Media Roundup: Newsprint Company May Declare Bankruptcy, YouTube allows CBS to use Microsoft Player and More
Newsprint company may declare bankruptcy -- As the majority of customers trim content, newsprint distributor AbitibiBowater may have to declare bankruptcy. The company has been struggling to restructure and pay down debt created by the 2007 merger of Abitibi-Consolidated and Bowater. Several of the largest newspaper companies in the country have declared bankruptcy including the Tribune Co. and Philadelphia Newspaper Holdings. As a result, newsprint consumption, which is often a paper's largest expense, has been scaled back. [Source: New York Times]
YouTube allows CBS to use Microsoft player -- For the first time, YouTube has allowed a third party player on its Web site. CBS is showing March Madness NCAA Basketball games on the Google-owned video site using Microsoft Silverlight technology. This may not be a long term strategy shift, as CBS has had a long standing relationship distributing content on YouTube. Microsoft's player will not feature any of the company's branding and will only be used for live games. Many large media companies, such as CBS, often have partnership deals with other distribution platforms that prevent distribution on YouTube. Previously YouTube would require its player be used. [Source: paidContent]
iTunes to offer high def movie downloads -- As expected, Apple has made high definition movies available for download in its iTunes music store. Previously, high definition video downloads were only available as rentals. HD television shows have already been available for purchase, and HD is responsible for over 50 percent of all TV purchases. The movie downloads will be available for $19.99. With an HD purchase, customers will also get a standard definition copy to play on Apple's mobile devices. [Source: CNET]
94 percent of Facebook users dislike redesign -- A polling application on Facebook has revealed that 94 percent of all users dislike the site's new design. The social networking site recently drastically overhauled the layout and functionality of the site's profile pages to be more like the micro-blogging site Twitter. Facebook has seen design changes in the past met with criticism, however the outcry usually subsides as users adapt to the changes. [Source: TechCrunch]
Online newspaper readers aren't hanging around -- According to Nielson Online, many newspapers have seen time spent on Web sites stagnate or decrease. The net's largest newspaper Web sites all remained flat, with mid level papers seeing the largest drop from February of last year. Several companies have managed to avoid the decrease, including The Boston Globe, The Detroit Free Press and Newsday. A decrease in time spent on a Web site can be ascribed to several factors, including a rise in unique visitors. [Source: Editor & Publisher]
The New York Times goes after aggregators -- The New York Times has reached out to several of the Web's largest publications and asked them to stop heavily sourcing the Times without proper compensation. The Huffington Post, Newser, Apartment Therapy and Silicon Alley Insider were among those contacted, with design blog Apartment Therapy being the most recent. In the case of Newser, the company threatened legal action. [Source: All Things Digital]