It looks like the media industry likes Facebook

By , July 07, 2011

You couldn't go a few minutes at the CONNECTIONS™ conference last week without hearing the buzz phrases:

Multi-platform
Companion devices
Cloud
Advertising

Another one that was bantered about was social networking integration - using the power and scale of Facebook to build deeper relationships between media companies and their audiences as well as the use of social networking as a way for media companies to guide consumers to the content that they want. You definitely see the pace of media-Facebook integration accelerating. Below, I've pulled together a rough timeline of major announcements between media players and the social networking site:

August 2006: Facebook introduces the first version of the Facebook API, enabling users to share their information with the third party websites and applications they choose (
May 2007: Launch of Facebook Platform, which allowed third party developers to build rich social applications within Facebook.
May 2008: Facebook introduces Facebook Connect, that allows users to "connect" their Facebook identity, friends and privacy to any site.
March 2008: Paramount offers clips from its movies via ZooVoo.
July 2009: Verizon integrates Facebook as a widget into its FiOS TV Service.
September 2010: Facebook blocks Apple's Ping from accessing the Facebook Connect API, so Apple removes the feature from iTunes.
April 2010: Pandora can tap into the Open API Graph from Facebook to determine music tastes.
May 2011: Warner Bros. offers video rentals on Facebook.
July 2011: In its highly-anticipated IPO, Zynga discusses how its games have been #1 on Facebook since 2009, but notes that if it can't "maintain a good relationship with Facebook, [its] business will suffer."
July 2011: After launching integration with Facebook Connect on July 1, Hulu temporarily suspended the service on July 5 after some users saw the profile photo and email address of other users when connecting their accounts.
July 2011: Comcast to integrate Facebook into its XFINITY IPG.
July 2011: Game show producer Endemol is using Facebook Credits to collect micropayments from viewers who want to kick contestants off the German version of Big Brother.
July 2011: Facebook Video Chat is powered by Skype.
July 2011: TV Genius announces an EPG integration with Facebook.
July 2011: Spotify and Facebook in a collaboration?

It certainly seems to make sense to create tighter linkages between media producers and fans, but I wonder how much work most consumers will want to "open their APIs" to every taste, every show they like, and every marketer even if it means better recommendations? I mean, I'm not about to go tell the world that I like "Covert Affairs" on USA because Piper Perabo is easy on the eyes, now am I? Oh wait...I guess I just did that.

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It looks like the media industry likes Facebook

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