Ypulse Essentials: Black Thursday & Cyber Friday, A Film That Gets 3D, Streaming Video Reaches Record High

Black Friday’s move to midnight or earlier (may have been largely driven by Millennial shoppers, who, unlike their older peers, are quite comfortable shopping in the wee hours of the morning. With their in-store shopping out of the way, deal-hungry consumers then went online. Online sales on Black Friday were up significantly, with Amazon leading the way. Many online retailers established their own Black Friday deals so as not to lose out on sales to brick and mortar retailers. Overall, all retailers, physical stores or online, are off to a great start this season) (WSJ, reg required) (Reuters) (CNN)

- 3D has been the rage in movies for a few years now (but many fans don’t see the point. But “Hugo” might be the movie to change that opinion. Critics are calling it a film that finally gets 3D, taking it from gimmick status to dramatic tool. Speaking of 3D, “Beauty and the Beast” is the latest Disney film slated for an upgraded re-release. The 3D version hits theaters January 13, 2012) (IndieWire) (Deadline Hollywood)

- As more and more TV and movie content is available online — legally — for streaming (it makes sense that viewing would also reach a record high, with the average person spending 21.1 hours last month watching streaming video. What’s more, Americans collectively saw 1.3 billion streaming ads, or 47 per person. While YouTube continues its dominance of the online video market, three TV networks also ranked among the top 10 in unique viewers: Viacom, NBC, and Turner, and CBS ranks among the top 10 with ads delivered, which suggests networks are finding a new audience — and source of ad revenue — online. One way Millennials in particular are watching streaming video is via gaming consoles, and Xbox is leading the way in making deals to get content to its Xbox Live community) (TechCrunch) (NY Post)

- Charlie Brown is cooler than Lady Gaga… (at least in terms of Thanksgiving Day specials. The classic “Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” topped “A Very Gaga Thanksgiving” last week, but perhaps most telling of all, the holiday special to grab the most viewers was “Ice Age: Mammoth Christmas,” proving that turkey day is less a holiday itself than a kick off of the Christmas season) (EW)

- It’s time for Top 10 lists of 2011… (Here’s one on social media that includes a few up and comers that youth marketers should be on top of — Tumblr, GetGlue, and Pinterest. We can’t agree with listing Google+ at #1, though, as we’re still trying to find a use for it) (ReadWriteWeb)

- Darren Criss might be the best known member of Team StarKid (but fans are part of the franchise. The personal attention to fans and the group’s youth-culture fueled performances are what’s driving it to stardom) (Billboard)

- Fun fact of the day: six degrees of separation are down to 4.74 (thanks to Facebook. That’s how many connections it takes to tie any two random Facebook users to each other) (Newser)