Earlier today, I predicted that there would be further slinging of words between T-Mobile and critics of its Binge On video streaming program. What I didn’t know at the time was that T-Mo CEO John Legere would go on Twitter to respond to, and profanely insult, those critics. [More]
youtube
T-Mobile Execs Say YouTube Is “Absurd” For Complaining About Downgraded Video Quality
By 1.7.16
The war of words between T-Mobile and YouTube continues, with executives from the wireless company claiming it’s “absurd” that the streaming service should care so much about T-Mo downgrading the quality of YouTube videos. [More]
T-Mobile Denies “Throttling” YouTube, Says Video Is “Mobile Optimized”
By 12.30.15
Right before Christmas, YouTube publicly called out T-Mobile’s Binge On streaming program for allegedly slowing down all video content, potentially in violation of new federal “net neutrality” rules. Now T-Mobile counters YouTube’s argument by claiming that it’s just trying to provide users with speeds that are appropriate for use on mobile networks. [More]
YouTube Calls Out T-Mobile For Throttling Video Traffic
By 12.23.15
Net neutrality says that internet providers can’t throttle some services and speed others up. That much is clear. But if they’re throttling literally everyone, even those who didn’t sign up for it, is it still a violation? Google says yes, and has a definite complaint about the way T-Mobile is starting to handle video. [More]
Google Play Music Now Offering Six-Person Family Plan, Free YouTube Red Service
By 12.9.15
After two months of testing a family plan for its streaming music service, Google announced that it would make the six-person program a permanent option for Google Play Music users. [More]
Streaming Video Binges Now Take Up More Than 70% Of The (Prime-Time) Internet
By 12.7.15
Do you remember 2007? Way back then in the long-long ago times, movies came on physical discs and you binge-watched a TV series by happening to turn on the TV while a Law and Order marathon was running. Now, however, it seems like basically everything streams to us over the internet… and basically the whole internet, or at least a huge fraction of it, is for streaming. [More]
YouTube Wants To Be Your New Netflix, Seeks Rights To TV And Movies
By 12.3.15
If you want to curl up on the sofa on a cold winter night and watch a movie, that’s what Netflix is for. And if you want to watch music videos, mash-ups, or cats doing foolish things, you’ve got your YouTube. That’s how it’s been since approximately the dawn of time, by which we mean roughly the last five or six years. But it looks like the times, they are a-changing, and YouTube wants to be your one-stop shop for video of any and all sorts. [More]
YouTube Is Helping Some Video Creators To Fight Unfair Copyright Claims
By 11.19.15
Copyright is pretty murky territory. We all know you can’t steal someone’s stuff, but there are times when you’re allowed to use it. Unfortunately, some copyright holders don’t seem to get that “fair use” exists, and respond with takedown claims and legal threats. For some YouTube users facing threats over legal work, though, that fight may just have gotten a little easier. [More]
YouTube Hides Most ESPN Content After Network Failed To Negotiate Paid Subscription Service Deal
By 10.23.15
If you’ve decided to pony up the $9.99 monthly fee for YouTube’s new paid subscription service, your money won’t be buying you access to basically any ESPN videos. The sports network — owned by Walt Disney Co. (80%) and Hearst (20%) — failed to negotiate a deal to have its videos available through YouTube Red. As a result, most of ESPN’s featured YouTube channels have gone dark. [More]
YouTube Launches $9.99/Month “Red” Ad-Free Subscription Service
By 10.21.15
Six months after reports began to swirl that YouTube would offer users an option to watch videos sans ads, the company officially unveiled its $9.99/month subscription service. [More]
Appeals Court Makes Important Ruling In “Dancing Baby” Copyright Case
By 9.14.15
By now, you’ve probably heard about the “Dancing Baby” lawsuit, involving a botched attempt by Universal Music to have YouTube remove a video 29-second video of a playful toddler because a Prince song can be heard in the background. Today a federal appeals court sided on one important issue with that kid’s mother, who is suing Universal, claiming the music giant overstepped the law by not considering that the background music falls under the umbrella of an acceptable fair use. [More]
Company That Paid YouTube Users To Promote Xbox One Settles Charges Of Deceptive Advertising
By 9.2.15
When Microsoft teamed up with Machinima to launch a promotion that paid affiliated YouTubers for shilling for the Xbox One console in January 2014, we questioned whether any potential negative publicity and regulatory hassle would be worth it. Turns out, we were right to think the company would face scrutiny from federal regulators, as the Federal Trade Commission says it has cleared Microsoft of wrongdoing and settled charges that Machinima pushed videos of people endorsing the video game without disclosing they had been paid. [More]
YouTube’s Video Views Counter Will No Longer Get Stuck At 301+
By 8.5.15
Gone are the days of the baffling “301+” views on popular YouTube videos: the company says it’s rolling out an updated view counter, and will no longer strand videos with rapidly climbing views to the 301 limbo. [More]
City Sues Resident Who Used City Council Footage In YouTube Videos
By 8.3.15
Section 107 of the Copyright Act permits “fair use” of copyrighted materials “for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching…, scholarship, or research.” But the leaders of one California city don’t think this applies to critical videos made using footage from its city council meetings. [More]
8 Years Later, Universal Music Still Defending Takedown Of “Dancing Baby” YouTube Video
By 7.6.15
Back in February 2007, a mother of a young boy posted a short, grainy video of her baby “dancing” around the kitchen while a Prince song plays, barely audibly, in the background. In the eight years since, the video has received nearly 1.3 million views on YouTube — not because it’s a particularly interesting clip, but due to its role in a copyright lawsuit that won’t go away. [More]
America’s Biggest Companies React To SCOTUS’ Same-Sex Marriage Ruling
By 6.26.15
While it might not seem like there’s a direct link to same sex marriage and our country’s biggest businesses, even before the Supreme Court of the United States ruled today that marriage is a constitutional right for any American, many major companies came out in support of same-sex marriage, saying those rights help them do business better. Today, some of those companies — and more — spoke out in celebration of the landmark ruling. [More]
Study: Streaming Video Is Now More Than Half Of All Prime-Time Internet Traffic
By 5.28.15
If you’re in the United States, and you use the internet of an evening after work, then chances are you like your Netflix. In fact, chances are you like your Netflix a lot. And millions of other Americans seem to agree with you, because Netflix is taking up a huge amount of all prime-time internet traffic in the country. [More]
Google Removing Google+ Requirement For YouTube, Other Product Interactions
Just a week after Google said it would ship its Google+ Photo platform into the ether, the company announced more plans to distance its social network venture from its other products by ditching a requirement that tied user activities to their public profiles. [More]