companies. In addition, cable providers have begun offering alternatives for consumers who may no longer be willing to pay for a full TV package.

Dylan Mortensen, senior research analyst for BI Intelligence, has compiled a detailed report on the future of TV that looks at how TV viewer, subscriber, and advertising trends are shifting, and where and what audiences are watching as they turn away from traditional TV. 

Here are some key points from the report:

  • Increased competition from digital services like Netflix and Hulu as well as new hardware to access content are shifting consumers' attention away from live TV programming.
  • Across the board, the numbers for live TV are bad. US adults are watching traditional TV on average 18 minutes fewer per day versus two years ago, a drop of 6%. In keeping with this, cable subscriptions are down, and TV ad revenue is stagnant.
  • People are consuming more media content than ever before, but how they're doing so is changing. Half of US TV households now subscribe to SVOD services, like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, and viewing of original digital video content is on the rise.
  • Legacy TV companies are recognizing these shifts and beginning to pivot their business models to keep pace with the changes. They are launching branded apps and sites to move their programming beyond the TV glass, distributing on social platforms to reach massive, young audiences, and forming partnerships with digital media brands to create new content.
  • The TV ad industry is also taking a cue from digital. Programmatic TV ad buying represented just 4% (or $2.5 billion) of US TV ad budgets in 2015 but is expected to grow to 17% ($10 billion) by 2019. Meanwhile, networks are also developing branded TV content, similar to publishers' push into sponsored content.

In full, the report: 

  • Outlines the shift in consumer viewing habits, specifically the younger generation.
  • Explores the rise of subscription streaming services and the importance of original digital video content.
  • Breaks down ways in which legacy media companies are shifting their content and advertising strategies.
  • And Discusses new technology that will more effectively measure audiences across screens and platforms. 

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

  1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. » START A MEMBERSHIP
  2. Purchase & download the full report from our research store. »BUY THE REPORT

Join the conversation about this story »

Special IGNITION offer: 2 great events for the price of 1 — limited time only!

$
0
0

henry blodget ignition

Business Insider's flagship conference, IGNITION: Future of Digital, is just a few short months away. We've lined up an incredible list of speakers including founders of hot startups suck as WeWork, Airbnb, x.ai, Twitch, and Bleacher Report, and CEOs from major corporations like WPP, 21st Century Fox, AOL, Cisco, Axel Springer SE, Time Warner, and AT&T.

Interested in hearing what Arianna Huffington is planning for her new company, Thrive Global? Want to learn from YouTube's chief product officer, Neil Mohan, about how the video-sharing site dominated the most recent presidential debate with 124 million views? Curious to what changes George Kliavkoff has in store for Jaunt as the new CEO and president

You can hear it all straight from them if you attend IGNITION on December 5-7 at the Time Warner Center in New York City. And for a short time only, Business Insider and eMarketer have teamed up to bring you two amazing events for the price of one. Buying a ticket now will grant you access to IGNITION & eMarketer's Attention! 2016. Purchase your ticket now and save $1,295.

eMarketereMarketer Attention! 2016
, taking place on October 25 in New York City, is an investigation of the core challenge facing marketers today — the fragmented attention of today’s consumer. In a daylong event, thought leaders, marketing innovators, artists, scientists, and even philosophers will get you thinking differently about the media landscape and how consumers navigate it, all accompanied by eMarketer’s trademark focus on data.

 Act now to save almost 20% off the combined ticket prices.

DON'T MISS: Check Out The IGNITION 2016 Speaker Lineup

NEXT UP: Heading to IGNITION? Book your room now at a special conference rate

Join the conversation about this story »

James Corden never looks at his ratings, only his YouTube numbers

$
0
0

james corden

James Corden, the host of "The Late Late Show" and the creator of the wildly popular Carpool Karaoke, doesn't care about his ratings. In fact, there's only one number he cares about: YouTube views.

"We never look at our ratings," Corden said on the Kara Swisher's Recode Decode podcast. "We only look at our YouTube number ... It's the only number that's true and real. It's pure."

Corden explained that this is because of the open nature of the internet. "If it's good, it will travel. People will find it." In his show's actual time slot, he's at the mercy of people being too tired, or a big football game. But if a clip resonates with people online, it will go viral.

"YouTube [is] a level playing field. Everyone is on the same starting block," he said. And YouTube views show you what is relevant, what people are talking about and sharing. That is crucial for Corden, and for late night hosts in general. "Our time slot is not about ratings, it's about about relevance," he said.

But even beyond late night shows, Corden feels the concept of ratings is a bit off as a measurement of success. "I find ratings a sort of odd thing," he said. He used Netflix's hit "House of Cards" as an example. No one except a few people at Netflix know what the ratings are. Even Kevin Spacey has no idea, Corden said. "Yet we would never disagree that it's a hit," he said. "You know if something is a hit, and you know if something works." 

SEE ALSO: Netflix may have found a fix for its international growth problem: moving beyond English

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: ‘Star Wars’ fans try to figure out who Rey’s parents are


How one man turned his love for geek culture into a $160 million business

$
0
0

Subscription services that deliver a themed box of goods to your door have exploded in popularity in recent years. Now the industry is full of successful start-ups like Loot Crate, which delivers geek items and apparel to your door. Loot Crate founder Chris Davis came by to tell us how the idea of delivering "Comic Con in a box" became a $160 million business.

Follow TI: On Facebook

Join the conversation about this story »

41 celebrities who are taking a strong stand against Donald Trump

$
0
0

donald trump robert de niro

For Donald Trump, the entertainment world has turned out to be much harder to win over than likely voters.

While the GOP nominee has some enthusiastic endorsements from celebrities, dozens more are adamantly against him. More than 70,000 people — including stars like Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Harry Belafonte, and Roseanne Barr — have signed a #StopHateDumpTrump online petition against the businessman.

Even Donald Trump's former coproducer on "The Apprentice," Mark Burnett, while refusing to release unaired footage of the candidate, has clarified that he is "NOT pro-Trump" and rejects the "hatred, division, and misogyny" of the campaign.

And in the aftermath of Trump's recent scandals — including a vulgar "Access Hollywood" video from 2005 and numerous allegations of sexual assault — stars are continuing to condemn him.

Here are 41 other celebrities, from Jennifer Lawrence to Louis C.K., who are standing against Trump with strong public statements:

SEE ALSO: 29 celebrities who love and endorse Donald Trump

Matt Damon

At this year's MIT commencement ceremony, Damon expressed a fascination for a theory that states we are living in a simulated reality created by more intelligent forms of life. He then asked: "If there are multiple simulations, how come we have to be in the one where Donald Trump becomes the Republican nominee for president? Can we, like, transfer to a different one?"



George Clooney

The actor spoke out against Trump in an interview with The Guardian, calling him a "xenophobic fascist." He added: "In election season, things go crazy, and the loudest voices are the furthest and most extreme."

 



J.K. Rowling

When the BBC reported that people were comparing Trump to Lord Voldemort, J.K. Rowling couldn't let her "Harry Potter" villain be treated that way. She tweeted: "How horrible. Voldemort was nowhere near as bad."



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Seth Meyers: Why we have 'good reason' to believe the women accusing Donald Trump of sexual assault

$
0
0

donald trump sexual assault late night seth meyers

Seth Meyers is tired of hearing Donald Trump's surrogates and campaign officials trying to discredit the women who have come forward with sexual assault allegations against the Republican presidential candidate.

"Here's the problem for Trump," Meyers said during a new edition of "A Closer Look" on Thursday's "Late Night." "There's very good reason to believe he did what he's accused of. Why? Because an irrefutable, inside source told us so: Donald Trump."

The host then shared the portion of the leaked 2005 "Access Hollywood" tape in which Trump said that he doesn't even wait to kiss or fondle attractive women and says that women allow him to, because he's famous.

"Donald Trump is his own 'Deep Throat,'" Meyers said, referring to the Watergate source. "He's 'creep throat.'"

Furthermore, the host disapproved of the constant doubting of the accusers' stories by Trump, his team, and his supporters, especially when they question the timing of the women coming forward.

“When people ask why women wait to report sexual assault, that’s why, because instead of believing them, you question their motives,” he said. “Stop pretending there’s an optimal time for women to go public with these kinds of allegations. It’s not like if you do it within the first 24 hours, you get a parade and an iTunes gift card.”

Watch the latest segment of Meyers' "A Closer Look" below:

 

SEE ALSO: How the vulgar Donald Trump tape from 2005 was discovered at NBC and leaked to the public

DON'T MISS: Samantha Bee: It's too late for Republicans to turn on Donald Trump now

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 'Totally and absolutely false': Trump vehemently denies sexual assault allegations

Microsoft's Xbox One is racing ahead of Sony's PlayStation 4 (MSFT)

$
0
0

Microsoft's Xbox One is on a roll. 

September was the third month in a row that the Xbox One outsold its competition, the PlayStation 4.

That's a big change: the PlayStation 4 is far and away the most popular game console in the world. Over 40 million PlayStation 4 consoles are out in the wild; Sony took enough of a lead with the PS4 over the Xbox One that Microsoft stopped reporting sales numbers, instead choosing to report "hours played," and other non-traditional metrics.

But things have changed.

Ever since July 2016, Microsoft's Xbox One has beaten the PS4 in month-to-month sales. Keep in mind that the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have been on sale since the 2013 holiday season — for the vast majority of that time, PlayStation 4 has been on top. There were a few months here and there where the Xbox One beat the PS4, but Sony's lead has held strong for years now.

So, what's going on? A few factors play into the change. 

First and foremost, there are a ton of PlayStation 4 consoles already out in the wild.

PlayStation 4

It stands to reason that demand for the PS4 has cooled over time as the group of (millions of) people have their demand met by simply buying a console. Again, there are over 40 million PlayStation 4 consoles in homes.

The second major factor is exclusives.

Forza Horizon 3

Microsoft's Xbox One has two major blockbuster exclusive games this year in "Forza Horizon 3" and "Gears of War 4." Not only are both games exclusive, but they're critically-acclaimed entries in beloved franchises. And these are franchises you can only play on Microsoft's platforms, Xbox One and Windows 10.

And the third major factor, which applies mostly to September sales, is the Xbox One S.

xbox one s

Microsoft's got a new version of the Xbox One that's slimmer, prettier, and the same low price as the original Xbox One ($299). In fact, the Xbox One S was the highest-selling console of any gaming hardware in September. That's an especially interesting fact when you consider that Sony released a slimmer version of the PlayStation 4 in September as well — Microsoft announced the Xbox One S months earlier in June, and was able to cash-in on a summer of marketing and pre-orders leading up to its launch in late August.

But don't count Sony's PlayStation division out just yet. We're talking about the most profitable part of Sony, after all. And this holiday season is full of huge releases from the company.

Between the launch of the slimmer PlayStation 4 in September, the launch of PlayStation VR in October, and the launch of the more powerful PlayStation 4 Pro in November, Sony's got a lot of potential to make up for the past few months. Whether consumers will make that a reality is another question altogether.

SEE ALSO: Sony is playing a dangerous game to continue its dominance of Microsoft

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: 5 hidden features to get the most out of your Xbox One

18 Hollywood movies that pandered to China's giant box office

$
0
0

joseph gordon levitt in looper 2012 movie

Hollywood is paying more attention than ever before to China, which could have the world’s biggest box office by 2017. And that means courting Chinese censors, who allow distribution of as few as 34 foreign films each year.

"No Hollywood producer that wants to take advantage of the Chinese market would at this point include a film that includes anything about Taiwan, about Tibet, about Tiananmen," Aynne Kokas, author of the forthcoming book "Hollywood in China" and a professor at the University of Virginia, recently told Business Insider.

And that’s just the start.

"You won’t see the Chinese government acting as an enemy to the US state, but you will see the counterexample of things like 'The Martian' and 'Gravity' where Chinese astronauts save an American astronaut," Kokas said. "If the US and China had that level of cooperation in their military and space programs, we wouldn’t be having all these conflicts in the South China Sea."

Beijing also looks down on "violent content, sexual content, political content, particularly anything that shows Chinese leaders who are corrupt — American leaders who are corrupt is less of a problem. Also supernatural content," Kokas added. (It’s worth noting  that China doesn’t have ratings, so all movies must be approved for a general audience.)

Kokas expects even more seamless coordination between Hollywood and China in the future, as US and Chinese companies announce collaborativefilmslates, Chinese companies buy US entertainmentcompanies, US studios announce more Chinese coproductions, and US studios open China-focusedsubsidiaries.

"There are really structural changes in the US media industry that are less visible to consumers but will have a substantial change in how Hollywood actually operates," Kokas said.

We've rounded up some movies that made obvious changes in hopes of Chinese distribution:

SEE ALSO: China's ban on puns is right out of "1984"

DON'T MISS: The most popular Netflix shows around the world

Marvel’s "Doctor Strange" changed The Ancient One from Tibetan in the comics to Celtic. "If you acknowledge that Tibet is a place and that he’s Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people who think that that’s bullshit and risk the Chinese government going, '…we’re not going to show your movie,'" "Doctor Strange" screenwriter C. Robert Cargill said.

Cargill also claimed this was a no-win scenario, saying the original character was "a racist stereotype."

Source: Double Toasted via Cinema Blend



"Iron Man 3" changed The Mandarin from an evil Chinese mastermind in the comics to a Western actor hired by the real villains. It also crammed the movie with product placement and more.

"Iron Man 3" shows a doctor drinking China’s Gu Li Duo milk — positive propaganda after batches of domestic milk in real life China were contaminated with mercury. It also features Chinese medicine, product placement for China’s TCL and Zoomlion, two Chinese supporting actors, and a winning shot of cheering Chinese schoolchildren, as noted by The New York Times.

Some of these elements exist only in the special Chinese cut.



"Cloud Atlas" removed nearly 30 minutes from its Chinese cut, largely plotlines and scenes with controversial sexual relations.

Notably, the same-sex romance between two men and sex between a future "human-replicant" and her foreman.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter



See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Viewing all 103067 articles
Browse latest View live


Latest Images