05/03/10
This section is up-dated every Friday to include some of the industry news we think might be of interest to you.
Web
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In an effort to gain more of the internet browser market Google has launched a beta version of its offering Chrome with enhanced privacy features and automatic website translation. The new browser should open up new markets for Google with the ability to translate web pages to languages which are rarely used when creating sites, like Arabic for example. Google has also introduced a range of UK-specific extensions for Chrome, including direct travel information from Transport for London and UK tickets information from sites like TicketMaster and SeatWave.
- Users of Facebook can now send small payments to other friends using the application Buxter. The service currently only supports payments in Euros and US dollars but there are plans for the service to support Sterling in the next month. Buxter has been developed by ClickandBuy, a company which operates a payment service on the web and a ClickandBuy account is required to be able to use Buxter. Transactions between Buxter accounts are free but to move money to an external bank account the payment will be subject to a charge. Transactions made with Buxter are limited to a relatively small amount, about £50 is the maximum payment you can make, and you can only exchange funds with people you are already friends with on Facebook.
- ITV posted online revenue growth this week of £6m for 2009, increasing its online revenues to £24m. The company did say it “trails key competitors in terms of online viewing and online revenues remain limited in relation to the market opportunity”. Video views across itv.com reached 215m in 2009, an improvement from 85m the year before.
New Media
- The Financial Times has partnered with PayPal to make paying for its content even easier for users. The partnership means users can now pay for an individual article, daily or weekly access to the site using a universal and familiar payment system like PayPal. The Financial Times CEO said, “The next step is to extend the flexibility of the frequency model via micropayments”.
- The MD of O2 Media has warned brands that jumping on the mobile apps bandwagon is not necessarily the best way of promoting and marketing a brand. Shaun Gregory said this week that “Apps come into the conversation far too early….[and]…. “Brands need to work out how apps fit into their wider mobile marketing strategy but many want to launch one before considering the alternatives.” Mobile Apps are a useful way of engaging with your customers but they are still only used by a relatively small proportion of mobile users.
Technology
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The New York Times has reported this week the magazine publisher Conde Nast has started creating versions of its magazines for Apple’s iPad. GQ will be the first magazine from Conde Nast available on the iPad, with the April edition going on sale in time for the device’s first sale date. iPad versions of Wired magazine and Vanity Fair will be available from June with New York and Glamour magazines following later in the year. Conde Nast is just one of a number of high-profile publishers who are working with Apple to provide content for the iPad, The New York Times, HarperCollins and Time Inc are also understood to be planning products for the highly-anticipated device.
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Media Molecule, the Surrey-based computer games designer has this week been purchased by Sony for an undisclosed sum. Media Molecule is responsible for the critically and commercially successful LittleBigPlanet which allows gamers to create their own levels and characters and then share them with other LittleBigPlanet players. Media Molecule only ever developed games for Sony’s Playstation range so the buy-out fits nicely with Sony’s products. Sony’s games studios are based around the globe with 15 different studios working on games specifically for Sony products.
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The BBC-backed joint venture Project Canvas should be up and running within the next 12 months according to the chief executive of BT Vision. Project Canvas will be a video-on-demand service available to Freeview and Freesat users and is also supported by ITV, Channel 4, Channel Five and BT. The open technical standards for the project are expected to be published this summer allowing anyone who wants to design and build a set-top box the access to do so. BT is hoping the venture will strongly benefit their place in the market as they will be able to offer phone, internet and VoD services.
