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Snapchat is opening up your shared Stories to media partners
Snapchat is opening up public, user-submitted videos to the "Our Stories" feature to its media partners. Soon, the likes of CNN and NBC News will pull from public videos to supplement their own stories. Deadline writes that media companies using Snapchat will likely overlay graphics and text to the videos for context. For example, folks attending a late-season baseball game and adding it to the Our Stories for the game could see their footage in a post from ESPN.
Expect AT&T's 'WarnerMedia' to expand HBO's budget
Now that Time Warner is officially a part of AT&T, it's getting a new game. Unveiled in an internal memo, brands like HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. will call WarnerMedia home. We're not in love with the name either, but as-is, you will probably interact with the various channels and studios under it in the same way as usual and it's easier to remember that Time Warner Cable hasn't been connected to the business in years. AT&T exec John Stankey is taking over WarnerMedia (with CNN's Jeff Zucker, HBO's Richard Plepler and Warner Bros.' Kevin Tsujihara reporting to him), and revealed a bit about his plans in a series of interviews. Bloomberg has the impression that Stankey plans for HBO to have a bigger library and more content ready for viewing on-demand. Going forward, it sounds like he's proposing a push that will enhance direct-to-customer options like HBO Now, but we'll have to see how it shakes out and if HBO's $2.5 billion budget expands to take on Netflix (which is spending $8 billion this year) Amazon and the rest. Talking to the New York Times he was less definitive, saying "at the end of the day, we want our technology and we want our content to drive more customer engagement. If we have the opportunity to do that by investing we are going to invest to make that happen." While we wait for that to develop, one thing that's first up is the "$15" TV streaming package that AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson mentioned in his testimony. According to Bloomberg, the low-cost service will launch "in a few days" with Turner programming anchoring it, and a distinct lack of sports. There's also going to be a Netflix-esque use of data to inform programming decisions, not to mention the advertising and analytics business AT&T is building up based on "customer insights" from TV, mobile and internet subscribers.
Netflix will keep streaming Anthony Bourdain's 'Parts Unknown'
Netflix's deal to carry Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown in the US was due to expire on June 16th, and that was understandably distressing if you wanted to pay tribute to the late chef by streaming his last series. You won't have to rush through them after today, however. The service has extended its arrangement to keep Bourdain's food and travel show available in the US "for months to come." The firm hasn't named a new expiry date, but you now have the freedom to watch at a more relaxed pace.
CNN is bringing its VR news app to the Oculus Rift
Today, CNN partnered with interactive entertainment company Magnopus, the company behind the Coco VR experience, to launch a VR app for its virtual reality news stories on the Oculus Rift. It was previously available on iOS and Android to use with Google Daydream and Samsung Gear headsets, but this is the first time the app will be available on a desktop VR setup.
CNN parts ways with YouTube star Casey Neistat
YouTube star Casey Neistat made headlines back in 2016, when CNN bought his company, Beme. While CNN quickly shut down the associated social video sharing app, the team behind it were supposedly working on something new for the news organization. Now, it appears that's not the case. Buzzfeed reports that CNN has closed the company behind the app, also called Beme, and Neistat is parting ways with CNN.
CNN kills its made-for-Snapchat daily show
Four months after it launched The Update on Snapchat, CNN is canceling the daily news show. According to the Wall Street Journal's sources, CNN realized "there wasn't a clear enough path to make money" with the show. That's not the most surprising revelation - no one really knows if Snapchat shows are actually successful or how to measure the results.
Twitter can’t separate verification from validation
2016 was a dumpster fire of a year for Twitter. Abusive language and toxic interaction became the norm across the microblogging site as it saw a dramatic rise in activity from users on the far right and their crystallization into the alt-right movement. But for as painful as last year was for the company, 2017 has seen it steadfastly refuse to do little else but pour more gasoline on the flames.
AT&T CEO: DOJ never demanded CNN sale in Time Warner deal
Yesterday, reports surfaced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) had requested a sale of either Turner Broadcasting, which owns CNN, or DirecTV before it would approve AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner. However, the agency said that it didn't request those sales, but merely presented them as options that would quell its antitrust concerns over the $85.4 billion deal. Speaking at the Dealbook conference today, AT&T CEO randall Stephenson confirmed that, saying, "I have never been told that the price of getting the deal done was selling CNN. And likewise I have never offered to sell CNN. There is absolutely no intention that we would ever sell CNN." He added that AT&T was also not willing to sell HBO or Warner Bros., which would also come along with Time Warner if the deal goes through. "You shouldn't expect that we would sell something larger [than CNN] to get the deal done. It's illogical. It's why we did the deal," he said.
AT&T may have to sell major assets to appease DOJ in Time Warner deal
Last year, AT&T announced that it was going to acquire Time Warner, a deal that was initially expected to clear by the end of this year with little to no regulatory hurdles. However, last week, reports surfaced that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) was considering whether to file an antitrust lawsuit against the merger as its talks with the two companies over the deal weren't nearing a solution. Now, sources are saying that the DOJ is withholding its approval and wants either Time Warner to sell Turner Broadcasting or AT&T to sell DirecTV.
Twitter bans Trump adviser Roger Stone for threatening CNN staff
Twitter is no stranger to taking down high-profile users' accounts when it believes they've crossed the line, but its latest takedown is arguably the biggest yet. The social network has suspended former Trump adviser Roger Stone after he hurled threats at multiple CNN personalities. When CNN reported that Robert Mueller had filed his first indictments in the Russia investigation, Stone flew off the handle... to put it mildly. In addition to throwing insults, he insisted that Don Lemon should be "confronted, humiliated, mocked and punished," while Jake Tapper should be "very severely punished." Whether or not Stone was promoting violence, it's clear Twitter didn't want to risk people using this as a pretext for more direct threats.
CNN gets the first FAA waiver to fly drones over crowds
The FAA finally passed a set of rules for commercial drone aviators back in August 2016, which included a formal restriction from flying over crowds of people. Given how valuable aerial footage from UAVs is, that's been a difficult regulation for news outlets to stomach. But today, the agency granted CNN the first waiver to these rules, allowing it to fly its drones over people.
'Timberscrapers' could soon dominate urban skylines
They just don't make 'em like the Sakyamuni Pagoda anymore. Built from wood in 1056 in the Shanxi province of China, the building has remained standing to this day, despite seven earthquakes rattling the region within its first 50 years of existence. Since then, it's held up against a slew of seismic events, even when more-modern structures have failed. Now, thanks to recent advancements in timber technology, modern architects are rediscovering the benefits of working with wood.
A lawsuit almost stalled NASA's Cassini mission
Capt. Scott Kelly wasn't kidding when he famously quipped that "space is hard." Even getting to the launch pad can prove to be a daunting challenge. Take the Cassini mission to study Saturn, for example. Despite an investment of $3.4 billion and nearly a decade of development, Cassini wound up being very nearly scuttled at the last minute by protesters who thought they knew better than a federal agency that has put multiple men on the moon. Geez guys, it was just 73 pounds of plutonium riding aboard that Saturn orbiter -- it wouldn't have caused that much damage had something gone horribly wrong at launch.
CNN is the latest to make a daily news show for Snapchat
NBC isn't the only major US broadcaster hopping on the Snapchat daily news show bandwagon. CNN has launched The Update, a survey of events that will run in the Shows section of Snapchat's Stories at 6PM Eastern. Each regular episode will cover five or more stories in a quick, just-the-facts format. Logically, there will be out-of-cycle updates for breaking news. CNN's Snapchat news output has so far been limited to infographics and story links, so this is a much more concerted effort to court the mobile crowd.
USA Today teams with Instagram to livestream the solar eclipse
The USA Today Network has announced that in collaboration with Instagram, it will livestream the total solar eclipse on August 21st. The feed will feature real-time video broadcasts by journalists in areas along the eclipse's path of totality. Reporters in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina will cover and record the event. You can see a schedule of who will be broadcasting from where and when here.
CNN will livestream the solar eclipse in 360-degree 4K
The total solar eclipse is just a week away in the US, and unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that this is an experience you simply cannot miss. But if you don't live in the eclipse path and can't travel for it (or waited until too late to make your plans), there a few options for livestreaming the event. Today, CNN revealed its plans for the eclipse: a 360-degree live stream from multiple locations along the eclipse's path.
Google is reportedly building a Snapchat-style news system
Snapchat's Discover mode is a way for brands to create visual stories for consumption by its 158 million reported daily users. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Google is developing a very similar branded-media content feature, nicknamed "Stamp." Sources say that publishers including Vox Media, CNN, Mic, the Washington Post and Time are planning to participate. Google might announce the service as early as next week, say the sources.
Here's why CNN isn't 'doxing' anyone
With the addition of three sentences, CNN turned a relevant news story into an utter mess. This week the organization uncovered the identity of HanAssholeSolo, the Reddit user who created the GIF tweeted round the world: Donald Trump beating up a man with the CNN logo plastered over his head. Media outlets also discovered HanAssholeSolo's history of publishing anti-Semitic and racist messages on Reddit, and he deleted his account after sharing a lengthy apology. Here's where CNN messed up: In an effort to appear transparent, the network said it would not publish HanAssholeSolo's name, as he had "shown remorse" and promised not to post bigoted messages in the future. This segment concluded, "CNN reserves the right to publish his identity should any of that change." CNN was immediately accused of blackmailing the Redditor, while some outlets -- mainly far-right ones -- took things a step further, claiming the news organization was actually doxing him. This is not true. CNN is not doxing anyone. But, to better understand why CNN's tactics were simply ominous and self-destructive, rather than potentially illegal, it's crucial to answer the following question: What is doxing? This is going to take more than one line.
CNN will expose Reddit user if he ever trolls again
Over the weekend, Trump tweeted out a gif (that his staff found on Reddit) depicting an archive clip of him wrestling with WWE CEO Vince McMahon, whose face was overlaid with the CNN logo. The stunt quickly drew condemnation from both sides of the aisle and also instigated CNN to track down the person who initially posted the gif that Trump lifted without attribution, one HanAssholeSolo (or HAS). While the reasoning behind why he didn't call himself "HanAssholo" and save a syllable remain unresolved, we now know exactly why he's not going to be doing anymore trolling: it's because, if he does, CNN will tell the world exactly who he is.
Dailymotion is trying to clean up its act with major redesign
Dailymotion announced this week that it has completely redesigned its app and advertising strategy. And the company hopes to attract viewers with higher quality content created through partnerships with media and entertainment brands. Three new partnerships with Universal Music Group, CNN and Vice were also announced.
