Since the dawn of television, technology has been constantly changing how we view content. About a decade ago, viewers starting watching content online. The definition of a “program” has become blurred. Technology is still moving faster than ever, so let’s look at how by the numbers.
- $50 million: The price Facebook paid to 140 celebrities and media companies, according the Wall Street Journal, for its Live video feature. Among the media companies Facebook has contracted are Gawker Media, BuzzFeed and The New York Times. Celebrities include alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra and chef Gordon Ramsey. Individual contracts vary with BuzzFeed being paid the highest – $3 million annually. Eventually, the hope is more of Facebook’s 1.6 billion users will create their own content, allowing Facebook to compete with YouTube. Source: Digital Trends
- 200 million: An estimate of the maximum daily usage of Snapchat. In addition, eight billion videos are uploaded daily, and more than half of all users also upload content. The social media app was once used for young people to send each other messages; now it’s being used to create original content. Advertisers are keenly interested in these videos because they are immediate. Videos disappear after 24 hours, and more than half of all Snapchat users visit daily for this reason. In addition, the largest demographic of the site is Millennials and Generation X, allowing advertisers to target ads. Source: Inc.
- $30.5 million: The amount invested by Time Warner, Comcast and others in a virtual reality company. Other media companies, including Disney, have invested in VR. So what is the appeal of virtual reality? The technology is expected to give sports fans a realistic experience, but it isn’t there yet. Graphics aren’t realistic enough, and most people don’t own VR glasses, but technology is evolving quickly enough that it won’t be long before fans can experience 350 degree views of their favorite events. VR also is a way to attract younger fans. Source: Back Channel
- 60%: The percentage of Americans who get their news from television, according to Pew Research Center. This is followed by online at 38%, radio at 35% and newspapers at 20%. People older than 50 prefer television while those older than 65 prefer newspapers. Those ages 30 to 49 prefer television and online nearly equally while those younger than 30 prefer online sources. While online may be the preferred source for some, only 4% said they had a lot of trust in the news found on social media. Source: Mashable
- 7,000: The number of drawings needed for one 30-minute animated series episode. Every second of airtime requires 12 frames, and animators need to draw 240 pages for a 20-second scene. The majority of animated series are created in South Korea. Recently, animators began going digital. The new system is not only more efficient, it means changes as small as a few pixels can be made in minutes. Source: The Atlantic
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