Dish Network’s Charlie Ergen Gets Real: The Full Dive Into Media Interview

Last week, we hosted our second D: Dive Into Media conference in Dana Point, Calif. If you joined us in person, you got a day and a half to talk with and listen to the most interesting people in the media business as they spoke about the future of their industries. If you tuned in to our livestreams, you got a free, real-time sample of what that was like.

And if you missed the whole thing? Your loss!

But no worries: This week, we’ll start running complete videos of each of our onstage interviews and demos, so you can review them anytime you want. We’re kicking off today with Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen, who rarely speaks in public, but sat down with us for an hour.

We’re so glad he did, because he has got one of the most interesting perspectives on the way technology is reshaping the TV business — and the ways that the TV business is stubbornly and successfully resisting change.

Some of this stuff parallels thoughts you’ve heard from other people — but usually not those with this much skin in the game. Ergen is a billionaire with the third-largest pay-TV business in America. So getting this stuff right matters a whole lot to him.

There’s a lot of great stuff in here. Like:

• Ergen’s assessment of his odds as he tries to grab Clearwire’s spectrum out of Sprint’s clutches (low), and why he’s taking on CBS and every other broadcaster with his ad-skipping Hopper DVR (both for leverage and because his customers want it).
• His explanation of why he bought Blockbuster (real estate) and why he failed to challenge Netflix (too late, too timid).
• His take on cord-cutting, which you never hear pay-TV bosses say out loud. (Yep, it’s real. And cord-nevers — kids like his who don’t have pay TV and never had — are even real-er.)
• What he thought of the Bloomberg Businessweek piece that described Dish as “The Meanest Company in America,” and whether his company’s work culture will let it compete with the likes of Google and Facebook. (Dish is not going to be supplying private buses for its workers anytime soon).

And the nice thing is that you get to sample as much, or as little, as you like. Enjoy, and come back for more over the next few weeks:

[ See post to watch video ]

Social Sports Startup Bluefields Scores $1 Million

Bluefields, the social network that links sports players together for easier communication between teams and leagues, announced Friday it had raised a $1 million seed round. Contributors include Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s VegasTechFund, Facebook Europe executive Christian Hernandez, Elliot Loh (formerly of Yammer), and a number of other angels and seed fund contributors. The startup also exited its private beta on Friday, opening itself up to more potential users.

Day Two at D: Dive Into Media 2013, in Pictures and Tweets

After Monday’s kickoff with Nancy Tellem, Yusuf Mehdi, Anomaly Productions, David Eun and Charlie Ergen, D: Dive Into Media 2013 already had plenty of star power and great moments in the bank.

Tuesday was a parade of still more great guests — 19 in all — and the discussion online was vibrant. Here’s a sampling of what our attendees saw at Day Two of #DMedia:

You can also get the overview of the day’s events via Storify.

As the social TV industry comes of age, stay tuned for what Facebook has in store

Despite, and in fact perhaps even thanks to the unstoppable rise of social media, we still watch a ton of television (by which I mean content).

Another fact: the way we look at TV has forever changed, in no small part because of social networking services like Twitter and Facebook, and social television apps like GetGlue, Yahoo-acquired IntoNow, Dijit-acquired Miso, Comcast’s Tunerfish and Zeebox, among others.

We watch television with one or more mobile devices in our hands or within reach, and we happily share with others online what we like and don’t like when we’re watching TV. It is decidedly no longer an ‘offline experience’ for a whole lot of people, and that group is getting bigger.

Social TV is anything but new, but it’s definitely maturing alongside social media companies – and content providers – ever since the MIT Technology Review dubbed it a breakthrough technology back in 2010.

Social TV – an industry in full swing

The symbiosis between traditional TV and social media is what led Twitter to remark that its recent acquisition of social television analytics company Bluefin Labs would “help us create innovative new ad products and consumer experiences in the exciting intersection of Twitter and TV.”

An exciting intersection it is indeed – and a busy one, too.

Last year, media measurement and analysis giant Nielsen acquired SocialGuide, a New York startup that also tracks Twitter and Facebook conversations about TV, and the company also partnered with Twitter to create a social ranking of US TV program popularity.

Meanwhile, Viggle almost merged with GetGlue in a $70 million deal, and TVGuide is reportedly on the selling block as well, with the likes of Yahoo evaluating the opportunity.

In 2012, a faculty at the Wharton School of Business even launched a ‘Social TV Lab’ to study the link between what is said on television and what is shared simultaneously on social media about shows – and ads.

It’s a bit of a given, but expect more movement in the social TV space throughout 2013, and also expect social networking juggernaut Facebook to play a central role, with its army of 1 billion+ users.

The Facebook Connection

Facebook hasn’t exactly been sitting and waiting on the sidelines as social television apps offering ‘second-screen experiences’ mature.

It’s been pitching personalized TV program guides based on what a user’s friends are watching to broadcasters for years, and offers developers of video apps an Open Graph action called ‘watch’ that helps users share which video-based content they’re watching through their Facebook apps.

Meanwhile, Facebook is set to unveil a new video-ad product in the first half of this year to try and bring in more ad dollars from TV advertisers, according to a recent AdAge report.

Based on the results of a September 2012 survey of US internet users conducted by Nielsen for the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing, Facebook was found to have the greatest influence on getting people to watch a show, out of all online channels.

A whopping 46 percent said they picked up a show as a result of Facebook, followed by Twitter (14 percent), websites of TV shows (9 percent) and forums or discussion boards (8 percent).

In a very interesting April 2012 interview with Lost Remote, Facebook’s head of entertainment and media marketing solutions, Kay Madati, had some fascinating things to say about the company’s social TV strategy:

The framework for implementation – the before, during and after – probably simplistic but purposely so.

When we talk about social TV, Facebook is looking at all of these things. Lots of activity is happening during, that’s when people are building co-viewing applications. We’ve done some great things, Twitter’s done some great things, GetGlue’s done some great things.

What I whole-on believe – too many people are missing the opportunity for the before and after.

…

Content producers will start but then move away because of other priorities. Meanwhile that conversation in the social sphere continues, there’s an opportunity to keep people engaged.

When you look at opportunities in all three quadrants, at scale, Facebook presents an unprecedented opportunity. To grow awareness and ultimately ratings and tune-in for a show.

Facebook next to promote ‘TV check-in’ feature?

I think the new status update sharing box that it’s currently testing with a small set of users may also have a profound impact on this space, and it will inevitably have an effect on the likes of GetGlue and Dijit/Miso.

As first reported by TechCrunch almost two weeks ago, Facebook is currently experimenting with ways to let users share updates more visually, using emoticons and whatnot. That’s interesting in itself, but I think the ‘watching’ update option is particularly noteworthy.

What is it, if not a TV check-in feature? For example, look at this message that was shared yesterday by Facebook product manager (and previously co-founder and CEO of Facebook-acquired Gowalla) Josh Williams:

Williams’ role at Facebook, according to his LinkedIn profile, is “imagining new ways to see the world through the eyes of our friends.”

Sharing which media is being consumed is one of those ways, and it would conveniently tie in perfectly with Facebook’s Social Graph and Graph Search. Making it visually appealing, and thus having such a status stand out in a friend’s newsfeed, only adds to the potential power of a proper Facebook TV check-in feature.

And, of course, by mining what which people are watching when, and with whom, Facebook will be able to build up a treasure trove of social TV data that could greatly benefit its advertisers and partners.

What’s on next?

Social television apps have already come a long way, but we’ll likely see more consolidation in the industry down the road. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Facebook playing a leading role here – perhaps they should go have a chat with GetGlue now that the Viggle deal is off.

Whatever happens next, it will continue to be an interesting space to watch (pun intended), particularly with the ongoing rise of second-screen apps, broadcasters getting their act together, and Twitter’s shifting focus to media consumption and analytics.

The other elephant in the room that wasn’t mentioned in this post, but can’t be ignored, is Google.

How could they be ignored, with platforms like Android and Google TV, as well as services like YouTube and Google+ in their arsenal?

We’ll leave that for another post, though.

If you’re interested in the social TV space, you should also read:

Will the personalised Web destroy discovery?

GetGlue gives its iPhone app more TV show content and promoted posts, plans remote control features

Viggle celebrates its first year with 1.8 million registered users and 151 million check-ins

Social TV app yap.TV wants to help broadcasters reach your second screen

Second screen content, coming soon to your movie theaters

In the future of television, the set-top box is king (Quartz)

Why the Facebook Status May Beat the Tweet for Social TV Measurement (Forbes)

Image credit: Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

How to Make a Shutdown Icon on Your Desktop (Windows)

Ever wanted to shutdown your computer from your desktop? Well now you can! In less than a minute, you can make an icon that will fully shutdown your computer. Website: http://www.goguda55techtutorials.co.nr Twitter: http://www.twitter.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Iconic 1984 Apple Computer Macintosh commercial conceived by Chiat/Day and directed by Ridley Scott was nationally aired on television only once – during the 3rd quarter of the 1984 Super Bowl football game. Based on George Orwell’s novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four (authored in 1949) the spot provided the allegory of the new Apple Macintosh computer providing an inspirational creative spark that would free individuals from the overbearing control of “Big Brother” – presumably, IBM’s Personal computer.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Gillmor Gang: The 10 Percent Solution

The Gillmor Gang – Robert Scoble, Kevin Marks, John Taschek, and Steve Gillmor – watched in amazement as Apple’s stock price tanked due to their blowout quarter and two-thirds ownership of the U.S. smartphone revenue. @scobleizer gave it a 70% chance that he would bolt the Apple Fanboy ranks by the end of February, but only a 10% chance that an unexpected breakthrough from an unexpected source would change the world by the end of 2013.

That, of course, leaves Google to account for Robert’s waning enthusiasm for Tim Cook’s lack of leadership and lack of SteveJobsness. But what Jobs triggered was a continuous wave of innovation driven by the engaged forces of the Google/Apple contest. And as @jtaschek points out, fostered in the competitive playground of the carriers where innovation in bandwidth fuels the social players. You don’t have to wait for the end of February to place your own bet on the percentage likelihood of disruption in this year of dreams coming true.

@stevegillmor, @scobleizer, @jtaschek, @kevinmarks

Produced and directed by Tina Chase Gillmor @tinagillmor

Facebook Cuts Off Friend-Finding Access to Vine, Twitter’s New Video App

That was fast!

Within hours of Twitter launching its Vine video-sharing application on Thursday, Facebook has cut off access to Vine’s “find people” feature, which lets used to let Vine users find their Facebook friends using the Vine application.

What does that mean? It’s basically an annoyance, a hindrance on an easy way to connect with all your existing friends using the service. It would have been a good way to jump into a new product, rather than manually trying to find all of your friends using the app.

No comment from Twitter beyond the error message we’re seeing pop up when we try to use the Facebook friend finding feature in the app, and no immediate response from Facebook as of yet.

But the cutoff isn’t exactly surprising, given Instagram recently snipping Twitter cards integration, and Twitter cutting off access to Instagram’s “Find your Friends” feature. Welcome to the new, competitive landscape of social tech companies.

The loser in all of this? Sorry, user, but it’s you.

Google requires people to use Google+ social network, gains ground against Facebook

“Google Inc is challenging Facebook Inc. by using a controversial tactic: requiring people to use the Google+ social network,” Amir Efrati reports for The Wall Street Journal. “The result is that people who create an account to use Gmail, YouTube and other Google services-including the Zagat restaurant-review website-are also being set up with public Google+ pages that can be viewed by anyone online. Google+ is a Facebook rival and one of the company’s most important recent initiatives as it tries to snag more online advertising dollars.”

Efrati reports, “The impetus comes from the top. Google Chief Executive Larry Page has sought more aggressive measures to get people to use Google+, two people familiar with the matter say… Both Facebook and Google make the vast bulk of their revenue from selling ads. But Facebook has something Google wants: Facebook can tie people’s online activities to their real names, and it also knows who those people’s friends are. Marketers say Google has told them that closer integration of Google+ across its many properties will allow Google to obtain this kind of information and target people with more relevant (and therefore, more profitable) ads.”

“Google last month said 235 million people used Google+ features-such as clicking on a ‘+1′ button, similar to Facebook’s “Like” button-across Google’s sites, up from 150 million in late June,” Efrati reports. “Because using Google+ requires people to sign in to their Google accounts, Google will be able to blend mounds of data about individual users’ search habits and the websites they visit with their activities on Google+. That is a potential boon to Google’s ad business, from which the company derives about 95% of its more than $40 billion in annual revenue, excluding its new Motorola phone-making unit.”

Read more in the full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Lynn Weiler" for the heads up.]