prophet center

Incumbent Business Giants Seek to Avoid Disruptive Forces - David Pakman - Voices - AllThingsD

2012-01-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

Incumbent Business Giants Seek to Avoid Disruptive Forces - David Pakman - Voices - AllThingsD

YouTube video-game channel Machinima aims for the next level

2012-01-24T08:12:00.000-08:00

YouTube video-game channel Machinima aims for the next level

YouTube Blog: Holy Nyans! 60 hours per minute and 4 billion view...

2012-01-23T11:54:00.000-08:00

YouTube Blog: Holy Nyans! 60 hours per minute and 4 billion view...: Since the dawn of YouTube, we’ve been sharing the hours of video you upload every minute. In 2007 we started at six hours , then in 2010 we ...

First web television award nominees announced - Technotainment on Variety.com

2011-12-16T14:14:00.000-08:00

First web television award nominees announced - Technotainment on Variety.com

Upcoming Zappos iPad App Mimics a Fashion Magazine - Tricia Duryee - Commerce - AllThingsD

2011-11-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

Upcoming Zappos iPad App Mimics a Fashion Magazine - Tricia Duryee - Commerce - AllThingsD

Help Sole Find Mate

2011-10-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Apps are the future for Bjork and music | Technology & Gadgets

2011-07-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

Apps are the future for Bjork and music | Technology & Gadgets

Edit the Final Cut of New Indie Pic THE POWER OF FEW

2011-05-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

Edit the Final Cut of New Indie Pic THE POWER OF FEW

DirecTV poised to launch premium video-on-demand as theater executives voice outrage [updated] | Company Town | Los Angeles Times

2011-03-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

DirecTV poised to launch premium video-on-demand as theater executives voice outrage [updated] | Company Town | Los Angeles Times

Hollywood Moves Away From Middlebrow Movies - NYTimes.com

2010-12-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

Hollywood Moves Away From Middlebrow Movies - NYTimes.com

Online/Mobile Video's Top 10 of 2010

2010-12-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

Online/Mobile Video's Top 10 of 2010

Investor bidding war pushes Twitter valuation to $4 billion

2010-12-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

Investor bidding war pushes Twitter valuation to $4 billion

Is YouTube Ready To Start Writing Big Hollywood Checks? : Video «

2010-11-23T12:29:00.000-08:00

Is YouTube Ready To Start Writing Big Hollywood Checks? : Video «

Research Shows Fewer Cable Subscribers In Last Quarter - NYTimes.com

2010-11-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

Research Shows Fewer Cable Subscribers In Last Quarter - NYTimes.com

Why Content And Commerce Is A Marriage Made In Heaven | paidContent

2010-10-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

Why Content And Commerce Is A Marriage Made In Heaven | paidContent

Is this the future of media? | Ian Burrell | Independent Notebook Blogs

2010-10-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

Is this the future of media? | Ian Burrell | Independent Notebook Blogs

Digital Domain - Netflix Is Beating Blockbuster With Clicks, Not Bricks - NYTimes.com

2010-09-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

Digital Domain - Netflix Is Beating Blockbuster With Clicks, Not Bricks - NYTimes.com

Can Hollywood keep hanging on to its aging business model? | The Big Picture | Los Angeles Times

2010-08-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

Can Hollywood keep hanging on to its aging business model? | The Big Picture | Los Angeles Times

Andreessen’s Advice To Old Media: “Burn The Boats”

2010-03-07T14:42:00.001-08:00

Andreessen’s Advice To Old Media: “Burn The Boats”

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TWO GIRLS ONE COP ~ live on atom.com

2010-03-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

2 Girls 1 Cop Ep. 1

Atom.com: Funny Videos | Short Films | Sexy Comedy

Universal Studios May Serve as Lab for New Approach to Viewers - NYTimes.com

2009-11-30T07:32:00.001-08:00

Universal Studios May Serve as Lab for New Approach to Viewers - NYTimes.com

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Indie Film Shakeout: There Will Be Blood

2009-11-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

Indie Film Shakeout: There Will Be Blood

Eisner cuts deal for Web shows - Entertainment News, Technology News, Media - Variety

2009-10-26T15:04:00.001-07:00

Eisner cuts deal for Web shows - Entertainment News, Technology News, Media - Variety

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Hollywood’s Quest for Digital Video and Life After DVDs - NYTimes.com

2009-10-25T20:02:00.001-07:00

Hollywood’s Quest for Digital Video and Life After DVDs - NYTimes.com

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Ditch the DVDs: Disney's 'Keychest' Alters Idea of How to Own a Movie - WSJ.com

2009-10-21T07:29:00.001-07:00

Ditch the DVDs: Disney's 'Keychest' Alters Idea of How to Own a Movie - WSJ.com

Purchase of a 'Keychest' Movie Would Allow On-Demand Viewing From Multiple Devices

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Ratings system a focus at summit - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety

2009-10-19T22:57:00.001-07:00

Ratings system a focus at summit - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety

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Hollywood film output likely to fall by a third | Film | The Guardian

2009-10-19T06:35:00.001-07:00

Hollywood film output likely to fall by a third | Film | The Guardian

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MediaPost Publications Broadcast Nets Should Program Digital Risks 10/19/2009

2009-10-16T16:56:00.001-07:00

by Diane Mermigas
MediaPost Publications Broadcast Nets Should Program Digital Risks

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5 Factors That Will Determine Future Ad Spend

2009-10-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

by Diane Mermigas, Friday, October 9, 2009, 4:26 PM
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=115196

YouTube Reaches One Billion Views Per Day

2009-10-12T07:38:00.001-07:00

YouTube Reaches One Billion Views Per Day

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The Tao of Tinseltown

2009-10-09T13:44:00.001-07:00

The Tao of Tinseltown

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Ratings Rant: Big Losses for Networks, Big Questions for Nielsen

2009-10-08T11:55:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you wonder whether Nielsen shouldn't just change its name to WTF Ratings.

Today is one of those days. According to preliminary fast national numbers from the ratings monopoly, most of the networks saw massive declines on Wednesday night, with ABC's new comedies taking the biggest hit.

So even though it's getting darker earlier, and in many places it's getting colder (and this more TV-friendly), and the buzz on many shows is positive... in Nielsen's world, millions of viewers just simply choose to abandon shows on a week-to-week basis?

Well, I'm a journalist, which means I'm awful at math. And, possibly, logic. So maybe there's some reasonable explanation for the declines.

But when you also consider the fact that DVRs are now in one-third of homes, and data from said recorders now shows many series going way up when their usage is factored in, it makes you wonder why so much attention is being paid to next-day Nielsen data. The numbers this blog and so many other media outlets disseminate and dissect suddenly seem... almost irrelevant.

Here's hoping the networks and advertisers speed up their plans to develop new ways of measuring viewership. Clearly, the industry needs to figure out a way to do things differently.

Anyway, in light of my little rant above, it doesn't make sense for me to just move into a recitation of last night's numbers.

If you still need your Nielsen fix, check out Variety ratings ace Rick Kissell's report on the Wednesday stats here.

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Comcast wants content and NBC Universal has it

2009-09-30T21:23:00.001-07:00

Comcast wants content and NBC Universal has it

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A Glance At Internet History Suggests MySpace Is Pretty Much Worthless (NWS)

2009-09-30T10:53:00.001-07:00

A Glance At Internet History Suggests MySpace Is Pretty Much Worthless (NWS)

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Greg Mitchell: After Emmys: Are Web Series a New Threat to Primetime TV?

2009-09-21T19:04:00.001-07:00

Greg Mitchell: After Emmys: Are Web Series a New Threat to Primetime TV?

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Henson Puts "S.U.D.S." Puppets Preview on YouTube

2009-08-26T16:50:00.001-07:00

Henson Puts 'S.U.D.S.' Puppets Preview on YouTube

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Mining for Data Gold

2009-08-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

The real-time search wars are heating up! Yesterday, Facebook acquired FriendFeed and in return gained a real-time search engine and many ex-Googlers. Rumor has it, Facebook tried to acquire Twitter a few months ago. Twitter's greatest asset IMHO is the ability to search news, interests and topics in real-time. Google answered yesterday's news with a real-time search announcement of its own, a project codenamed, "CAFFEINE." According to Google, "CAFFEINE" will speed up content indexing and improve accuracy.

Users on Facebook will soon be able to search news feeds for the last thirty days. For those of us already accustomed to data overload, smarter tools for content consumption can't come soon enough!

Amazon-Netflix rumors fly

2009-07-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

Rumor has it, Amazon is buying Netflix.

With the DVD biz in a freefall, both parties would benefit from offering a massive library of streams and a growing VOD biz.

Netflix is growing its member base (over 10 million last quarter) at a time when other consumer services are shedding subs. And what media platform company would turn down a fee-based business model in this advertising downturn?

Grab Your New Vanity URL On Facebook

2009-06-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

Over 3 million names claimed in the first 24 hours. Why the land grab? Like Twitter, Facebook wants to make it easy to share your profile across the web. Problem solved...

Here is mine: www.facebook.com/lainie.kartoon

What do you think?

The Convergence of Hollywood and the Video Game Industry

2009-06-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-games-moguls1-2009jun01,0,4429125,full.story.

Will the Hollywood Studios find success this time around?

What are your thoughts?

Why The TV Model Is Unsustainable

2009-05-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

The Hollywood Reporter tells the story in greater detail. The Networks' ratings are down a collective 16%.

Perhaps Joseph Schumpeter summed it up best when he coined the term Creative Destruction in his work entitled, "Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy" (1942) to denote "the process of industrial mutation that incessantly revolutionizes the economic structure from within, incessantly destroying the old one, incessantly creating a new one." In other words, new technology renders old technology obsolete. A kid in Iowa who owns a Flip camera can produce a video and publish it online at a fraction of the cost of producing a television pilot.

The game is far from over, but the pressure is on TV and Film execs to lower costs. The internet has leveled the playing field and the barriers to entry are an upload away. Twenty hours of Video are uploaded to YouTube every minute!

A Bright Spot Amid the Downturn For Hollywood Studios

2009-05-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

The LA TIMES business section features positive Box Office news on the front page.

Consumers want to go out, but are looking for ways to save money. Some theater owners have answered that call with concession specials, such as dollar popcorn. Movie attendance is up 14%, while sales of video games and DVDs are down double-digits.

Let's hope a strong showing at the Box Office leads to more creative output from the Hollywood Studios and fewer remakes and sequels.

Is Online Video Going to Kill the TV Star?

2009-05-09T17:35:00.001-07:00

Can TV survive in its current state? That question was hotly debated at this years Digital Hollywood.

TV economics don't look promising. The broadcast audience is steadily declining and migrating online. Furthermore, ad spending is slowly shifting online and costs are rising for TV production.

TV has the advantage of aggregating its audience more efficiently than online video for the time being, but as innovation arises and technological breakthroughs occur, TV will no longer have a distinct advantage.

The major TV networks look to be hedging their bets. NBC, Fox and ABC are partnering with Hulu and providing the online platform with premium content. For those that don't own TV sets and that number seems to be increasing in a weak economy, alternatives will abound to view premium programming online.

Nambu

2009-04-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

I recently installed Nambu, another free twitter client application developed for the Mac. Nambu bills itself as a network of services for social messaging integrated seamlessly into client software to maximize integration and user experience.

Nambu is especially useful for grouping your followers. As with other twitter client applications, you can also monitor trends and specific conversations using Nambu.

Nambu helps one save time and filter tweets!

itunes set to launch variable pricing

2009-03-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

On April 7, itunes will increase the rate of some downloads from .99 to 1.29. In all, prices will range from .69 to 1.29. I'm not sure raising prices in a recession is going to help the bottom lines of the major labels. Why raise prices when you are competing with free or zero?

Why not really shake things up and price music all over the place, depending on the demand of the song?? It would be nice as a consumer to have a low-risk way to purchase new music. Yes, we can sample 30 seconds of a song before purchase, but the labels should strive for volume and raise demand by offering attractive price points, say .05 to .25 for more obscure songs.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Back to the Future

2009-03-22T23:22:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, box office receipts served as a marketing platform for the upcoming DVD release. If a movie performed poorly at the box office, producers and executives could still count on DVD sales to recoup their investments and make money. The recession, as well as a saturated DVD marketplace and the prevalence of internet streaming, has caused the film business to rethink that strategy.

Over the last year, the Box-Office has seen double-digit increases in audience attendance. DVD sales are down dramatically over the same time period. Studio execs that have come to rely on DVD sales, now have to depend on the performance of theatrical releases.

On a positive note, the audience will benefit from fewer releases and an emphasis on quality.

Ping.fm

2009-03-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

How do you update your social networks in a snap?

Very simply, try ping.fm. One status update takes care of all of your social networks.

See for yourself: Ping.fm.

WeFollow

2009-03-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

WeFollow, a new user-powered Twitter directory has entered the scene. The site is a side project of Digg Founder, Kevin Rose. Well-organized and clutter-free, the directory aims to locate Tweeps with similar interests. Hence, each user is allowed only three hashtags. So far, the site has added 2500 Tweeps to the directory in the last 24 hours.

You can find me here on Twitter and in the directory at WeFollow (#tv #film #bizdev).

Social Mention

2009-03-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

Social Mention is a social media search engine that allows you to track what people are saying about brands and products in real-time across the social media landscape.

Since companies and organizations need to track mention of their names and products, they may find Social Mention to be useful.

As an aggregator, social mention saves time and crawls blogs, twitter, friendfeed, etc. Why search the web, when you can find highly targeted threads across the social networking sphere?

Mashable Acquires Blippr

2009-03-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

Mashable, a social media blog/guide has acquired blippr. Blippr is a microblogging platform for music, movies and games reviews. The Blippr reviews can be posted on Twitter, Friendfeed, MySpace, etc.

Social Media has surpassed email in some countries such as the UK and it is clear that Mashable is riding that wave. While Blogs still matter, short comments can efficiently build a community around like-minded tastes.

Studies have shown that peers trust peer recommendations, especially when it comes to activities such as going to the movies, and purchasing games and music. Mashable will offer the best of both community and editorial.

Happy Blippin'

Measuring Buzz - Twitter Search Part 2

2009-03-05T17:46:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I discussed tools to monitor conversations or threads on Twitter in real-time. Today, Twitter "officially" integrated search into the home page of every user. Heavy users on Twitter were probably already customizing their own topics of interest. Now, however, the search function is available and accessible to all.

While Twitter can be overwhelming to the novice user, the ability to search in real-time provides a user-friendly and productive experience.

I'd love to hear what others think of the new home page.

Music As A Service

2009-03-03T16:15:00.001-08:00

It's no secret the music industry is going through a major transition. Music is moving away from physical products and towards services. Artists derive most of their income from touring, not recorded music. However, music still has the ability to draw a large audience and sponsors.

In fact, music consumption has never been greater. The artists that focus on widespread digital distribution will have a greater chance of success of reaching fans and building a community. There are music discovery sites, music recommendation services and music marketing solutions. All to the benefit of stakeholders - the bands, the tech platforms and most of all, the fans.

This is a time of great experimentation. We should celebrate artistic innovation and creative expression and stop trying to maintain the status quo.

2009 Digital Media Trends

2009-02-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

With ad sales drying up, it is safe to say that digital media companies have to look for other revenue streams. Subscriptions are clearly an alternative. Fee-based business models provide a much more stable revenue source. Surely it is working for Netflix. It is one of the few companies that have thrived in this economic environment. As packaged media declines, Netflix will continue to roll out online streaming services and charge a premium.

There will be consolidation in the online video space. How many players can compete with YouTube and Hulu? Look for secondary players to fall by the wayside.

As businesses cut costs during these lean times, profit margins will improve. When the economy improves, the thriving companies will have more operating leverage than ever before.

Content Marketing - Holy Grail in 2009?

2009-02-19T19:17:00.000-08:00

All companies with a web presence will resemble media companies. Businesses will share ideas, insights and expertise to establish thought leadership, build relationships and retain customers.

As part of their content strategy, many companies use blogs and email newsletters. Savvy companies are utilizing content syndication to push the content to potential customers via RSS and other platforms that are social and engaging.

Many companies will also increasingly turn to Twitter to engage with their customers and attract new prospects.

In sum, compelling content will provide critical info to the right group of people at the right time when they need it most and impact purchasing decisions.

measuring buzz

2009-02-16T16:41:00.000-08:00

There are several tools to monitor topics and/or brands of interest on the web. Google Alerts is certainly an easy place to start. The app does an automated search for you everyday and returns the results by email or RSS feed. Simple enough.

Twitter also has an advanced way to search for topics and/or conversations of interest. By utilizing the search function on Twitter, you can also find like-minded tweets, follow new people, and track trends.

Another site worth checking out is WhosTalkin, a social media search tool.

Twisten.Fm

2009-02-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

Now that Twitter has been valued at over 200 million, the rush to leverage the Twitter community will come fast and furiously. If you love music, then Twisten.Fm is for you. The microblogging platform crawls Twitter for tweets about music and allows users to listen to the music the world is tweeting about. The site does not host any music so it will avoid the issues that plague other music destination sites/apps on the web.

I'm sure other features will be added to provide a one-stop shopping experience for music fans. iLike added 3 million users when it launched on facebook and twisten.fm is likely to find success within the Twitter community.

Enjoy - and follow me here on Twitter.

Hype Machine

2009-02-13T12:44:00.001-08:00

Hype Machine aggregates music blog discussions and enables one-stop shopping. The site features eclectic music and blogs from all over the world. It is the 21st century equivalent of browsing the import bins at an alternative record store or watching 120 minutes on MTV.

The user interface is simple and organized. Fans can explore their favorite bands and discover emerging artists. The site does a great job of tracking trends and informing its audience.

The site will most likely be acquired by a large media company in the near future. Enjoy!

Social Media

2009-02-07T13:27:00.001-08:00

Trying to manage your social media routine can be daunting. There are so many options and tools available to choose from, how does one decide what network to join and how to proceed?

My motto for 2009 shall be experimentation. Joining a network is the easy part. Organizing your network takes skill and diligence. Thankfully, there are so many cool applications out there that help with organization. Some Twitter apps are worth a test drive: Tweetdeck and Hootsuite are some suggestions for managing Twitter groups and feeds, but there are many more.

Tags are also helpful. When you create your profile, you may want to include certain interests that you would like to share with a group of people, such as art, fashion, film and music, etc.

Once you create a profile, the heavy lifting begins and you must stay active on the network to make it worth your while. This includes listening to other conversations and following threads on Twitter as well as commenting and engaging others.

In 2008, we witnessed the explosion of Social Media. 2009 will be about monetizing these networks and making money.

We shall see.....

Animal Collective

2009-01-31T20:35:00.000-08:00

Best of 2009?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zol2MJf6XNE

Twitter

2009-01-23T20:38:00.001-08:00

Why do I believe in the power of Twitter?

Twitter is a microblogging platform that allows virtual strangers to have conversations about a variety of topics. People on twitter are usually very passionate about their interests and want to share it with the rest of the world.

The platform is also an easy way to link to interesting articles, blogs, video, photos, etc.. Most of all, news travels fast on twitter and saves time!

Join twitter and see for yourself : http://twitter.com/LainieKartoon

blip.fm

2009-01-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

Really enjoying blip.fm, a microblogging service for music fans.

Blip.fm allows everyone to be a "DJ" and find like-minded listeners who share the same musical taste.

Start listening to me on blip.fm: http://blip.fm/2nmobile

Yahoo - Part 2

2009-01-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

Yahoo expected to name Carol Bartz (former chief executive of Autodesk) as new CEO: WSJ.

Why is Yahoo's stock price down? Speculators hoping for a buyout??

Stay tuned....

Slumdog Takes Top Honors

2009-01-12T21:40:00.000-08:00

As my favorite movie of the year, I am happy to announce that Slumdog was "top dog" at the Golden Globes.

The movie won in all the major categories - Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Score.

Hard to believe that the movie almost had no distribution in the U.S. Thanks to Fox Searchlight and Warner Bros. for having the foresight to release it!

Happy Moviegoing...

Favorite Movies - 2008

2009-01-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

My Top Ten:

1. Slumdog Millionaire (And the winner is....)

No particular order:

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Milk
4. The Reader
5. Gran Torino
6. Frost/Nixon
7. The Visitor
8. Changeling
9. Dark Knight
10. Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Enjoy!

iLike Widget

2009-01-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

Today I added the iLike Music Widget to my blog. iLike is one of the fastest growing widgets in the social media space. The service has 30 million registered users and counting. Users can create playlists and embed them on their websites or blogs.

Enjoy the January Playlist!

Yahoo

2009-01-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

Rumor has it - Yahoo will get acquired by an investment group (with the help of microsoft) and a new CEO will come on board.

Stay tuned!

Happy New Year - Welcome to 2009!

2009-01-01T09:04:00.000-08:00

Goodbye 2008, hello 2009!

Trends/Predictions for 2009:

1. RIM gets acquired by Microsoft.
2. Twitter keeps growing at a healthy clip.
3. Facebook will surpass MySpace as the fastest-growing social network.
4. Television audience will keep shrinking.
5. Fewer films go into production.
6. CD sales continue to decline.
7. Concert Industry grows modestly.
8. Niche-oriented Social Networks/Microblogging Verticals continue to launch.
9. Indie Films do well due to fewer films being made.
10. Apple continues to innovate and make cool products.

Welcome to Prophet Center

2008-06-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

This is the official blog of LBK GLOBAL , a business service advisory firm that launched in the middle of 2008. LBK GLOBAL provides business development services to media and technology companies.

LBK GLOBAL identifies new trends and assists its clients build key relationships that lead to long-lasting strategic partnerships, new business, and increased revenue. The company provides insight into the entertainment industry and navigates the ever-changing media landscape on behalf of its clients.

We look forward to serving you and may 2009 be a happy, healthy and prosperous year for all!!!