Reverberate: US media and marketing news you need to know – Facebook opens Internet.org platform amid India net debate, Apple takes aim at Spotify and Google unveils Pinterest rival
Morning all, here’s a glimpse at all the media and marketing news you should know today.
Reverberate: US media and marketing news you need to know
1. Facebook has opened up its Internet.org platform to new websites and applications from developers, claims Reuters. The move has drawn criticism from some online activists in India who expressed concern over the social network's control over all data accessed on the service and said it violated the principles of an open web.
2. Apple is pushing music labels to kill free Spotify streaming, according to the Verge. The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission are allegedly reviewing the silicon valley giant's business practices following reports that it has been pushing major labels to force streaming services to abandon their free tiers.
3.Google+ is to take on Pinterest with its sharing feature Collections, writes Yahoo. The new development, which has been described as “part Pinterest, part blogging” allows users to create groups of photos, videos, and links and then share them with other people in their Circles.
4. Meerkat is now allowing users to watch some live streams without Twitter, notes Mashable. The streaming service has minimized its reliance on the micro-blogging site, which has worked to limit the startups access to its users since the launch of rival Periscope, by adding Facebook support to the app.
5. NewsCorp is apparently trying to take on BuzzFeed with a new site called Internet Action Force. The platform describes itself as "the world's first rapid-response team of highly trained, socially awkward digital nerds" and is staffed by a number of comedians including editor John Devore.
6. Cisco chief executive John Chambers is to step down after 20 years at the helm, asserts Fortune. The firm announced on Monday that Chuck Robbins, senior vice-president of worldwide field operations, is to step into the company’s top job in July.
7. Vice's TV network has already sold three years' worth of ad time, writes AdAge. The media firm's co-founder and chief executive, Shane Smith, said the network – which hasn't even gone live yet – has "effectively presold all of the ad spots to two of the biggest advertising agencies" for 2015-2018.
8. And McDonald's has redesigned its iconic take-out bag, notes Business Insider. The new design turns into a tray when customers pull a strip of paper near the bottom of the bag. The invention, dubbed 'BagTray', was developed by McDonald’s Hungary and DDB Budapest.
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