Happy Friday! Welcome to Issue 11 of Rerun, your weekly digest of digital storytelling, interactive media and the future of TV curated by Axonista.
Lots of fantastic reading this week, the Rerun team's favourite uses of live streaming apps so far, TV visionary Alan Wolk's take on the big announcement from Verizon and Aol, and a big play by Facebook and some of the world's biggest content publishers. Let's get straight to it!
Top Pick
Rerun's favourite uses of live streaming apps
Itâs two months since live streaming apps Meerkat and Periscope burst into our lives and it seems live streaming isnât just a flash in the pan. HubSpot has written a guide to the best streaming practices for marketers. But what does it mean for the future of TV and what are the most popular use cases for live streaming?
When used in conjunction with an official broadcast, live streaming can do wonders for adding an extra layer of brand identity to any show and can help build a deeper connection to viewers.
While there arenât any official reports released yet from either Meerkat or Periscope on how people are using either app, and while discoverability of streams remains an issue, we at Rerun have compiled our favourite uses of live streaming apps so far.
Future of TV
Verizon's AOL deal is so money and the media still doesn't know it
This week the world found out that Verizon will be buying Aol for $4.4bn, and some media outlets were quick to jump on the "You've Got Mail" headlines, harking back to the Aol of two decades ago. But what these media outlets don't realise is that the Aol of today is a modern media powerhouse. This analysis piece by Alan Wolk outlines in detail why this is going to prove to be a very good deal for both Aol and Verizon.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings predicts the future of TV
"Sometimes things are stable, and then they change a lot."
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings gives an insightful and revealing interview into his vision for the future of TV, as well as some lessons learned along the way while building it.
What do Periscope and Meerkat mean for broadcasting copyright?
âThey are only in breach if they effectively turn a blind eye to the stream, if they are made aware of it and donât take measures to remove it.â - Julian Moore, a head of broadcast and media rights with Pinsent Masons global sport practice
Periscope was in the news recently due to some of its users streaming a pay-per-view boxing match, allowing app users to potentially watch it for freeâalbeit in drastically reduced quality. What impact will live streaming apps have on broadcasting copyright? How does existing broadcasting copyright apply to live streaming apps? All these questions and more are answered in this piece by The Guardian.
The Weather Company CEO: âWe Really Decided to Offer the Weather to Every Person on Earth'
âFour years ago, my question was where would the business be in a decade. It was pretty clear to me that connected devices would really change the way businesses interacted with the weather.â
David Kenny, The Weather Company CEO talks to Jon Erlichman on implementing a successful mobile first strategy for TV weather reporting.
Interactive Media
Facebook's instant articles arrive to speed up the News Feed
Facebook made a big move in the media world this week with the announcement of 'Instant Articles'. These articles will replace links to web versions, loading almost instantly and behaving like interactive magazines, with photography and autoplaying video. There are a host of big publishers in the initial lineup, including Buzzfeed, National Geographic and The New York Times, and there seems to be a mixture of excitement and anxiety among them about Facebook's growing role as a media distributor.
If you're curious about Instant Articles, Quartz explain how you can find them.
How video drones are helping Nepal recover from the earthquake
Drones are playing a pivotal role in search and rescue efforts in the aftermath of the devastating April 25 earthquake in Nepal. Aid workers discuss the value of drones in disaster relief, due to their ability to âprovide information in real time to respondersâ. Drone journalists have aided relief efforts by sending their drones to remote areas that could not be reached by road, to map and assess the damage. This new technology is making great efforts to make vulnerable communities more resilient to natural disasters.
Brands and agencies divided on Snapchat's latest ad format
Brands now have the ability to run 10 second ads in between content in Snapchat's Discover section, for 2c a view. This an alternative to the previous model of 15c a 'click', and it has both brands and agencies divided. 10 seconds is a long time in Snapchat.
A teenagerâs view on social media
"Facebook is something we all got in middle school because it was cool but now is seen as an awkward family dinner party we can't really leave."
Ever wanted to know what teenagers really think about social media? This post on Medium is written by an actual 19 year old teenager, who also happens to be very smart, insightful and a good writer. Unmissable!
Just as unmissable is this companion piece written by a 13 year old, "A 13 year old's view on social media". It's interesting to see a couple of parallels between them, but mostly they're entirely different.
Now if you don't mind we're off to update our Instagram profiles... Have a great weekend!