Category: Data-Labor-Technology Stories

It’s been 33 years since World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) brought a million viewers ringside with its inaugural pay-per-view event, Wrestlemania. Today, the entertainment company is bringing you inside the ring through a virtual reality partnership with NextVR, a VR company that broadcasts live events, such as NBA and NFL games, and concerts. Put on a…

It’s finally done. Without much in the way of fanfare, and just in time for CES 2018, one of the TV industry’s most challenging obstacles has been cleared: consumers have mastered the art of accessing the wealth of content sitting behind the notorious “input button.” According to recent streaming meter data from my company, Nielsen,…

This week, The Atlantic magazine’s 5-year-old creative consulting service, Atlantic Media Strategies, has rebranded as Atlantic 57. The move, which looks to establish a more fitting identity for a 21st-century marketing partner, comes complete with a revamped online hub. The new, more concise and contemporary brand name aims to better highlight the group’s work and…

Facebook really wants Watch to work — and it trotted out one of the biggest stars in Hollywood during CES to show how committed the company is to its latest video initiative.

Fidji Simo, Facebook’s vp of product in charge of its video business, was joined on stage by actress Kerry Washington, who is producing one of Facebook’s first scripted series for Watch. Called “Five Points,” the short-form drama tells the story of five high school students in Chicago who witness a traumatic experience. Funded by and exclusive to Facebook, the show is produced by Washington’s production company Simpson Street and digital studio Indigenous Media.

Most of Simo and Washington’s conversation centered around “Five Points” and how Facebook envisions Watch as a place to combine original programming with social conversations about the content.

For instance, “Five Points,” which will focus heavily on LGBTQ and other social justice issues, will create custom Facebook groups around those issues so viewers can have conversations about the show and those topics before, during and after new episodes are released. The producers behind “Five Points” also plan to create custom profiles for characters to get audiences to interact with them, said Washington.

“I’m excited to be on the Facebook Watch platform because I wouldn’t want to put this piece out in the world without creating a space where discussion can live,” Washington said.

It’s a key point that Facebook itself has been making with Watch partners. Just like Facebook Live, Watch was developed as a way to get Facebook users to spend more time on Facebook. If Facebook can fund projects that also drive people to interact with others on the platform more, it’s a clear win for the company’s video plans.

Granted, away from the stage, there is plenty of skepticism among media companies that Facebook Watch will work. As several Watch partners have expressed in the past — and reiterated during CES — only a fraction of Facebook users are actually going to Watch. Most of the viewing still happens inside the news feed.

By bringing out a star such as Washington, Facebook was demonstrating that it remains committed to making its latest video initiative work.

“We have to make [Watch] work for our partners,” Simo said. “Obviously, there’s the creative angle, but there’s also the economic angle. We are committed to working with partners to make these shows work economically as well.”

One thing to look out for — and one thing two publishers privately expressed to Digiday — how Facebook defines partners going forward. “Five Points” is produced by two entertainment studios. As Facebook looks for bigger entertainment projects, it might leave out traditional publishers that it has previously paid in the past for content.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they go entirely direct and just buy content from producers,” said one publishing exec.

Meanwhile, when asked if they see Facebook and Watch as a legitimate threat, a YouTube exec also attending Facebook’s session very diplomatically said, “You gotta start somewhere.”

The post ‘We have to make it work for our partners’: Facebook’s Fidji Simo on Watch appeared first on Digiday.

Here comes Alexa in your ears–whether you’re ready for it or not. Jabra, a sound company that makes headphones, earbuds and headsets, announced on Jan. 8 two new wireless earbuds that work with Siri, Google Now and Alexa. The Elite 65t and Elite Active 65t boast five hours of battery life (with an additional 10…

Online learning community Skillshare analyzed more than 186,000 English-language tweets to determine the most common New Year’s resolutions among American users for 2018. For its analysis, Skillshare examined tweets containing 15 relevant hashtags, such as #newyearsresolution, posted between “midday” on New Year’s Eve and 6 p.m. EST on New Year’s Day. Unsurprisingly, the company found…

FCB Worldwide welcomed Jennifer Hohman back to the IPG family in the position of global chief marketing officer. In the role, Hohman will be tasked with developing FCB’s new business relationships with current and prospective clients, while reporting to FCB Worldwide CEO Carter Murray. “Jen is an agile, results-focused advertising and media leader. With nearly…

Owen Wilson seemed to enjoy France the last time he was there. Now he’s back–and bringing an American staple, Oreo cookies, with him. A new Oreo campaign in France, from Paris agency Buzzman, is about as goofy as it gets, featuring the actor serving as pitchman but getting all of his commercial lines ludicrously wrong….

It’s a new year, and you’re likely considering the personal and professional goals that will help you improve your life and advance your career. By building your brand and nurturing your network, you can do both. Once you reach a certain stage of your career, you’re probably not landing a job through a Monster.com application….

Former Hulu senior vice president and head of marketing Jenny Wall will become podcast network Gimlet Media’s first chief marketing officer. Wall will oversee all marketing and audience-growth efforts at Brooklyn-based Gimlet Media, which has been expanding its efforts in branded podcasting, inking deals with Blue Apron, Mastercard, Microsoft and more. She brings three years…