• Snapchat Hires Ex-Fox Exec To Develop Programs
    Though most people only visit Snapchat for a moment, it hopes hiring former Fox comedy executive Marcus Wiley as head of program planning and development will get the ball rolling to make the social network a programming source too. 
  • Britain Mulls Age Checks For Porn Site Users
    The UK's plans to introduce mandatory age checks for viewing pornography online could involve verifying users' identities via third parties such as banks, mobile operators, credit agencies, or even the post office. The country's Conservative party pledged to introduce such age checks earlier this year.
  • So What? NYT's Paul Krugman's Dim View of Digital's Economic Benefits
    Has the big boom in technology really amounted to much? Paul Krugman says he and other economists have to look hard to find the effects of what is now four decades of the digital revolution.
  • Are Facebook's Video Viewer Really Engaged, Asks Google's Ramaswamy
    Google’s advertising chief Sridhar Ramaswamy questioned the value of Facebook video, when the social network counts views after only three seconds of attention. Facebook now says it is serving more than 4 billion video views a day.
  • What Is Hulu Up To?
    This article from The Street expresses some bafflement about the online video service owned by CBS, ABC, and NBC's parents, which recently announced a link-up with AT&T. "I'm really not sure what Hulu is up to," said Michael Pachter, a media industry analyst for Wedbush Securities. "They're owned by the TV networks, so they have a different strategy from Netflix. I think that they want to be an over-the-top alternative as a hedge, but they don't have the depth of content to compete with Netflix."
  • Univision Acquires 'The Root' News Site
    Univision Communications has acquired The Root, an online news, opinion and culture destination for African-Americans. According to comScore, The Root reaches an average five million unique users per month.
  • See Hear: Spotify Will Be Video Player Too
    Spotify will become a service where music fans can listen to millions of songs and watch music-related videos in one place. That could encourage people to spend more time using Spotify and generate more advertising revenue, which could help Spotify keep a tier that's free for you. But it also means that Spotify's format -- a monthly subscription that gives members unlimited access to songs -- will become more complicated.
  • With Controversy, Energy Drinks Now Saturate Gaming Videos
    New "gamer drinks" are sugar-free but laden with caffeine that many think is too far much for young users. One drink brand brags that it's "natural Adderall." The energy drink industry is tapping into the rock-star status of "e-athletes,." says this front page New York Times story.
  • Facebook Messenger Expands Video Calling Worldwide
    Facebook has expanded Messenger’s video calling feature to nearly every country around the world. “Folks in countries included in this update can take advantage of the feature on both iOS and Android, as well on messenger.com,” Engadget reports. Countries that remain off Messenger’s video calling grid include the Philippines, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. 
  • Do Students Really Learn From Instructional Videos?
    When students watch instructional videos, how much do they remember? Zaption, with $1.5 million from funders and the U.S., intends to find out.
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