Very “Retro” Promo for new “Pan-Am” series on ABC..
Can you say, “Mad Men” ripoff?
Kindle-related Sales Reach almost 10 percent of Amazon’s Revenue
Amazon’s core business of online retail still produces the overwhelming bulk of the company’s revenue, but the Kindle is pulling its weight.
As Amazon pushes forward with its cloud locker, it better not ignore the Kindle. According to a Citi analysis of Amazon’s business released today, Kindle-related purchases are growing at a rapid pace:
Kindle Traction Surging; Kindle Closing In On 10% Contribution – The headline here is that based on recent disclosures by Amazon and our own sensitivity analysis, we now estimate that Kindle-related revenue is likely to reach close to 10% of AMZN’s total revenue by 2012. With Kindle book sales having now surpassed Amazon print book sales, eBooks have clearly reached critical mass for AMZN and its P&L — we now see 18MM Kindle units & 310MM Kindle books sold in ‘11.
Citi analysts have also updated their Kindle device sales predictions from 16.5 million units sold in 2011 to 17.5 million units, and up to 26 million Kindles in 2012. With the addition of two slightly-new Kindle models this year, the Special Offers Wi-Fi and 3G (not to mention the expected Amazon/Samsung tablet this year), those predictions look spot on.
Additionally, Citi mentions that it has this “rule” that “when one segment achieves 10% of the total business, it can impact the growth rate of the total business.” In that case, the Kindle is much more than just something Amazon has produced and sells. It’s becoming what people shop at and recognize Amazon for, and the Kindle’s continued success (or unlikely failure) will ripple throughout the company.
New Sony Vita Portable Game Device
The highlight of Sony’s press conference at the annual E3 gaming conference was the release of details on pricing and software support for its upcoming handheld gaming system. Many details about the new Sony handheld’s specs were released when the system was first announced in January under the code name NGP (Next Generation Platform). The system received its official name at E3, the PlayStation Vita, named either for the Latin word for “life” or my favorite brand of pickled herring.
Two versions of the Vita are planned for release before the end of the year, a Wi-Fi only model priced at $249 and a Wi-Fi plus 3G version priced at $299. The proud announcement that 3G service in the U.S. would be provided exclusively by AT&T provoked some chuckles from the assembled audience of journalists, many of whom were probably struggling to get a cellular signal at that very moment on their iPhones. Pricing for the 3G service wasn’t announced.
The PS Vita boasts a 5-inch OLED display that looked handsome during system demos, but the main attraction based on gameplay is clearly the versatility of system control options. The Vita boasts a touchscreen, two analog thumb controllers, a touch-sensitive rear control surface, standard PSP directional control and PlayStation four-button control pad, plus six-access tilt sensitivity. There are two cameras, front and back, allowing augmented reality gaming and potentially video chat, though details on communication features are still unknown.
New Wii U Nintendo announced at E3
Nintendo has just unveiled the Wii U, the gaming giant’s next-generation console. The much-anticipated console was unveiled at Nintendo’s E3 press conference in Los Angeles.
Nintendo Global President Satoru Iwata teased the audience before the announcement. He told the audience that Nintendo’s goal with its new console is to make a system that will appeal to both hardcore and casual gamers.
“The goal of innovation is to serve every player — then though each brings to video games an individual appetite, a personal passion and a distinct gaming history,” Iwata said.
The console’s controller utilizes a touchscreen that can play games on its own. Its augmented reality system allows for direct interaction between the touchscreen and the television. It has a 6.2-inch screen with two analog controllers, a gyroscope and a front-facing camera. The controller isn’t a portable gaming device though — it gets its images streamed wirelessly from the console.
Nintendo demonstrated the power of the Wii U controller in a series of videos. One demo showed a user throwing ninja stars from the controller directly onto the TV. Another one showed the controller on the ground and a user using it as a golfing green surface with the Wiimote. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime also announced one of the titles in development for Wii U: Lego City Stories. Batman: Arkham City, Tom Clancey’s Ghost Recon, Tekken, Ninja Gaiden 3 and Metro Last Light are also in development for the Wii U.
The console is backward-compatible with Nintendo Wii games and the Nintendo Wii controllers. In fact, some games can utilize both controllers, creating a new myriad of gameplay possibilities. The console will be available sometime in 2012.
Filming Tax Credits Extended through 2014 in California
California’s film and television tax credits would be extended five more years if the State Assembly has its way, after a bill that would add an extra $500 million to the program was approved today by a 72-1 vote.
The state Senate will vote on the legislation, enacted in 2009 to slow runaway production, later in the summer. “What we’re doing with this bill is retaining and creating jobs by leveling the playing field and making California competitive again,” bill co-sponsor Felipe Fuentes told the LA Times. An additional $100 million is set to be allocated for the fiscal year that begins July 1, the Times said, but of course that’s if a new state budget is passed by then — Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed cuts are massive and could steamroll any proposed credit program; they also have generated serious pushback from both sides of the aisle. Also, a state budget has been signed into law only five times in two decades, according to Reuters, so who knows how long this could take. The California Film Commission, which administers the program, said that since the incentive was signed into law, its projects are responsible for $2.2 billion in direct spending within the state, including $756 million in wages paid to below-the-line crew.
So will this make a difference? Only time will tell.
“Instant” Video Translation available via IPhone
Although the video may have been “enhanced”, it is still very interesting and future concept.
Word Lens’ launch was heralded by a YouTube video that plays like a magic trick. The video, created by Good’s brother, a video production teacher, became an instant viral sensation and helped Word Lens draw an onslaught of media and consumer attention.
“It makes the program look a little too good,” Good admits. “But my brother put so much effort into it and it looked so good … that I decided to put it out there.”
The video sparked immediate interest, both good and bad. While the press lauded the application as the future of language translation, some users who downloaded it were met with disappointment when they discovered its shortcomings.
Word Lens translations are not perfect, and the application works best with clear text and bright light, meaning any other circumstances will yield less favorable results. Handwriting and unusual fonts will trip the application up, for instance.
The startup is admittedly limited by hardware that’s not quite ready to perform Word Lens’ instant translation magic trick in exactly way the video promises with every use. The video may gloss over Word Lens’ imperfections, but “it is very much real; there’s no faking,” Good says
Who is using Tweeter?
Thirteen percent of online Americans use Twitter, up a full 5% from November 2010, according to a Pew Research Center study released Wednesday.
Much of that growth came from younger adults, Pew found. Nearly one in five U.S. Internet users ages 25 to 34 use Twitter, up from 9% in November. Fourteen percent of users between 35 and 44 also now use the service, up from 8% a half-year previous.
But Twitter isn’t exclusively the domain of young adults; 8% of participants between 50 to 64 and 6% over the age of 65 consider themselves Twitter users, respectively.
In addition, the study found that men are slightly more likely to use the service than women. Fourteen percent of online men in the U.S. use Twitter, compared to 11% of women.
LA Screenings Feedback
U.S. comedies have harder time than dramas traveling internationally. But strong showings by new half-hour series at the broadcast upfronts last week were followed by solid performances at this week’s L.A. Screenings, where international buyers gather to sample the new crop of U.S. series. Upfront standouts — Warner Bros.-produced CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls and the 20th TV comedies New Girl (Fox) and Apt. 23 (ABC) — did very well. Two ambitious drama pilots set in the past, 20th/Fox Terra Novaand Sony/ABC’s Pan Am dazzled buyers though there were questions about the series living up to their pilots. On the drama side, also hot were the Warner Bros./J.J. Abrams-produced Person Of Interest (CBS) and Alcatraz (Fox), NBC’s Broadway drama Smash and fairytale procedural Grimm, ABC’s horror thriller The River, the Inception-flavored, mind-bending 20th/NBC drama Awake, Sony/CBS’ procedural Unforgettable, ABC’s soap Good Christian Belles and the Warner Bros./Kevin Williamson witch drama for the CW The Secret Circle. Secret Circle has been especially appealing to networks which already have the Williamson-produced CW drama The Vampire Diaries as the two series appear to be very compatible. (CW too will air them back-to-back on Thursdays.) A couple of pilots scored on the strength of their leads, including CBS’ A Gifted Man starring Patrick Wilson and CW’s Ringer starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Once again cable series also are having strong showings. After impressing international buyers withBoardwalk Empire last year, HBO was back wowing ’em this year with the new Michael Mann/David Milch drama Luck starring international stars Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte. And 2 upcoming USA series, Suits and Necessary Roughness, also did well. While important for international buyers, L.A. Screenings are not an actual marketplace where foreign networks bid for new U.S. series. That only applies to the U.K. and Canadian markers. In most of the other territories, the new series will fall under existing output deals, so local programmers are coming to view what is coming their way next season.
by NELLIE ANDREEVA at Deadline.com
Can’t Find it on Netflix On-Line? Here’s Why
Reed Hastings has a message for anyone looking for a comprehensive catalog of streaming movies and TV shows: Don’t go to Netflix.
Speaking at the All Things D conference in California, the Netflix founder and CEO celebrated his company’s success and outlined its ambitions, but he also stressed its limitations. In May, Netflix found its share of U.S. broadband traffic was larger than that of the file-sharing service BitTorrent for the first time. And Hastings has plans to launch his streaming service around the world, country by country, starting with Canada.
“We have an opportunity to build a very large global company,” he said. “All of those 5 billion people [with mobile devices] like video.”
But Hastings does not think Netflix can ever afford to make that streaming video selection — Netflix Instant — comprehensive. Despite the growing amount of content that is available for streaming, the company does not expect to have a complete “watch now” library. The licensing fees are simply too pricey for its business model.
“At $7.99 a month, we can’t provide unlimited content,” Hastings said. “We compete for a very specific and small part of the pie. We don’t have everything, but we have a great bargain. That’s what we want the brand proposition to be … Apple and Amazon are very good at being comprehensive.”
Indeed, when an audience member asked Hastings about a specific movie he couldn’t find on Netflix, Hastings testily directed him to pay for it on iTunes or Amazon.
Netflix is facing increasing financial pressure from its providers, who are noting how much profit the service is making from their content. For example, Netflix’s 2008 deal with the Starz network cost $30 million; analysts claim its renewal will cost $200 million, or 6% of Netflix’s revenue. Hastings did not dispute this cost estimate.
The online movie giant may have seemed like it was moving into the content-making business itself after a well-publicized deal in March to make House of Cards with Kevin Spacey and director David Fincher. But Hastings stressed that Netflix was just the distribution arm of that deal. “We’re just a channel,” he said. “The only difference with this content is it’s exclusive.”
studio systems group 