Twitter’s ad operations are growing rapidly but not all brands and marketers understand them or are convinced of their value. This may explain why Twitter hired Jeffrey Graham as director of ad research. Read more at paidContent »
A bitter fight over who started the Huffington Post took a major twist today after a judge not only refused for the second time to dismiss the case, but also expanded it. Read more at paidContent »
Do you remember the huge controversy when people claimed Instagram wanted to sell your photos? In a court filing, Instagram reiterated a familiar refrain by social media companies that users can take or leave it when it comes to their policies. Read more »
Online video ads are growing at a rapid rate but almost all of them are appearing on the desktop. Here’s some stats that also include a look at video ads on mobile and connected TV. Read more at paidContent »
Chris Hughes is young, wealthy and now owns a venerable but struggling magazine. Does he have a plan to make money from it? Right now, it appears he doesn’t care about the financial side of publishing. Read more at paidContent »
Google is making big changes to AdWords which is its main money machine and a major engine of online advertising. The company is framing the changes as a benefit — but they may shortchange advertisers and publishers. Read more at paidContent »
The arrival of the iPad was supposed to boost online subscription sales for magazines. It didn’t work out that way. But smaller devices like the iPad Mini and Nook are starting to change that. Read more at paidContent »
Dish Networks is selling a controversial device called the Hopper that lets viewers skip commercials. Company chairman Charlie Ergen said TV watching is changing and that Dish is not using the Hopper to extract lower fees from broadcasters. Read more at paidContent »
The New York Times has finally closed a popular loophole that let readers circumvent its paywall by chopping off the end of a story’s website address. Read more at paidContent »
Sailthru helps sites deliver personalized content or shopping offers to their email subscribers. Now, the company has received a major investment from Benchmark as it expands its “smart data” products. Read more »
Cries for copyright reform have typically come from Silicon Valley liberals. But in recent months, conservatives are adding arguments of their own. This presents the chance to reach a grand bargain on fixing copyright. Read more »
Want to get emergency storm updates — or just binge out on sports coverage or old David Brooks columns during the storm? Now’s your chance as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal offer free access to their websites. Read more at paidContent »
Looking for the turnaround story of 2013? Stop looking at Yahoo — it’s AOL that’s the real deal. The company has quietly put in place a powerful strategy based on media, technology and advertising. And investors like what they see. Read more at paidContent »
To the frustration of consumers now used to digital distribution, the TV industry stubbornly refuses to unbundle its expensive channel packages. The CEO of upstart Aereo explains why he is taking them on. Read more »
The New York Times posted new earnings numbers this morning and they present a familiar, discouraging story of the Grey Lady’s inability to grow its digital business fast enough to offset other revenue declines. Read more at paidContent »
Upstart Aereo is taking on the TV industry from a single floor in Brooklyn where it has stuffed thousands of tiny antennas and top notch transcoders and servers. Here’s a primer on how it works — plus some pictures from the inside. Read more »
Some people won’t pay to see online content. But there’s a chance they’re willing to watch an ad or fill out a survey instead. Here’s how one company is bringing such options to mobile devices. Read more at paidContent »
In its 17 years, Slate has distinguished itself as a publishing innovator and a home for well-written news and ideas. But, until recently, it has been hampered by a lack of technology and a business model. Is that about to change? Read more at paidContent »
Special newspaper sections on topics like retirement or investment offer the chance for deep audience engagement — and major advertising opportunities. Can the Wall Street Journal replicate this experience online? Read more at paidContent »
PBS showed quick social media instincts on Sunday night with a tweet inviting people to ditch the “Blackout Bowl” for some British drama. Here’s how it happened. Read more at paidContent »
Outbrain wants to dominate the business of suggesting stories to readers while helping publishers buy and sell web traffic. But now competition is coming and the company has to protect its turf. Read more at paidContent »
Antigua says it can disregard American patent and copyright law, thanks to a trade ruling. Here’s a quick summary plus a funny Taiwanese video to explain it all. Read more »
DerbyJackpot combines the feel of casual social gaming with real life betting on horse tracks across the country. Thanks to a legal exception bets on horse-racing, the company is one of the few that can offer online gambling in the US. Read more »
Do you have new ideas about advertising, social media or publishing that you’d like to try out at the New York Times? Now’s your chance. The company will take in three to five companies for a 4-month, in-house partnership. Read more at paidContent »
The arrival of Marissa Mayer at Yahoo is fueling the desire for a comeback story. Despite press reports suggesting the turnaround has come, Yahoo’s modest earnings improvement this week are not that story. Read more at paidContent »
Did you get a mysterious email from Facebook about a lawsuit? You’re eligible for some money but, alas, chances are the lawyers and privacy groups will keep it instead. Here’s the odds. Read more »
The Huffington Post’s new Conversations feature rounds up individual discussions taking place within comment sections and gives them a webpage of their own. It’s an attempt to fix comment chaos and could be an ad goldmine for AOL. Read more at paidContent »
The New York Times is cutting 30 staff — some of them with deep backgrounds in social media. This means the paper could lose a number of its Twitter readers. It also shows how media outlets and journalists need to work out Twitter issues by contract. Read more at paidContent »
NewsCred has become a big player in the news business by using algorithms to bring relevant stories to clients looking for content. Now, the tech intensive company is adding a new product to its mix — humans. Read more at paidContent »
AdRoll, a firm that places “retargeted” ads on Facebook had a very good year. Does that provide any hints as to what Facebook will say about its ad earnings next week? Read more at paidContent »
Google published its latest report about how often governments are asking for data about individuals. The growth of this type of surveillance means that Facebook should consider publishing a report of its own. Read more »
For years, newspaper subscribers who go on vacation have donated their papers to classrooms where students would do things like cut out pictures. Now, Boston readers will be donating iPads instead. Read more at paidContent »
Content recommendation services are becoming big business. The latest entrant is Reverb, a site that draws on its experience as a dictionary maker to offer useful story suggestions. Read more at paidContent »
Branch, the site that wants to improve the quality of discussions on the internet, is offering new community-like features that could make the site more approachable and conversations easier to discover. Read more at paidContent »
As Google gets bogged down with the French government over a so-called “internet tax,” the newspaper Le Monde reports that the search giant tried and failed to reach a large-scale copyright deal before Christmas. Read more at paidContent »
Flamboyant entrepreneur Kim Dotcom is marketing his new file-sharing locker as “the privacy company.” Is he for real or are the privacy claims just a cynical cover-up for a new piracy business? Read more at paidContent »
Oprah Winfrey and sports site Deadspin had two of the year’s biggest stories this week and attracted millions of people to their websites. Too bad they didn’t have an ad plan in place. Read more at paidContent »
A man claims he was burned by the money men of Silicon Valley and now wants the public to fund a documentary about idea theft. Unfortunately, his track record raises questions about his own integrity. Read more »
More publishers of all stripes, including star blogger Andrew Sullivan, are charging visitors for content. This has translated into good news for paywall provider Tinypass. Read more at paidContent »
Amazon is getting more aggressive in its attempt to muscle into the online music space. On Thursday, it announced a HTML5-based MP3 store that allows consumers to buy and play songs on their Apple devices. Read more at paidContent »
