Ratings don’t matter anymore. Nielsen ratings, anyway. That’s the thrust of a Wired feature today, and while we may have known that implicitly for some time now, the takeaway is that network execs and advertisers—the people who underwrite TV shows—are wising up to the importance of engagement over eyeballs. More »
Few of us like paying for TV we don’t use, and there’s been attempts to fix a broken model that makes TV providers pay for channels in blocks, no matter the viewer interest. Verizon’s lead programming negotiator, Terry Denson, has told the Wall Street Journal that a more logical usage-based approach may come to FiOS TV. The telecom firm is in talks with mid-size and smaller content companies to pay for channels only based on how long we watch: Verizon would pay whenever a subscriber tunes in for at least five minutes. In theory, it’s a win-win strategy that lowers Verizon’s overhead (and hopefully ours) while rewarding the more successful smaller channels. Of course, there’s no guarantee that a deal will go through — and while Verizon will ask about a similar model when renewing major contracts, Cablevision’s battle shows how much media giants will resist disruption of a steady revenue stream.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Verizon
Via: Gizmodo
Source: Wall Street Journal
This week the folks at Verizon have had a bit of a revelation: instead of paying media companies a flat fee for their television channels, make the payment based on real viewership. In this way, companies that deliver a channel that has no popularity at all will not have to be payed as much while the top-tier companies will get payed monster amounts of cash. This model is rather similar to how Spotify works, having you the user pay a flat fee and listen to whatever you like on their service, the artists whose tracks you listen to getting cash per listen accordingly from the company.
It was Verizon chief programming negotiator Terry Denson who spoke up this week with the Wall Street Journal. There he noted that at this very moment, Verizon was in talks with “midtier and smaller” media companies to see if a payment based on audience size model would work for them. Speaking on the model in play today, Denson said: “we are paying for a customer who never goes to the channel.”
The model in play today has Verizon (and other cable and satellite television operators) paying media companies an amount based on the number of homes their service goes to. If the channel is available through their service, Verizon will have to pay based on the amount of homes they push their service to – regardless of how many people actually watch the channel. With new person-tracking technologies in play, Verizon is thinking about using the number of people actually tuning in to create a whole new model.
As Denson notes, the current talk puts viewing time at five minutes minimum to register as having actually visited a television channel. This unique viewing setup would have odd channels that’d otherwise not get a massive amount of cash in a lump-sum deal to really ramp up their earning potential with ad campaigns and must-see-tv pushes across the web.
The same as Spotify artists tell their fans to head to Spotify and give them a listen, so too will media companies tell users to head to Verizon to watch their shows. It won’t be quite so simple as all that until installing a television system is as easy as installing an app – but we can dream!
Meanwhile we’ll keep an eye out for this new television payment model and will let you know if the costs and benefits will ever be passed on to you, the consumer. At the moment it appears that they’ll be keeping your bills the same – the future could very well be knocking some real bills off the top rack.
Verizon seeking Spotify model for TV: Pay-Per-Viewer is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
China’s most powerful TV program, China Central Television, controlled by the country’s government, aired a 2-hour show that attacked both Apple’s and Volkswagen’s customer service policies in the country. CCTV aired the broadcast in celebration of World Consumer Rights Day, held every year on March 15th. The company has attacked several, major corporations in the past, including Mcdonalds, KFC, and a French retailer named Carrefour.
In its broadcast, CCTV accused Apple of cheating Chinese consumers on their warranty, as well as offering Chinese customers different customer service policies compared to its policies offered in every other country. Apple is also accused of ignoring China’s laws in its practices. CCTV also attacked Volkswagen for selling error-filled cars in China. Volkswagen’s cars in China have been equipped with “substandard direct-shift gearbox systems” that resulted in acceleration mishaps and car accidents to an “unspecified” amount of drivers.
Apple responded with, “Our team is always striving to exceed our customers’ expectations, and we take any customer concerns very seriously.” Volkswagen responded with, “We will spare no effort to make improvement in the future,” and that it plans on fixing the gearbox systems in its vehicles in China. Apple and Volkswagen are both working hard to fix the problems described by CCTV. China is a major market for both companies, especially for Apple, who has over 17,000 stores and resellers in the country.
CCTV has a great deal of influence on companies and consumers in China. When the TV program made a broadcast on the quality of chicken provided by Yum Brands Inc.’s KFC stores, the company saw a 6% decline in sales during its 4th quarter. The company had then revamped its practices, and made a public apology. When CCTV launched an investigation on a database-marketing unit, named Dun & Bradstreet Corp., about its illegal practices, the company was fined 1 million yuan ($160,640), and 4 of its executives were sentenced to 2 years in prison.
[via The Wall Street Journal]
China’s CCTV attacks Apple’s and Volkswagen’s customer service policies is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
If you’re one of the precious few to have access to Google Fiber, you may have been disappointed by the need to use its companion app on a Nexus 7 — a fine tablet, but certainly not the only device in Google’s universe. Thankfully, a new update significantly broadens that pool. The app should now offer remote control and content browsing on phones and tablets that run Android 4.2 or later, whether it’s a Nexus 4 or the upcoming Galaxy S 4. Viewers should also see a simpler interface, no matter what hardware they’re using. Those fortunate enough to have the fiber TV service just need to swing past Google Play to expand their control of the living room.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, HD, Mobile, Google
Source: Google Play
Folks with an eye for unusual design likely had their interest piqued by Samsung’s “Timeless Gallery” TV stand, but now a new Philips television is stepping into the living room limelight. Dubbed the Philips DesignLine, the rig hides an LCD display behind a seamless glass pane with a black to transparent gradient that supports itself by leaning against a wall. The TV operates at 1,400 Hz and packs a dual-core processor, WiFi and support for 3D (in 1080p, naturally) and MiraCast. In addition, the DesignLine boasts the firm’s Ambilight tech on three sides, which beams out lights matching the color of what’s displayed on screen. It’ll be available in in 46- and 55-inch flavors in Europe and Russia by way of TP Vision during Q2, but there’s no word on price or when it might travel overseas. Hit the jump to catch a video of it in action and watch its creators talk shop.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: TP Vision
Doctor Who has been around for half a century now. And many of the earliest episodes were lost or destroyed early in its history. The fourth episode of “The Tenth Planet,” a story featuring the first regeneration to the second Doctor, was lost in the 1970s. All that was left was a short clip of the regeneration. Now technology saves the day.
To the delight of fans everywhere, Planet 55 Studios is re-creating the lost episode in an animated format. They have been working on it for two years, and now they have released the first clip. In it you can see the regeneration scene and it looks pretty great.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see more.
[via io9 via Nerd Approved]
CBS has been absent from streaming services like Hulu and Netflix for quite some time, although they recently joined Hulu in January. The network has never really bought into the whole streaming fad in the first place, which has no doubt made a few streaming customers upset, since CBS has a handful of good shows that are just dying to be watched over the internet. However, CBS has launched their own streaming app for iOS that gives you full episodes eight days after they’ve first aired.
While most primetime television shows will be available after eight days from its airing, daytime and late night programming will be available within 24 hours after the initial airing. The app will include shows like CSI, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, and The Late Show with David Letterman.
The app will also include a feature called Live Social Feeds, which allow you to “join the conversation” about various CBS programs and you can read live feeds that are curated for each show. You can also check out the Primetime Schedule to find out what’s coming up on CBS and even set reminders for single episodes or special programming.
The app is only available for iOS devices, but CBS says that they’re planning versions for Android and Windows 8, although we’re not sure if that will include Windows Phone 8 as well, but there was definitely no mention of BlackBerry. The app is a free download, and it’s available now in the iTunes App Store.
CBS launches full-episode streaming app on iOS is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Almost by definition, TV syndication in the modern era leads us to wonder just where and when we’ll get to see a show online. For CBS’ The Good Wife, streaming on third-party services will be a cornerstone of an uncommon, multi-step syndication strategy that puts the internet first. The drama will be available for Amazon Prime Instant Video subscribers starting March 14th, expanding beyond its existing availability for purchase. Hulu Plus members, meanwhile, will get their own turn at streaming in September. Traditional TV will still be around, but it’s notably pushed to the back of the queue — Hallmark won’t have airing rights until January 2014, and most other broadcasters will be denied until a year after Hulu. The new approach another sign that CBS’ one-time cold shoulder to some forms of digital distribution is growing warmer and warmer.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Amazon
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