Things You Need To Know This Week – October 17, 2014

Things You Need To Know This Week – October 17, 2014 It has been a great week and I know Shelly is happy that the Royals are now on their way to the World Series. The new week is here and there were some interesting news that we’d like to share with you. From CBS launching their digital subscription plan to what brands most resonate with millennials, to a new wearable breathalyzer device and Facebook’s “safety check” feature that can help it’s users during natural disasters by alerting their friends and family that they’re okay. Let’s get started.

Industry

CBS Launches Digital Subscription Service

With HBO breaking new ground with its announcement they will be offering an “over the top” online subscription option, CBS launched their own digital subscription service of on demand content consisting of current and previous episodes of CBS shows.

“CBS All Access” as the network is calling it, “is another key step in the company’s long-standing strategy of monetizing our local and national content in the ways that viewers want it,” according to Leslie Moonves, CEO of CBS Corporation

The new service costs $5.99 per month for complete access to the entire current season of 15 primetime shows. Each episode will be available one day after original air. The offering also includes live streaming of 14 local CBS affiliates as well as more than 5000 episodes of other past CBS shows. In case you’re wondering, NFL games are not included in the streaming offering.

This marks a major milestone in the move toward a cable free way to subscribe and access network content without having to pay for a traditional cable TV package.

CBS’s new digital streaming service, one that includes almost no delay between broadcast of televised episodes and their appearance on the platform, is a major step for a traditional broadcaster.

Expect to see others follow suit. It seems to me that this just may be the watershed event marking to beginning of the end of the tight stranglehold Comcast, Time Warner and the other cable TV companies have enjoyed for the past several decades.

Nike and Apple Among Top Brand Picks By Millennials

Digital ad agency Moosylvania asked 1,500 12 to 35 year-olds to list their top three brands. While Apple turned out to be the number one most valuable, it was number two in the eyes of the respondents. Nike was their first choice even though it was the 22^nd most valuable company on the list. Tech brands Samsung, Microsoft and Sony all made the top ten along with retailers Target and Walmart.

New brands making an appearance on this year’s list include: Pizza Hut (21), Chevrolet (23), Honda (31), Oreo (33), Sprint (42), and Chanel (43). Brands failing to make a return to the list include: Facebook, PlayStation and Old Navy.

This just goes to show that millennials are quick to switch allegiances if brands fail to make a positive impression. Most were interested in buying only high-quality products.

According to Norty Cohen, founder and CEO of Moosylvania,

“Millennials are not just consumers – they’re friends. They trust friends who listen to them, are open and honest, remember their names, are consistent and stay true to who they are.”

Will Facebook Beat YouTube at its Own Game?

via Markering Pilgrim

According to this chart comScore’s co-founder Gian Fulgoni, , Facebook is beating YouTube at its own game, namely total number of video views on the desktop in the U.S. which first occurred this past August.

Fulgoni points out that Facebook has a secret weapon called auto-play which causes a video to start playing automatically without sound as it appears in a person’s news feed.

There’s no question that video is exploding on Facebook. Here’s what Facebook had to say about it back in September:

Growth in video views exceeded 50% from May through July of this year, and since June there has been an average of more than 1 billion video views on Facebook every day. Video on Facebook was built to be mobile first, and now more than 65% of video views are on mobile. And we’re just getting started.

Facebook is doing their part by pushing videos up higher in the rankings and offering more videos when a user watches one. And speaking of mobile plenty of people are actually quite mad about auto-play and eating into their limited allotment of data.

According to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, “More than 85% of the world’s population lives in areas with existing cellular coverage, yet only about 30% of the total population accesses the internet. So for most people, the barrier to connectivity isn’t a signal, it’s the ability to afford data. Developers can play a key role in bringing down the cost of the internet by building more data efficient apps for communities where data is less accessible.”

Technology

Google Tapping Unused Airwaves to Create a Super Speedy Internet

Google has recently applied to the FCC for permission to begin wireless spectrum tests in the San Francisco area. According to Reuters, the Google is looking at testing a little used millimeter wave frequency capable of transmitting large amounts of data via line-of-sight.

Since Google tends to do a lot of research, this could just be one of its many project groups some real world testing but it could also mean that Google is following through on a commitment to bring wireless service to areas where it currently offers fiber optic broadband.

According to Reuters this project could be used to build out a wireless broadband network that’s much more cost effective than installing expensive fiber. Rather than digging up roads and laying cables to each individual home, transmitters placed on the top of each building in a street could be easier and much more cost effective – enabling Google to bring its home-rolled internet to far more places in a shorter time.

Breathometer Launches a Wearable Breathalyzer

via Venture Beat

Breathometer introduced a new wearable breathalyzer device called the Breeze that can clip onto your clothing or inside of a purse. The idea is that you can carry around the Breeze when out for a night of drinking and feed the test results into the Breathometer app.

Charles Michael Yim, Breathometer CEO told VentureBeat that the Bluetooth connected device returns accurate results quickly which conform with law enforcement testing standards. The Breathometer app can even call for an Uber car if you’ve had too much to drink.

“We set out to create something that’s effortless to carry and use when you’re out with friends so people will actually want to use it,” Yim said. “With its cool wearable design, the all-new app, and superb accuracy, Breeze nails it; we couldn’t be more pleased.”

The Breeze is available to purchase online at Breathometer.com.

Social Media

Facebook

Facebook Launches “Safety Check” to Let People Know Your Status During Natural Disasters

via Facebook

This week Facebook launched “Safety Check,” a tool that is activated after a natural disaster, using either the city you say you live in or using you location settings if you use the “Nearby Friends” feature. It is designed to let you alert your friends and family that you’re okay, while at the same time tracking the status of others.

“In times of disaster or crisis, people turn to Facebook to check on loved ones and get updates,” according to a recent company blog post about the feature. “It is in these moments that communication is most critical both for people in the affected areas and for their friends and families anxious for news.”

Once “Safety Check” is activated during a natural disaster, the user simply clicks a button that indicates, “I’m safe.” Users then receive notifications about friends in disaster areas when they check in.