Another feather for the “we’ve got real stuff” cap that YouTube is showing off these days: Google’s video site has hammered out a deal with Time Warner to show clips from the media conglomerate’s cable networks, TV shows and movies. But you won’t be seeing full-length shows or movies from Time Warner on the world’s biggest video site–it’s saving those for cable companies that play along with its “TV Everywhere” plan.
Depending on your perspective, this is either interesting news or heartening news: Michael Jackson’s funeral and memorial were indeed a giant Internet event. But they don’t seem to have been as big as Michael Jackson’s death, and they weren’t as big as Barack Obama’s inauguration. So, let’s call them the third-biggest Web event of the year. To date.
Michael Jackson’s funeral service starts at 1 pm Eastern today and you will have to try very hard not to see it: In addition to wall-to-wall coverage on the news channels, any Web site capable of live-streaming the event will be doing so. Is the Internet ready for the coming traffic jam? I’m betting it is.
The “fail” meme is one of the digerati’s least pleasant contributions to pop culture. Wouldn’t be accurate, anyway. Instead, let’s just say that the Internet was…challenged yesterday by the crush of people who flocked to it when Michael Jackson died. And that it seemed to do a pretty good job in the end. That’s a more interesting story, right?
Another big news event means another chance for Twitter to shine. And another example of the service’s shortcomings: Trust it if you want, but I’d like to verify.
The “Iran is Twitter’s defining moment” meme is losing momentum to the “Iran is YouTube’s defining moment” meme. But CNN has a different spin. Time Warner’s cable news channel wants us to know that it isn’t dependent on either the micromessaging service or Google’s video site to report on what’s happening in Iran–it has iReport.
Hey, here’s some “process journalism” for you: Anyone know what happened at the Hulu board meeting in Los Angeles on Monday? Besides News Corp. digital boss Jon Miller taking his seat on the board? Inquiring minds want to know! In the meantime, enjoy Jon Stewart tearing apart CNN’s clumsy attempts to use Facebook and Twitter to augment its… reporting.
So why is Twitter growing so fast, anyway? Bunch of reasons. But one of them is that the media–from lil’ ol’ bloggers like me to the most mainstream of mainstream media–keep promoting it, for free, via nonstop coverage. And when we’re not doing that, we Tweet ourselves. See for yourself.
The Obama presidency-to-be has already provided a boost for media companies. So it will be nearly impossible to boot up your browser and not end up watching a live stream of the pomp and circumstance–we’ll even have coverage at All Things Digital! But here’s a guide, just in case your online venue of choice gets the hiccups.
Big media outlets aren’t threatened by Twitter and “citizen journalists”–they’re happily accepting as much free stuff as they can ingest, and selling it for premium prices. Check your TV screen for proof.
Online advertising may be slowing, but that isn’t putting a damper on one of the industry’s biggest trade shows. An insider offers tips on how to navigate.
Peter Kafka has been covering media and technology since 1997, when he joined the staff of Forbes magazine. Most recently, he has been the managing editor of the tech and media Web site, Silicon Alley Insider. Read more »
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.
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