“Hollywood is increasingly relying on Twitter and Facebook to gauge popular buzz on movies even before they come out, in a move reflecting the power of average filmgoers over once-mighty film critics and detailed surveys.

Studio executives are finding it’s important to track the instant reactions of ordinary people to their new offerings, and companies are springing up to provide tools that both monitor and analyze buzz on social networking sites.

In other words, buzz is the amount of chatter or interest in a movie, which can increase awareness of the film and help drive box office sales.”

Read this article from Reuters.

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“It’s no secret that the Internet TV service Hulu () has been on the rise in recent months. Its rapid growth can be attributed to many factors, but the fact that Hulu is owned by News Corp (FOX), NBC, and most recently Disney (ABC) has provided it with a huge edge in content.

Now it seems that Hulu’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed by the movie industry. Quietly, Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM studios have been working together on a new project that will create a new TV channel and sister website for streaming movies: Epix. And while Epix is in private beta (for now), it promises to offer hundreds of full-length movies for your viewing pleasure, but with a few important caveats.”

Read this article from Mashable.

Read this article from News. Scotsman

“From Napster to Kazaa and back again, digital piracy is old news. But while the film industry has been affected before, notably when last year’s The Dark Knight was leaked before its official DVD release, movie studios have yet to feel the financial drain in the same way as the music industry.

In part, this is due to the cinema experience. Watching a pirate copy on a laptop or even a legitimate DVD at home is not the same as the full popcorn and big screen experience. And those happy to watch apirate copy probably never intended to go to the cinema anyway.”

Read this article from KVNU’s for the People.

“A conversation most of us are familiar with now is how the internet and constant connectivity via cell phones, public or municipal wi-fi, facebook, twitter, blogs, etc. have changed the way we get our information, and upped the ante on parties and elected officials in efforts to engage voters.  In Taking on the System, Dailykos founder Markos Moulitsas writes about the circumvention of traditional “gatekeepers” of news and information going on, and the populist infusion this brings to political dialog and campaigns.”