Blog

October 2011

YouTube Movies launches in UK

By Cheryl | Posted in Entertainment | October 31, 2011 – 12:38 pm

YouTube LogoYouTube, which is owned by Google, has launched its online movie rental service in the UK.

The service is still relatively new, with the UK launch marking just the third country in which YouTube online rentals are available, after the US and Canada.

The company has signed deals with some of the leading movie making companies, specifically for the UK market, including Universal, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, and Lionsgate.

Will it take over LoveFilm in the UK?

The service puts it in direct competition with Amazon’s LoveFilm which offers both DVD-by-mail along with streaming video on demand.

LoveFilm was founded in 2002 and has firmly established itself as the leading movie rental service in the UK. The rental company has over 1.6 million customers around the UK and Europe, and as of January 2011, claimed to have over 67,000 titles and 4 million rentals per month across five countries. The online streaming service costs between £2.49 and £3.49 per film for non-members, with over 1000 titles available.

YouTube Movies currently has around 1000 titles ready to stream. The films cost between £2.49 and £3.29 to watch, with some older titles available for free. All movies are streamed with a number of 30 second adverts which cannot be skipped over.

LoveFilm has long established itself as the leading renting service in the UK and Google will find it hard to compete against them. One thing YouTube does have on its side though is that the site is currently the busiest video website on the web and this service is sure to attract a lot of interest.

Rumours are that Netflix will be heading over to the UK next year but as the saying goes, competition in the marketplace is always a good thing.

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Bonfire.im – The Instant Messaging Chat for Twitter

By Cheryl | Posted in Social networking | October 27, 2011 – 10:58 am

Bonfire.im AppCurrently the only way to have a private conversation on Twitter is through direct message, but could Bonfire.im be a game changer?

Bonfire.im is a plugin which adds instant messaging to Twitter, allowing you to chat away in real-time to your fellow tweeters. The start-up, based in Brighton, is currently gearing up to release the app to the public with the hopes that it will bring a whole new dimension to the way people use the service.

How it works

Bonfire.im will detect your browser, allowing you to install the correct plugin. Once the app is up and running you can invite your friends, the only limitation being that you have to follow and be followed by a user to chat with them. Simple!

Problems

One problem the company may have is that Twitter themselves are not actually involved in the application and are known to have had a checkered past with third-party app makers in the past. Many people have commented though that Bonfire could be a positive for Twitter as the app will keep users on site for longer periods of time, helping to make more money from advertisements.

Available

The company are currently gearing up for the release; hopefully we will not have much of a wait. The app will be available as a downloadable extension for Chrome, Firefox and Safari browsers.

bonfire.im

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MAS North West – Event

By Cheryl | Posted in Marketing, News | October 17, 2011 – 2:39 pm

MAS NW logoMAS North West will be holding another one of their great events on Thursday 20th October, discussing ways your business can improve its sales, marketing and web strategies.

The seminar, which will be held at the Suites Hotel in Knowsley, will run between 9:00am-4:00pm and feature guest speakers from a number of different sectors.

Our very own Managing Director, Judith O’Brien, will be on hand to discuss digital marketing and how it can help your business.

MAS has proved a great success since it was launched in 2002, helping UK manufacturers to share knowledge and improve productivity. Past events have proved successful for all participants, with many enjoying networking time at the end of the presentations. We hope to see you there!

Event : Improving Your Sales, Marketing and Web Strategy

Venue : Suites Hotel, Knowsley
Date : 20th October 2011
Time : 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

For more information and a full events schedule, visit http://www.mas-nw.co.uk/events

 

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