Things worth reading for January 4th:
How Aha! Really Happens – Fascinating article and well worth the time it takes to read. If you’re accustomed to talking left brain vs. right brain, it’s time to rethink that dichotomy: “Over the past decade, neuroscientists have come a long way in figuring out how ideas form in the human mind. As it turns out, their findings contradict how most companies understand and organize innovation. But very few executives know that. They continue applying their conventional wisdom, unaware that science has overturned it.”
Entertainment forecast 2011: Insider predictions on who and what will make headlines – latimes.com – “Our informed crystal ball says: Apple will unveil its own TV set and Netflix will buy the Starz channel. Also, CBS will move to gobble up Sony Pictures, and — surprise! — Carl Icahn will continue to make trouble for Lions Gate.”
Web and other options are shaking up how we watch TV – USATODAY.com – When USAToday covers cord cutting, that makes it real, right? “What media moguls fear: 2011 could become the year when increasing numbers of people watch Web TV content from sources including Netflix, iTunes, YouTube, Amazon, Vudu, Hulu Plus and Crackle — and trim or even cancel their monthly subscriptions for cable, satellite or phone company TV service.
“‘You can’t have a discussion in the media business today without this becoming the sole topic of conversation,’ says Craig Moffett, a media analyst at financial services firm Bernstein Research. ‘This is the whole shooting match.’”
Top 10 tech investing trends for 2011 | Analysis & Opinion | – Dave McClure is always a smart guy to read– he gave a great talk at Le Web this year.
Verizon powers up smart-home services | Green Tech – CNET News – “A smart-home automation system using Fios, Verizon’s fiber-optic communications network, is about to be tested in some New Jersey homes, the company announced yesterday.
The management system, which Verizon simply refers to as Home Monitoring and Control, enables real-time access to view and make changes to a home’s lighting, security cameras, locks, and thermostats, as well as appliances and consumer electronics devices connected to the home network.
The software application that offers the real-time monitoring and control can be accessed by smartphone, computer, or Fios TV.”
ABC, Syfy and Best Buy? Retailer Launches Network – Advertising Age – News – “The retailer is now a publisher, rolling out a multichannel network filled with original editorial content spanning everything from how-to videos and gift guides to new-technology primers and behind-the-scenes looks at popular movies. The network, called Best Buy On, includes a website it bills as an “online magazine” and a huge in-store component with its content and ad messaging “broadcast” on screens across the store, including in the TV, mobile and portable entertainment sections. ”
A Turnaround for the Industry – Advertising – NYTimes.com – “The trends that were remaking the industry before 2008 appear to be picking up where they left off. That means this year is likely to bring rapid growth for spending on ads in new media, resumed growth for spending on television advertising and struggles for print media, particularly newspapers.
“According to data from Kantar Media, advertising expenditures for all media for the first half of 2010 increased 5.7 percent from 2009 to about $63.6 billion. Television advertising led the pack in spending because of an increase in demand from the automotive and retail markets, and political advertising.
“Spending on advertising in local newspapers showed a significant decline over the last 19 quarters, with a 4.6 percent decrease for the first half of 2010 compared with the same period in 2009, according to data from Kantar Media.
“For the first time, advertisers are projected to have spent more on online ads than on newspaper ads in 2010, according to data by eMarketer. ”
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts reveals new social media survey with surprising results | Hotel World Network – ‘WHITE PLAINS, NY—Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has released a new survey conducted by STUDYLOGIC, revealing that more than 60 percent of respondents in the global study use social media, rather than the telephone, to stay in touch with friends and family while traveling. Overall, survey respondents ranked social media somewhere near air and water as a must-have in their lives. Four-fifths of respondents said they access social networking sites throughout the day, while 39 percent said they “could not live without” social media sites. One-third of respondents said they log in multiple times each hour while one fifth of respondents say that they check social networking sites multiple times throughout the day while traveling. The global study surveyed 4,204 people via phone in the U.S., U.K. and China following Sheraton’s recently rolled-out “Link@Sheraton experienced with Microsoft” – a technology-driven social hub that keeps travelers connected 24/7 at nearly 400 hotels around the world.”‘
Exclusive: News Corp. Online Gaming Head Sean Ryan to Head Facebook — Social Gaming Platform – This social gaming space is heating up.
Leave a Reply