Happy Friday! Welcome to Issue 10 of Rerun, your weekly digest of digital storytelling, interactive media and the future of TV curated by Axonista.
Lots of VR news this week surrounding the official release announcement of Facebook' Oculus Rift. Finally! There were also a couple of interesting reports on the current video landscape and social behaviour around TV, as well as strong rumours that Spotify are looking to get involved in more than just music...
And here, have some 10th Issue anniversary cake, it's on us 🍰
Top Pick
It's finally official, Oculus ships Q1 2016
Oculus have officially announced Q1 2016 for the public release of their VR headset. In the coming weeks they'll be releasing more information, but what we know right now is that you will need a PC to use it, and a 'gaming PC' at that. We also know that they're going after the high end of the market, at least with this first release. So it's not going to be VR for everyone, it's clear they're focused on only supporting the highest quality experiences, even if that means making it more expensive to buy. Will it be the 'iPhone moment' for VR?
Future of TV
Twitter has a short-term Periscope problem and a long-term media mess
Make no mistake about it, Twitter is now a media company. And it found itself ruffling the feathers of other big media companies last weekend when the $90 pay-per-view Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight was re-broadcast for free by Periscope users. @pkafka examines the short and long term issues for Twitter as it transitions from media augmenter to media broadcaster.
The latest figures in the TV and digital video seesaw
A report by research firm eMarketer has thrown up some interesting numbers to back what we all know already. TV viewing is going down while digital video viewing is going up, but TV viewing is still higher right now. The majority of advertising spend is still going towards TV, almost 10 times more than digital video. The coming years will see a bigger shift, and that seesaw tip is coming.
Social TV report by ShareThis
ShareThis have published a report giving insight into social activity and audience behaviour around TV. It contains some interesting facts they've noticed, for example, with drama series, sharing is heaviest after broadcast, while reality TV sharing is heaviest during the show. If you need a good overview of social behaviour around TV it's a great and quick read.
Four of the top five YouTube channels are for kids
A few months ago YouTube launched a new app for kids—Google's first product of any kind built specially for kids—to a somewhat lukewarm reaction. Reviews have improved since then, and it's clear to see why YouTube have a new focus on this area. Of their top five channels, four of them are aimed at kids.
Virtual Reality
VR is for watching things. AR is for making them.
Some people might be wondering what the difference between VR and AR is, and why we're mostly talking about VR in the media world.
- VR: Immerses you completely in a virtual world, all sight and sound is from the virtual experience.
- AR: Gives the effect of projecting virtual things into the real world. Doesn't take you away from reality, but rather 'mixes' it with digital.
As you can see from the image, with AR you watch football on TV on any surface in your home. With VR you could watch it from side of the pitch. For multi-tasking and productivity we see AR as a natural fit, but for immersive and engaging media experiences VR is the way to go!
VR interaction design from the ground up
With VR and AR emerging as new platforms we should start figuring out the best ways to interact with and control media in 3D space. In this detailed blog post, Leap Motion explains how you might go about designing something as simple as a button.
Briefs
- New tech 30 years in the making projects 3D video, just like R2D2's message from Princess Leia in Star Wars
- Spotify are planning to enter the web video business, possibly announcing their plans as early as this month
- Beyoncé is using YouTube to source new talent
- Snapchat adds share to Discover
- Interview with Matthew Weiner—creator of Mad Men—about the show, the ad industry and TV
It’s not easy being Iron Man—except in this VR experience
Tony Stark isn't a man who likes to do things the easy way. For the rest of us though, all you have to do is stick on a VR headset or check out this YouTube clip. As part of the advertising campaign for the new Avengers movie you can now experience a slow motion fight between the Avengers and Ultron's forces in 360 degrees. Now please make one for Star Wars...
Have a great weekend!