Facebook is saying goodbye to Adobe Flash. As of December 18, all videos on Facebook’s desktop site default to the HTML5 video player.

Facebook’s switch to the HTML5 video player comes almost a year after YouTube’s decision to start using the web markup language (a code which standardizes a website’s display and content) for its own videos. Facebook, which pulls in over eight billion views a day across all its platforms, wrote in a blog post the benefits of HTML5 greatly outweigh the continued use of Flash. For starters, the widespread adoption of HTML5 across most web browsers means the social site doesn’t have to constantly recompile codes to account for various browsing experiences, thus speeding up development times and innovation. Facebook also notes moving to the HTML5 video player provides accessibility tools which will make it easier for visually-impaired users to watch clips on the web-based version of the site.

Up until this point, Facebook had only rolled out HTML5 support to select browsers which didn’t have issues or bugs displaying the video format. A protocol in Chrome, for example, didn’t like how many videos Facebook videos tried to load at once, so the browser simply refused to load or play any clips. Additionally, Facebook also had to get past the hurdles of poor performance on older browsers, as well as slower loading times across the board for the entire social site during its initial HTML5 tests.

As it turns out, Facebook’s decision to ditch Flash has self-reportedly improved users’ overall video experiences. “Not only did launching the HTML5 video player make development easier, but it also improved the video experience for people on Facebook,” wrote Front End Engineer Daniel Baulig in the company’s blog post. “Videos now start playing faster. People like, comment, and share more on videos after the switch, and users have been reporting fewer bugs. People appear to be spending more time with video because of it. Videos are an enriching way to connect with the world around you, and we’re happy we could make the Facebook video experience better.”

Facebook users across the world on major web browsers can now experience the new HTML5 video format, which the social networking site has already been using on its mobile apps. To learn more about Facebook’s HTML5 transition, you can check out the site’s developer blog.

Filed under: Articles, Facebook, News by Bree Brouwer
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The rise of virtual reality (VR) filmmaking and 360-degree videos has been one of the top trends in the online video industry, and YouTube has led the way by eagerly adopting new technologies. Now, the world’s most popular video site is showing off its 360-degree chops through short VR films that bring the Google Spotlight Series to YouTube.

The Google Spotlight Series, which launched widely beginning with the release of an Android app in May 2015, features 360-degree shorts created by well-known filmmakers. The newest short, which arrived on YouTube just before Christmas, comes from Aardman Animations, the studio best known for creating the claymation series Wallace and Gromit. Titled ‘Special Delivery,’ it features an appropriate Yuletide theme, as a night watchman hunts down a trespassing gift-giver whose identity you can probably guess.

The best way to watch ;Special Delivery’ is on a VR device like Google Cardboard, though it can also be found on the Google Spotlight stories YouTube channel and the YouTube app. If you watch on the web, make sure to click-and-drag your way around the scene as the action unfolds:

360-degree filmmaking may seem like a gimmick, but the Google Spotlight Series shows the versatility of VR as a storytelling technique. “You’ll want to watch ‘Special Delivery’ a few times to find all the surprises within the story,” explains a blog post from YouTube. “In the full interactive experience, you’ll encounter 10 subplots, three potential ways to view the ending, and 60+ moments where you can decide to follow the story in different ways. Each viewing is unique. We don’t want to spoil the ending, so that’s all we’ll say for now.”

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, VR, YouTube by Sam Gutelle
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The online video community, and its gaming sub-culture in particular, is known for its generosity. In 2015, however, that generosity reached new heights. Video game live streaming platform Twitch announced that the charity campaigns its community ran over the past 12 months combined to generate more than $17 million dollars in donations to more than 55 charitable organizations.

Twitch revealed that massive figure in a post on its official blog. “We wanted to take this time to celebrate these achievements and provide some insight into the accomplishments the Twitch community as a whole achieved during 2015,” reads the post. “Up from 12 in 2014, there were 25 individual fundraisers that raised over $50,000 each, and more than 60 that raised over $1,000. Our top five events combined raised over $13 million of this year’s total.”

The most significant charity event on Twitch in 2015 was the platform’s yearly contribution to the Extra Life organization. Through a combination of video game live streaming marathons, Twitch users collectively raised more than $7 million for Extra Life, which assists children at local hospitals.

There’s still time to add to Twitch’s record-breaking total. One of the main drives still running is The Yogscast’s annual Jingle Jam, which offers games in exchange for charitable donations. You can find more information about this year’s Jingle Jam by clicking here.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, TwitchTV by Sam Gutelle
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First, he jammed with Sir Mix-a-Lot in a car. Then, he made a dope jam with Anna Kendrick and his other Pitch Perfect 2 castmates. Now, for his latest act, DJ Flula Borg has engineer a new hot track with some help from Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The YouTube star, known for his funky tunes and his tendency to struggle with American idioms, interviewed the Sisters co-stars at a press junket and constructed a techno beat that uses their words as its base.

Even when sitting down next to two comedy all-stars, Flula is his usual charming self, and Fey and Poehler can’t help but laugh at his antics. They also highlight their own connections to the German language; Poehler’s name is derived from it, and Fey’s ability to speak it was a running gag on 30 Rock.

The centerpiece of the interview, is the techno track Flula derives from it. We only get a taste of his results, but they’re as funky fresh as always, and I hope he eventually uses it to craft a full track. Come on, Flula. Make this more than just a typical YouTube tie-in for a recent movie. I know you can do it.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Featured, News by Sam Gutelle
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Even though the next Presidential elections are still a year away, The Young Turks (TYT) is already ramping up its political coverage. To that end, the millennial-focused digital news network has hired long-time media reporter Jordan Chariton to help cover the 2016 campaigns and election.

Chariton brings his solid history of reporting experience to The Young Turks network. The media reporter and Webby-nominated digital producer has held positions with Fox News, MSNBC, TV Newser, and The Wrap, to name a few. Shortly after announcing his new TYT role on December 19 via Twitter, Chariton released his first campaign news coverage for the network, an interview piece featuring Manchester, New Hampshire-based military veteran and Bernie Sanders supporter John W. Jones.

Adding Chariton to the political reporting team is just one of the many milestones TYT achieved in 2015. In February, the network debuted the Cenk Uyger-hosted news show Final Judgement on Facebook. In July, The Young Turks revealed their new Culver City studio, which the network successfully crowdfunded for over $402,000 in 2013. And to finish off 2015 on a high note, TYT celebrated ten years of daily live streams via a ten-hour broadcast on December 11.

The Young Turks pulls in roughly 66 million unique video views per month. The news network currently boasts over 2.4 million subscribers on its YouTube channel, as well as more than 2.3 billion collective lifetime views.

Filed under: Articles, News, The Young Turks by Bree Brouwer
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Adidas’ newest digital project aims to get football fans excited for the upcoming Super Bowl L. The athletic apparel brand will launch the branded NFL-themed and Snoop Dogg-hosted talk show Turf’d Up on December 30, 2015.

Adidas and Snoop Dogg already have a working relationship in place, as the rapper and long-time football fan is the brand’s official Director of Football Development. For Adidas’ Turf’d Up project, Snoop Dogg will interview ex-NFL players, iconic sports personalities, and both traditional and digital celebrities, including John Salley, George Lopez, Willie McGinest, Antonio Pierce, iJustine, and Jesse Wellens of PrankvsPrank. Cashmere Agency headed production on the eight episodes of Turf’d Up, which will debut on Snoop Dogg’s WestFestTV YouTube channel that’s in possession of over 1.3 million subscribers.

This is not the first time Snoop Dogg has participated in a web series surrounding the theme of football. In September 2015, AOL teamed with the rapper to create a series focused on the Snoop Youth Football League, a charity founded by Dogg to help underprivileged children play organized football with each other. The untitled series, which has yet to debut on AOL’s platforms, follows the lives of SYFL players and coaches as they travel across the U.S. to compete against other teams.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Coach Snoop, which includes everything from working with him to design signature footwear, apparel, and uniforms, to the sponsoring the SYFL—his grassroots football program,” said Adidas’ VP of Team Sports Mark Daniels to Adweek, who originally reported the story. “Turf’d Up is the natural extension of our partnership and provides the perfect platform to showcase Coach Snoop’s talent, his knowledge of the game and how Adidas Football is the only brand that fuses sports and culture.”

You can catch the first episode of Turf’d Up on WestFestTV on December 30.

Filed under: Articles, Branded Entertainment, Celebrity, News by Bree Brouwer
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Over the course of six seasons, Jerry Seinfeld has hosted an impressive list of prominent celebrities and iconic figures on Crackle’s web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (including YouTube’s very own Miranda Sings). Now, Seinfeld will have the honor of talking to none other than the President of the United States Barack Obama in the first episode of season seven of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

Crackle announced POTUS will appear on its Seinfeld-hosted web series on December 30, 2015 as the show’s first political-centric guest (as well as the first guest whose primary job isn’t comedy, as well as the first guest who’s the Leader of the Free World). The upcoming season seven episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee was filmed at the White House in early December. In the episode, Obama and Seinfeld drive around in a 1963 Corvette Stingray and then chat about presidential life and duties over coffee.

“Growing up in the ’60s my kid dream was always to be an astronaut — doing a comedy show with President Obama in and around the White House felt like going into space,” Seinfeld said, according to Variety. “‘How did I get here?’ ‘Is this really happening?’ The president’s humor and generosity are the only reasons this was even possible. He was so easy and fun to be with. Being president and just a cool guy to hang out with at the same time made the experience my own personal moonwalk. It was an unforgettable day.”

“Like everything else Jerry Seinfeld does, he has managed to break records with Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee — we’re so proud of this season that we just couldn’t wait until the New Year for people to see it,” added Eric Berger, Crackle’s GM and EVP of Sony Pictures Television Digital Networks.

Crackle also announced the lineup of guests for Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee season seven. In addition to Obama, the new episodes will feature Steve Martin, Will Ferrell, Garry Shandling, Kathleen Madigan, and Sebastian Maniscalco. The seventh season of Comedians will boast six episodes in total.

You can catch the Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee episode with President Obama when it drops on December 30 on Crackle. New episodes will stream every Wednesday night.

Filed under: Articles, Celebrity, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Crackle, News by Bree Brouwer
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James Franco has been working with multi-channel network Maker Studios for more than a year, and their partnership is finally beginning to bear fruit. On December 21st, Franco released four new web series–two on his Facebook page, and two on his YouTube channel.

The four series were all co-developed by Franco’s Rabbit Bandini Productions and Maker Studios. The two released on Facebook both cover non-fiction topics: The first, Studio 4: Acting Competition, is a self-explanatory reality series in which students at Franco’s Studio 4 acting school compete for a role in the actor and filmmaker’s next film. The second series goes inside Studio 4, where it sits in on a masterclass Franco presented. His topic: How to shoot a perfect sex scene.

On YouTube, Franco’s work takes a more scripted tone. In The Ultimate Evil, he spins a thrilling crime tale based on the Son of Sam murders in the 1970s. The most engaging of his four new series, however, is Winesburg, a series of short films that are all set in the same town. Here’s the first episode of that series, which features Winesburg’s telegraph operator as its central figure.

Franco and Maker’s collaborative efforts were first announced at the 2014 Newfronts, which occurred more than 18 months ago. “Maker let me play in a playground of sounds stages, creative teams, technology teams and more — truly experimenting in content creation which is very rare in the entertainment industry,” said Franco. “Love them, or hate them, I’m really excited about these shows — and can’t wait for even more to come with Maker in 2016.”

The “even more” Franco refers to is a pair of shows, titled LA Series and CAMP, and a film called Tenn. Those projects will all arrive over the next year, so Franco and Maker’s creative odyssey is just getting started.

Filed under: Articles, Celebrity, Featured, Maker Studios, News by Sam Gutelle
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On December 15th, Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show YouTube channel bought into the current Star Wars hype by posting a medley of the franchise’s most famous musical numbers. Together with The Roots and several members of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens cast, Fallon used a split-screen approach to create a choral feel, and viewers loved it–the video already has more than 10 million views.

With his Star Wars medley, Fallon didn’t just find YouTube success. He also unwittingly threw down the gauntlet to an entire category of content creators. Split-screen harmony videos are a popular subgenre on YouTube, and one of the most prominent musicians within that world viewed Fallon’s video as an open challenge. Peter Hollens, whose a cappella videos have earned him more than 1.1 million subscribers, teamed up with notable Minecraft gamer SkyDoesMinecraft for his own multi-voiced Star Wars medley.

The Tonight Show medley featured dozens of voices across four of Star Wars’ most iconic tracks, but Hollens and Sky’s version ups the ante by featuring 135 different vocal lines. Hollens’ arrangements, as per usual, are terrific, and Sky surprises everyone by showing off a very capable singing voice.

Hollens’ medley hasn’t yet gained the same viral attention garnered by Fallon’s version, but the YouTube star is still proud of what he accomplished. “I would say vocally and audio-wise, I think it definitely holds its own,” Hollens said of his video, “but if I’m being honest, I don’t believe you can ever beat having the original cast in a video…but I think they are both really fun and worth watching by any Star Wars fan.”

Despite his reverence toward the Tonight Show video, Hollens is also curious to see which version viewers like more. “I would still love to put it to a vote,” he said. Which version do you prefer? Feel free to let us know below.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, News, Peter Hollens, Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon by Sam Gutelle
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Amazon has new information about which title its subscribers prefer to watch above all others. The streaming video service revealed its original series The Man in the High Castle is the platform’s most-streamed original series by Prime members around the world.

According to a release, Amazon said The Man in the High Castle broke the previous streaming record set by its other original series Bosch (which will debut its second season in 2017). Amazon didn’t reveal exact viewership numbers for historical fiction series that imagines a post-World War II America where the Allied forces lost to the Axis powers. However, this is the first time the streaming giant has officially released any sort of ratings information on its original series (a move Amazon’s competitor Netflix has yet to copy).

“We’re very proud of this outstanding series created by Frank Spotnitz, Scott Free [Productions], and Isa Dick Hackett, which Amazon customers around the world have enthusiastically embraced, and we look forward to the second season,” said Roy Price, vice president of Amazon Studios. “We hoped that once again bringing together the work of Philip K. Dick and the vision of Ridley Scott — who brought us the classic film Blade Runner — would help deliver on our promise of creating some of the best television in the world for Prime customers, and we believe that it has.”

It’s interesting to note that Amazon’s Transparent didn’t land in the top two positions for the platform’s most-streamed series. The drama about a family undergoing plenty of changes and challenges thanks to the father’s transition from man to woman, apparently doesn’t have as broad an appeal as The Man in the High Castle or Bosch. But nonetheless, Transparent is a favorite among critics and has pulled in numerous awards for Amazon in the past.

The Man in the High Castle was renewed for a second season just last week. Amazon will also bring back other original series Hand of God and Red Oaks for second seasons. Finally, the streaming video-on-demand provider has greenlit five new series, such as Good Girls Revolt and One Mississippi, from its recent round of fall pilots.

Filed under: Amazon Studios, Articles, Channels, News by Bree Brouwer
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Recent Netflix premieres like Jessica Jones and Master of None have generated a lot of buzz, but with its latest promotional ploy, the streaming video service is looking to get some eyeballs on one of its less-heralded original programs. It has posted the first episode of its true crime documentary series Making a Murderer on YouTube.

Making a Murderer tells the story of Steven Avery, who was convicted of rape, sent to jail, and later exonerated based on DNA evidence. After his release, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Some outlets have described the 10-episode series as Netflix’s answer to Serial, the hugely popular NPR podcast that recently returned for its second season.

The first episode of Making a Murderer runs for just over an hour and introduces Avery’s story. It arrived on YouTube on December 18th, the same day the entire series became available to stream on Netflix. American and Canadian viewers are welcome to check out the premiere installment to see if the series suits them.

Netflix’s choice to offer the Making a Murderer premiere for free resembles the strategy employed by several other cable networks and streaming video services. HBO has also made use of ad-supported platforms like YouTube and Yahoo, where it has posted the first episodes of new seasons of The Leftovers and Girls. Hulu prefers to share free premieres on its own service, with its premium subscribers invited to log in and continue watching.

Not to be outdone, this is Netflix’s first experiment with the free, ad-supported window. The Making A Murderer premiere has already received six-digit views on YouTube, so perhaps we will more Netflix shows offered up to the public down the line.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Netflix, News, Web Series by Sam Gutelle
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We receive a ton of tips every day from independent creators, unaffiliated with any major motion picture studios, television networks, new media studios, or other well-funded online video entities. The Indie Spotlight is where we’ll write about and shout out to a select few of them and bring you up to speed on the great (and sometimes not-so-great) attention-grabbing series you probably haven’t heard about until now. Read previous installments here.

The web series featured in this week’s Indie Spotlight is a quiet one, but it has a lot to say. Michael Manziello and Nick Nelson are the creators and stars of Pen Pals, which plays out across a series of letters.

Manziello and Nelson play characters named Mike and Nick who correspond via a back-and-forth exchange of heartfelt notes. Each episode follows one of the two characters as he reads the body of his latest letter and connects it to a situation in his life. Pen Pals consistently aims for heavy themes, such as loneliness, existentialism, and the fragility of human emotion, and the degree to which these themes resonate varies by episode. When it’s at its best, though, Pen Pals can be a poignant, introspective little series.

Even if a series like this isn’t your cup of tea, you can at least admire the degree to which it strives to be different. Without any dialogue, there is added pressure on Pen Pals to deliver top-notch camerawork, editing, and nonverbal acting. The series succeeds in all three of those categories, and at the most basic level, that’s why it works.

You can check out all seven episodes (so far) of Pen Pals on its YouTube channel.

OTHER UNDER-THE-RADAR SERIES TO CHECK OUT

• Labeled. A group of frazzled young PR people do their best to work with a trendy fashion line.
• Straight Marriage. The representation of gay couples in media is satirized by applying the same representation to a straight couple.
• Tennis Tips with Freddy Love. An overweight, deadbeat tennis coach delivers not-so-stellar tips.
• Your Best Besties. In a topical episode of this series, Mrs. Claus gets turned up.

Got a series you’d like to see featured in the Indie Spotlight? Be sure to contact us here. For best coverage, please include a full episode in your e-mail.

Filed under: Articles, Featured, Indie Spotlight, News by Sam Gutelle
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