YouTube has kicked off an interesting week of comedy programming. They video mega-platform is placing big bets on a week of comedy programming that essentially takes over the spotlight and ads of its homepage and more. This is a massive attempt to program their chunk of the internet as if it were a linear TV schedule. If successful, it could prove to be a historic moment in web video. YouTube has also turned to GetGlue’s new ad platform to help spread the word to influencers.  Read more

Updated. In one of the first ever animated GIF acquisition announcements, Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer confirmed that the internet giant is acquiring Tumblr. We’ve described how important Tumblr is to TV and watched fan communities thrive and take ownership over their favorite TV shows, through artwork, GIFs, memes and more. What will the future hold for TV on Tumblr? What could TV networks expect from this major announcement in the social media world? Read more

You may already know about NextGuide’s iOS app, and today the social programming guide has debuted on the web in closed beta at NextGuide.tv. Created by Dijit Media, which also powers the Dijit Remote and recently acquired Miso, NextGuide is designed to help you find something compelling to watch. And not just discover it — but actually watch it.

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There are over quarter billion people who have Shazam installed on their mobile device. This astounding number instantly makes Shazam a big player in the second screen market. When Shazam enabled TV recognition in September they made a big splash and instantly interested advertisers in seeing what they can do. Now, the mobile-first company has just announced a new CEO, Rich Riley to help take them into the now more mature mobile-first environment. We interviewed Riley, the former EVP of the Americas for Yahoo! about the importance of TV and what to look out for in the future as Shazam grows.  Read more

Updated with infographic. Netflix, the streaming giant that’s about to release a new season of Arrested Development just launched a genius marketing and PR campaign that hilariously explains the binge-watching internet culture they’ve defined and invigorated.  New York Magazine’s The Cut coined the term “Netflix Adultery,” the act of binge-watching TV episodes ahead of your significant other when you promised them you’d watch together. Have you been a victim of this horrendous crime? According to Netflix’s survey of 2000 American adults, “12 percent confessed to watching ahead on TV shows they were supposed to save to watch with their partners. ” Also, “ten percent admitted to being the victim of Netflix adultery, which means either 2 percent are blissfully unaware of their partners’ indiscretions, or the cheaters are hitting multiple victims.” Read more

Exclusive: The CW is planning to rebrand its digital studio CWD as “CW Seed,” evolving it into a digital destination for loyal CW fans. The network will announce CW Seed at its upfront presentation in New York today. CW Seed will exist as a sub-site on CWTV.com, and will still produce original programming, but the channel is adding more interactivity to the service, opening up for feedback from viewers and adding more social engagement.

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Turner Broadcasting channels TNT and TBS held its upfront presentations today at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, and while the bulk of the show was about new programming, the impact of social and digital media permeated the presentation. The big news was that TBS and TNT will begin streaming their linear channels online starting this Summer. It is a real network feed, including MLB and NCAA games… and of course including the same ad loads as on TV.

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For a journo who has found success with decidedly old-school methods, Ed Gordon has some advice for aspiring broadcasters: get on YouTube. “In today’s world… it’s about producing and owning your content,” he told Mediabistro in the latest installment of So What Do You Do?. Gordon also advises young people with dreams of being on the small screen to “learn where your craft is headed,” and talks about the importance of perseverance when it comes to career success:

There are a lot of people who’ve given up trying to get on commercial television and have gone to securing their own YouTube channels, and I think, at the end of the day, that’s going to be the future of broadcasting. People are just going to put stuff out there. They’re gonna have their own YouTube channels, and eventually you’ll be able to buy things from those channels. But I think one of the things that people have to understand is it takes perseverance.

Read the full interview in So What Do You Do, Ed Gordon, Host of Conversations with Ed Gordon?

– Mona Zhang

The NBA continues to stand out among sports properties as a forward-thinking social brand, and NBA players are some of the most active and followed athletes. The league recently surpassed 400 million likes and followers combined across all league, team and player pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Sina and Tencent, and was the first sports league to surpass one billion video views on YouTube. Read more

The wildly popular Duck Dynasty, A&E’s reality show about the Robertsons,  ”the family that runs the duck call fabrication business,” is bringing fans into their mix in the biggest way yet. The initiative, ”Camo Cameo” will give viewers the opportunity to submit their Duck Dynasty fan art via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, using #CamoCameo. The fan that gets the most votes on their submission will actually earn a walk-on role in a Duck Dynasty TV commercial with the Robertsons, which will premiere later this year. We interviewed  Lori Peterzell, VP Brand Strategy & Consumer Marketing at A&E about the exciting new initiative. Read more