Tag Archives: cbs

Amazon Debuts First Live-Streaming TV Show, On Fashion, Beauty

Amazon.com ( AMZN ) is debuting a live television show that focuses on the latest trends in fashion and beauty — and viewers will be able to shop on Amazon.com as they watch. Separately, there are hints that Amazon also has virtual reality video in the works. Named “Style Code Live,” the 30-minute show will debut online Tuesday at 9 P.M. ET and then repeat every day at the same time. The free offering is the first Amazon foray into live television and potentially takes aim at the likes of  CBS ( CBS ), NBC owner  Comcast ( CMCSA ) and ABC owner  Walt Disney ( DIS ). Time Warner ( TWX )-owned HBO offers shows on its streaming platform at the same time as it first airs them on its cable network, but it does not have live streaming offerings at the moment. The new live show adds to Amazon’s growing lineup of original video streaming content that takes aim at leader  Netflix ( NFLX ), which does not currently offer live television streaming. The new live TV show is also part of a broader effort to establish Amazon as a fashion brand, which hasn’t been an Amazon strength. This year, it quietly launched several lines of Amazon brand clothing. The show itself will offer interactive features such as a live chat for viewers and will feature “fashion hacks,” guest experts, celebrities and viewer tips, according to the company’s  press release . Amazon.com stock was up a fraction in afternoon trading on the stock market today . Shares are up 20% since touching a six-month low of 474 in early February. The company has an IBD Composite Rating of 80, where 99 is the highest. Video Virtual Reality Meanwhile, as virtual reality slowly lurches into the mainstream, CEO Jeff Bezos has been quietly growing Amazon’s secretive VR division. Virtual reality and augmented reality blog Upload VR  spotted a job posting for a senior software developer to lead Amazon’s VR team, which some say suggests that Amazon Video might soon include VR options. Competing streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu have already demonstrated interest  in the much-hyped VR business. Despite the interest, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has  dismissed VR for streaming video , suggesting that it was more practical for video games. The Facebook ( FB ) virtual reality Oculus Rift headset is expected to ship this July. It costs $599 and requires top-notch PC hardware to use.

Apple Pulls Trigger On First Original TV Show, Starring Dr. Dre

Apple ( AAPL ) is getting into the TV-show business, starting with a dark semi-autobiographical drama starring Beats co-founder and rap legend Dr. Dre. Dre, aka Andre Romelle Young, became an Apple executive after the Cupertino, Calif.-based consumer electronics giant bought Beats for $3 billion in August 2014. The Hollywood Reporter said Friday that Apple is backing a six-episode series called “Vital Signs.” The series likely will be distributed on Apple Music, the company’s subscription streaming music service, THR said. It’s also possible the show could turn up on iTunes or a rumored Apple streaming-TV service. Apple has been poking around the pay-TV business for years, trying to put together a skinny bundle of TV channels to market to cord cutters and cord nevers. Executives from CBS ( CBS ) and Walt Disney ’s ( DIS ) ESPN have spoken recently about their as-yet-fruitless talks with Apple. Apple Music would be an obvious outlet for the Dre show because it already includes some video, such as a recent exclusive Taylor Swift concert performance. But some analysts have speculated that Apple might go the route of subscription on-demand video and compete with the likes of Netflix ( NFLX ), Hulu and Amazon.com ‘s ( AMZN ) Amazon Prime Video. RELATED: Netflix Scores Big At Screen Actors Guild Awards With Four Trophies Apple M&A speculation continues with Time Warner chatter .  

Amazon.com, T-Mobile Win Tech Ad Contest At Super Bowl 50

Tech companies advertising during Super Bowl 50 on CBS ( CBS ) on Sunday didn’t exactly set the Internet on fire with their commercials. None mustered the buzz of Heinz’s wiener dogs dressed like hot dogs or Mountain Dew’s creepy PuppyMonkeyBaby. Still, a number of tech company commercials were well received by the general public and critics alike. USA Today’s Ad Meter ranked Amazon.com ’s ( AMZN ) star-studded commercial as the top tech company commercial during the big game. Amazon’s first-ever Super Bowl ad featured actors Alec Baldwin and Jason Schwartzman, football great Dan Marino and hip-hop artist Missy Elliott. The e-commerce giant used the comic ad to promote its Echo smart-speaker with Alexa voice controls. The Amazon ad also was listed among the best commercials in post-game articles by the Verge, the Chicago Tribune, BGR and Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard blog. Also scoring well in the USA Today audience ranking were T-Mobile ( TMUS ) ads featuring rapper Drake and TV and radio personality Steve Harvey. In one commercial, Drake pokes fun at his hit song “Hotline Bling.” In the other, Harvey makes light of his recent Miss Universe pageant gaffe. T-Mobile had three of the top 10 most shared ads of Super Bowl 50, according to video ad tech company Unruly . (The third was an extended version of the Drake commercial.) Audience measurement company iSpot.tv said the T-Mobile ads earned the highest “digital share of voice” of any tech company ads during Super Bowl 50. The iSpot.tv measurement is based on online views and social media actions. The T-Mobile ads were listed among the big game’s best commercials by the Washington Post, Vox, ESPN, Bleacher Report, TVLine.com, BGR and Sports Illustrated. The top tech ad in terms of social media mentions was LG’s OLED TV commercial starring Liam Neeson, according to Infegy . Coming in second among tech companies was PayPal ’s ( PYPL ) first Super Bowl commercial. However, some critics ranked the LG commercial as among the worst of the night. Chicago Tribune writer Steve Johnson said the warmed-over “Tron” ripoff didn’t make any sense. “Here’s a case of wasting a perfectly good celebrity,” he said. “The TV maker has Liam Neeson speaking ominously to a young guy about ‘the future’ and ‘they want to stop it.’ There is a motorcycle chase, suggesting high stakes. But who, really, wants to ‘stop’ a better kind of TV?” Other tech companies that advertised during the Super Bowl included Apartments.com, Fitbit ( FIT ), Intuit ( INTU ), Squarespace and Wix.com ( WIX ). GoPro ( GPRO ) ran its latest commercial in regional markets, such as Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, during the game, according to Adweek . RELATED: Tech Firms Draft Neeson, Schwarzenegger For Super Bowl 50 Ads .