Happy Friday! Welcome to Issue 9 of Rerun, your weekly digest of digital storytelling, interactive media and the future of TV curated by Axonista.
It's a busy week as the 2015 UpFronts and NewFronts gets fully underway with announcements coming left right and center. Luckily for you we've got them right here 😊
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Top Pick
It's the 2015 UpFronts and NewFronts
This year's UpFronts and NewFronts are particularly interesting given the rise of OTT, streaming, new digital networks, changing consumption habits and emerging technology.
AOL announced a wealth of new original content, including shows by James Franco and Jared Leto. Maker Studios, now owned by Disney, has a host of new partnerships including Marvel and ESPN. The New York Times shone a spotlight on virtual reality, which it is calling "the next frontier of visual storytelling". YouTube and Hulu also had interesting announcements, which you'll read more about later on...
Future of TV
YouTube is making original movies with some of its top stars
YouTube is planning on turning some of its top creators into movie stars, rolling out several original films over the next two years. The films will premiere on YouTube and then enter into wider distribution, potentially even in a cinema near you. They're also moving into original series, with at least four planned. Whether these will be ad-supported or appear in YouTube's new ad-free subscription model remains to be seen, but it's an interesting—and surprisingly late—move by the video giant.
Guardian Journalist broadcasts live from Baltimore riots using Periscope
In probably the clearest example yet of how live streaming apps can be used for storytelling and journalism, the Guardian's Paul Lewis broadcast live on Periscope from from the streets in Baltimore. He spoke to members of the community, passed on well wishes and gave a unique, raw, emotional and powerful perspective on the events as they happened there in real time.
Interactive Media
Life Is Strange: episodic video games prove as addictive as episodic TV
From The Walking Dead to Game of Thrones, over the past few years there has been a rise in episodic video games. That is, short games released every few months as part of an overall longer narrative. It has many parallels to premium TV and it's something that's only been possible thanks to the ease of digital distribution on platforms like Steam and the App Store. It also allows game writers to tell a story at a very different pace, a slower pace with more emotional weight. This is a great read that focuses on a new series, the Twin Peaks-inspired 'Life Is Strange'.
The era of Japan’s all-powerful videogame designers is over
This week saw Hideo Kojima, creator of Metal Gear Solid, leave Konami. With it marked the end of "Silent Hills", his upcoming collaboration with Guillermo del Toro and The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus. It also marked the end of an era for a generation of visionary Japanese videogame designers, as economics and cost mean it's now seen as 'too risky' to entrust a studio's output entirely to one auteur.
On the flip side, it's never been easier to create and distribute a game. As the top designers leave the big studios in Japan they will no doubt return with smaller studios of their own, and we can't wait to see what new experiences they bring with them!
Virtual Reality
Get a closer look at Microsoft's AR headset
Microsoft gave press their best look yet of its augmented reality headset 'Hololens'. It projects digital objects onto the real world around you and allows you to interact with them using gestures. For example you can beam Skype onto the wall in front of you while you play Minecraft all over your living room floor. Thought it's still very much a tech demo it's already looking pretty cool, especially due to the fact that it's totally wireless.
Briefs
- "Vertical video ads are viewed to the end 9 times more frequently than horizontal ones" - according to data from Snapchat.
- Tim Cook predicts "major major changes in media" and thinks "Apple can be part of that".
- "All TV will be going on-demand" - Time Warner C.E.O. Jeff Bewkes to analysts on the company's earnings call this week.
- 12 digital marketing stats from the past week that you should know about.
- Periscope hit 1 million users in its first 10 days.
- Sky moves its 3D channel to on-demand only.
Hulu lands streaming rights to all 180 Seinfeld episodes
In what is one of the biggest streaming acquisitions ever, Hulu has landed the streaming rights to all 180 episodes of Seinfeld in a deal worth nearly $160 million. That's just under $1 million per episode. Not bad for "a show about nothing"!