affiliate
Latest
YouTube is bringing affiliate shopping features to Shorts
After announcing it would share ad revenue with Short creators earlier this year, YouTube is experimenting with more revenue streams for the service.
Twitch increases the number of custom emotes affiliate streamers can offer
Twitch has increased affiliates' initial custom emote slots from one to five.
Apple to stop people earning money from affiliate app sales
Starting on October 1st, apps won't be part of Apple's affiliate program anymore. Cupertino has announced that partners will no longer be getting commissions for iOS and Mac apps as well as in-app content after the next couple of months. The tech giant cited the launch of the new App Store and the fact that it was designed to be much better for app discovery as the reason behind its decision. Partners can only continue earning affiliate money if they recommend the other types of content Apple sells: music, movies, books and TV.
Twitch shows how close you are to becoming a paid streamer
Twitch is making good on promises to help streamers turn pro. It just switched on an Achievements system that shows your progress toward Affiliate or Partner status. If you need to stream more often or grow your average viewer count, you'll know just by looking at your account dashboard -- you'll see progress bars for every milestone. You've typically had to guess at your performance before, which has led to more than a few people applying before they're truly ready.
Amazon expands influencer program to Twitter and Instagram 'stars'
A couple of months ago, Amazon opened up its influencer program to more YouTube stars with large followings. It lets people with large followings on the video service set up their own page full of Amazon products, of which the influencer gets a cut when someone buys from that page. Now the online retailer is expanding to include Twitter and Instagram influencers in the program.
Twitch gives up-and-coming-streamers a cut of game sales
There's an additional avenue for non-Partnered Twitch streamers to make money. Now, in addition to earning money via Bits, Affiliate streamers can earn a five percent revenue share when viewers buy the game they're streaming, directly from their channel. "All Affiliates are automatically enabled to start earning from game sales starting today," according to a press release. "They only need to be playing a game that is available for sale on Twitch for a purchase button to appear on their channel page."
CBS deal makes it easier to get local TV via streaming
The rapid decline in cable subscribers is killing local TV stations that provide regional news and other programming to viewers in small markets. Now, CBS has struck a deal with its affiliate board that will get live streams from stations like WCBS-TV in New York on digital platforms like Hulu, YouTube TV and CBS All Access. That'll allow subscribers who want to do "skinny bundles" of select channels to see local programming on top of CBS shows like NCIS and 60 Minutes.
Amazon wants social media influencers to sell you products
Amazon's always kicked a few cents the way of its unpaid salespeople if they convince family and friends to purchase something. Now, however, the company is making a big play for people and companies with large social media followings. The retailer has launched an "influencer program" that enables folks that are big on the internet to set up their own branded stores.
Amazon affiliate pay changes are making websites nervous
If you've been around the web for long enough, you've probably noticed that some sites depend heavily on Amazon affiliate links to make money. Engadget uses them for product page "buy now" buttons, but there are some sites where they absolutely dominate -- think The Wirecutter and others where store links are front and center. And today, Amazon made a change that's bound to make some of those site owners anxious. In a mirror of changes made abroad, Amazon's US division has switched to a system that gives an affiliate sales cut based on the category of product, rather than increasing the cut based on the volume of referrals. It's not necessarily a disaster, but it could result in a loss of revenue for certain websites.
US accuses three people of stealing over a billion email addresses
The US Department of Justice just announced three indictments for what one attorney called "the largest data breach of names and email addresses in the history of the Internet." Vietnamese citizens Viet Quoc Nguyen and Giang Hoang Vu stand accused of a scheme to hack email service providers, while Canadian David-Manuel Santos Da Silva allegedly conspired with them to launder the proceeds generated. According to the indictments, between 2009 and 2012 Nguyen and Vu hacked at least eight email service providers -- the companies that collect your data under slightly more legitimate circumstances -- to steal marketing data containing over a billion email addresses. After that, they worked with Da Silva to profit from the addresses by sending spam with affiliate links for a company he controlled, Marketbay.com.
Nintendo planning YouTube revenue-splitting affiliate program
Nintendo is planning a revenue-sharing affiliate program for those using gameplay footage of its games on YouTube. Video bloggers and "Let's Play" creators alike will need permission from the publisher to broadcast their gameplay clips, according to two tweets from the publisher (as translated by Gamasutra). Just over one year ago, Nintendo issued Content ID Match copyright claims on YouTube videos that featured gameplay clips from its suite of published titles. After the backlash that followed the House of Mario attempting to obtain the whole pie from YouTubers, it's now settling for a slice of it: The new affiliate program would see ad revenue from videos split among Nintendo, Google and the video creators themselves. Nintendo is apparently getting a head start, as it has already tagged recent gameplay videos, placing their advertisements on them. It's still unknown whether YouTube's Content ID Match system would affect livestreaming platform Twitch, providing the reports that YouTube is in talks to acquire Twitch for $1 billion go through. [Image: Nintendo]
Daily Update for August 19, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Dish Network, Raycom squabble blacks out local channels in 36 markets
Apparently it's the season for issues between networks and pay-TV distributors, as Dish Network customers in 36 networks are missing some of their local channels as of late last night. Dish and Raycom Media have failed to reach an agreement, so stations the network owns including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CW and MyNetworkTV stations in 36 markets stretching from Cincinnati to Honolulu have gone dark. There's a full list after the break of which ones, and as usual both sides are claiming the other is to blame for not wanting to reach a fair agreement. Your guess is as good as ours as to when the tiff will be resolved, however so far, unlike CBS vs. Time Warner Cable neither side is suggesting Aereo as a replacement.
Deezer App Studio goes mobile, brings apps to Android and iOS listeners
As much as we like extending our music universe through apps within the likes of Deezer and Spotify, that wider experience hasn't usually carried over to mobile. Deezer, at least, thinks it can put those apps inside our pockets. App Studio now supports building add-ons for both Android and iOS devices, giving travelers music and social components beyond what Deezer can provide on its own. The company isn't relying just on phones and tablets to pad its customer base, though. It's also improving the behind-the-scenes framework to bolster gaming through its API, and an affiliate program will pay social app creators every time one of their users subscribes to Deezer. Us listeners will just have to wait for developers to implement App Studio and the API changes before we reap any potential rewards.
Comcast's extra ads ruin NFC championship game conclusion in some areas
It wasn't just RIM that had designs on the limelight during the football action last night. Comcast commercials appeared over the NFC Championship game last night, thoughtfully playing over the climax of the match 'twixt the Giants and the 49ers. Frustrated fans who missed out on parts of the fourth quarter and overtime promptly began voicing dissent on the company's support forums. The Washington Post has a quote from spokesperson Amiee Metrick indicating the problems were due to a possible "equipment failure" at a local Fox affiliate, WTTG, resulting in the ill-timed ads reported in Washington D.C. We've heard that of customers receiving a $10 credit and an apology, but it seems unlikely to soothe the brow of those -- like the person who recorded video of the incident you can see after the break -- thinking of switching to FiOS. Update: We've received a response from Comcast (included after the break), and updated the post to clarify the apparent breakdown was at local Fox affiliate WTTG.[Thanks, John]
Sprint wraps up iPCS acquisition, Nextel merger drama may finally be over
It's been eons since Sprint bought Nextel, but regional affiliate iPCS had managed to keep the fallout from the deal tied up in courts for years -- a side-effect of its claim that the merger violated Sprint's agreement to stay off iPCS' turf. After a few court losses, Sprint ultimately decided to bite the bullet and buy iPCS outright, and now, that deal's finalized to the tune of $831 million including Sprint's assumption of $405 million in debt. Though iPCS customers now become Sprint customers as a result of the acquisition, they'll effectively notice no difference -- the regional was already offering Sprint service exclusively under the Sprint brand, so this whole deal is little more than an escape hatch for the head office to tie off these legal wranglings once and for all.
WJXT throws the HD lever in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville residents looking for a new take on the evening news can finally see their dreams come true. As of now, WJXT -- an independent station serving the Florida city and its surrounding communities -- is broadcasting its newscasts in high-definition. At first, the noon broadcast will be the only one in HD, though other airings should follow suit in short order. Locals who rely on DISH Network and DirecTV will sadly be unable to enjoy the new look without an OTA antenna, though WJXT vice president and general manager John Rafferty has assured us that its high-def signal will be picked up by both "soon."[Thanks, Eric]
South Florida's WSVN converts newscasts to high-definition
South Florida's NBC 6 became the first English-language network in the area to take its newscasts to high-def, but now those who refuse to watch news in SD finally have another choice. Starting this week, WSVN -- the FOX affiliate in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market -- will be airing its local news broadcasts in greater clarity, and now that this station has hopped on board, we reckon the outcasts will be following suit in short order.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Elmira-Corning, NY viewers to finally get ABC and CBS in high-def
Just in time for the NFL playoffs and March Madness, TV viewers in the Elmira-Corning, New York area will suddenly have lots more to cheer about when firing up the tube. ABC affiliate WENY-TV, alongside CBS affiliate WENY-DT2, will finally deliver programming to locals in high-definition "within the next week or two." The addition of ABC and CBS in HD to the area has been a long time coming, and it's actually being pushed back a few days as the network waits for a few last minute hardware acquisitions to arrive. HD channel additions are always welcome, but getting broadcast stations in high-def... now that's something special.
Austin, TX's KXAN takes local news HD, leaves KTBC as lone outlier
Everything is supposedly bigger in Texas, and we can imagine the awkwardness of being the only station in Austin to not offer local news in high-def is substantial. Just before Christmas, the city's NBC affiliate (KXAN) turned the screws on high-definition news, with revamped on-screen graphics and on-air tools. The station collaborated with FX Group in order to "design a visually creative and flexible news set that will be used for all newscasts," and of course, it also upgraded to HD cameras and HD weather forecasting equipment. With the transition complete, it leaves KTBC-TV (FOX) as the only game in town to not even offer newscasts in HD, though we suspect it'll be forced to get with the program soon in order to avoid further embarrassment.[Thanks, John]
