ESSAY SECTION B - QUESTION

Consider how and why media institutions are using these techniques

News and digital media offers media institutions different ways of reaching audiences?

In my opinion there are several ways for media institutions to reach audiences. These different methods of reaching audiences are as follows:

Firstly the most common way New/Digital media opening an avenue to reach audiences is through social media. This is because with the development of the internet (Web 2.0 by Tim O'Reilly), social media has grown. One example of a social media that has given media institutions a way of reaching audiences is Twitter. This social media connects people from all over the world which supports the idea of the global village by Marshall McLuhen. Global village is the world considered a single community connected by telecommunications. This allows media institutions to communicate audiences by tweeting in which is a convenient way of communication with audiences. Also many media institutions such as BBC News as tweeting news as it occurs which is called 'News on the Tweet'.

Another method of media institutions communicating is through the use of live streaming applications. This is very popular with media institutions in today's world because people want to hear about new when it occurs. This also supports the news value of immediacy which is why this method has become increasing popular over the years. One example of the live streaming app is Periscope which increased its daily usage. Periscope hit 10 million daily users in September 2015 which is a huge amount for an app and could be because of the immediacy news value. An example of an Periscope event that had become popular is a journalists live-streamed Syrian refug ees entering Germany.

One more way in which media institutions are reaching audiences is by adding a paywal/subscription to their services. One example of a media institution who currently has a paywall subscription is the The Times which is owned by Rupert Murdoch. The Times have been quite successful in keeping the paywall subscription going and have made profits from this technique. However The Sun has not been successfully with the paywall subscription as they have had the paywall subscription currently in which it did not pay off. The Sun also owned by Rupert Murdoch in which has not done well because the demographics for those newspapers are different. The Sun is based on entertainment and has a younger demographics whereas The Times has an older demographic who are working class because The Times involves articles about the working world which means that the working class have more money and are willing enough to buy a paywall subscription to gain access to the newspaper articles whereas Then Sun have a younger audience who are probably not working and do not have money to be spending on paywall subscriptions.

Murdoch has said that news is changing and news will have to adapt. In my opinion this is a pluralist view as people have changed the way they view the news and stories of news. If people have found a more convenient way then the news institutions would have to supply the demand of the public and change the ways they look at the news. Also a pluralist would argue that because the people have an interest in news instantly which is why media institutions are using Periscope so they can deliver what the people are needing.

However a Marxist would argue that the elites who are the big media institutions have influenced people to view news on the internet as they are able to use cookies to find out more on the viewer of the article. The elites would then have more control on the reader such as finding out information to target news in a much better way and increase the viewership of their news articles by offering related news articles. Also Marxists would argue that this means that media institutions are deciding which news articles that the public would want the public to know about and the public do not have a say in which type of news articles are posted to their websites.

Netflix which is my case study has a way of reaching audiences by having a social media account. A Twitter account is used by Netflix in which they tweet there new uploads to their Twitter and also their original series. These tweets then get many re tweets and favourites because of the Web 2.0 in which more people become aware of Netflix and what they have to offer. Also to use Netflix, you will need to create an account and pay a subscription which means that consumers who are willing to pay for the service will if they have seen series on Twitter.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxsVuvm6ZPTlX0VyS2s3bU85Ukk/view?usp=sharing

MEST 3 MOCK EXAM - LEARNER RESPONSE

1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to).

2) Read through the mark scheme. Pay particular attention to page 9 that has suggested content for each of the questions in Section A. How many of these potential points did you make? Did you successfully answer the questions?

For the first question , I included the point about the text of the advert and this is the only point from the list.
3) Now look at page 15 of the mark scheme. How many of the broad areas suggested by AQA did you cover in your Section B essay? Did you successfully answer the question?

I didn't successfully answer the question on New/ Digital media as i had a lack of news facts and statistics and generally information from the news industry.
4) Read the Examiner's Report in full. For each question, would you classify your response as one of the stronger answers or one of the weaker answers the Chief Examiner discusses? Why? What could you do differently next time? Write a reflection for EACH question in the paper.

For section B my response is the weaker option as I didn't do the following -

- It doesn't have a clear link to the impact of News/ Digital media.
5) Choose your weakest question in Section A and re-write an answer in full based on the suggested content from the Examiner's Report. This answer needs to be comprehensive and meet the criteria for Level 4 of the mark scheme. This will be somewhere between 3-6 well-developed paragraphs(depending on the number of marks).

There are many reasons as to why audiences should a positive attitude towards new/digital media in which could benefit media producers massively, these reasons are as follows - 

Firstly if audiences are very positive towards new/digital media, then media producers are allowed to received direct feedback. This is made possible as new/digital media development has increased the use of video sharing websites such as YouTube in which because new/digtial development of the Web 2.0, audiences then can rate videos and comment on what they thought of the videos posted by media producers.

Secondly if audiences are positive towards new/digital media, they are able to find out whether a particular demographic enjoyed the content that was meant for them. If not, then the media producer is fully aware and not just invest his money into something that he known that will not do any good or be perceived well from his targeted demographic

Thirdly having audiences respond positively towards new/digital media means that media producers are able to cross media platform which will open up larger access to the targeted demographic. For example promoting through TV ads and YouTube ads will reach more people which is very beneficial to media producers.

MEDIA MAGAZINE

Technology and Creatviity

Curse or cure

- Elinor Black evaluates the way new technologies have transformed the media industry
- People in the creative industry are the first to adopt and firs to discard
-

Convergence
- The convergence in the telecommunications IT and Media into the common digital format
- meant that different types of content have been aggregated into one multiple media product or service.
- BBC website exemplifies the way the printed text word (allbeit) online can be used to enhance the moving image text.

Evolving technologies
- Changes in audience and consumption

How have audiences in technology brought about change in the audience trends?

- Upon the release of soaps , people were restricted to when and how they could watch their soaps on TV
- The family would need to be together at the same time to watch their soaps as their was only one viewing opportunity
- Due to technological and media development, this began to change

- Not only did the number of channels increase, offering chances for repeat scheduling, the number of televisions in the home increased
- Family members could watch soaps at different times and in different rooms
-

Going Online -

- Consumption was steadily changing and this was spurred on by further technological development such as online media
- The internet offered a new platform for television to reach their audiences
- This happened through the launch of media services such as BBC iPlayer in 2007
- Audiences no longer need to be at home to consume their favorite shows
- by 2009, BBC iPlayer was extremely sucessful with 5 million streams per week
- 86% of streams or requests came from desktop users
- Although new technologies have increased audience choice and enabled channels to reach wider audiences, it can be argued that programmes such as EastEnders have lost the ability to bring the family together


The impact of convergence
- Over recent years, media development has been rapid and convergence has become the centre of modern life
- With products such as the iPhone offering multiple devices in one, the audience have come to expect ease and accessibility
- Modern audiences are used to having all their desired technology at their finger tips in one product and this has greatly affected audience consumption#
- Audience demand has been met
- Now we not only choose when but also where to consume our entertainment , this has been made possible through portability which has been argued as the most important advance in technology
over recent years
- This is because consumers can have a phone, camera, television, and internet connection all in their pocket

New/ Digital stories

TV advertising exceeds £5bn for first time

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/02/23/tv-advertising-exceeds-5bn-for-first-time/

- Television advertising has surpassed 5 billion mark for the first time in history , a report has found

- Revenues from TV advertising rose from 7.4pc to $5.27 billion last year, the sixth consecutive year of growth according to TV marketing body Think box.

- On-line businesses are the second largest TV advertising category, with investment of more than $500 billion dollars up 14pc on 2014

- It said that social media giant Facebook was the biggest-spending new TV advertiser, ploughing £10.8m into on-screen adverts.

I think that this is good for the television industry as many advertisers have been going to digital media institutions to pay for advertisements in which there has been a decline in TV advertising so its beneficial to the TV industry in which the TV industry is not facing any cuts or anything.

Google boss Sundar Pichai handed shares worth $199m

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/12147452/Google-boss-Sundar-Pichai-handed-shares-worth-199m.html

- Google's chief executive has been handed shares worth $199m (£138m), making him the highest paid boss in the US.

- Sundar Pichai, who became head of the search giant in October after a company-wide reorganisation, was awarded 273,328 shares, filling showed. The shares will vest every three months until 2019.

- Mr Pichai now owns stock in Alphabet, Google’s parent company, worth $650m

- However, his wealth still pales in comparison to Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who are worth $34.6bn and $33.9bn respectively.

- Large numbers of shares were also handed to other executives at Google, which is responsible for 99.4pc of Alphabet’s total revenues

- Diane Greene, head of Google’s cloud computing business, received stock worth $42.8m.

- Elsewhere, Ruth Porat, the chief financial officer of Alphabet, received equity worth $38.3m.

- The awards came just weeks after Google agreed to pay £130m to the UK  in a bid to draw a line under its long-running tax row.

In conclusion I believe that Google is a company at the top of their game in which they can afford to play around with shares and experiment to make much more money from public funding.

Media Factsheet

-

- Audiences in the digital media

Digitalisation of television and the increase in other forms of digital entertainment has divided the audience into smaller niche groups.

Only a very few programmes appeal to mass mainstream audience, for example sports programming and entertainment shows like Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor regularly attract audiences of over 10 million, but most programming now relies on a much smaller audience

Digitalisation has also created technological advances that allows audiences to construct different types of relationships with media products and producers

Computer Generated Imagery and animation has transformed the look of feature films and digital cameras have put

film making into the hands of amateurs (who can distribute and exhibit to a global audience on services such as

YouTube).

DVD box sets and access to streaming video have encouraged television drama to use longer, more complex

narratives. It is now common place for stories to have arcs that extend over 12 or 24 hours and, in some cases over
5 or 6 (or even more) seasons.

Audiences are now likely to have ‘marathon’ viewings of multiple episodes of their favourite extended drama.

Live TV viewing and attendance at cinemas is in decline

Social networking has replaced institutional based media for some whilst others access media products in alternative ways, such as streaming on-line, downloading or DVD/ Blu-ray. iPlayer allows BBC television programmes to be downloaded to a mobile device which can then be viewed anywhere and at any tim


 Viewers are no longer tied to schedules or locations.

In addition, digital media has allowed audiences to have a more proactive relationship with institutions and they can be seen to be much more active than in the past. Audiences can be seen to have more of an impact on production and can even be part of the production process themselves. Some see this as a positive move that reduces the amount of power held by institutions. 

NETFLIX -

Netflix, Inc. is an American based company providing on-demand Internet streaming media to North and South America, Scandinavia, the Caribbean and UK & Ireland

he company was established in 1997, and began their DVD-distributions in 1999.

They were not launched in the UK as a service until 2012, although awareness of the brand grew as a result of their success in streaming original programming and support of independent film distribution.

They describe their institution as “the world’s leading internet television network” and much of their development has impacted audience consumption of television.

Netflix is available across a range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and internet enabled television. This is an example of technological convergence, where two or more technologies combine in one new device/ platform/ application. For Netflix, technological convergence offers greater audience pleasures through increased accessibility and user convenience.

Netflix requires users to subscribe to the service via the company website. The user pays a monthly fee, and can then stream unlimited films and TV programmes instantly.

Netflix offer the streaming across a range of devices, including TVs and tablets. Netflix also allows users to log into multiple devices, meaning that login details can be shared within family or friendship groups

The streaming market is increasingly competitive, as the technologies used to stream VoD become ubiquitous within society. DVD rental shops have lost their market share, with many going into administration (Blockbusters being a notable recent case).

Alongside Netflix, users have various options including LOVEFilm, Amazon Instant Streaming, NOW TV (Sky TV’s offering), as well as the more independent Mubu and Curzon On Demand. Netflix seeks to maintain its popularity with subscribers through increased personalisation.

According to Todd Yellin, Netflix’s vice president of product innovation, 75-80% of what users watch on Netflix comes from recommendations, as opposed to searched programmes.

Offering audiences the increased personalisation offers the gratifications of personal identity and social interaction (Blumler & Katz), as users feel that they are able to tailor media schedules to their own tastes, while still participating in a viewing community through the rating and recommendations.

Netflix has also lead the way in developing VoD services through their acquisition of original content for distribution. This began with webisodes of the horror series Splatter (2009) which received mixed reviews for Joe Dante’s direction of Corey Feldman in the lead role of Jonny Splatter.

From this point Netflix took a 3 year break, coming back with the Norwegian-American comedy-drama series, Lilyhammer, and crime series, The Ropes. The altered approach to content proved popular with audiences, and led to Netflix licensing the rights to House of Cards in 2012.

 House of Cards, whose entire first season of 13 episodes, premiered on 1 February 2013, is a political episodic drama starring Kevin Spacey, with David Fincher (The Social Network, 2010) directing. The credentials of this partnership enabled Netflix to establish their brand as a leading on-demand television network. The series was exclusively available on Netflix, encouraging audiences to subscribe

up to the minute research

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3498521/How-UK-Netflix-viewers-half-choice-U-S-users-price-hack-use-access-extra-hit-shows.htm

- Netflix users in Britain pay £7.49 per month for 3,000 films and TV shows

- Users of video streaming service in America pay £7 per month for 5,600

Netflix customers in Britain only get half the titles available in America, it was revealed today.

- UK users of the video streaming service pay £7.49 a month for a selection of 3,000 films and TV shows on the standard plan, while in the US it is about £7 ($9.99) per month for 5,600 releases

But the California-based company - whose service is now live in almost 250 countries - is clamping down on these proxies, having announced two months ago that it wants to stamp out the practice.


http://www.blackhillsfox.com/home/headlines/Final-store-closing-ends-Blockbuster-legacy-in-Rapid-City-369601811.html


It's the end of an era in Rapid City as the Blockbuster movie rental experience comes to a close.

Eric Seljeskog says, "It was a family experience. People would come in with their whole family. It was an event just coming to the video store, almost as much as watching the videos themselves."

Back in 2011, all of the corporate Blockbuster businesses were shut down -- but the franchises, like the locations here in town, could still continue to operate. 

The store on Anamosa Street is one of the last remaining Blockbusters not just in the country, but in the world.

Eric says adaptability and a good customer base was what helped keep the franchise afloat for a couple more years.

Eric took over the franchise in 2000 -- running the business for over a decade -- calling it one of the most fun businesses he owned.

Eric attributes part of the pull away from movie rental stores to online streaming with websites like Amazon and Netflix carrying movies you can download with just a click -- never having to leave home.

Seljeskog says, "The other thing is the DVRs. People are recording more shows so the video stores aren't quite the experience they used to be."

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/617222/Simple-Netflix-Trick-Improve-Recommendations

This simple Netflix trick could revolutionise your movie recommendations

Netflix subscribers have the ability to set-up multiple profiles on their account.

These profiles are designed for different family members and friends – and should stop your significant other's dodgy movie picks from affecting your recommendations. 

A maximum of five profiles can be set-up per Netflix account, but that's more than enough to help you customise the content you fancy watching.

Setting up these profiles makes it quick to find content you feel like watching, rather than trawling through endless lists of programmes.

It also stops you confusing Netflix with the blend of film genres and shows normally associated with one person's account.

Netflix recently announced a price rise for some of its services.



http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-04/11/netflix-price-increase-uk

Netflix is putting up its UK prices for legacy customers

Prices for Netflix will be rising for some users, as the streaming video service ends its legacy pricing for long-term subscribers.

Netflix offers three package tiers in the UK, Basic, Standard, and Premium. The first, at £5.99 per month, allows users to log in on only one screen at a time, and only offers standard definition picture quality.

standard at £7.49 per month, gets you HD content (up to 1080p), and access on two screens at once.

The Premium bundle bumps up to 4K quality (as long as your internet connection can handle it) and allows up to four screens to be logged in simultaneously

£5.99 per month, a price most will still be paying. That will soon be ending though, as Netflix support has confirmed to WIRED that the £5.99 legacy pricing will be rising to the current £7.49 that a new member would pay – a £1.50 increase

The increase follows a similar move in the US, where long-term customers currently paying $7.99 for the Standard package will be facing a two dollar increase, taking it to $9.99 per month

"Later this month, members in the UK will begin to be ungrandfathered," a Netflix spokesperson told WIRED



http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/netflix-wheretowatch-removed-legal-streaming-search-engine-a6979601.html

http://www.profitconfidential.com/stock/netflix-inc-are-we-about-to-see-the-biggest-surge-in-nflx-stock-history/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/netflix-set-hike-cost-streaming-7722443

http://bgr.com/2016/04/08/best-netflix-movies-2016-how-to-find/

http://www.engadget.com/2016/04/08/dish-hopper-3-netflix-4k/

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/netflixs-catalogue-shrinking-here-numbers-7705731

http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/14-netflix-hacks-to-help-you-binge-like-a-pro-1768177238