In this day and age, YouTube is potentially more influential than any other medium in turning a song from one which no one has ever heard into a hit of epic proportions. Thankfully the music industry has realized this unsavory (at least to them) fact.

Music Charts

Once upon a time the music charts were made up of one thing and one thing alone: How many physical copies of a song sold in record stores. Now, with the way people consume music, and other types of content for that matter, having changed, so has the methodology behind the charts.

Several years ago digital downloads were added to the mix, as the industry realized it was fighting a losing battle against people buying digital rather than physical copies. Then came streaming services such as Spotify, which now also contribute to the charts.

This week saw YouTube added to the burgeoning list of sources used to determine whether a song is a hit or not.

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YouTube has long been seen as a possible alternative to pay-TV offerings, with a mix of music videos, television shows, and movies providing the needs of viewers. To truly be an alternative to pay-TV, YouTube itself may start charging for access.

Original YouTube Channels

There has always been original content on YouTube. Once Google had (generally) rid the site of the copyright-infringing clips that were its lifeblood in the early days, videos created by real people like you and I became the mainstream fare.

In 2011 YouTube sought to up the quality of its original content, giving producers a budget in order to create content for 100 premium channels. That process is continuing, with YouTube adding many more channels to the line-up at the end of last year.

The next logical step would be to start charging people to watch these premium channels. Which is exactly what looks set to happen.

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Amazon has taken on the episodic version of Zombieland in order to add to its Instant Video lineup. Which further cements the feeling that television networks are becoming a resource we could well do without, either now or in the near future.

Amazon Takes On Zombieland

Amazon is developing a TV series based on Zombieland, a hit movie starring Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, and a cast of unnamed zombies. Oh, and featuring a cameo by Bill Murray.

Zombieland began life as a proposal for a TV series, with CBS buying a pilot. The network decided not to proceed, so writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick turned it into a screenplay for a movie which was eventually released in 2009.

There have been rumors of a sequel, which then morphed into rumors of a TV show based on the movie. That looks like it’s going ahead, but funding is coming from Amazon rather than CBS or any of the other big U.S. networks.

Zombieland looks set to be an Amazon Prime exclusive, but with the project only just getting underway it could be some time before it sees the light of day.

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Netflix has signed a new deal with Disney which will see first-run movies from the media company streaming through the service from 2016. This is a big deal for Netflix, and its shares immediately rose after the news was revealed.

Blurred Lines

The lines between release windows and methods of viewing content are being blurred more and more as time goes on. We’ve already seen films released on demand as well as, or sometimes even instead of, in theaters.

This trend is set to continue, especially as the streaming companies find more money to offer traditional media companies for their wares. Money talks, even (or perhaps especially) when it comes to the big players.

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You may very well be sick of Gangnam Style by now, but there are more people discovering this song every single day. With YouTube crucial to Gangnam Style becoming a worldwide phenomenon, it’s no wonder the PSY hit has become the most watched video on the site.

Most Liked, Most Viewed

Gangnam Style became the most liked video of all time on YouTube in September, knocking LMFAO off the top spot. Now, Gangnam Style has become the most viewed video of all time on YouTube as well.

This time PSY knocked Justin Bieber off the top spot, with his Baby having held the top spot since 2010. Gangnam Style has been watched more than 835 million times, and all since it was first posted to the Google-owned video-sharing site on July 15, 2012.

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Nintendo launched the Wii U, its new home games console, in North America on Sunday (Nov. 18). Netflix and Hulu Plus are now both available through the Wii U, and both take advantage of the GamePad tablet controller to offer a second screen experience.

Netflix

Netflix arrived on the Wii U on day one, with existing Netflix users able to access the app by signing in. Non-members are instead invited to sign up for a free trial.

The Netflix app on Wii U takes advantage of the GamePad, the tablet-style controller that is Nintendo’s big idea with this console. Information about whatever you’re watching shows up on both the television and the GamePad, while the latter acts as a remote control while content is being played on the TV.

By selecting the ‘Play on GamePad‘ option playback switches from the TV to the controller, which also supports 1080p video. In this way you can leave the room while continuing to watch whatever content was previously playing on the television.

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Hulu Kids is a new dedicated section for children where Hulu will host commercial-free programming for younger generations. This is something Netflix introduced a while back, but for Hulu it’s a case of better late than never.

The Internet Generation

Children have always been avid television viewers. They’re also very open to new experiences, so many have switched to online options such as YouTube, Netflix, and BBC iPlayer much more quickly and readily than their parents.

This means that the online television portals have a need to cater to this younger generation of viewers, or risk losing them to the competition. With the online video sector still evolving, losing young viewers now could mean losing them for the longterm.

Netflix introduced a section named ‘Just For Kids‘ that is, unsurprisingly, just for kids, some time ago, and now Hulu has finally followed suit.

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