Twitter is said to be looking at acquiring Bluefin Labs, which would fit the trajectory that the real-time information network has been on for some time. But is cozying up to traditional TV the only future for Twitter? Read more »
As Twitter continues to expand its control over the content that runs through its network, even as it forms partnerships with large TV networks like NBC, media entities of all kinds are going to have to ask whether their reliance on the service is wise. Read more »
As Twitter shuts off the access that services like Instagram and Tumblr used to have to its valuable “follower graph,” it is also promoting the new relationships it has with media players like NBC. Between them, those two moves speak volumes about the company’s future. Read more »
On how many different devices did you watch the Olympic games? If you’re anything like the average Xfinity customer, the answer is between two and three – and that’s not even counting your living room TV. Welcome to the first multi-screen Olympics. Read more »
China’s state broadcaster CNTV clocked huge online audience numbers during the 2012 London Olympics, and a big chunk of it came from mobile devices: 610 million streams were served to phones, tablets and connected devices alone, according to numbers shared exclusively with GigaOM. Read more »
More data suggests these were the “mobile games”. London 2012′s organising committee says most digital engagement was via mobile devices, as it closes the lid on the Olympics with an end-of-games stats dump. Read more at paidContent »
The BBC’s celebrated ‘four-screen’ London 2012 output has revealed a late-night iPad fetish and new high water marks for live video and mobile content consumption. ‘This has really been the multi-platform Games,’ the corporation says. Read more at paidContent »
How about this for an unlikely winner of the 2012 London Olympics: VPN providers have been signing up lots of new users looking to access streams of the games in real time. Which makes one wonder: Wouldn’t it be better if those customers paid broadcasters instead? Read more »
Half of searches and video streams are coming from mobiles and tablets during the Olympic games. Has the mobile internet reached a tipping point? New Google data would seem to suggest as much. Read more at paidContent »
Pew Research study claims 8 out of 10 Americans are following the London Games via TV, internet streaming or social media. The traditional tube, of course, remains the dominant viewing platform, but over 20 percent of 18-49-year-olds are watching online. Read more at paidContent »
UK TV viewers are gobbling up 24 simultaneous live Olympics streams the BBC is taking from web to TV. First-week data shows a big appetite for viewing of all kinds. Read more at paidContent »
NBC’s Olympics coverage online, streamed through YouTube, features some quality technology, a deep catalog, a strong user experience — but the ad load on archived and broadcast coverage is massive. Which feels excessive, especially given that it’s limited to cable subscribers. Read more »
Almost half of the internet video NBC is serving this Olympics is going to mobiles and tablets. That’s a watershed for portable TV. But what happens when at-home internet TV becomes commonplace? Read more at paidContent »
Stung by online criticism of its “#NBCFail” Olympics, the broadcaster comes out fighting with a range of record cross-platform viewing stats it says show critics are just a ‘vocal minority’. But can it make the most of digital when the laser focus is on prime time TV? Read more at paidContent »
ISP technology provider Procera Networks now says its data indicating that Netflix traffic was down 25 percent Sunday was a “blip,” and that the company’s streaming activity is back up to “normal levels.” It also says its data covers only its clients’ networks. Read more at paidContent »
China’s state television is streaming 5,600 hours of live coverage of the the Olympic Games online — and it’s for the first time ever specifically targeting iPad and mobile users with a premium stream. However, it’s not giving up on P2P video streaming entirely. Read more »
As Twitter tries to evolve from being a real-time information network into a multibillion-dollar commercial media entity, it is having to face the inherent conflict between those two goals, and many critics see the suspension of journalist Gary Adams’ account as a symptom of that conflict. Read more »
NBC asked Twitter to suspend the account of a journalist who has been a prominent critic of its Olympics coverage. Twitter — an NBC partner — complied. Is this censorship or is there some other explanation? Read more »
Irony of ironies – after encouraging fans to tweet copiously, the International Olympic Committee requests London 2012 attendees limit their output only to “urgent” status updates. The problem – mobile updates from some attendees have clogged a mobile network used by official TV data suppliers. Read more at paidContent »
NBC requires viewers to verify they are pay TV subscribers before accessing any of the live streams of the London Games. So what’s a cord cutter to do? Luckily, there are plenty of perfectly legal ways to watch the coverage without cable. Read more »
The U.K.’s O2 has launched a 100-hotspot Wi-Fi network just in time for the Olympics, offering up its capacity to all takers gratis. But there’s something else under the hood of these Ruckus access points: a slot waiting for a future O2 small cell. Read more »
There’s an unprecedented amount of digital video coverage for this year’s Olympic Games and yet analysts suggest that the TV will easily trump viewing on other screens again. The numbers look low because of our time- and place-shifting mentality: Share your viewing plans in our poll. Read more »
YouTube is in charge of the streaming for NBC’s ambitious online coverage of the 2012 London Olympics, delivering some 3,500 hours of live coverage from the event on the web and through native apps. Here’s an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at this cooperation. Read more »
Twitter is reportedly in talks with Hollywood producers and network executives about creating one or more reality-style TV shows that would be integrated into the network — but if it does decide to do this, the company risks alienating its core users and diluting its fundamental value. Read more »
What if a photo could be more than a static image, and tell a story through tags, links and videos? Stipple’s updates Thursday bring forward what it hopes is the “smart image,” allowing photographers and brands to track and monetize their photos across the web. Read more »
U.K. sports fans will get 24 live streams of the action once the Olympic Games unfold in London this weekend. The BBC is relying on Adobe to deliver these streams, and the company is using it as a big test case for its new Project Primetime. Read more »
Who owns the airspace in London’s Olympics venues? Organisers want to stop spectators from creating personal WiFi hotspots, while BT charges up to £9.99 per day for on-site access. Read more »
Twitter is launching a partnership with NBC Universal to create a real-time news hub around the Olympic Games — the latest step in the company’s transformation into a media entity, a move that is a double-edged sword for other media outlets. Read more »
Traditional TV will dominate, viewing on other devices is growing, and researchers can’t agree on how many people will watch the Olympics on mobile and tablet – that’s the conclusion from sifting research forecasts on the matter. Read more at paidContent »
The London Olympics’ host team will launch two digital products next week, joining broadcasters, other media, the IOC and the games’ organising committee in seeking fans’ electronic mindshare. Read more at paidContent »
The International Olympic Committee pushes out integration with a host of social platforms and attempts to clarify rules as London 2012 draws near, following recent criticism of its policies Read more at paidContent »
Yahoo signs more than a dozen sponsors to back what might be its most ambitious event coverage ever. Over two weeks, Yahoo hopes to reach 700 million viewers across more than 200 countries. Read more at paidContent »
Adobe introduced the two Olympics mobile apps it made for NBC this week, explaining among other things how authentication for live video streams will work. Viewers will have to prove that they’re subscribers of a pay TV service, but there will be a short grace period. Read more »
After an intense series of live sports events online — from the U.S. Open and NBA playoffs to Wimbledon and the Tour de France — it’s odd to hit a black-out window for the All-Star Game. Everything is geared to sending fans to their TVs. Read more at paidContent »
London’s Underground metro may have recently introduced Wi-Fi and extra 3G capacity in time for this month’s Olympic Games – but mobile payments remain some way down the track. Read more »
After partnering on the Super Bowl in February, second-screen app maker Shazam and NBCUniversal will extend the social TV experience to next month’s London Olympics. Read more at paidContent »
In this summer Olympic host country, online ad sellers have mounting concerns that the Games would suck away ad spending, rather than boost it. Read more at paidContent »
Viewers may not watch this summer’s London 2012 Olympic Games online as much as some broadcasters hope, according to research. Read more at paidContent »
With the Olympics just a few months away, there’s the usual flurry of stories detailing frenzied preparations by organizers and athletes. But one other type of news item is surprisingly popular in Britain – stories equating telecommuting during the games with slacking at home. Read more »
BBC News & Knowledge general manager Phil Fearnley tells paidContent BBC Online has conceived Olympics Web, connected TV, mobile and tablet products as platforms for re-use on future large events. Read more at paidContent »
