“House of Cards” Changes TV Distribution Model
If 2013 was any company’s year, it was Netflix’s, which stayed at the top of the headlines from pretty much start to finish. But the company’s move in February to release all 13 episodes of its original series “House of Cards” at once is a game changer that is already changing the face of the television business. Whether making the traditional pilot development process irrelevant, permanently disrupting the live broadcast model, or ushering in a new era of consumption, the first season of “House of Cards” was a touchstone in entertainment history.

Twitter’s IPO Showcases Social TV Dominance
Financially speaking, the verdict is still out on whether Twitter’s initial public offering in November was a success – though certainly the company handled its foray into the stock market better than fellow social media giant Facebook did in 2012. However, in a year marked by massive partnerships with companies ranging from Fox Sports 1 to the NFL to NBCUniversal, the IPO was a defining moment in the company’s march toward dominance in the social television space. Clearly, Twitter itself thought it was - the prospectus for its IPO mentioned television 42 times.

Nielsen Unveils Twitter TV Ratings
While the link between online chatter and tune-in remains elusive, Nielsen’s commercial launch of its “Twitter TV Ratings” in October at least pushed the needle forward on measuring, and monetizing, social TV. For now, the ratings system only reveals how much activity a show generates on Twitter, but it’s only a matter of time before it’s possible to gauge the direct impact Twitter conversation has on consumption. The Twitter/Comcast-produced “See It” feature, which will let a user click to watch a show mentioned in a tweet, is just one upcoming development that will shed light on the new, shadowy era of metrics.

Oreo Social Media Slam “Dunk”
Some campaigns throughout history have altered the marketing industry. Oreo altered it in less than 140 words: “Power out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark.” It’s become a household tweet by this point, but just in case you were living in a cave, that single tweet emerged when the lights went out on Super Bowl XLVII in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and promptly radiated across the globe, and possibly the universe. Never before had the power of smart, swift real-time content to connect deeply with consumers been so dramatically demonstrated. Brands have been trying to outdo that game-changing moment ever since.


Social Media Gets Visual
A picture may not be worth a thousand words anymore, but it’s worth at least a thousand characters. Image-based social networks exploded to new levels in 2013, as Twitter debuted Vine, Instagram put out its own video service, and Facebook tried to keep up, offering $3 billion for the upstart photo-sharing company Snapchat. The brevity of these applications’ offerings put a vice grip on our collective ever-shortening attention spans, but for marketers, the potential to build layered, fabulously creative digital campaigns has never been greater.

The Rise of Google Glass
Wearable connectivity will effect us all in the coming years, with Google’s ultra-futuristic glasses product leading the charge. Though Glass will not be publicly available for some time, Google’s innovative Explorer program has provided plenty of tastes of what the new technology is capable of (in addition to offering a case study in creating word-of-mouth product awareness and enthusiasm). Simply put, Glass brings the precision of digital advertising to the physical world, and there’s no end to what marketers can do when the Internet fuses literally with the world around us. (Glass is shaking up the broadcast world as well.)

Aereo Speed Wagon
Whether you call it a groundbreaking innovation or a dangerous threat to the traditional TV business model, there’s no denying Barry Diller’s over-the-air streaming company made waves in 2013 that will be felt for years to come. Allowing viewers to watch TV live on an Internet-connected device, Aereo has been brought to court repeatedly by the major networks… and received favorable rulings each time. Though it’s now heading toward a date with the Supreme Court, Aereo is confident it has little to worry about. If only broadcasters felt the same way.

Hulu Walks the Walk
After trying to sell off Hulu over the summer, co-owners Fox and Disney have instead reinvested in and revamped the troubled digital TV company, bringing aboard new CEO Mike Hopkins and injecting it with a $750 million cash infusion. Hopkins will try to right the course of a ship that veered wildly in 2013, but still has potential as a streaming service to rival Netflix and others. The content companies invested in Hulu certainly have the pedigree to make it special, but Hopkins will need to get them on the same page.

The Reinvention of Yahoo
Speaking of companies looking to overcome past woes, Yahoo, under the guidance of CEO Marissa Meyer, reinvented itself in 2013 as a major entertainment media player. The company continues to struggle in key areas, but Meyer’s commitment to making it a go-to destination for content is inspiring, and fun to watch unfold. From airing a web-series-to-broadcast sensation with the hilarious “Burning Love” to hiring Katie Couric as its new “Global Anchor,” Yahoo is upping the ante for what is possible in the digital space, misfires and all.

The Console Wars
For the first time in seven years, both Microsoft and Sony had brand new consoles on the market in 2013. And these weren’t your grandmother’s consoles. The Xbox One and Playstation 4 have moved beyond merely being gaming machines with capabilities that would have been unimaginable a decade ago. Both are sophisticated digital content hubs with the potential to not only bring nearly every form of streamable content available to the user’s TV screen, but offer innovative new ways of engaging with that content. At a time when the video game industry is on a precarious brink, these devices continue to sell millions – a testament to their importance on the digital landscape.

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