DEADLINE: Netflix CFO Says Comcast Deal Was Needed To Improve Subscriber Experience

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Financial Editor | Monday March 3, 2014 @ 5:57pm ESTTags: Comcast, Netflix

Netflix had to make its potentially game-changing new deal to pay Comcast for improved service over its broadband lines because “there were some choke points around peak usage times,” the streaming service’s CFO David Wells said today at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference. That should ease now that the agreement —  which eliminates intermediaries handling Netflix traffic to Comcast — will “shore up the long term subscriber experience.” Some investors are concerned that the arrangement might become costly. But Wells says not to worry: the additional outlays won’t change its forecast for fatter profit margins in its U.S. streaming business this year. The amount Netflix will pay Comcast “was incremental, but not to the point where we’re changing that.” Nor is he concerned that other broadband providers will now insist on large payments to improve Netflix transmissions. Others “could” ask for a similar deal, and the company is “somewhat caught in the middle” because it wants to ensure “a long term subscriber experience” that will require more bandwidth as it offers more HD and, soon, 4K transmissions. Still, “not all ISPs are created equal,” Wells says, and “we’re not going to be interested in doing anything that will meaningfully change the economics.”

The CFO reaffirmed the company’s interest in offering different tiers of service for different prices. “We’re not in a hurry,” he says. Netflix wants to offer choices because “one size does not fit all from a price standpoint.” But current users’ plans likely will be grandfathered in. That’s “a lesson learned from 2011″ when Netflix infuritated customers by separating its streaming and DVD rental services, requiring those who still wanted both to pay a lot more.

On the programming front, Wells says that the number of original series will grow. “It would be great to get to one to two every month.”

Original Link: http://www.deadline.com/2014/03/netflix-cfo-says-comcast-deal-was-needed-to-improve-subscriber-experience/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

SIMPLY MEASURED: American Idol Partnerships with Google and Facebook Bolster Second Screen Experience

Earlier this week, FOX’s American Idol announced new partnerships with Google and Facebook. American Idol’s audience has been discussing the show on social media for a very long time, this partnership is a great way to capture all of the show’s online buzz and turn that into participation. In the upcoming season, users will be able to vote online and see how finalists are faring in real-time.

These new partnerships showcase a growing sophistication among TV companies when it comes to fostering second screen engagement. While Twitter still rules the roost for real time action (and is still a big component of American Idol’s social strategy), the opportunity to diversify is growing daily.

It’s not surprising that American Idol would want to make this move. The show’s audience is very responsive to their current social media presence.

With 11.6 million fans on Facebook, American Idol has an active audience that jump at the opportunity to engage. Just last week, American Idol drove over 140K total engagements, thanks mainly to this post:

 American Idol tapped Facebook to power their “live visualizations”, which are intended to “bring a new dimension to the viewing experience and enhances the connection fans have with the show (MarketingLand).” By pulling together their TV and online fans, American Idol will have greater opportunities to convert passive viewership into active participation.

Although Facebook’s involvement with American Idol seems relatively basic, we can surely expect to see bigger things coming from this partnership in the near-future.

American Idol’s partnership with Google is unique. Google will be powering an online voting platform, where users can directly vote for contestants via Google.com. Google has never done anything like this before and this system will be the first of its kind. American Idol has created a faster, easier, and more accessible voting process than ever before.

This is Google’s first run as a online voting platform, but you can bet other TV networks will be paying attention.

The American Idol partnerships with Google and Facebook will surely give viewers more opportunities to participate and engage within the community. These are the first of their kind, but we’re willing to bet that it certainly won’t be the last.

Which networks do you see as the future of second screen engagement?

• Posted on February 28, 2014 by Jade Furubayashi
• Categories: Facebook, Google+

 

Original Link: http://simplymeasured.com/blog/2014/02/28/american-idol-partnerships-with-google-and-facebook-bolster-second-screen-experience/

THE WRAP: Lupita Nyong’o Gets Largest Twitter Buzz Bump From Oscars (Infographic)

Leonardo Di Caprio is the only Academy Award loser to win the social media battle in his category

How much difference a day makes in the social media era.

Oscar winners — and even a few losers — saw their Twitter stock skyrocket over the course of an eventful weekend, according to global communications agency Way To Blue, which culled the social media website’s data into an infographic (below).

Also read: Oscars: ’12 Years a Slave’ Screenplay Rift Between Steve McQueen, John Ridley Boils Over

On Saturday, Way To Blue measured Twitter buzz in the week leading up to the Oscars to predict the big six categories, with tweeters missing on just Best Supporting Actress — with the majority of the buzz heading Jennifer Lawrence’s way. But now, everyone knows Lupita Nyong’o. The “12 Years a Slave” actress saw a huge increase in buzz — the largest from Saturday to Sunday — by 23,485 tweets, following her own win. Best Supporting Actor Jared Leto’s buzz jumped up 18,573 mentions.

Also read: Oscars: Ellen DeGeneres, Jared Leto Post the Top 5 Most-Liked Instagrams (Exclusive)

Best Actor is another story. Although Matthew McConaughey won and had an increase of 7,519 mentions (from 1,263 pre to 8,782 post), Leonardo DiCaprio scored a higher volume of buzz post event, with his 10,898 mentions giving the “Wolf of Wall Street” star an uptick of 9,841 mentions.

See Photos: Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar Loss Inspires #PoorLeo Memes

Check out the infographic:

Original Link:http://www.thewrap.com/oscars-twitter-ellen-alfonso-cuaron-jared-leto-lupita-nyong%27o-leonardo-di-caprio

VALLEY WAG: Unprofitable Tech Company Buys Two Old Log Cabins

 

Sam Biddle

Twitter, which is not a profitable company and enjoys a cushy tax break from the city of San Francisco, has purchased two wood cabins to be installed within its cafeteria, the Marin Independent Journal reports.

TechCrunch points out that the company had a Twitter had a GAAP net loss of $511 million in its most recent quarter. But can you put a “price” on two authentic, old-ass log cabins in your office? Yes, but can you put a “price” on quotes like this?

“You can see the hand of the original craftsmen who built them,” said Olle Lundberg of Lundberg Design, the San Francisco architectural firm responsible for the specialty design elements in the new office. “It’s kind of cool that cabins that were built sometime in the 1800s have now reappeared. The guys who built them are long dead, of course, but are sort of still here. I kind of like that.”

No.

Photo by Karl Beckmann of Beckmann Engineering

Original Link: http://valleywag.gawker.com/unprofitable-company-buys-two-old-log-cabins-1535388145?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow