Fireworks for the opening weekend of the Bon Marche at Northgate Mall in Seattle, Washington, on April 30, 1950. Macy’s is now where the Bon Marche was.
Continue reading… “Here’s what could happen to America’s hundreds of dead malls”
Virtual reality is about to unleash the greatest wave of human creativity ever seen
Not too long from now, entertainment is about to get as real as real life and nothing is ever going to be the same. This is happening thanks to the combination of two forces that you would never expect to overlap. Together, they form a staggeringly potent combination.
Time Inc. wants to produce 10,000 videos this year
Using a mix of new entertainment, news and lifestyle-themed shows drawing from its varied portfolio of titles, Time Inc. is planning to produce 10,000 videos this year. Continue reading… “Time Inc. wants to produce 10,000 videos this year”
The video game industry is growing 4 times faster than the U.S. economy
An Electronic Arts employee works on a character for “MySims.”
The U.S. economy is on the upswing. Unemployment is down to 5.8 percent, and we’re adding hundreds of thousands of new jobs every months — and the video game industry is partially responsible for that.
Continue reading… “The video game industry is growing 4 times faster than the U.S. economy”
The mobile world by the numbers
Smartphone users found they use their smartphones for 221 tasks consuming three hours and 16 minutes per day.
Here are a few stats that were pulled together for the Code/Mobile conference that provide a snapshot of just how pervasive mobile technology is today.
Continue reading… “The mobile world by the numbers”
‘Robot Land’ – South Korea’s robot theme park to open in 2015
Robot Land
Since 2007, South Korea has been planning a robot-centric theme park. “Robot Land” is back on track after missing its initial opening date of 2012. Now slated for a 2015 opening, this place won’t be like any other theme park on Earth. (Pics)
Continue reading… “‘Robot Land’ – South Korea’s robot theme park to open in 2015”
Here Auto: Nokia’s connected car platform
Here Auto
Nokia announced last week its intention to become a much bigger technological force in the vehicle after years of being the auto industry’s mapmaker. Nokia took the wraps off of Here Auto, an embedded infotainment and connected car system, which it hopes to sell to the world’s car manufacturers.
Continue reading… “Here Auto: Nokia’s connected car platform”
Emerging trends inside iTunes
iTunes
Asymco analyst Horace Dediu has a very smart point regarding the real impact of shifting media consumption patterns on legacy gatekeepers.He estimates that iTunes’ average revenue per user (ARPU) has fallen from over $100 in the fourth quarter of 2007 to about $39 by the fourth quarter of 2012. Over that same time, the number of total iTunes accounts has roughly doubled, from around 250 million to roughly 500 million.
Continue reading… “Emerging trends inside iTunes”
The death of the R-rated action movie
The dependable mid-budget, R-rated action movies that Hollywood once relied on are now anything but dependable.
Hollywood has had a series of tent-pole and more modestly budgeted movies that have collapsed at the box office this winter. Revenue and attendance are both down 15 percent from the same period last year, reports the Hollywood Reporter. The industry got some surprise relief this weekend from Oz the Great and Powerful despite middling reviews. It’s also one of the few big new movies of 2013 so far clearly marketed toward kids. If you were to look at the state of the box office in the past few months, you might come away with two impressions: One, the dependable mid-budget, R-rated action movies that Hollywood once relied on are now anything but dependable. And two, Hollywood is basically just for kids.
Continue reading… “The death of the R-rated action movie”
Cost per hour a pivotal metric for paid content
Time spent consuming information and entertainment goods is an important element of the overall satisfaction.
Netflix released all 13 episodes of House of Cards last week, allowing subscribers to watch the series in marathon sessions. ”The efficiency that makes binge viewing so compelling also accelerates the time a consumer spends with Netflix,” Variety noted. This novel release schedule highlights the question of how consumers value paid content relative to consumption time.
Continue reading… “Cost per hour a pivotal metric for paid content”
Netflix’s plan to kill the cable industry
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings
Netflix is guaranteed to make the cable industry nervous with its plan to disrupt the industry. “The traditional entertainment ecosystem is built on (managed dissatisfaction), and it’s a totally artificial concept,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings tells GQ’s Nancy Hass. “The point of managed dissatisfaction is waiting.”
Continue reading… “Netflix’s plan to kill the cable industry”
Video games should be consider an ‘experience, not just a product
Thatgamecompany’s PlayStation 3 exclusive game, Journey.
Video games are the most interactive form of entertainment we have but they have been slow to achieve the kind of experiential status that is often associated with art, music, literature, and film. Last year there were many titles released that challenged this notion. Among them was Thatgamecompany’s PlayStation3 exclusive, Journey, which has received heaps of praise and made many video game enthusiasts’ Game-of-the-Year lists.
Continue reading… “Video games should be consider an ‘experience, not just a product”
