Happy Friday! Welcome to Issue 27 of Rerun, your weekly digest of digital storytelling, interactive media and the future of TV curated by Axonista.
In our Top Pick this week Rerun's own Daragh Ward takes a look at the rumours surrounding next week's Apple TV announcement. We also look into Magic Leap's VR patents and we learn about how personalised audio is shaping the future of TV at BT Sport. We even have a tiny Star Wars robot!
Let's get straight to it!
Top Pick
Apple TV speculation - fall edition - Rerun Original
After June’s spectacular let down, rumors once again abound of an update to Apple’s hobby device at its press event next Wednesday. Here at Rerun, our hopeful smiles from June have been replaced with folded arms and tapping feet, but we genuinely believe we’ll see something this time.
You Talked About the VMAs on Twitter, but You Didn’t Watch Them on TV
The VMAs was the most tweeted program since Nielsen Social began tracking Twitter TV activity. 2.2 million people sent 21.4 million tweets about the show. Conversely, MTV’s TV audience dropped by 40 percent this year, to 5 million.
So what does this mean? Our favourite generation, the millennials, simply don't watch TV in the way the industry measures it.
Future of TV
Nielsen is now tracking ratings for nearly 1,000 streaming shows
TV audience measurement has always played catch up to actual audience behaviour. TV ratings giant Nielsen is now tracking US online streaming and has collected audience size, age and gender data for almost 1000 shows viewed on services like Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix.
Although this is certainly a step in the right direction, the data Nielsen is tracking doesn't yet include viewership from mobile devices or countries outside of the US, so it's still a long way off measuring the new world of global mobile TV audiences.
Interactive Media
Twitter tests Snapchat-style photo filters for the VMAs and US Open | The Verge
Twitter is recruiting celebrities to road-test a Snapchat-like photo and video filter around big TV events, such as the VMAs and the US Open.
The Twitterati, aka the Taylor Swift club, were getting creative with their photography / emoji sticker collages at the VMAs to promote the new toy.
The Snapchat-like feature is something that has been in development for some time, and could possibly be a standalone app, or an extension of Twitter's in-app photo and video features. Whether or not it will be released to the public remains unknown.
Storytelling
Behind the scenes at the British MotoGP with BT Sport Ultra HD
We’re doing a lot of work with Dolby. We think the next big generational thing in TV, believe it or not, is probably going to be sound - Jamie Hindhaugh, Chief Operating Officer, BT Sport
BT Sport's tech team discuss the role that personalisation of audio might play in the future of sports TV storytelling including viewers having the option to fade out crowd noise or choose a favourite commentary team to listen to.
Virtual Reality
New Magic Leap Patents Reveal Contact Lens, Tech to Trick Your Eyes
Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz previously alluded to a future where we are surrounded by digital objects, near and far away, without a need for any physical screens to house them.
In the course of building this magical vision, Magic Leap have published 97 patent applications that support making virtual objects fit seamlessly into their physical environments, and allow them to be perceived at different depths of view.
What the Discovery Channel Learned From Filming in VR
A Re/code interview with Discovery Senior VP Conal Byrne, reveals the difficulties and delights that Discovery encounters while filming in VR.
Not all VR clips are created equally - Conal Byrne, Discovery Senior VP
Shooting in VR challenges the team's post production, where the edits can take three to five times as long as normal videos. The director must tackle the issue of motion sickness by re-thinking the behaviour of cameras during the filming process - Conal explains that the best experiences demanded only slow, subtle head movements, and revels in his son's delight at experiencing VR!
Hands on with the incredible Star Wars BB-8 by Sphero
In anticipation of Star Wars : The Force Awakens, we already have our holiday season wishlist sorted with the charming BB-8 robot by Sphero!
The robot connects to your iPhone or Android device via bluetooth and the user drives the BB-8 with the clever app interface. The creators have added magical features that allow you to play the Star Wars theme and all of BB-8’s sound effects. The app offers real-time, visual feedback on BB-8's movements. Interacting with the app, you can direct BB-8 to act out various emotions and trace shapes on the ground with a tap of the screen, or by voice command.
A little gem of a feature is the app's AR experience, where the robot appears to project a hologram from its head - there are stock holograms in the app, but obviously we're opting for the custom made hologram option to project your own animation and voiceover!