In 2015, a cappella group Pentatonix sold out theaters across the nation (and partnered with Yahoo for a live streaming event) during a North American tour. Along the way, the musical quintet from Dallas chronicled its journey through a documentary film called On My Way Home, which will soon become available for the group’s fans. On June 18th, the Pentatonix tour doc will arrive on Vimeo’s on demand service.

On My Way Home includes footage from Pentatonix’s tour and features insights from the group’s five members: Scott Hoying, Avi Kaplan, Kirstie Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Mitch Grassi. The film, which is currently available for preorder, costs $14.99. A trailer provides a brief overview of the topics Pentatonix will discuss:

Vimeo On Demand has emerged as a suitable hub for YouTube stars looking to bring recent tour footage to their fans. Philip DeFranco also used the premium video platform to distribute a digital version of his “DeFranco Does LA” live event.

June will be a particularly busy month for concert documentaries on Vimeo On Demand. The platform will also serve as the home for a trio of films that chronicle Nirvana, The Police, and Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival.

Pentatonix rose to fame after winning the third season of The Sing-Off on NBC. They have since established a hugely successful YouTube channel with more than 8.1 million subscribers and close to a billion views. In addition, since returning from their tour, they’ve hit the road again; they’ll play 38 shows in North America during the summer of 2015.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, Pentatonix, Vimeo by Sam Gutelle
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Machinima has a new piece of technology its audience can enjoy. The self-described “many2many” gaming-focused network released an app on June 9, 2015, using the Victorious mobile platform which helps creators develop “superfan” social hubs.

Machinima’s app will help the M2M interact with fans through social features, like the ability to upload and caption photos or create and vote on polls. The new app will also deliver these superfans exclusive content such as behind-the-scenes clips of web series production and video of Machinima’s in-office ping-pong tournament. Machinima will also help select creators within its talent network create their own apps using the Victorious mobile platform.

The new app from Machinima also launches in time for E3. The M2M will send some of its top talent, including TheZombieUnicorn, Gizzy14Gaza, and JeromeASF, to cover the gaming industry event and upload coverage directly to the Machinima app. Its community manager and host Ali Baker will also use the app to provide show floor footage and document her #BoothRaid mission of filling her swag bag to the limit.

“We have a socially engaged, mobile first, video-driven audience,” said Machinima CEO Chad Gutstein in a release. “Our new app’s features reflect our viewers core needs and digitally-native behaviors. Victorious provides an app platform built for viewer engagement around social video and we’re excited to take advantage of these features to make the new Machinima app the go-to mobile resource for gaming and fandom entertainment.”

“The gaming community more than ever demands a rich, socially interactive experience with their fellow superfans, and Victorious is thrilled to deliver this level of engagement to such a zealous fanbase,” explained Sam Rogoway, CEO and Co-Founder of Victorious. “We can’t wait to see how the Machinima community interacts with the App’s content and takes advantage of the lean-in nature of the platform’s social features. This partnership marks an exciting time for the fandom and gamer world.”

You can download the new Machinima app from the iTunes App Store or from Google Play.

Filed under: Articles, Machinima.com, News, Victorious by Bree Brouwer
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Like many other multi-channel networks, BroadbandTV divides its partners across a series of verticals, many of which focus on specific genres or categories. Now, the Vancouver-based company is adding to its list of verticals through a partnership with a top media company. It has teamed with The Huffington Post to launch Outspeak, which it calls “the first next-generation online video journalism network.”

News channels and content creators who join Outspeak will be able to distribute their work across both the BroadbandTV and Huffington Post networks. In addition, they will be find other programming and monetization opportunities, and will be able to take advantage of BroadbandTV’s suite of tools, such as Viso Catalyst.

“As we continue to prioritize and build upon our video strategy, we’re delighted to be partnering with BBTV,” said Arianna Huffington, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post, in a release. “With the launch of Outspeak we’re thrilled at the opportunity to collaborate with emerging talent and creators to further build our presence on YouTube.”

Other verticals within the BroadbandTV network include TGN, which caters to gamers, and Opposition, which hones in on hip-hop culture.

Creators who are interested in joining Outspeak can find more information about the vertical on its website. In addition, a buzzword-heavy video on The Huffington Post’s YouTube channel introduces viewers to Outspeak and its mission.

Filed under: Articles, BroadbandTV, Channels, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Machinima’s upcoming programming slate is filled with DC Comics superheroes, and perhaps the most hotly-anticipated of those projects in now live. The online video network dedicated to fan culture has debuted the first episode of Justice League: Gods And Monsters Chronicles, in which animator Bruce Timm weaves stories around iconic DC characters.

The first episode is titled “Twisted,” and it centers on the character who is perhaps Timm’s most iconic creation: Harley Quinn. The demented villainess debuted in Timm’s Batman: The Animated Series, and here, she returns to do battle with the Caped Crusader. The six-minute video is a lot of fun; between its crisp animation, its entertaining action sequences, and stellar voice acting (Dexter star Michael C. Hall voices Batman), it will delight DC fans and casual viewers alike.

Two more episodes of Gods and Monsters will follow “Twisted” across Machinima’s distribution network. In them, Timm will explore DC stalwarts Superman and Wonder Woman. After the web series concludes, its story will continue in Justice League: Gods and Monsters, a direct-to-video film set for a July 2015 release. Based on the quality of the premiere episode, comic aficionados have a lot to look forward to.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Machinima.com, News by Sam Gutelle
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The average length of a YouTube video is roughly 3 minutes. For years, many advertisers and brands have stuck to this time frame with their own content in the hopes that it doesn’t make viewers bored and ready to move on to a different video.

But according to a new survey from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), smartphone users may not be so opposed to longer videos. The IAB’s “Mobile Video Usage: A Global Perspective” survey found that out of all polled smartphone users from 24 different countries, 36% of them said they watch at least one video per day that is five minutes in length or longer.

Consumers in Finland, China, Turkey, Russia, and Singapore are more likely to watch longer-form videos on their smartphones than viewers in other surveyed countries. And the Chinese love their video content; in addition to watching longer-form online video, the Chinese were more likely to also watch movies and television shows on their smartphones than any other country’s users in IAB’s survey.

The IAB also found many global video consumers are watching both long- and short-form content more often than they were in 2014. Americans have increased their year-over-year video consumption 50% since last year, with Canadians, South Africans, and New Zealanders coming increasing their video watching by 42%. British consumers weren’t far behind with a video consumption increase of 40% year-over-year.

You can read the entire “Mobile Video Usage” report on the IAB’s website.

Filed under: Articles, Industry, Interactive Advertising Bureau, News by Bree Brouwer
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Online video fans know Minecraft routinely tops YouTube’s searches and gaming charts. But Google’s online video site knows gamers are always looking for something new to play. To that end, YouTube has started a new chart which analyzes the current gaming trends on its site to see which games are on the rise.

In a YouTube Trends blog post, the site’s team revealed the top ten games trending for May 2015. At the top of the list is the role-playing game The Witcher 3, which makes sense considering the hype surrounding the title before, during, and after its official release on May 19. Next up is the adventure-drama Life Is Strange, followed by the first-person shooter Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. Nintendo’s third-person shooter Splatoon came in fourth, with the spacecraft simulator Kerbal Space Program landing in fifth.

YouTube explained how gamers tend to use YouTube to learn about new games, create their own videos, and watch clips from other creators. “We noticed that if you measure those two things – the interest people have in watching a new game as well as the number of people celebrating that game by uploading new videos – you could start to predict what’s going to be popular,” YouTube wrote in the blog post.

You can keep watching YouTube’s Trends blog for future installments of the Top Trending Games chart. In the meantime, you can also check out other gaming-related charts like the top 100 most-viewed channels around the world.

Filed under: Articles, News, YouTube by Bree Brouwer
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The latest prestige project to debut exclusively on Netflix is Sense8. The Wachowskis’ sci-fi thriller spent more than two years in development, and March 5th, 2015, it finally arrived for US Netflix subscribers. A few days after its release, it has been greeted by both mixed reviews from critics and, according to Variety, more than 500,000 illegal downloads.

Sense8’s first season, which unfolds across 12 episodes, comes from a trio of acclaimed sci-fi minds. The Wachowskis, who are best known as the co-directors of The Matrix, teamed up with Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski to tell the story of eight people who are connected by a telepathic bond.

In execution, though, most reviewers seem to agree that Sense8 is closer to the zanier, polarizing nature of the films that make up The Wachowski’s recent filmography–namely Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending. A positive review in The Philadelphia Inquirer, for example, described Sense8 as “slightly mad, madly majestic and overwhelming.” Variety, in a more negative take, termed the series “a pretty mundane, chaotic soap opera.”

Even if the critics aren’t convinced, viewers are eager to check Sense8 out. Variety notes that the series has been pirated more than 500,000 times since its premiere. By comparison, Game of Thrones episodes were pirated five million times over the first three months of 2015.

Netflix doesn’t release viewership figures for its series, so we aren’t likely to learn exactly how many people watch Sense8 legally. However, the series is drawing enough attention that it would be a surprise if it does not get renewed for a second season–as has been the case with almost every other original program Netflix has distributed.

Filed under: Netflix, Web Series by Sam Gutelle
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Turner Broadcasting has added a new home for its branded projects. The media conglomerate has launched its own in-house content studio, dubbed Courageous, for marketers working with Turner’s news networks HLN and CNN.

In a release, Turner said Courageous will utilize “journalistic instinct to identify culturally-significant brand narratives” and develop long-form series, multimedia pieces, and more content formats for advertising partners. All content created through Courageous will be distributed across CNN or HLN’s social platforms, with a clear sponsored label to “uphold CNN’s editorial integrity.”

The Courageous production team will consist of editors, videographers, data scientists, and producers to help create the most effective storytelling experiences for CNN and HLN brand partners. Courageous will be led by Otto Bell, Vice President and Group Creative Director, as part of Turner’s larger content strategy, headed by Executive Vice President of Integrated Marketing and Branded Content Dan Riess.

“Now we can offer marketers the opportunity to harness the value proposition of CNN like never before,” said Riess. “CNN is the most trusted name in news. It has two fully distributed television networks as well as CNN Airport Network, one of the largest digital and social audiences in the world and a true global footprint. Combine all of this with CNN’s video storytelling heritage and it’s clear why Courageous is an important step as we build on Turner’s existing content marketing capabilities for our clients.”

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, Channels, HLN, News by Bree Brouwer
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Netflix has picked up an impressive new title for streaming release. The video subscription platform has acquired distribution rights to the satirical comedy War Machine, starring Brad Pitt.

Written and directed by David Michôd (of Animal Kingdom fame), War Machine is based on the book The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan by Michael Hastings. That book tells the story of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who served as the commanding general of international and U.S. forces during a portion of the Afghanistan conflict. Pitt will play a fictional four-star general inspired by McChrystal’s story.

According to Deadline, who originally broke the story, War Machine is the most expensive film acquisition in Netflix’s history. Deadline reports Netflix may have spent somewhere around $30 million to gain distribution rights for the film.

“War Machine is a rip-roaring, behind-the-facade tale of modern war decision-makers, from the corridors of power to the distant regions of America’s ambitions,” said Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. “Brad and David are a perfect team to make this timely, compelling and entertaining film.”

“We are so excited to be a part of the inspiring commitment by Netflix to produce cutting-edge content and to deliver it to a global audience,” added Pitt.

Netflix’s addition of War Machine builds on its previous or upcoming library of films involving A-list Hollywood acting talent. For starters, Netflix inked four-picture deals with both Adam Sandler and the Duplass brothers. Netflix will also distribute the documentary-style films from Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way production house. More recently, the streaming platform picked up a comedy film starring Kevin James.

War Machine is produced by Pitt, his Plan B Productions’ Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, and Ian Bryce. Netflix will likely release War Machine sometimes in late 2016.

Filed under: Articles, Netflix, News by Bree Brouwer
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Showtime just expanded its over-the-top reach. The network’s titular subscription service will be available on all Roku and PlayStation devices starting the summer of 2015.

The broadband-only, $10.99-per-month Showtime service will be available on Roku devices via an app in the Roku Channel Store. PlayStation device owners can access the Showtime streaming service via the PlayStation Vue web television service, which is currently available in New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

Previously, CBS Corporation said the Showtime OTT service would launch with Apple as its initial distribution partner. Now, consumers who sign up for the service on Roku or Apple will have complete, cross-platform access to Showtime titles and live broadcasts. However, those who sign up for the service via PlayStation Vue will be limited to using the Showtime service on Sony apps.

Interested consumers will not be able to purchase Showtime’s subscription offering directly. Instead, CBS decided to provide the service through multiple distributors. “We’ve had great success working with third-party distributors,” Showtime CEO and chairman Matt Blank said to Variety. “These new partners bring well-established brands and a large base of online-video users.”

CBS hinted at its Showtime subscription service back in November 2014. At the time, little was revealed about the service; however, CBS recently announced the service would arrive sometime this summer (likely around the July 12 season premieres of Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex).

Filed under: Articles, Devices, News, Showtime by Bree Brouwer
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The Coriolis effect, which causes ocean currents to move in different directions across Earth’s two hemispheres, is a well-known scientific theory. What’s more regularly debated, however, is whether this effect causes toilet water to move in opposite directions in the USA and Australia. That particular factoid has been referenced several times in pop culture, but it has also been refuted, with Hank Green calling it “bunk” in a SciShow video.

Now, in an innovative new video, two members of YouTube’s scientific community have decided to test the Coriolis effect on a small scale. Destin Sandlin of Smarter Every Day and Derek Muller of Veritasium launched a collaboration in which they both perform the same experiment on opposite sides of the world before sharing their results in a fascinating pair of synchronized videos.

In his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, Sandlin filled a large, circular tub with water. Across the world, in Sydney, Australia, Muller created the same setup. Then, the two educators began to drain their tubs, and sure enough, Sandlin’s pool drained in a counter-clockwise direction while Muller’s showed a clockwise spiral.

The coolest part of the experiment is the clever way in which these two tests were synchronized. The two videos are meant to be played at the same time, and Sandlin and Muller set up a web page where viewers can do exactly that (it works best on desktop.) Playing the videos in this manner is fascinating; Sandlin and Muller often wander into each other’s presentations, and while one talks about a scientific concept, the other displays an accompanying clip.

It’s worth noting that this experiment probably cannot be applied to toilet bowls, since the direction of basins and jets are much more important than the Coriolis effect. At the same time, Sandlin and Muller demonstrated a neat bit of garage science, and they showed off their work with a presentation that could only work on the Internet. It’s one of the coolest YouTube collaborations you’ll see all year.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Featured, News, Smarter Every Day by Sam Gutelle
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The Call of Duty video game franchise celebrated its tenth anniversary last year, and it remains a popular choice among fans of first-person shooters. The newest title in the series–Black Ops III–is set to debut in November 2015, and in order to stay relevant in a changing video game landscape, the development team at Treyarch is looking online. In a recent edition of the Official Xbox Magazine, Treyarch developer Dan Bunting explained how the rise of gaming videos on sites like YouTube and Twitch have influenced his team’s decisions.

“I’d be lying if I said that [the emergence of video platforms such as Twitch and YouTube] didn’t factor into Black Ops III’s design,” said Bunting. “Now, we have to think not just about whether our game is fun to play, but also what it’s like to watch.” As GamesRadar notes, that comment is similar to previous statements from Mark Lamia, Treyarch’s studio head, who explained how his team is “developing better tools, more accessible tools and then getting it in [content creators’] hands and seeing what they do with it.”

Call of Duty is particularly popular on YouTube, where it ranked as the fourth-most popular game franchise in the latest edition of Octoly and Newzoo’s Game Franchise Rankings. Call of Duty titles have frequently cracked Twitch’s leaderboard as well, though the franchise was absent from the streaming service’s most recent rankings.

Treyarch certainly isn’t the first developer to take YouTube and Twitch into account, but Call of Duty’s recognition of streaming culture is significant. It’s evidence of online video’s crucial role in game development, from the smallest indie titles all the way up to the “AAA” class. Call of Duty is a $10 billion franchise–and it’s taking its cues from the Internet.

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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