Weekly New/Digital Media homework Week 22

WEEK 22

1. Google to ban Adobe Flash-based advertising

• Another nail is hammered into Flash’s coffin, meaning 2016 will be the last year of abundant display-marketing based on the maligned plugin
• Both arms of Google’s advertising business, Google Display Network and DoubleClick will stop showing Flash, meaning that all ads will have to use HTML5 for animations.
• Google said: “To enhance the browsing experience for more people on more devices, the Google Display Network and DoubleClick Digital Marketing are now going 100% HTML5.”
• Video ads, however, will still be able to use Flash for the time being, but the clock appears to be ticking for those as well.
• Over 100m Flash-based adverts were displayed to users globally in the year to June 2015, while 84% of banner ads were still Flash, according to data from Ad Age. That number is expected to be significantly reduced year-on-year and eventually taper to zero as other advertising services follow suit, such as Amazon which recently blocked Flash ads from its own site.

2. End of Printing The Independent newspaper

• Journalists from across the industry have been saddened by news that The Independent and Independent on Sunday newspapers are closing.
• Following the sale of the i newspaper to Johnston Press, The Independent will be a digital-only brand.
• Here are a selection of the comments from journalists on Twitter.
  Times sketch writer and diarist Patrick Kidd: "I've seen a lot of newspaper culls, often brutal ones, but the news about the Independent is so sad. Lots of very good people there."
  Spectator assistant editor Isabel Hardman: "So so sad to hear about closure of the Independent, a fine paper with such good people working for it. Will miss writing columns for it."
  Presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer: "Very sad news that the Independent and the Indy on Sunday are to close. They were the reason I wanted to be a journalist."
  Independent chief reporter Cahal Milmo: "So, goodbye then to the print editions of The Independent and The Independent on Sunday. Sad day for us, bad day for journalism."
  Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid: "Whether you bought it or read it, the closure of The Independent/IoS & move to online-only feels like a big moment for all journalism."