That time Twitch jumped the shark
Twitch made its debut in 2011. Since then, the service has evolved from a gaming-only subset of Justin.tv into a popular, culture-shaping phenomenon pioneering the world of live online broadcasting. Justin.tv was quickly swallowed whole by Twitch’s immense success, and in 2014 Amazon acquired the entire company for nearly $1 billion. The service has launched careers, beaten YouTube to the punch, attracted celebrities, dominated the streaming eSports market and even spawned its own icon-based language. And it’s done all of this in less than five years.
So far, Twitch has handled its growth spurt in stride. It’s navigated the complicated worlds of partnerships, advertising and mainstream marketing largely without losing its niche-community appeal. That is, until the following headline hit the net this week:
“Live Free. Couch Hard.: Totino’s Pizza Rolls™ Unveils First-Ever ‘Bucking Couch’ to Deliver the Ultimate Gaming Experience Before the Big Game.”
For a legitimate event, it works way too well as an SNLgag.
Twitch and Totino’s are partnering for a pre–Super Bowl show featuring a handful of prominent streamers playing games while sitting on a mechanical-bull-style couch. Also, someone will throw pizza rolls at the streamers every now and then. This round of upholstered ridiculousness will be live-streamed on the official Totino’s Twitch channel, and it’s all wrapped up in a flaky, golden-brown title: the Totino’s Bucking Couch Bowl.
This promotion is equal parts hilarious and confounding. It’s the kind of blatantly branded content that makes longtime Twitch fans cringe and pizza-roll lovers gag on their steaming pockets of processed cheese. This isn’t even the first time Twitch and Totino’s have partnered, and it won’t be the last. Totino’s is a regular sponsor of gaming events in general; the partnership itself isn’t weird. It’s the event. The Totino’s. Bucking. Couch. Bowl.
It feels like a discarded Saturday Night Live skit poking fun at greasy, out-of-touch video game fans. Imagine Kenan Thompson sitting on the giant red couch as it bucks around, his expression resigned as Cecily Strong laughs hysterically and chucks mini pizza rolls at his face. The bodies of his fellow streamers lie strewn across the black padding under the couch. A Totino’s sign flashes happily in the background. For a legitimate event, it works way too well as an SNL gag.
The Bucking Couch Bowl seems like a money-grabbing gimmick partially because Twitch and Totino’s are positioning themselves against the Super Bowl, one of the most high-profile broadcast events in existence, with billions of dollars in ad revenue on the line. This gets to the heart of the issue: So far, Twitch has done an amazing job retaining its community-focused charm while operating as a billion-dollar, Amazon-owned property. But with the Totino’s Bucking Couch Bowl, it feels like Twitch isn’t in on the joke. It’s too big, too try-hard, too branded. It feels like good advertising for Totino’s and solid money for Twitch, but crappy content for viewers.
Twitch has laughed with us during stunts like the Bob Ross marathon, the launch of Twitch Creative and Twitch Plays, even when Microsoft live-streamed a handful of people being tortured while standing on a billboard for Rise of the Tomb Raider. Twitchcon, the company’s first major convention and associated tech-style press conference, was a massive success. Deadmau5 was there, and it wasn’t exploitative; it was big and beautiful and right. Twitch truly does care about its audience and its longtime fans. It’s easy to see in the years of quality content they’ve provided and continue to churn out.
The Totino’s Bucking Couch Bowl is distinctly icky. But, I get it. This is what Twitch has to do, and what it will continue to do, to remain relevant in the broader entertainment market. We’re watching Twitch grow from a niche live-streaming service into a new kind of online network, the first of its kind and the founder of entertainment’s next big leap. The company has more resources than ever at its disposal, with bigger partnership opportunities and buckets of cash on the line. Some of its advertisements will simply feel like advertisements. Sometimes it will feel as if Twitch made a deal with a major company and it’s trying to make things fun. Sometimes that won’t work, and it will feel like we’re laughing at Twitch.
But, most of the time, Twitch is still laughing with us.
Wileyfox Swift now comes in white at Amazon UK
The Wileyfox Swift has been available on Amazon UK for some time now, but the smartphone just today became available in white.
The Wileyfox Swift is an affordable and off-contract smartphone. And while they’re might be a stigma against such cheap smartphones in the public eye, Wileyfox has done a phenomenal job creating a great package with the Swift.
As a quick reminder, the Wileyfox Swift sports a 5-inch 720p IPS display, a Snapdragon 1.2GHz 410 processor and 2GB of RAM. There’s also 16GB of internal storage, a a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. The Swift operates on 4G networks and has a removable 2,500mAh battery.
On the software front, the Swift uses CyanogenOS 12.1 and boasts of enhanced privacy and security features.
Amazon UK has the smartphone up for sale at £135.39 with free delivery available in the UK. For those interested in picking it up over in the US, Amazon UK offers a “AmazonGlobal Priority” shipping method. Alternatively, there are some decent listing on eBay for the smartphone.
Have you gotten a Wileyfox Swift? What do you think of it? Be sure to sound off in the comments below!
Come comment on this article: Wileyfox Swift now comes in white at Amazon UK
Amazon reports 20% sales growth: Prime, Prime Video and Prime Music all booming
Amazon released its fourth quarter earnings yesterday and the report painted a very nice picture for the company. Amazon’s Q4, 2015 earnings increased by 22% over the same quarter in 2014 and yearly sales increased by 20% for the calendar year. Amazon Prime enjoyed a 51% growth rate, Prime Video doubled its streaming customers and Prime Music tripled its streaming hours in the U.S..
Amazon’s net sales for 2015 were $107 billion, up from $89 billion in 2014. Operating income grew a staggering 1250% from $178 million in 2014 to 2.2 billion in 2015. As Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, stated: “Twenty years ago I was driving the packages to the post office myself and hoping we might one day afford a forklift. This year, we pass $100 billion in annual sales and serve 300 million customers.”
The meteoric increase in Amazon’s sales figures in the last year is very impressive, and the company’s compelling range of services have enjoyed equal success. In the U.S. Alone, Amazon Prime grew by 47%, with a global growth rate of 51%. In the U.S., Prime Music streaming tripled over the course of the year and Prime Video subscribers globally increased by almost 100%.
AMAZON PRODUCT REVIEWS:
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Prime Same Day, Prime Pantry (for grocery deliveries from Amazon) and Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) all spread to new markets in 2015. Pay with Amazon volume grew by 150% as Amazon shoppers eagerly adopted the more secure way to pay and Fire TV and the Fire Tablet are currently best sellers on the site. With this kind of widespread success, it’s hard to understand why the Amazon Fire Phone got it so incredibly wrong. At least Amazon Prime is awesome.
How often do you buy from Amazon? What Amazon services do you use?
Deal: 128GB Silicon Power microSD card for just $33 on Amazon
Memory card prices have been declining steadily over the past few months, with the price of 128GB models sliding under $50 during occasional promos. The deal from today is the lowest we’ve seen yet on high capacity microSD cards.
Amazon has Silicon Power 128GB microSD cards for 40% off their list price. The discount compared to their selling price from the past weeks is 15-25%, but given their low normal price, this looks like a solid deal anyway.
Silicon Power is not a brand name in memory cards. But its microSDs are very well reviewed, with average scores of 4.5 out of 5 stars across more than 1200 reviews. That said, if you’re planning to store important data over longer periods, you may want to look for a more established brand like Samsung, Lexar, or SanDisk, just for safety.
These are MicroSDXC UHS-1 Class10 cards with writing speeds of up to 85 MB/s. Here’s the breakdown:
Get a 16GB microSD Silicon Power card for $7.99
Get a 32GB microSD Silicon Power card for $8.99
Get a 64GB microSD Silicon Power card for $14.75
Get a 128GB microSD Silicon Power card for $32.99
The cards will be in stock from February 1, but that’s not too much to wait for a bargain. Happy shopping!
Amazon’s latest figures prove Prime is booming
Amazon has announced that its fourth quarter sales figures have reached $35.7 billion, adding that the group’s Prime service continues to grow internationally.
The numbers from Amazon make for an interesting read and show that net sales have increased 22% to reach the mammoth fourth quarter sales total.
According to the latest figures, Prime memberships increased worldwide in 2015 by 51%, 47% in the U.S and even faster outside of the U.S. On top of that, Prime Video now boasts ‘nearly double’ the streaming customers compared with fourth quarter of 2014.
Speaking about Amazon’s growth, founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said:
“Twenty years ago, I was driving the packages to the post office myself and hoping we might one day afford a forklift. This year, we pass $100 billion in annual sales and serve 300 million customers.”
“And still, measured by the dynamism we see everywhere in the marketplace and by the ever-expanding opportunities we see to invent on behalf of customers, it feels every bit like Day 1.”
Amazon is pleased to report that its own Fire TV remains the best-selling streaming media player in the U.S., with the group adding that over 1,000 new apps have been added to the device since September. The Fire tablet is also doing well for itself, now the most gifted product on Amazon.com since its arrival around 19 weeks ago.
On the subject of Prime Music, the latest facts and figures from Amazon reveal that streaming hours ‘more than tripled’ in the U.S. compared with the fourth quarter of 2014.
According to news arriving from The New York Post, Amazon is set to launch a music-streaming service to rival industry giants such as Spotify. Sources ‘familiar with the project’ claim that a $9.99-per-month fee could be on the cards.
In short, it looks like Amazon is taking over the world.
Amazon.com Announces Fourth Quarter Sales up 22% to $35.7 Billion
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 28, 2016– Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced financial results for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2015.
Operating cash flow increased 74% to $11.9 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $6.8 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2014. Free cash flow increased to $7.3 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $1.9 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2014. Free cash flow less lease principal repayments increased to $4.7 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $529 million for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2014. Free cash flow less finance lease principal repayments and assets acquired under capital leases increased to $2.5 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with an outflow of $2.2 billion for the trailing twelve months ended December 31, 2014.
Common shares outstanding plus shares underlying stock-based awards totaled 490 million on December 31, 2015, compared with 483 million one year ago.
Fourth Quarter 2015
Net sales increased 22% to $35.7 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $29.3 billion in fourth quarter 2014. Excluding the $1.2 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales increased 26% compared with fourth quarter 2014.
Operating income increased 88% to $1.1 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with operating income of $591 million in fourth quarter 2014.
Net income was $482 million in the fourth quarter, or $1.00 per diluted share, compared with net income of $214 million, or $0.45 per diluted share, in fourth quarter 2014.
Full Year 2015
Net sales increased 20% to $107.0 billion, compared with $89.0 billion in 2014. Excluding the $5.2 billion unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, net sales increased 26% compared with 2014.
Operating income was $2.2 billion, compared with operating income of $178 million in 2014. Net income was $596 million, or $1.25 per diluted share, compared with net loss of $241 million, or $0.52 per diluted share, in 2014.
“Twenty years ago, I was driving the packages to the post office myself and hoping we might one day afford a forklift. This year, we pass $100 billion in annual sales and serve 300 million customers,” said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. “And still, measured by the dynamism we see everywhere in the marketplace and by the ever-expanding opportunities we see to invent on behalf of customers, it feels every bit like Day 1.”
Come comment on this article: Amazon’s latest figures prove Prime is booming
Amazon Prime memberships grew by over 50 percent in 2015
Amazon just announced its financial results for Q4 of 2015, and one of the big trends the company highlighted was the continuing strength of Amazon Prime, a service that has its roots in free two-day shipping but is now becoming a catch all for host of free media the company gives to subscribers. Amidst the many highlights the company is calling out are some notes on pretty major Prime growth: Amazon says that worldwide Prime memberships increased 51 percent in 2015 compared to the year before. Growth in the US came in at 47 percent, which means things picked up every faster internationally.
That strong international growth was mirrored in how customers are using Prime. Specifically, Prime Video streaming outside the US nearly doubled in Q4 2015 compared to a year ago. Even the fledgling Prime Music service (which still offers “only” 1 million songs, compared to the 35+ million that you’ll get with Spotify, Apple Music and most of their competitors) is starting to grow. Amazon said that streaming hours in Q4 2015 more than tripled compared to a year ago. The service also went live in Germany and Japan in the quarter.
The improvements in Amazon’s music service are notable given the rumors swirling around the company’s intentions to built a full-fledged Spotify competitor. As usual, we have no idea how many people are actually using Prime Music — and that explosive growth Amazon is citing likely has a lot to do with the fact that not a lot of people were using the service a year ago. Either way, it looks like Amazon’s media ambitions extend beyond just its massive bookstore and the original TV shows it’s making to round out Prime Video.
From a pure numbers perspective, Amazon had a strong holiday quarter. The company pulled in $35.7 billion in revenue in Q4, up 22 percent over a year ago. Profits saw an even bigger bump: $482 million in net income marked a whopping 125 percent increase over Q4 of 2014. The big holiday quarter helped Amazon to a profitable 2015, with total net income totaling $596 million on the year, compared to 2014’s net loss of $241 million.
Amazon will be holding its quarterly financial call at 5PM ET, and we’ll be listening in to see if the company has any more details on Prime, delivering packages by drones or anything else that may be of interest. We’ll keep this post updated, so stay tuned.
Source: Amazon (BusinessWire)
Amazon to launch new music-streaming service to compete with Spotify
According to a report published by The New York Post, Amazon is currently planning a music-streaming service it hopes will rival Spotify. The company is believed to have had several meetings over the course of the past few weeks to negotiate licensing terms for an audio platform that would offer a significantly larger catalogue of content than the market’s leading providers. At this point, the project is no more than a plan on a blackboard, but if the deal is sealed with record labels within the next couple of months, we could be looking at an early-2017 launch.
This isn’t Amazon’s first venture into the music-streaming industry, though. It currently offers a total of just over 1-million songs to subscribers of its $99-per-year Prime shopping service. However, it has struggled to strike any major licensing deals with the industry’s largest music distribution firms in its 2-year existence, which puts it in no position to take on Apple Music and Spotify, who feature a collective total of 47-million records and 26.5-million paying customers. The online retailer is, of course, hoping that its new endeavour will take a turn in a different direction, putting it at the top of the list.
Sources familiar with the project have revealed that Amazon is discussing a $9.99-per-month fee for its planned streaming service, putting it on par with the two top digital music services, but it is expected to introduce a $3- to $4-a-month plan for customers who purchase its Echo voice command system, which retails for $179.99.
Come comment on this article: Amazon to launch new music-streaming service to compete with Spotify
Amazon is reportedly working on a more robust music service
Prime Music may not be the extent of Jeff Bezos’ music streaming aspirations. According to the New York Post, the online retailer is prepping a so-called Spotify killer. More specifically, Amazon is said to be working on a standalone music service that would carry its own monthly fee as a separate offering from Prime Music. The new service will reportedly offer a more robust selection of tunes than what’s available as part of an annual Prime subscription.
In terms of cost, Amazon’s new service is said to be priced at $10 a month with a $3 or $4 monthly plan if you’re willing to splurge for an Echo speaker. While the music expansion appears to be in the early stages, the Post reports that licensing meetings took place over the past few weeks with the company eyeing a fall launch. Amazon’s established marketplace for both physical and digital music could make the retailer an attractive option for artists looking to offer fans all three formats in the age of streaming. Of course, we’ll be curious to see if Amazon really can give Spotify and Apple Music a run for their money.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File]
Source: New York Post
Amazon’s first Super Bowl ad has Alec Baldwin talking to Alexa
For the first time ever, Amazon is getting into the ad bonanza that is the Super Bowl. They’ve carved out a 30 second time slot to pitch the Echo to millions of slightly sloshed football fans, and Alec Baldwin is along for the ride.
It’s just another cozy night at Baldwin Manor. A fire crackles pleasantly as Alec Baldwin and his pal Dan Marino, former quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, brainstorm ideas for their upcoming Super Bowl party. Baldwin is relying on Marino’s expertise in party matters, and so far he’s a little disappointed with how this discussion is going.
See also: Ford is working with Amazon Echo to let you talk to your car
When Marino pitches the concept of a “snack stadium,” Baldwin’s brow furrows. “Alexa, what’s a snack stadium?” he asks of the hitherto unnoticed Echo unit.
“A stadium built entirely of snacks,” says Alexa, the voice of Echo.
“Brilliant!” cries Baldwin, and the two return to their brainstorming, purpose renewed.
What’s interesting about this ad is that the Echo literally only gets two seconds of screen time. It’s a fairly inventive advertising move that showcases the Echo’s passive existence in a home. The focus isn’t on Alexa or the pringles can she lives in, but rather on the human interaction that she stands ready to facilitate.
With Echo being something of a surprise success for Amazon, it looks like the company is ready to push it beyond a niche market. With plans for a portable version of Echo in the works, they’re certainly trying to get the product’s recognition up.
You can give the ad a watch online early, but it will be making its big debut on the small screen come game day, February 7th. In the meantime, what are your thoughts regarding Echo? Are you an owner of the device? What has your experience with Alexa been so far? Let us know in the comments below!
Amazon’s first Super Bowl commercial is for Echo
Tech companies are ready to make the most from one of the biggest sporting events in the world, the Super Bowl. That includes Amazon, which will air its first-ever Big Game commercial during the 50th edition of the NFL’s main event. The ad’s teaser focuses on the Echo speaker and Alexa, the retailer’s virtual assistant, and stars Alec Baldwin alongside football legend Dan Marino. You can see Baldwin ask Alexa things like “what’s a snack stadium,” in preparation for his Super Bowl party.
Of course, as has been the tradition for decades, you can expect to see many more hyped commercials on Super Bowl Sunday (February 7th), so keep an eye out for any major surprises. SB 50 will host the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, each team led by two top-tier quarterbacks — Cam Newton and Peyton Manning, respectively. You won’t want to miss it, commercials aside.
Source: Amazon (YouTube)
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