The Inauguration of President Barack Obama effectively spiked web traffic yesterday and put a lot of stress on many sites who were streaming the event. CNN said that it had over 21.3 million video streams during their nine-hour online coverage. They noted that the 21.3 million streams was extremely higher than their previous best of 5.3 million streams, which happened on election day.
In one of his first moves as President, Barack Obama rolled out a new look for WhiteHouse.gov. The first broadband President, whose understanding of both the medium and the message is outstanding, updated the government site, which now features a blog and RSS feeds for different issues. The site also includes a feedback section where "all non-emergency legislation" will be posted to the "website for five days", allowing the "public to review and comment before the President signs it."
Soon to be former FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is proposing fines against cable providers who move analog channels to digital tiers and force consumers to adapt to the changes by either buying a digital set top box or purchasing a more expensive package. Martin noted in a letter to Senator Jay Rockefeller and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, that "The Commission has received nearly 600 complaints from cable subscribers around the country who one day were watching their favorite channel and then the next day were unable to access it."
Warner Brothers announced that it will layoff 10% of it's workforce. CEO Barry Meyer and President Alan Horn wrote that "The changing entertainment business landscape, shifting consumer demand and the overall state of the economy have affected companies around the world and Warner Bros. is not immune to these factors."
According to Bloomberg, the SEC is reviewing Apple's statements on Steve Job's declining health. Details have been sketchy for months, now the investigation will determine whether or not Apple purposely has changed its stance on Job's health in order to maintain stockholder value. Last week Jobs took a leave of absence, while the week before he noted he had a slight hormonal imbalance.
Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes a daily show featuring news you can use about technology, media & entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC and the author of Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV (2008, York House Press). Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, NY (the organization that bestows the coveted Emmy® Awards). You can join the MediaBytes mailing list here. Shelly can be reached at shelly@palmer.net