YouTube Reaches Four Billion Daily Video Views
Posted by: Valerie Jennings, CEO of JSMM
The game has changed again for online videos and this time, it’s in the favor of video marketers. YouTube, the most popular video website, has seen a 25 percent increase in streaming video in just eight months.
What has changed? The huge increase is a result of Google (the owner of YouTube) pushing to roll out mobile versions of the site and versions that play directly on televisions. Consumers now have even more access to the video website and therefore can watch more hours of video everyday. The increase in tablet users and smartphone owners this past holiday season has also helped to boost these numbers even higher.
If you haven’t already planned to up your video marketing efforts this year, it’s time to reconsider. This article from Reuters explains just how much the video site has grown and the changes its implemented recently.
Exclusive: YouTube hits 4 billion daily video views
(Reuters) – YouTube, Google Inc’s video website, is streaming 4 billion online videos every day, a 25 percent increase in the past eight months, according to the company.
The jump in video views comes as Google pushes YouTube beyond the personal computer, with versions of the site that work on smartphones and televisions, and as the company steps up efforts to offer more professional-grade content on the site.
According to the company, roughly 60 hours of video is now uploaded to YouTube every minute, compared with the 48 hours of video uploaded per minute in May.
YouTube, which Google acquired for $1.65 billion in 2006, represents one of Google’s key opportunities to generate new sources of revenue outside its traditional Internet search advertising business.
Last week, Google said that its business running graphical “display” ads – many of which are integrated alongside YouTube videos – was generating $5 billion in revenue on an annualized run rate basis.
Still, most of the 4 billion videos that YouTube now streams worldwide every day do not make money. Three billion YouTube videos a week are monetized, according to the company.
YouTube recently redesigned its website to more prominently showcase specialized “channels” organized around different types of content. In October, YouTube announced that it had struck 100 original video programming deals with media partners including Madonna and Jay-Z. Thomson Reuters and YouTube recently announced a partnership to create a Reuters TV channel for the website.
Facebook IPO Expected to be $100 Billion, Largest of Any Tech Company in History
Posted by: Valerie Jennings, CEO of JSMM
While it hasn’t been confirmed, reports are circulating that Facebook Inc. will go public this year. Facebook has kept quiet about the move, but many anticipate the IPO to hit this May. If and when this happens, it will be huge.
This article and infographic posted by Joann Pan of Mashable, projects Facebook’s IPO to be six times larger than Google’s and will be the largest of any tech company in history.
How Facebook’s Expected $100 Billion IPO Breaks Down [INFOGRAPHIC]
Rumors are flying about Facebook Inc. going public this year. So, just how much money is the world’s largest social network worth?
Reports project that Facebook will go public some time between April and June. The company itself has remained hush-hush about the initial public offering.
The infographic below shows how the company’s projected valuation of $100 billion breaks down and which Facebook Friends will be getting a piece of the pie.
Facebook’s IPO will be the biggest of any tech company in history — six times that of Google’s, according to Accounting Degree Online.
The company itself is preparing to raise $10 billion this year, according to reports, to push the company’s public value to $100 billion. More than Disney ($61 billion), Amazon ($88.3 billion) and McDonald’s ($95.6 billion).
Who will be cashing in? Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, co-founder Eduardo Saverin, co-founder Chris Hughes and Sean Parker, Napster co-founder and Facebook partial owner (he owns 4% of Facebook). Zuckerberg will make an estimated $25 billion, owning 24% of the company.
And just how will Facebook reach the $10 billion excess profit by April or June? By increasing Facebook revenue from advertising, Facebook fan pages and display ads.
Is MySpace Worth Saving?
Posted by: Valerie Jennings, CEO of JSMM
Is MySpace worth saving: Justin Timberlake thinks so. In this new campaign to save the dying social network, Timberlake joined with MySpace and Panasonic to propose a new way to draw users back.
I think there could be some potential still on MySpace, but it will need to be more aggressive than Facebook to catch up. It might be worth a campaign to understand the user-base that Timberlake will attract. The new approach to integrate TV with MySpace is a good way to go.
This article from Mashable outlines just what Justin Timberlake and MySpace have in the works.
Bringing MySpace Back: Timberlake Unveils TV Service
Justin Timberlake just took the next step in his campaign to bring MySpace back. The pop super star and MySpace co-owner joined Panasonic on stage at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show to announce a new service that will make TV a whole lot more social.
Available on the next generation of Panasonic VIERA ConnectT-enabled HDTVs, an app called MySpace TV will allow viewers to see what their MySpace friends are watching, and enable them to make comments through the TV set and via smartphone and tablet devices.
The app will be available on Panasonic’s new HDTV line, as well as some devices created in 2010, via a software update.
Early channels on MySpace TV will focus on music, and then expand to movies, news, sports and reality channels.
“We see MySpace as a companion to what the social community is watching,” Marcus Liassides, executive VP of MySpace, told Mashable. “We plan to integrate the service with other social networks such as Facebook in the future too. But we aren’t trying to reinvent TV. We’re just evolving it and make it a shared experience even when you’re not in the same living room.”
Liassides said the experience will likely be optimized by viewers using tablets and smartphones. A companion app will be available on tablets and smartphones.
“Why text or email your friends to talk about your favorite programs after they’ve aired when you could be sharing the experience with real-time interactivity from anywhere across the globe?” Timberlake said in a press release. “As the plot of your favorite drama unfolds, the joke of your favorite SNL character plays, or even the last second shot of your favorite team swishes the net, we’re giving you the opportunity to connect your friends to your moments as they’re actually occurring.”
Although the company hasn’t revealed when MySpace TV will become available, it’s expected to roll out in the first half of 2012. Liassides noted that it’s also working with other TV manufacturers to offer the app on other devices.
Valerie Jennings, CEO of Jennings Social Media Marketing, Provides 2012 Social Media Predictions
By: Valerie Jennings, CEO of JSMM
While these are not representative of all of the expectations for social media in 2012, these are the key takeaways that Jennings Social Media Marketing (JSMM) is expecting to impact the industry. To learn how JSMM can help your business best utilize these predictions and more call us at (816) 221-1040.
2012 Social Media Marketing Predictions
1. Google+ will evolve, expand and overcome its critics
2. Twitter will morph into a business tool which may increase its ROI
3. Facebook does the unthinkable and adds more features
4. Blogging becomes something of the past with the increased use of mobile devices
5. Facebook ads blow up and drive more ROI
6. Mobile ads enhance monetization to websites and QR codes enable the transition
7. SEO becomes something of the past. Thank you Google for introducing social media optimization (SMO)
8. Case studies die and YouTube videos with client testimonials move to center stage
9. Personalized messages become something we all yearn for, and mobile messages such as SMS increase
10. Connecting to strangers will become more acceptable, but we all know the dangers this can cause–boundaries will change, but companies will need to disclose who is behind their curtains
Valerie Jennings 
Cassie Stubs
Katie Stumpf
