Online Video: It's a small world!

YouTube to Offer Users 'Insight'

2008-03-27T07:37:00.001-07:00

Google has introduced a new, free tool to YouTube that will provide
those who post video clips on the mega-popular site--whether they are
semiprofessionals or media conglomerates--with deeper insights into
when, where and how often their video clips are viewed.

Using YouTube Insight, publishers are able to analyze the viewing
patterns or individual videos far more thoroughly than in the past,
when only total views and users ratings were available. For example,
with the new tool, any content producer who posts videos on YouTube
can examine what days of the week or hours of the day traffic spikes,
what U.S. states account for the most streaming and how long
particular clips remain popular.

Theoretically, content publishers can use the tool to determine
programming strategies. Advertisers can use it to test the popularity
of several different ads in different parts of the country. Media
planners could use it gauge when and where their best spending
opportunities lie.

"Effectively, we've become the world's largest focus group," said
YouTube product manager Tracey Chan. "There are so many use cases.
This really enables programmers and marketers to optimize their
presence on YouTube."

One use case that is not available up front is a measure of total
audience reach for an individual video – something that many in the
burgeoning online video space have been clamoring for, but something
that is not available upfront in YouTube Insight. However, Chan said
that several innovations to the new tool are already in the works.

It's even possible that YouTube Insight could be used to measure video
traffic on other sites – something that is mostly Nielsen or
comScore's domain at the moment. "If there is a strong desire, there
is the ability to take it to other platforms," he said. "We're really
open."

Alternative Flash Servers Follow H.264 Path

2008-03-26T15:37:00.001-07:00

Last week Wowza introduced live H.264 capability in a preview version
of Wowza Media Server Pro; Red5 promises live H.264 to come in an
upcoming release of Red5 Server.

"As the popularity of Flash player video delivery increases, fueled by
Adobe's support for the H.264 video codec and the release of the Flash
Media Server 3 family of streaming servers, two alternative servers
that have also been growing in popularity continue to add features to
keep pace.

One of those alternatives, the Wowza Media Server Pro, staked a claim
last week as the first Flash media server to support live H.264
encoding using, as Wowza puts it, "readily available H.264 encoders
that support standard RTP/RTSP protocol." While the server won't be
available for final release until April, the preview version has
already begun to create interest. The Wowza Media Server Pro 1.5.0
preview release is available for download from the company's website
and, according to the company's press release, has been tested for
interoperability with Apple QuickTime Broadcaster, Vara Software
Wirecast, and HaiVision SD and HD hai1000 series network video system.
The last encoder mentioned, from HaiVision, is a high-definition H2.64
encoder, which means that Wowza also has provided a path to live HD
H.264 streaming.

Not to be outdone, the team at Red5, makers of the Red5
Server--another alternative Flash server--have also announced their
intentions to put H.264 into their product.

"Red5, or more specifically, our team member Paul Gregoire, is
working on the h.264 support," said Chris Allen in a February 14 post
on FlashComGuru. "We are releasing Red5 0.7 today or tomorrow, and the
h.264 stuff will follow soon thereafter in 0.7.1."

One of the reasons that alternative Flash servers have found a
footing was Adobe's previous pricing policy for Flash Media Servers.
Along the way, though, these alternative servers began to add features
that appealed to certain content delivery networks and broadcasters.
So, while the pricing on the Flash Media Streaming Server has fallen
to the same price as the Wowza Media Server Pro ($995) the market for
alternative servers has not completely disappeared.

Video Search News Conference

2008-03-22T05:01:00.000-07:00

There is an upcoming conference I'd recommend you to check: they have lined up great panels, great speakers and great topics! Check it out, it's on April 7-9 in San Francisco.

Click here: VideoSearchNews.com

Should television and Internet ratings for shows be combined?

2008-03-19T09:45:00.001-07:00

From Venture Beat:

With more content making its way from the small screen to your computer screen, it was only a matter of time before television executives realized the number of viewers watching a show on the Internet is probably important too.

At the OMMA Global conference in Hollywood yesterday, CBS Interactive's vice president and chief marketing officer, Patrick Keane, suggested that perhaps shows should combine television and Internet ratings, reports Online Media Daily.

The case Keane cited was CBS's show "Jericho," which was once — and still is — near cancellation. The show's 4.2 rating (meaning 4.2 percent of homes with televisions in the U.S. were tuned in) is hardly stellar. However, when factoring in the audience watching it online, the rating jumps almost a full point to 5.1. This difference can literally make or break a show.

Another example is NBC's hit show "The Office." That show was not always a hit and was, in fact, teetering on cancellation when NBC saw an explosion in popularity via Apple's iTunes store. That audience has since helped the show translate into a blockbuster on the network as well.

A combination rating would seem to make sense on the surface, but monetization remains somewhat of an issue for online programming — and a show's life or death naturally boils down to money. iTunes offers direct revenues to networks, but NBC backed away because it felt it was getting a raw deal (somewhat ironic given the above-mentioned salvation of "The Office" via iTunes).

For streaming video, newer services such as Hulu offer a nice online experience with advertisements that are not too intrusive, but the jury is still out on whether it will succeed or not.

Going the other way, a show that originated online, "Quarterlife," was not able to translate its online success into viewership on a network. The show was yanked after just one airing on NBC last month.

Video company Clearleap raises $9 million from Trinity Ventures and Noro-Moseley Partners

2008-03-19T09:42:00.001-07:00

Video technology company Clearleap claims it is expanding viewer
options for "what's on TV." The details are vague as the company
appears to be in stealth mode, but it says it is working a new model
for bringing the near-infinite range of online video content to
television.

The Atlanta, Georgia company has raised $9 million in a round led by
Trinity Ventures and Noro-Moseley Partners. There's also a regional
digital media angle here. Atlanta is also home to Noro-Moseley, which
invests in companies based in the South — and to Turner, the large
cable television arm of Time Warner. Notably, individual investor Jim
Chiddix also invested: He's a former chief technology officer at Time
Warner Cable (a different cable division of the Time Warner
conglomerate). So did individual investor Sig Mosley, who's the the
president of Atlanta-based investment firm Imlay Investements.

The company itself boasts a number of founders with experience
building video technology.

Adobe Working on Media Player for iPhone

2008-03-19T09:30:00.001-07:00

Adobe Systems Inc. has begun work to create a media player destined
for Apple Inc.'s iPhone, Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen said
Tuesday, thus adding a new wrinkle to a standoff between the two
long-term partners.

The X Factor: Why online pre-roll is dead

2008-03-18T09:13:00.001-07:00

From iMedia -

Pre-roll was a bad idea from the start. It was lazy traditional thinking encroaching on an innovative medium. Here's why.

Online pre-roll video is dead. Okay, maybe not dead, but it has checked into a roach motel. Wow, did we screw this one up. All of us. I have received a lot of calls lately from media properties talking about all the extra inventory they have for pre-roll. And the prices dropped again! Wow, isn't that great? I'm reminded of something a friend told me once when we saw a sales sign in a shop window: "2 for 1 Suits." He said: "If they really wanted to screw you, they'd give you three of them."

You see, it's not just about the cost. So what happened? Numerous things, but they boil down to five points:

1. How the client end is managing the buy
2. How it is measured
3. Ad content
4. Ad content plasticity
5. Consumer tolerance

Now, you may be sitting there reading this and thinking I'm insane and that your programs are great, but I'll just tackle those points and let you make up your own mind. Oh hell, no I won't, I'm right, just listen. I can sum up all five points easily.

Who is managing: A lot of companies made their initial foray into pre-roll through the traditional side of their business; their offline agency trying to encroach on digital. They had the commercial assets and weren't giving them up easily. "Hey, we can use the television commercial and just put it in front of content online." Done.

How it's measured: How are you going to measure it? "Oh, it's about branding." Pa-lease. As I've said before, if you are not going to measure, and it exists online, don't do it. At least measure the branding impact if you're going to use that cop-out. Dynamic Logic, ever heard of it? And if not that, then Insight Express? Cookie viewers and measure post-view to your site over a week, and then pop your own survey to those that were cookied -- 'cause trust me, if they didn't come within a week, it didn't do your brand any good. And that's where the shift happened. The buys shifted to those who were controlling the online media plan -- the ROI side of things. Once you remove the "branding" escape clause, for many people it just didn't make sense.

Ad content: Let's face it, the ad content sucked. And for the most part, it never got better. Developing web-specific video content is still expensive. Agencies haven't figured out how to do guerilla production, and they charge too much. The time frames take longer to create, and then you have SAG or some other rights agency sucking out more of the budget. It's fine when you're spending millions in TV but absolutely nightmarish for online. Unless it is going to be a massive ongoing effort, the cost benefit analysis just doesn't work. So what do you? You slap that 15-second spot up and call it a day.

ROO Group Signs LOI to Acquire Kamera

2008-03-18T09:00:00.001-07:00

ROO Group (OTC Bulletin Board: RGRP - News) today announced that it
had entered into a Content Distribution Agreement (CDA) with Kamera
Content AB, providing for a collateralized and callable advance
payment by ROO of US$300,000. The CDA provides ROO with an exclusive
time period during which to fully negotiate the acquisition of Kamera.
The binding CDA was signed between the companies on March 12, 2008, at
the same time as the execution of a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI)
for the purchase of 100% of the capital stock of Kamera by ROO.

Kamera is privately held and based in Stockholm, Sweden, with certain
back-office operations in Cairo, Egypt. Through its proprietary
software and content distribution agreements, Kamera enables corporate
clients such as Vodafone, MSN, Orange, Telefonica, O2, Hutchinson and
China Mobile to deliver IPTV channels to their customers over mobile
and online networks. Kamera's content library includes localized,
ready-to-publish clips from ABC News, Associated Press (AP), SNTV and
others, and its proprietary ingestion engine allows for video content
to be transcoded into any mobile/digital format.

Online Video Viewing Down in January after Record-Breaking December

2008-03-17T11:24:00.001-07:00

YouTube.com accounted for one-third of the 9.8 billion videos viewed
online in the U.S. in January, according to comScore's Video Metrix.
That total was down slightly from the more than 10.1 billion viewed
during a record-breaking December 2007, writes MarketingCharts.

Google Lead Grows
* Google Sites once again ranked as the top U.S. video property in
January with nearly 3.4 billion videos viewed (34.3 percent share of
videos), gaining 1.7 share points versus the previous month.
* Google's YouTube.com accounted for more than 96 percent of all
videos viewed at the property.
* Fox Interactive Media ranked second with 584 million (6
percent), followed by Yahoo Sites with 315 million (3.2 percent) and
Microsoft Sites with 199 million (2 percent).

Online Video Viewers
* More than 139 million U.S. Internet users spent an average of
206 minutes per person viewing online video in January.
* Google Sites also attracted the most viewers (80 million), and
they spent an average of 110 minutes watching video.
* Fox Interactive attracted the second most viewers (53.9
million), followed by Yahoo Sites (36.3 million) and AOL LLC (21.9
million).

Other Notable Findings from January 2008
* More than three-quarters of the total U.S. internet audience
(75.7 percent) viewed online video.
* 78.5 million viewers watched 3.25 billion videos on YouTube.com
(41.4 videos per viewer).
* 49.4 million viewers watched 534 million videos on MySpace.com
(10.8 videos per viewer).
* The average online video duration was 2.9 minutes.
* The average online video viewer consumed 70 videos.

Hulu’s long tail of old TV shows and movies — something for everyone

2008-03-17T10:00:00.001-07:00

Most people know Hulu as the site where they can go to (legally) watch
currently popular television shows like Family Guy, The Office, 30
Rock and movies like Ice Age.

But the Hulu library of TV shows and movies is far richer than
modern-day hits, and users are loving it all. On any given week, more
than 80 percent of videos in the library are viewed, the company says.

Hulu only left its private beta this past Wednesday, so I'm interested
to see how growth on its "long tail" of older shows and movies plays
out on the web. Hulu videos can be embedded on other sites — more than
50,000 were during the private beta — and it partners with
video-sharing sites like Veoh for additional distribution.

These shows are, by this point in history, an important part of
America's cultural heritage. Sample TV titles include 80's detective
show Remington Steele, the 70's sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show, 60's
sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show (below), and one of my personal
favorits, 90's sketch comedy show In Living Color (see this classic
scene featuring "Homey the Clown").

Older shows like Arrested Development, Doogie Howser, M.D. and Airwolf
are regular favorites among Hulu users, the company says. Some of
these shows, like Arrested Development, weren't even popular enough in
their prime to make it past a few seasons.

And, older movies that have caught on with the Hulu audience include
1986 sci-fi flick Planet of the Apes, 1993 semi-fictional biography
Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story and perhaps one of the most brilliant
movies of all time, post-film noir comedy The Big Lebowski (I can
hardly believe I'm able to embed the entire feature length movie at
the bottom of this article, but there it is).

Many of these shows and movies have never been seen before on the web
(again, at least not legally). Old fans are rediscovering them while
new fans — many of whom weren't born when the shows first aired, are
falling for them, for the first time.

This "long tail" of Hulu is most certainly part of the Hulu game plan
(Note: Although the phrase itself has become a cliche, this is a
pretty good case for using it). Just take a look at who's the chief
executive of Hulu: Jason Kilar, a former executive at Amazon.com, a
company that showed that the long tail could be wildly profitable
through serving each niche of book lovers. Kilar was most recently
Amazon's senior vice president of Worldwide Application Software, and
before that, the vice president and general manager of Amazon's North
American media business — in fact, he led its entry into the video and
DVD selling business.

But Hulu is all about online distribution, as Kilar makes clear, and
just getting these shows spread out widely across the web will create
a plethora of new opportunities for advertising and other ways of
making money (more on that here).

It's also easy to imagine broader cultural significance, like a
resurgence of fan sites around these older shows on Hulu. Stay tuned.

Windows Mobile to get Flash content

2008-03-17T09:58:00.001-07:00

From Venture Beat:

Microsoft has licensed Adobe's Flash Lite and Reader, so users of phones with the Windows Mobile operating system can access Flash and PDF web content on their smart phones.

On one level, it's a surprising move, because Microsoft clearly wants to compete with Adobe on the mobile front. Earlier this month, the software giant announced it was moving its Silverlight web application developer software onto Nokia smartphones, with Windows Mobile compatibility coming soon. As we noted at the time, Silverlight is going to have a tough time taking on Adobe's dominant Flash player for regular web browsers — but it has a better chance in the mobile market, where Adobe is still bringing Flash Lite technology up to speed.

On the other hand, there's so much Flash content on the web that any smartphones claiming web-browsing capabilities will start seeming increasingly crippled without Flash Lite. The licensing deal gives Windows a leg up over Apple, where founder Steve Jobs said he isn't planning for any Flash or Flash Lite compatibility with the iPhone (our coverage).

Neither company has announced exactly when Flash Lite will become available for Windows Mobile.

Brightroll Ads, Now in HD

2008-03-17T09:24:00.001-07:00

Months after receiving $5 million in funding, Brightroll's video
advertising network is coming out with HD ad units, enabling brands to
deliver HD-quality advertisements across Brightroll's network of
content publishers. Despite initial hesitation to push HD content
across the web, the continued merging of web and home theater
entertainment, along with increased use of web distribution for
premium and broadcast network content has kept the spreading of HD
content going across the Internet.

Given the current climate for video advertising and the promise most
content providers and marketers think video advertising holds, it's an
expected progression for an online video advertising network to make.
Finding ways for advertisements to best fit into existing content is a
key component of brands to strive towards, and Brightroll is looking
to make itself a more attractive advertising network in supporting HD
ads.

In doing so, Brightroll is also straddling the fence that currently
divides web and home theater content, even as these two channels of
content delivery are finding more and more ways to overlap each other.
By supporting HD ads, those brands with HD-ready marketing content can
turn to Brightroll for a turnkey solution that fits with existing
content to be spread across the web.

Of course, there's lots more than just HD offering to being the
prominent or all-inclusive advertising solution for online ads, but
it's evident that Brightroll is really appealing to the bigger brand
names with this latest feature. Brightroll already has a good-sized
list of brand name clients, so HD ads is something that Brightroll
needs to do in order to provide continued value as an online
advertising service.

Universal Pictures: Optimizing Video for Search

2008-03-14T11:34:00.001-07:00

By Michael Boland, Search Engine Watch

We hear a lot about universal search and how it will keep SEO professionals on their toes with constantly evolving ranking algorithms. So how can local online advertisers take advantage of universal search?

Since universal search algos increasingly look favorably on video, the medium has been discovered by some clever SMBs as a side door into top SERP rankings. For these local marketers, top spots for certain keywords that have a great deal of bid pressure (i.e. "restaurant San Francisco"), suddenly become more accessible with optimized video.

Combine this with the relative dearth of optimized video out there, and it becomes a great opportunity for local video producers that are on top of their SEO game. Most local online video is buried within the listings of Internet yellow pages (IYP) sites that don't optimize the content effectively.

What are some of these optimization tactics? It can be as simple as uploading a video to YouTube that also resides on your Web site or landing page, according to Steve Espinosa, director of product development for eLocalListing. When Google sees that the copy and meta data surrounding your video is the same as the equivalent YouTube clip, it will rank your video and landing page higher as part of its increasing favorability of YouTube content.

Enter eLocalListing

eLocalListing has started to take some of these tactics to market. It's the latest in a growing wave of companies to offer video advertising to SMBs. Unlike many others, eLocal has SEO in its DNA.

"We've had top results in Google within three days of creating and submitting the video," Espinosa said. "These are terms such as 'painting in Columbus Ohio' or 'photographer in Sacramento.' These aren't small cities."

The company's strategy originated because SMBs aren't willing or able to shoot a video ad, convert it to a digital format, upload it to YouTube, and build a corresponding landing page with optimized tags and site copy.

With this in mind, it offers a low barrier video production product, similar to the well known Spot Runner, which lets SMBs customize a short video ad using stock footage. It also offers a landing page for the sizeable segment of SMBs that don't have a Web site (or have one that's poorly optimized). This all costs $99 for set-up plus $159 per month for SEO and SEM placements.

"You pick a video you like, and we'll assemble it with the information you want shown at the end, add the music, and then it becomes part of your online profile," said CEO Tim Judd.

The company's viral distribution and SEO strategy is a double-edged sword, though. While universal search creates the opportunity to push video into top SERP rankings, rapid evolution of universal search algorithms makes it difficult.

"Our content syndication strategy and our profile pages have changed three times in the past two quarters to adapt to how Google and Yahoo read and establish authoritative documents for their algorithms," Espinosa said. "It's constantly evolving and our strategy has to constantly evolve along with it."

Optimizing How-To Videos

So far this year, we've already seen noticeable interest and investment levels around how-to video sites. These often have the informative and entertaining attributes that make them a natural fit for viral distribution.

New sites include HowCast, which launched earlier this month with $8 million from Tudor Investment Corp., as well as MonkeySee, and WonderHowTo, which both launched last month.

Like the local video ads outlined above, there's a great opportunity to use basic SEO tactics to make how-to videos surface in SERPs. This opportunity becomes even clearer if you consider that Hitwise reports 2.6 percent of all searches are how-to in nature; and 5 percent of the traffic from the top 10 how-to searches goes directly to video sites.

Hitwise's top how-to searches for the four weeks ending January 26th:

How to tie a tie

How to ...

How to have sex

How to get pregnant

How to write a resume

How to win the lottery

How to kiss

How to lose weight fast

How to lose weight

How to solve a Rubik's Cube

So what does this mean (besides the fact that the searchers for questions 3 and 4 should meet up)? For IYPs, local search sites like Citysearch, and anyone else dabbling in local video advertising, a nice opportunity exists. Using optimization techniques, video in certain categories (home improvement, travel, lawn and garden) can generate traffic from this giant base of how-to searches.

Universal Pictures Part II: Sizing up the Local Video Market

2008-03-14T11:32:00.001-07:00

In my vertical search column last month, we looked at the opportunity for SMBs to use universal search to their advantage by producing and distributing online video. But what is the size of this local video market? There are lots of projections being thrown around for the overall video ad market, but what about local?

eMarketer, for one, predicts the overall online video ad pie to grow from $775 million in 2007 to $1.35 billion in 2008, and $4.3 billion by 2011. By comparison, today's U.S. television market is about $70 billion.

$1.35 billion is about 5 percent of the 27.7 billion projected for all US online ad spending in 2008. If the same were true on the local level, 5 percent of the total U.S. local online ad spend ($2.4 billion in 2008 according to Kelsey Group data) would be $120 million.

But First...

I think $1.35 billion is probably too bullish, and if so, video's percentage of overall online ad spending will be less than 5 percent this year. Furthermore, in local, video's percentage of the total online ad spend is less than the national figure. This is because online ad networks aren't as developed as the national market, where players such as BrightRoll and VideoEgg place video throughout quickly expanding content networks.

However, video's share of the local online ad spend will equal or surpass the corresponding national number over time. This will be driven by growing demand for video advertising at the local level, and the resulting development of local ad inventory throughout local search and IYP sites.

Some of the factors causing this video advertising demand include:

Online distribution has lowered the barrier for SMBs to advertise with video (previously limited to cable spot advertising).
Broadband penetration and killer apps such as YouTube have popularized online video almost to the point of an expectation in search – and by extension, local search.
Video is traditionally a strong and valued branding medium.
The "lean forward" mode of watching online video takes advantage of direct response capabilities of the Internet.
The "vanity factor" that has traditionally driven a considerable degree of local advertising (in yellow pages) is present in video.
Given increasingly "blended" SERPs, video can be a powerful differentiator among text links.

To further support this, a December SMB survey done by AT&T in 10 U.S. markets, showed that 53 percent expect to buy online video ads within the "next couple of years".

As the $15 billion U.S. Yellow Pages industry only penetrates about a third of the SMB marketplace, video could be one of the ways to combat declining revenue by appealing to a new breed of advertisers.

If publishers are to grow top-line revenue, a significant percentage of the overall revenue mix will have to come from places where new growth is happening, such as search and video. Some progressive Yellow Pages publishers have publicly stated that at least 30 percent of revenues should come from these and other non-print sources.

As publishers are driven by this to resell search advertising and online video in earnest, the needle will begin to move for aggregate local video ad growth. Many IYPs and local search sites are already moving in this direction, including Citysearch, Superpages and Yellowpages.com – each of which formed reseller relationships with local video vendors in the past year.

SEO for IYPs: Video is the Key

Back to SEO, video also has the ability to drive traffic for IYPs and local search players. As examined in the first part of this column, universal search enables well-optimized video to improve search rankings for IYP listings and drive incremental traffic back to them.

But despite IYPs' realization that video will be a valuable tool in their ongoing ad sales efforts, their video SEO strategies have a long way to go. SMB video clips in the IYP environment are mostly buried within listings.

The opportunity here comes down to the fact that search is a sizable front door to most online experiences (duh); and local search is no exception. Although some IYPs have valuable URLs and strong brands, they also benefit from significant upstream search traffic.

So if they can get on the video SEO train in a more concerted way, they can reap these same benefits to a greater degree, given the opportunities universal search will offer. At the intersection of video and SEO, local search sites and IYPs – as the traditional "owners" of local – have the most to gain, and the most to lose.

AOL to buy Bebo social network

2008-03-13T09:03:00.001-07:00

Time Warner Inc's AOL Internet division is to buy social network Bebo
for $850 million in cash, bolstering its consumer Internet offerings
even as the media conglomerate mulls splitting off the business.

Bebo, which claims a global membership of about 40 million users, is
one of the top social networks in Britain and market leader in Ireland
and New Zealand, it said. It is No. 3 in the United States behind News
Corp's MySpace and Facebook.

"AOL, at its core, is a way for people to connect," AOL President Ron
Grant told Reuters in a phone interview on Thursday. "We need to get
back to our roots."

The two companies had spent the last six months hashing out the deal,
the executives said. Grant said Bebo's heavy focus on media and
international interest had made it particularly attractive.

It already has a service in Poland and is set to launch in France,
Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands in the next five or six
months.

The purchase comes amid a wholesale transformation of AOL from a
dial-up Internet provider to an online advertising powerhouse.

It has spent nearly $1 billion to create one of the biggest
third-party display ad units, Platform-A. AOL aims to gird against the
prospect of bigger rivals as Microsoft Corp pursues a deal to buy
Yahoo Inc and following Google Inc's purchase of DoubleClick.

"This is a tremendous acquisition and one I think is game-changing for
AOL," AOL Chairman and CEO Randy Falco said on a conference call.

NETWORKING

"Bebo will be the cornerstone of our strategy to transform online
experiences for advertisers, media companies and consumers," Falco
said.

AOL said Bebo would help round out its personal communications
offerings, now comprised of AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ, two wildly
popular services that let users send quick text, video and audio
correspondence.

Despite its global popularity AOL has not had much success turning
that into a business.

AOL said its advertising system is well positioned to turn social
networks into a thriving business despite difficulties its rivals
face. Google, which is the search advertising provider for MySpace,
expressed difficulties in "monetizing" MySpace's traffic.

"The acquisition demonstrates again how important the social
networking sites are to major media and Internet brands, who are
looking for new means to advertising growth," said Paolo Pescatore, an
analyst with UK-based CCS Insight.

"They represent a powerful opportunity, with their access to
demographic data and ability to target specific audiences."

Bebo President Joanna Shields will continue to run Bebo and will
report to Grant after the transaction closes. Falco said he expected
the deal to close in "the normal time" -- within around 30 days.

Falco declined to comment on what multiple of sales or earnings AOL
may have paid but defended the price, comparing it with the $15
billion valuation of Facebook implied by the $240 million Microsoft
paid for its 1.6 percent stake.

Facebook has around 67 million unique users.

"We think it's an excellent asset at a great price and we, I think,
have a proven track record of spotting value," he said."

Banc of America Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
advised AOL. Allen & Co advised Bebo.

Online Video Service NextNew Receives $15 Million Funding; Goldman, Velocity, Pittman Invest

2008-03-12T16:18:00.001-07:00

Online video production and distribution service NextNew Networks has
received $15 million in a new second round of funding...the round was
co-led Goldman Sachs and Velocity Interactive Group (Jon Miller is
already on the board from before). Previous investors Spark Capital
has invested again as has Saban Media Group and Bob Pittman.

NextNew, co-founded by former MTVN (NYSE: VIA - News) exec Herb
Scannell, former Sundance COO Jed Simmonds, former Hanna-Barbera
president Fred Seibert, raised a $8 million round in 2006. I have been
skeptical of video production studios like NextNew and since the
company started, many other competitors have entered the field. It is
a hits-driven business in a medium where a definition of hit is still
being defined.

Meanwhile, NextNew has also announced a deal with AOL (NYSE: TWX -
News) to provide AOL Video with about 2,000 episodes from some of the
short-form videos it has produced since its debut last March. AOL will
create a separate video channel for NextNew shows within its portal.

YouTube lets developers build their own YouTubes

2008-03-12T16:16:00.001-07:00

YouTube, Google Inc's popular video sharing site, is giving away tools
that let Web developers tap the underlying database functions of
YouTube, in effect allowing users to build their own YouTubes.

The Silicon Valley-based video-sharing site said on Wednesday that it
is providing wholesale access to YouTube's extensive video library,
global audience, and the underlying video hosting and streaming
network that powers YouTube.

The move goes significantly beyond the current access to YouTube
videos in which any Web user can copy and embed selected videos onto
their own Web pages.

YouTube said its latest customization offerings allow anyone building
a Web site or Internet-connected software program to upload videos
straight to YouTube. They can fetch video feeds, comments, responses
or playlists from YouTube.

What YouTube is offering parallels an earlier move by Yahoo Inc to
open up the ability of its Flickr photo-sharing site to provide deep
access to Web developers in order to embed underlying features of
Flickr in other sites.

Web site developers can let users rate videos or add them to a
favorites list embedded within their own sites. They can also
customize and control the Adobe Systems Inc Flash video playing
software through which videos are viewed.

The expansion of what is known in technical jargon as APIs, or
Application Programmer Interfaces, lets developers build a so-called
"chromeless" Flash player -- a video-viewing window that is stripped
of formatting such as title bar, browser buttons or status bars so
they can create their own players.

These free customization features can be used in conjunction with the
existing APIs which launched last year and which provide the ability
to view videos on other sites and to search for videos on YouTube.

By adding underlying features and functions of YouTube, developers can
enable users to publish videos directly from their mobile phone
devices or encourage new users to share videos to the Web site, as if
they were on YouTube itself.

Internet TV subscriptions doubled in 2007

2008-03-11T08:58:00.001-07:00

The number of Internet TV subscribers more than doubled in 2007 to
12.3 million worldwide, driven by western Europe where some broadband
suppliers offered the service for free, according to a report.

Western Europe, led by France, accounted for 57 percent of global IPTV
subscribers, research firm Informa Telecoms & Media said in a report
published on Tuesday.

Traditional telecom providers are seeking new revenue streams to
compensate for declining sales of fixed-line connections for voice
calls, and IPTV is a promising new area, especially for state
incumbents with extensive networks.

Informa said France Telecom, Iliad's Free, Neuf and Telecom Italia's
Alice had attracted more than 5 million IPTV subscribers between them
in France by bundling the service free with broadband offers.

A large number of those subscribers may not be paying for additional
content, however, Informa said.

"2007 was a watershed year for IPTV as many western European telcos
launched full packages," the report said, adding that IPTV was still
in its first phase of rollout and growth.

"It will be interesting to note their approach to IPTV in the future:
whether it is used to increase customer loyalty or whether it is a
genuine money-making stand-alone service."

China now has about 1 million IPTV subscribers and Hong Kong already
had 1 million in September, making it the world's most mature IPTV
market with 60 percent of DSL broadband customers subscribing for TV
over the Web, Informa said.

Informa also said the United States added more than 1 million
customers in 2007, largely thanks to fiber-to-the-home rollouts by
Verizon and AT&T. fiber-to-the-home delivers faster connections than
regular broadband.

In Germany and France, Deutsche Telekom and BT more than doubled their
subscriber numbers to reach more than 100,000 each.

Hulu makes public debut, adds Warner Bros shows

2008-03-11T08:57:00.001-07:00

Hulu, the online video joint venture of News Corp and General
Electric's NBC Universal, will make its public debut on Wednesday with
programming from Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros Television Group,
Lionsgate and from sports leagues.

Missing from the list of providers are media mogul Sumner
Redstone-controlled companies Viacom Inc, which continues to hold
discussions, Viacom said recently, and CBS Corp, which has said it was
not averse to a licensing deal.

At launch, Hulu will offer full-length episodes of more than 250 TV
series from current hits such as "The Simpsons" as well as older shows
like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." It also will offer 100 movies
including "The Big Lebowski" and "Mulholland Drive."

Hulu said it has signed licensing deals with the National Basketball
Association and the National Hockey League.

Hulu's launch is a big bet by big media companies that consumers are
as eager to spend long periods of time watching TV shows and movies in
front of their computers as they are in front of their televisions.

Ahead of its test launch four months ago, the service, dubbed by the
press as a rival to Google Inc's YouTube video sharing site, was
skewered by the press and influential technology blogs for attempting
to compete with the Web's most popular video destination.

Hulu has won over some of its harshest critics including technology
blog, Techcrunch, which has since praised the venture for focus on
professional content, clean, easy-to-use design, and video quality.
Its readers voted it as the best video start-up of 2007.

With no marketing and a private test pool of users, Hulu Chief
Executive Jason Kilar said they have attracted over five million
viewers in the past month with its breadth of legally available
contemporary shows and clean design.

Some 80 percent of its entire video library is viewed every seven
days, a sign likely to be viewed favorably by programming partners
seeking ways to boost profits from vintage shows, Kilar said.

Shows on Hulu also are distributed on AOL, Comcast Corp's Fancast.com,
Microsoft Corp's MSN, News Corp's MySpace and Yahoo Inc.

AD FORMATS IMPRESS

Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said he was most impressed,
not with its features, but with its range of options for advertisers.
"It's the part people overlook," he said.

Among the range of new advertising options, Hulu said that Nissan, for
example, can give Hulu viewers the option to choose to watch any one
of its several car ads.

Advertisers spend "billions of dollars getting the right ad in front
of the right person," McQuivey said of marketing to traditional
television viewers. Hulu's online advertising permits "self-selected
targeting."

McQuivey added, "From the advertisers perspective, it can't get any better."

Hulu said most of the companies which signed up for the test also are
a part of the official launch, including Nissan, Best Buy Co Inc, and
Unilever PLC.

Hulu is available at http://www.hulu.com/ starting Wednesday.

Jivox Hopes to Do for Video What Google’s AdWords Did for Display

2008-03-10T13:56:00.001-07:00

from Adotas

Online advertising may be having a moment: according to a study by
Burst Media last month, only about half of online video viewers tune
out after seeing an instream ad. Self-service online video advertising
platform Jivox plans to capitalize on the burgeoning market by
offering smaller, mom-and-pop advertisers access to easy-to-create
online video ads, the company said today.

"Jivox was founded on the premise that businesses are ready to move
beyond ineffective banner ads and costly search advertising by adding
online video ads to their marketing mix, but they need help tapping
into this new medium. The Jivox platform allows local businesses,
independent professionals, and small enterprises to get their products
and services in front of the right customers in a way that is rich and
compelling and drives new business," said Diaz Nesamoney, founder and
CEO of Jivox. "Just as Google enabled small businesses to promote
themselves online with the introduction of Google AdWords, we believe
Jivox can empower small businesses to take advantage of the burgeoning
advertising opportunities within online video."

The Jivox platform combines a video ad creation tool, proprietary
targeting technology, reporting capabilities and a growing network of
publishers to offer advertisers a complete, do-it-yourself service for
online video ads.

Online video marketing is the fastest growing segment of digital
online marketing because their click-through rates are generally much
higher than banner ads and their ilk. The cost of creating the ads was
discouraging smaller businesses, which is where Jivox and its low-cost
alternatives come in for customers like The Diamond Broker.

"Google search advertising has been the primary means of advertising
for us at The Diamond Broker. We specialize in GIA Certified Diamonds
with Excellent Cut grade, and feature nationally known jewelry
designers and our own custom designs, so the visual part of what we do
is very important. Unlike our search engine advertising, with Jivox
video ads we are able to reproduce our in-office experience online.
For our product, video advertising is particularly compelling, as the
beauty of diamonds and diamond jewelry is best expressed visually,"
said Jeff Richardson, founder of The Diamond Broker in Los Altos, CA.
"We are very excited by the capabilities Jivox offers us to create
unique ads featuring our diamonds and fine jewelry."

In other news, Jivox raised $2.7 million in a seed round of financing
led by Opus Capital, a venture capital firm. Jivox says it will use
the money to develop its online video ad platform and expand its sales
and marketing forces.

Disney to Offer Some Vintage TV Series on Its Web Site

2008-03-07T10:17:00.001-08:00

From the NYTimes

The Walt Disney Company will begin showing its classic television shows on the Internet, its chief executive, Robert A. Iger, told shareholders on Thursday.

"In the near future, you'll see more of that product available on Disney.com, either for free or through some sort of subscription," Mr. Iger, 57, said at the company's annual meeting. "Providing physical goods on DVD is tougher and tougher these days because shelf space is limited."

Disney, producer of the "Zorro" and "Davy Crockett" TV series in the 1950s, is expanding Web revenue by selling programs from ABC and the Disney Channel on Apple's iTunes Store and offering ad-supported episodes online. "Star Trek" from CBS and "The A-Team" from NBC have been added to those networks' Web sites. Mr. Iger did not say which shows Disney would provide.

CBS and NBC said last month they would put advertiser-supported episodes of older TV series online. CBS shows include "MacGyver" and NBC will provide "Miami Vice."

Disney bought Club Penguin, an online social network for children, in August to help increase Internet sales. Mr. Iger is also expanding Disney's cable network and animation businesses outside the United States. He is using hit TV programs and films like "High School Musical" and "Hannah Montana" to bolster sales in Disney's theme parks and its consumer products division.

"Each of these stories has been developed and enriched over time," Mr. Iger said at the meeting in Albuquerque. They "work on multiple technological platforms and appeal across multiple cultural and social backgrounds."

AARP Extends Platform, Launches TV Channel

2008-03-07T10:16:00.001-08:00

In addition to its magazine and lobby efforts, it's launching AARP TV.

Targeting the 50+ audience, its first two syndicated shows - "Inside E
Street" and "My Generation"--will debut on March 10 and 11,
respectively. Both will be distributed through and air on Retirement
Living Television, which reaches more than 29 million households
nationwide. The two weekly half-hour shows extend from AARP's
lifestyle and news platforms.

"AARP TV is another way to reach and deliver valuable information to
boomers and 50+ America," said Kevin Donnellan, chief communications
officer, AARP. "There's a proven demand in the market to serve the 50+
demographic, and RLTV was a natural fit for us."

"My Generation" is a lively lifestyle magazine show that will feature
experts covering issues ranging from health and money to relationships
and volunteering. Hosted by Greg Williams (former sports anchor) and
Cynthia Steele Vance ("CBS Morning News"), "My Generation" will air
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 3 p.m. on RLTV.

"Inside E Street," the channel's new consumer affairs program, is
hosted by veteran journalist Sheilah Kast, who has worked for ABC, CNN
and NPR. It airs at 3 p.m. Mondays and Fridays. The focus is on hot
topics of the day, showcasing a balance of opinion leaders and
newsmakers. Key issues before Congress will also be addressed.

"We are pleased that AARP has recognized the value in teaming up with
RLTV, a cable network with a mission not only to change the way people
watch television, but the way they live their lives," said Brad
Knight, president, RLTV.

RLTV launched in September 2006, and is carried on DirecTV and Comcast.

Deutsch Selects NextMedium as Brand Integration partner

2008-03-06T17:19:00.001-08:00

NextMedium, Inc., developer of the first marketplace for brand
integration, announced today that Deutsch, Inc. will be the first
advertising agency to partner with and utilize the company's Embed
platform to maximize brand integration opportunities for its clients.

"We talk to producers, networks and content providers all the time,
but NextMedium's platform adds a critical layer to the discussion,"
said Peter Gardiner, Chief Media Officer, Deutsch Inc. "It will give
us better access to inventory, campaign control and analytics, and
opens more doors for us enhancing brand capabilities for both Deutsch
and our branded entertainment practice Media Bridge Entertainment
(MBE)."

For agencies such as Deutsch, NextMedium's Embed platform serves as a
complete management system to secure and analyze brand integration
opportunities available in the marketplace. Deutsch will be able to
register its brands on the platform and define specific campaign
objectives, including demographic and psychographic targeting, desired
exposure types, and general branding objectives. The Embed matching
engine then displays contextually relevant inventory available from
its network of TV, music and film partners. Deutsch will be able to
negotiate creative aspects and secure inventory entirely through the
Embed platform.

Deutsch will also be using Embed Intelligence, NextMedium's analytics
package, to recommend campaign pricing and assess the media and
branding value after the campaign is complete.

"We have hundreds of registered brands in our network, but Deutsch is
the first to organize an agency-level commitment to offer a brand
integration marketplace to its clients," said NextMedium CEO, David
Bluhm. "We're thrilled to be partnering with a forward-thinking agency
that is committed to offering innovative brand building solutions."

Advertising.com Brings In-Video, Pre-Roll To The Masses

2008-03-06T09:15:00.001-08:00

TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF an increasingly video-centric Web,
Advertising.com is now offering advertisers in-video ad formats and
pre-roll inventory placement on a cost-per-click basis, while also
maintaining a CPM payment structure for publishers.

Through the integration of Ad.com's proprietary AdLearn technology,
the new Performance Video Product is seeking to bridge the "value
proposition" to a broader set of advertisers and publishers.

"With the integration of AdLearn technology into our video network, we
can now provide a new video offering for direct-response advertisers
and additional video options for brand advertisers," said Lynda
Clarizio, president of Advertising.com.

"Because the new product offering does not require professionally
produced commercials, all advertisers can benefit from the increase of
consumers viewing video online," she added.

Part of AOL's Platform-A advertising business and the largest
third-party ad network online, Ad.com is in fact playing catch-up with
this latest offering.

Ad network and Web video technology startup VideoEgg, for instance,
has offered in-video ad formats since its birth in 2005, and recently
launched a network for advertisers to negotiate a price for
engagement, thus offering a more valuable indicator of consumer
interest.

Microsoft is one of the first companies to use VideoEgg's new AdFrames
Brand Response Network to distribute video content promoting Microsoft
Office. The ads will run across the Eggnetwork, which includes
hundreds of social sites and applications.

Like Ad.com's new offering, VideoEgg's model diverges from the norm by
which advertisers buy online inventory based on impression--spending a
set amount per thousand delivered views, what's known as CPM.

And competition is bound to increase for Ad.com along with the
increasing revenue flooding into the online video market. Indeed, the
U.S. online video advertising market is expected to grow from $989
million in 2008--to an estimated $7.15 billion by 2012, according to
Forrester Research.

Ad.com's new cost-per-click offering employs a 5- to 9-second video or
flash creative asset and is streamed within an in-player video
environment.

MySpace co-founder acquires video-sharing site

2008-03-06T08:25:00.001-08:00

Brad Greenspan, co-founder of MySpace.com and founder of LiveUniverse,
an online entertainment network, announced that his company has
acquired ailing video-sharing site Revver.

Greenspan said in a statement that he plans to merge the offerings of
Revver and LiveVideo.com, his company's social-network and video site.
Revver will continue to operate under its own brand.

But the ex-MySpace executive did not pass up the opportunity to take a
few swipes at his former company. Greenspan opposed the 2005 sale of
MySpace to News Corp. and has badmouthed MySpace and its parent
company ever since.

Half of his press release announcing the Revver purchase is dedicated
to blaming MySpace for Revver's failure to attract fans.

Greenspan traces Revver's troubles to January 2007, when MySpace
blocked access to Revver's video player. MySpace banned Revver because
of its policy prohibiting third parties from posting ads on MySpace.

Revver embedded ads within videos and was booted. That's not how
Greenspan saw it.

"MySpace had become a predator aggressively blocking and censoring any
Web service it deemed competitive," LiveUniverse said in its press
release.

Funny thing is, none of the former Revver employees or founders I've
spoken to ever link the company's problems to MySpace. They typically
talk about YouTube's overwhelming command of the video-sharing sector.

Terms of the Revver acquisition were not disclosed, but sources
familiar with the deal say Revver was sold for pennies on the dollar.
Sources told CNET News.com last month that Revver was asking for
between $300,000 and $500,000 in cash and the assumption of the
company's $1 million debt.

News.com has since learned that Revver's debt was $2.5 million.
NewTeeVee, which broke the news of Revver's acquisition, quoted
sources who said that Greenspan paid just under $5 million for the
troubled company.

Investors had pumped about $13 million into Los Angeles-based Revver since 2005.

Yahoo Unveils Online Video Ad Formats

2008-03-06T08:07:00.001-08:00

The two new formats include one in which an ad that appears either
before or after a video contains a cue for the viewer to mouse-over
the video window.

Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) on Wednesday introduced two online video
advertising formats, and said it would also offer overlay ads through
its recent acquisition of Maven Networks.

The two new formats include one in which an ad that appears either
before or after a video contains a cue for the viewer to mouse-over
the video window. Doing so displays a message in a semi-transparent
overlay on the video ad. The message prompts the viewer to click
through to the advertiser's site for more information.

Along with the above "clickable" ad, Yahoo introduced a three-second
splash ad that appears when a video is launched, but then becomes a
banner ad above the video window. When clicked, the banner pauses the
playing video and launches an interactive ad.

Yahoo has made the new ad formats available in the United States on
all videos across the portal's network. Companies that have used the
formats include Adobe (NSDQ: ADBE), Esurance, HBO, and Sharp.

Maven's overlay ad is an interactive or Flash media ad that runs
inside the video player, but on top of the selected programming. The
ads can be displayed as splash screens, as well as in the middle of
the video or as a live-feed insertion. "These formats increase the
available inventory and choices available to publishers," Yahoo said.

Yahoo acquired Maven Networks last month for $160 million. The
company didn't sell ads, but was heavily involved in testing new ad
formats that go beyond the typical clip that runs before the video.
Maven delivered content with ads inserted to more than 30 media
companies, including Fox News, Gannett, The Financial Times, Hearst,
E.W. Scripps, and CBS Sports.

Yahoo over the years has seen its overall share of the online
advertising market shrink, as Google became the dominant player,
primarily through its success with text ads tied to search results.
Yahoo's drop in stock price as a result of its failure to grab a
bigger share of the ad market has led to a takeover attempt by
Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), which is ongoing.

Spot Runner Buys Weblistic to Boost Presence in Online Ad World

2008-03-04T09:43:00.001-08:00

Online ad company Spot Runner announced today the acquisition of
Weblistic, an online marketing solutions agency that serves local
businesses. The deal was an all stock transaction – financial details
were not disclosed.

Spot Runner develops technology solutions for small local businesses
to help them create video ads for television. The acquisition of
Weblistic expands the company's online advertising capabilities and
complements its television and radio capabilities.

"Our objective is to help businesses drive awareness and attract new
customers through multiple media channels, in an integrated manner,
and online advertising is a top priority for us and for our clients,"
said Nick Grouf, chairman and CEO of Spot Runner. "With Weblistic, we
gain deep online advertising experience, cutting edge technology and a
top-notch team."

Weblistic has been a player in the online ad biz since the late 90's
when it developed the original technology for YellowPages.com.
"Weblistic has always been passionate about making online advertising
easy and turnkey for small and medium-sized businesses," said Ketan
Shah, CEO of Weblistic. "By joining forces with Spot Runner, which is
the clear leader in local advertising services, we are now able to
offer local advertisers a complete solution — including media planning
and buying for TV, radio and online, affordable and high-quality
creative, and expert consulting services."

Spot Runner bought GlobeShooter — a network of independent filmmakers
and videographers — in January.

YouTube to get live video this year

2008-02-29T13:22:00.001-08:00

YouTube co-founder Steve Chen says that live streaming video is
something that YouTube has always wanted to do, and that this year,
with the resources of Google, it is finally going to happen.

Veoh is raising a round, claims to be pretty big and growing

2008-02-29T13:21:00.001-08:00

from venturebeat

Updated with more information from the company

Online video startup Veoh is in the process of raising a $40 million
round at a proposed $150 million valuation and has hired investment
bank Bear Sterns to help with the effort, Silicon Alley Insider
reports.

San Diego-based Veoh is a distant competitor to market leader YouTube,
but still claims to be growing at a healthy rate. The site features
user-created videos, clips from partners such as the Independent
Comedy Network, as well as content from large companies like Viacom.
From what we hear, the company is well respected in the media world,
partially because it's made a point of forging partnerships with
entertainment companies.

However, Veoh's traffic numbers are contested, as they have been at
least since the company raised $26 million round last spring (our
coverage).

Last December, third-party analytics firm Comscore showed Veoh
bringing in nearly 16 million monthly unique visitors worldwide, with
only 3.5 million of those in the US. That's versus YouTube's nearly
250 million. Meanwhile, rival analytics firm Nielsen says Veoh
received more than 2 million unique US viewers in December (not
visitors).

[Update: Veoh tells me it has more than 23 million monthly video
viewers worldwide, defined as people who started playing a video on
the Veoh home site or on a Veoh video embedded in another site. It
says that Nielsen's panel may be missing large chunks of Veoh traffic,
because the panel is comprised of the wrong demographic. It says that
using a separate Nielsen tracking service, the web analytics firm
obtained numbers much closer to Veoh's own.]

Today, Spark Capital investor Bijan Sabet, who sits on Veoh's board,
writes that Nielsen's numbers are wrong, after SAI cited them in its
article.

Sabet says that Veoh's internal server logs show 21 million unique
monthly viewers in December, up from 2.5 million at the beginning of
the year. He also says that users are watching more than 30 million
hours of Veoh videos per month, now.

So maybe Veoh is pretty big, but like every other video company, it is
trying to figure out how to monetize. Many startup rivals have also
raised large amounts of money. Two examples: Last year, DailyMotion
raised $30 (our coverage) and MetaCafe raised $34 million (our
coverage). Hosting and streaming lots of videos gets expensive, and
right now there's no way to cover costs.

[Update: I asked the company about monetization. Veoh says the average
user spends more than 87 minutes on the site per month, with much of
the viewing happening during evening prime time hours. It says its
audience presents great opportunities for brand advertisers.]

DoubleClick brings HD to video ads

2008-02-29T09:12:00.001-08:00

Advertisers can now create and deliver rich media video ads in high
definition to further captivate audiences, thanks to DoubleClick's
latest feature. Not all ads are created equal and the battle is on to
keep creative treatments and delivery methods "novel" and consumer
eyeballs focused.

Enter DoubleClick's rich media with HD video. Now Internet users can
experience online adverts in the same quality as other mediums,
quality that advertisers have had to sacrifice online. Ads may even be
expanded to fit full screen.

Epson is the first to use DoubleClick's new feature, implemented as
part of their "Epsonality" campaign. "HD Video lets us deliver our
creative in a way that reflects the high quality of Epson products,"
said Jordan Kretchmer, associate creative director at Butler, Shine,
Stern & Partners, creators of the campaign.

"Consumers aren't used to seeing such pristine video online, so we
expect the new HD technology to capture peoples' attention like a
standard video unit never could," he added.

iBloks Rolls Out New Ad Widget So Video, IM Enthusiasts Can Share in Real Time

2008-02-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

From Adotas

iBloks today announced that is launching iBloks Video Messenger so consumers can IM and watch videos together – while logged onto Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger. iBloks designed the advertising and consumer widget to connect video enthusiasts and IM customers – it essentially eliminates the unbearable delay e-mail users must contend with when sharing videos.

The widget will be launched with movie content courtesy of Fox Home Entertainment – and using the Windows Live services will significantly increase iBloks' reach, the company says.

"Premiering iBloks Video Messenger widget that includes access to over 300,000,000 Windows Live Messenger consumers unleashes a powerful widget that enables our fans to easily IM each other and watch videos together. By making their lives more interesting and providing convenient access to amazing content from films like Alien Versus Predator Requiem we are delivering on our commitment to entertain and delight fans," said John Cosley, Director of Digital Marketing at Fox Home Entertainment.

The widget can be deployed on a web page, as a video ad or as a gadget on sites like Google , FaceBook and other social network sites.

Denuo to Advise Blinkx on Video Search and Network Ads

2008-02-27T10:51:00.001-08:00

From ClickZ

Publicis-owned consultancy Denuo will advise Blinkx on development of the video search firm's ad products under a new relationship between the two.

The paired companies plan to collaborate on ad formats, targeting methods and ideal environments for video ads on platforms operated by Blinkx, and on video-based advertising in general. Denuo clients may also place campaigns on the Blinkx site and on its contextual video ad engine, called AdHoc.

"Denuo has access to many agencies and clients that have an interest in tapping into [our] audience," said Blinkx CEO Suranga Chandratillake. "We will work together to figure out ads and units that are affective. We will launch those on our site doing a lot of testing and trialing."

Denuo's head of new ventures and partnerships practice, Tim Hanlon, stessed the importance of discovery in the partnership. He emphasized the necessity of consumers not only finding relevant programming, but also advertising.

When it launched, Denuo established relationships with a number of up and coming Web start-ups, offering advisory services in exchange for "first mover rights for clients" and in some cases an investment stake. It holds stakes in Brightcove and Shadow TV, among other firms.

Further details about the pairing were sketchy yesterday, though Chandratillake said the companies hoped to experiment with untried video ad strategies. He said an example might include possibilities for running video ads on Blinkx search results pages. The company's results pages currently display text ads only.

"We're a search engine. We're very interested in how we can build video advertising into that experience," he said. "Can we actually have sponsored video matches?"

Blinkx has tried to diversify over the past year, rolling out a contextual ad targeting system called AdHoc and announcing plans for a premium video destination to be called Blinkx Broadband TV. BBTV was originally planned for Fall 2007, but the company postponed its release and now expects to unveil it in March.

Video player company Fliqz raises $2.5M more from internal investor to tide it over

2008-02-25T14:10:00.001-08:00

Fliqz, an Emeryville, Calif. company that offers customized video
players to Web site owners, has added a $3.2 million to its second
round of funding.
Mohr Davidow Ventures, which previously provided $2.5 million in the
second round, added the new capital, according to VentureWire.
And as previously reported, the company raised $750,000 in backing
from a number of angels.
The company says it has more than 3,000 customers, including Major
League Baseball and VH1, among others, but its not clear how the
company is making money. It sells a "hosted" version for as little as
$50 a month.
Fliqz is apparently looking to raise more venture money, and so this
round tides it over until it can do so.

DivX is shutting down its video-hosting service, Stage6.

2008-02-25T14:06:00.001-08:00

The company experienced significant growth of service last year and
said it would spin out Stage6 as a separate company to raise venture
money. Now it says the service simply became "a very expensive
enterprise that requires an enormous amount of attention and resources
that we are not in a position to continue to provide."

Poles Apart on Online-Video Habits

2008-02-25T09:53:00.001-08:00

From the NYTimes:

The gulf between casual and heavy consumers of online video is startlingly wide, according to figures released in mid-February. Among people who watch at least some online video each month — from short clips on YouTube to full-length programs on NBC.com and the like — the highest-consuming fifth watches more than 140 times as much as the lower half.
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"It's a clear indicator of how early we are in online video," said Jarvis Mak, a vice president at Media Contacts, an online ad buyer that did the study with the research firm comScore. "If you look at overall Internet usage, the difference between the heaviest users and the lightest users is something like 24 times."

Mr. Mak predicted that this disparity would narrow as television networks continued to put programs online, attracting novice users. "It took a while to decide that this would not cannibalize their broadcasts," he said, "but now they're putting a lot of stuff on their Web sites" and deciding how much to distribute on sites like Hulu.com that aggregate videos.

ComScore gathered the data using special software installed on the computers of a panel of Internet users.

Brightcove Transforms Economics of Internet Video with Support for Google AdSense for Video Beta

2008-02-25T08:45:00.001-08:00

Consumer-friendly Ad Format Gives Web's Top Content Providers Ability to Deliver Video Ads at Scale

Cambridge, MA (February 21, 2008) - Brightcove, a leading Internet TV platform, today announced support for the AdSense for video beta program, Google's contextual advertising technology for online video. Brightcove's support of the AdSense for video beta program unlocks a powerful economic proposition for the Web's top media publishers. Brightcove customers, which include some of the world's largest and most innovative media, entertainment and consumer brands, will now have an additional and complementary advertising opportunity available to monetize video streams across their web properties.

Serving ads based on both the content of an Internet video and the context of a web page, AdSense for video beta gives media publishers the additional ability (beyond direct ad sales) to target tailored in-stream overlay ads from Google's large base of advertisers. Publishers and content providers can control which videos get which ads and when the ads play in each video. Appealing to both consumers of online video and the advertisers trying to reach them, AdSense for video's InVideo and text overlay ad format is non-disruptive and does not separate viewers from their desired content.

"Video and rich media continue to account for an increasingly large segment of online content - Brightcove customers alone reach 130 million unique users a month across thousands websites," said Chris Johnston, director of ad product management, Brightcove. "Brightcove's support of Google's AdSense for video beta is particularly important because it combines a vast ad network with the market-leading Internet video publishing platform - ultimately creating a new and powerful, consumer-friendly monetization opportunity for news and entertainment programmers worldwide."

"Monetization of online video continues to be critically important to all video producers," said Will Richmond, president of Broadband Directions LLC. "The market for ad-supported video is evolving, with lots of different approaches. Building from existing, successful approaches and technologies is a smart strategy especially when it comes to capturing revenue from periodic traffic spikes and remnant inventory."

Google's AdSense for video beta is currently available through Brightcove in a limited beta release with select customers. The company said they plan to make the feature generally availability to publishers in 2008.

Online Video: A Changing Picture

2008-02-25T08:44:00.001-08:00

Online Video: A Changing Picture
A new eMarketer report analyzes the factors that are inexorably leading to convergence between television and online video content.

Google Expands AdSense For Video, Sets Deals With Tremor, YuMe, Others

2008-02-21T08:34:00.001-08:00

From mediapost:
IN A BID TO ACCELERATE its role in the burgeoning online video
advertising marketplace, search giant Google this morning is
announcing a slew of deals expanding its AdSense for video beta. To
date, the AdSense program has focused mainly on enabling Web
publishers to serve text-only ads. The video beta version, enables
publishers to serve targeted, contextually-relevant video graphical
ads and text overlays, and is seen as an alternative to the pre-roll
an post-roll advertising clips that have become the industry's default
standard advertising format.

Google has been working on ways to expand its reach into video ever
since its $1.65 billion acquisitions of YouTube in 2006, and recently
began accelerating its role in TV advertising sales, as well, via its
AdWords For TV program, which enables advertisers to buy addressable
TV advertising on cable and satellite TV systems.

Early this morning, Google announced deals with the Tremor Media and
YuMe video advertising networks, two of what are expected to be
several partnership deals for its AdSense for video expansion.

Tremor said it has incorporated "one-click integration" of Google's
contextually targeted ads into its dynamic ad insertion platform,
Ad-inStream, for publishers in Tremor Media's network to accept
targeted Google AdSense for video advertising formats with only a
check-box.

According to comScore, Tremor Media provides access to consumers
through their network of more than 800 aggregated sites that reach 94
million unique users every month. Publishers across Tremor Media's
network can now support traditional text overlays through Google's
AdSense for video beta, providing contextually targeted advertising by
leveraging a video's metadata.

In addition, Tremor will also support InVideo graphical and rich
media overlays that aid advertisers with a consistent brand message
across their traditional display advertising as well as emerging video
ad formats.

Google Extends InVideo Ads to AdSense Net

2008-02-21T08:06:00.001-08:00

from mediaweek

Google is extending InVideo Ads – the "overlay" banner and text ad units the company rolled out on YouTube last year- to its AdSense network of Web sites.

Last summer, the Mountain View, Calif.-based search giant introduced InVideo ads – semi-transparent banner-like placements that appear once video clips start playing, as a less-intrusive alternative to pre-roll 15 and 30-second video spots. By extending them to AdSense, the company's ever-growing network of small and mid sized sites for which it supplies text and video advertising, Google says it will be able to deliver online video ads which are contextually targeted, based on either the actual video content they appear atop or the content on the Web pages they run on.

As online video advertising has risen to prominence, Google has run several test programs on its AdSense network, including a user-initiated "click to play" offering that invited users to sample short snippets of content to streaming video ads that participating publishers could implement and control however they preferred. Until now however, video advertising on Google remains in its infancy, as the company continues to garner the vast majority of its ad revenue from its core search ads.

For this new extension, Google has yet to list any advertisers that have signed on. Among the initial participating publishers are the sites VidShadow, Mondo Media and JoeCartoon.

CNET TV Relaunches Video-On-Demand Network

2008-02-20T09:45:00.001-08:00

From Mediapost

AIMING TO CAPTURE A LARGER share of tech-hungry consumers, CNET has relaunched its video-on-demand network, CNET TV.

"We've seen a 60% increase in viewership since last year, and we're looking for ways to continue that incredible growth," said Joe Gillespie, executive vice president of CNET.

CNET remains by far the most-trafficked tech news property on the Web. The site was drawing roughly 61.5 million unique monthly visitors as of December, according to comScore, while its closest rival, NetShelter, was recording about 26 million. CNET's numbers, however, were down 17% year-over-year, while NetShelter's nearly doubled.

The tech publisher first moved into traditional media in mid 2006 with deals to supply content to three video-on-demand TV networks. Through partnerships with Cox Communications, TiVo Inc., and TVN Entertainment, CNET began offering paid TV subscribers a range of ad-supported content, including gadget reviews, news reports, trend stories and user generated video.

Since 2006, CNET TV has also existed as a stand-alone Web site, where consumers can draw from various topic channels to program their viewing experiences. Interactive tools let users engage with the site's editorial staff, and share their customized playlists with friends.

The re-launched service includes a number of new features--chief among them a new closed-captioning option. Through partnerships with Automatic Sync Technologies and Adobe Systems, the captioning system is an attempt by CNET to reach an estimated 30 million deaf and hard-of-hearing U.S. consumers.

Not only that, but the captioning makes it far easier for CNET to monetize its video content, Gillespie said.

"It turns into SEO honey," Gillespie said of the meta data, which greatly improves the search engine optimization process.

Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, described CNET's revamped service as "emblematic of the next phase of online video," and expects other top publishers to follow CNET's lead.

In addition to closed captioning, CNET TV has unveiled a more user-friendly design, with video content from premiere partners such as Geek Entertainment TV and Revision 3, along with more original shows featuring CNET personalities and new additions like Natali Del Conte, former host of PodShow's TeXtra, and Kara Tsuboi.

Google testing video ads in search results

2008-02-15T13:40:00.001-08:00

From VentureBeat:

Today, Google started testing video ad placement in search results
according to The New York Times Bits blog. Though just a very limited
trial for now, this is an important step in the evolution of the
company's bread-and-butter advertising business.

Even though Google has run both image-based and video ads on sites
using their AdSense platform for a while now, the Google search
results page has always been restricted to the simple text-based
advertisements that don't overwhelm results. As Google's vice
president of search products and user experience, Marissa Mayer, puts
it "We were doing text-based search that was all textual. Visual ads
don't work in that format."

However, with Google now shifting toward "universal search" that
includes images and videos in results, the time has come to test out
expanding the ads that accompany those results as well. Says Mayer,
"With universal search, something is getting shaken up a bit on the
bottom part of the page - The ads on the top part of the page should
match."

Google is indicating that these video ads will appear small on the
page and only expand to playable size when a user chooses to click on
the 'plus' button similar to what is done currently with YouTube
videos in search results

Overlay.tv launches new platform for video ads

2008-02-15T13:39:00.001-08:00

Overlay.tv today launched a video-commerce platform that may give
marketers a new way to monetize on online video.

Even online video mammoth Google/YouTube hasn't successfully
implemented a way to extract revenue from its billions of user
generated videos. A number of sites have taken to inserting "pre-roll"
ads into the videos they offer — ads that viewers are forced to sit
through prior to watching the featured content. But the big video
sites haven't adopted pre-roll ads, and for good reason: They don't
work, and neither have contextual banner ads so far.

Enter Overlay.tv. The Toronto, Canada-based company offers a
destination where marketers and users can place "overlays" of content
onto videos streamed from more than 20 online video sites, including
YouTube, metacafe, videojug, and others (it streams the video and
doesn't actually store it on its servers for copyright reasons).
Marketers and users using the platform can then overlay selected
videos with pictures, words and graphics that link to products or
information on external websites.

So take a video clip of, say, Fashion Week in New York City. A
marketer could link a certain shoe or dress in the video to a purchase
point to buy the item. It can then embed this overlaid video in blogs,
websites, and MySpace profiles. Overlay.tv has also launched a
Facebook application that lets users access its platform directly from
Facebook.

And unlike pre-roll ads, viewers can opt out of these overlay ads if
they choose to, the company says.

In one example you can link to here, you'll see a video clip called
"How to Be the Perfect Boyfriend." Overlays in the video link viewers
to how-to books, flowers.com and other relevant vendor sites.

Overlay.tv generates revenue from its more than 600 affiliate
partners, including Amazon, iTunes, and Walmart, through
cost-per-action and cost-per-click at about 5 to 12 percent revenue of
what the merchant makes on merchandise sold through click-throughs.
Overlay's users also get a share in the revenues. The company says it
distributes anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of this form of revenue to
its users.

Overlay.tv also plans to generate revenue through partnerships with
online video destinations as well as media companies, such as record
labels. It's currently at the contract stage with a major company in
the online video space and a major record label interested in
licensing the Overlay platform, although CEO Rob Lane wouldn't name
the two companies. The companies would theoretically integrate
Overlay's platform into their sites, so that users and marketers would
have the same ability to link advertisements directly to the video.

The majority of online advertising is focused on professionally
produced content, Lane says, while no one has successfully advertised
through user-generated content. To illustrate his point, he gives an
example of a user watching a mountain biking clip. This user may not
be interested in a toothpaste ad because it's irrelevant to mountain
biking, but he or she may want to know the exact make and model as
well as the cost of the bike used in the video. The only way to market
effectively is to bring the user in, Lane says.

Many big brands would like to advertise through user-generated
content, but they don't know how, he says. The Overlay platform could
also help marketers find out how effective a product placement is in a
video by tracking the analytics Overlay provides.

Overlay.tv was formed in mid 2006 and received $4.6 million (Canadian)
last November from Canadian VCs Celtic House Venture Partners
, Edgestone Partners and Tech Capital.

Revver is acquired amid spike in interest

2008-02-15T13:33:00.001-08:00

Employees of video-sharing site Revver said they breathed a sigh of
relief Thursday after management informed them that the company had
been acquired by LiveUniverse, a little-known online entertainment
network.

Representatives from both companies declined to comment, but two
Revver employees and an executive at a company that had inquired about
bidding on Revver said managers there had informed them the sale was
done. The blog NewTeeVee was first to report the acquisition.

In a report earlier this month, CNET News.com cited sources who said
the beleaguered Revver was asking for between $300,000 and $500,000
and the assumption of the company's debt, which the sources said was
in the $1 million range. Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Bessemer Venture
Partners were among those that invested more than $12 million into
Revver.

News.com also reported that talks between LiveUniverse, owned by
MySpace.com co-founder Brad Greenspan, had stalled last month over the
issue of debt. A Revver employee, who asked to remain anonymous
because he is not authorized to speak for the company, confirmed that
Thursday.

The employee added that negotiations began to pick up again after the
story about Revver's troubles appeared. That triggered, according to
the employee, a flurry of inquiries from other companies. Among those
who called was VideoJug, an online video destination and production
company.

Doug Kamin, senior vice president of marketing at VideoJug, said
Thursday that he contacted executives about the possibility of making
a bid after reading about Revver's woes.

"At those prices, we thought Revver would be a good deal," Kamin said.
"I'm betting lots of others thought the same thing."

On Thursday Revver called Kamin to tell him that Revver's management
had decided to go with the "original bidder."

Revver's staff, which is half the size it was in 2006, was ecstatic to
hear that the company was saved and that they would not be broken up
or moved, according to two Revver employees. The status of the
company's CEO, Kevin Wells, was unclear.

For a year, the company had weathered management shake-ups that
included the departures of all three founders. Employees had witnessed
some of the Web's best-known video producers, such as Ze Frank and
Lonelygirl15, abandon the site. Revver's audience was dwarfed by
YouTube's and other video-sharing front-runners.

More recently, rumors circulated the Web that the company was running
short of cash, according to the Revver employees.

"Everyone is just really happy that this happened," the Revver
employee said. "We always knew that the company had great technology
and a strong following of creators. We knew we had value."

UvLayer Gives Social Networkers New Platform for Video

2008-02-14T16:58:00.001-08:00

from mediapost:

THE LAST THING THE WEB needs is another video host site, according to
Michael Hoydich, co-founder of tech startup Unknown Vector.

A better platform and interfaces, however, are another story.

So, with his partner, Mark Grey, Hoydich has launched a new platform
for social networkers to view, store and share streaming video. Dubbed
uvLayer, the full-screen media download allows users and their friends
to interact with each other's videos across multiple social networks.

"The way people interact with and share videos today is limited and
awkward," said Hoydich, who once served as a vice president of sales
for Viewpoint Corporation. With Gray, Hoydich later went on to found
another tech services firm named IndustryNext, and an interactive
marketing agency by the name of Incognito Digital.

Unlike many video viewing experiences, uvLayer sources video content
from multiple sources so users can centralize their videos and play
lists without visiting multiple sites.

Also, uvLayer users can manipulate collected videos into
thumbnail-sized "stacks" atop their personalized media canvas for
better viewing and sharing.

Despite the abundance of tech applications, players, and sites being
offered to video viewers, today, at least one industry analyst is
betting on Unknown Vector to leave a lasting impact on the industry.

"UvLayer could change the way people collect and view their favorite
digital media," said Bobby Tulsiani, Jupiter Research media and
Internet video analyst. "The unique, intuitive user interface,
especially the video playback window that sits atop other desktop
applications, truly differentiates uvLayer within the current online
video marketplace."

Also with uvLayer, users no longer require an open Web browser to
view videos, as the option exists to view a single video or an entire
playlist in a small window anchored on top of a viewer's desktop.
Users can also publish media collections directly to Facebook, with no
coding and no typing.

UvLayer was developed using Adobe AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime), a
new technology that allows developers to create rich internet
applications developed in Flash, HTML, and AJAX.

Online Video User Segments’ Viewing Behavior Varies Widely

2008-02-14T16:49:00.003-08:00

From Marketing Charts:

Heavy viewers of online video watch 11 times as much online video as moderate viewers - and140 times as much as light viewers, according to a proprietary study by comScore and Media Contacts, the global interactive media network of Havas Media.

The research was designed to understand the consumption habits and mindsets of internet video users as they relate to online video, TV, and advertising and content across both media.

The heaviest viewers (top 20% of viewers) averaged 841 minutes of online viewing per month, while moderate viewers (next 30%) averaged 77 minutes, and the lightest viewers (bottom 50%) watched just 6 minutes each, the study found:

"The difference in consumption levels was astounding. The usage differences are reminiscent of the early days of the Internet," said Jarvis Mak, VP of Research and Insight at Media Contacts. "However, the networks' online distribution of first-run content will go a long way to bridging the gaps between heavy, moderate, and light viewers."

Additional findings from the study follow.

Heavy viewers spend time on niche video sites

YouTube is the common thread among the heavy, moderate, and light segments - it is the top video site for all three and reaches the most overall video viewers (54% reach).

Distinctive behavior for heavy video viewers is found by looking at the top indexing sites for this audience, revealing mostly niche video-sharing sites, each reaching less than 1% of the total US Web population:

Moderate viewers enjoy specific online TV content

Moderate viewers show a high propensity to view specific video content on broadcast TV sites, including WorldNow (ABC), CBS TV Local, ABC Daytime, Scripps TV, and CMT, rather than frequenting more general video-sharing sites:

Light Online video viewers are heavy TV viewers

Despite conventional wisdom that the heaviest users of the digital channel are likely to be the heaviest consumers of media, the study found that it was light online video viewers are actually heavier TV consumers:

Some 46% of light online video viewers say they watch more than 13 hours of TV per week.
By comparison, just 39% of moderate video viewers and 30% of heavy video viewers watched the same amount of TV.

Proprietary Segmentation

"To discover how best to reach and message online different kinds of video viewers, we used the comScore data to further develop proprietary segments: 'Content Explorers,' 'On Demanders,' 'Sight & Sounders,' and 'Television Devotees,' " Mak said.

A thumbnail sketch of those segments, per Mediaweek:

On Demanders: 30% more likely to a heavy video users, mainly 18-34-year-old group, tends to use DVRs and video on demand; 89% say inclined to pay for content to avoid ads.
Sight & Sounders: The 55 and over demographic, generally unimpressed with video content and video ads; almost half have been watching online video for less than a year, most prefer TV.
Television Devotees: Female-skewing, frequently use the web to catch up on TV viewing, fans of broadcast and cable networks' web offerings; say online video ads are fine.
Content Explorers: "Platform agnostic," will watch all sort of content on the web; interestingly, they fall in the 35-54, higher income category.

Differences in How Women, Men Consume Online Video; New Primetime Online

2008-02-14T16:49:00.001-08:00

From Marketing Charts:

Men and women consume online video differently, and a new primetime has emerged online, according to (pdf) findings from Nielsen Online's initial full release of its new VideoCensus syndicated measurement service.

Below, some of those findings.

Women vs. Men

Women lead online network TV Viewing, whereas men are drawn to consumer-generated media (CGM), Nielsen's data for December '07 found:

Video streams at broadcast network TV websites were nearly two times more likely to be viewed by women age 18-34 than men; those demos accounted for 22% and 12% of streams, respectively.
For the top four CGM websites, streams were two-and-a-half times more likely to be viewed by men 18-34 than women; those demos accounted for 27% and 11% of streams, respectively.

Network TV Viewer Loyalty

Among network TV websites, there was relatively low viewer overlap:

Among CGM websites, however, most viewers also watched video content on YouTube:

"Network websites are destinations for fans to deepen their experience - they go to see favorite scenes, episodes and outtakes. These viewers are very loyal and engaged and the website is a place to become immersed in the program," said Michael Pond, media analyst, Nielsen Online.

"With shorter clips and a viral nature, CGM websites are much more about discovery, and consumers are likely to view content on more than one."

New Primetime Online

"[T]he largest appetite for streaming broadcast content is during the noontime hours, when viewers take a break from work to catch up on the shows they enjoy," said Pond.

Streaming activity at the top network TV websites over-indexed during the weekday lunchtime hours of 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.

At CGM websites, the most popular time for viewing was during late night hours on the weekend, between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

"Primetime visitors to network websites primarily enhance their TV viewing experience with features like online voting, web-only promotions and other program specific content, although there is some interest in streaming network content during the evening as well," Pond said.

US Video Consumption Metrics (Excludes Video Advertising)

The No. 1 video site in December was YouTube, with 2.6 billion streams during the month, followed by Yahoo with 371.9 million streams and Fox Interactive Media with 364.1 million streams.

116.7 million unique viewers, or 73% of active web users, watched approximately 6.2 billion video streams in December 2007.
On average, each viewer spent nearly two hours and 10 minutes watching online video content in December.
Each viewer on average watched nearly 54 video streams during the month.

Top 10 online video kids, games & toys destinations:

About VideoCensus: Nielsen Online's VideoCensus is a syndicated online video measurement service that combines patented panel and census research methodologies to provide a count of viewing activity and engagement along with demographic reporting.

thePlatform Unveils Largest Ecosystem of Partners and Open Approach for Online Video Publishing

2008-02-13T10:14:00.001-08:00

Read on Streaming Media:

As the market for professionally produced online video has matured, so
too has the need for media companies to incorporate highly flexible,
open and robust methods that help them keep pace. Today, thePlatform,
a leading broadband video management and publishing company, announced
the broadband video industry's largest collection of pre-integrated
partner technologies and an open approach for assisting media
companies with their online and mobile video initiatives.

thePlatform's customers benefit from the widest choice of
pre-integrated partner services and technologies to support their
unique business needs. Companies participating in thePlatform
Framework, the company's premier partner program, span the entire
ecosystem of online video, including: advertising campaign management
systems, ad sales networks, content delivery networks, content
protection, media formats, transcoding engines, payment processors,
syndication outlets and video search. In addition, customers can
easily use their own in-house digital asset management system,
customer relationship management and other back-office applications in
conjunction with thePlatform's system.

"Every media company has its own unique vision for online video, and
they are becoming less tolerant of technology constraints or
specialized vendors that inhibit their growth or agility," said Ian
Blaine, CEO of thePlatform. "Our customers want the ability to trial
new technology and choose the best vendors without dramatically
impacting their operations. thePlatform framework addresses this need
with a robust menu of pre-integrated solutions that give them
flexibility to easily create the optimal solution. No other broadband
video management company has our open approach to partners or proven
history in the space."

"thePlatform and Cisco are collaborating on the creation and
deployment of streamlined web-video management, distribution and
delivery platforms enabled by the Cisco Content Delivery System," said
Paul Bosco, Cisco vice president and general manager of video and
broadband initiatives. "We are also focused on convergent platform
extensions supporting the fusion of web, television and user-generated
content built around the consumer media experience across the growing
number of wired, wireless and mobile devices in our lives. We welcome
the opportunity to be a founding member of thePlatform's ecosystem
program and to continue our engagements with innovative customers
worldwide."

The Ecosystem
thePlatform Framework gives technology companies full-featured
software development kits, engineering support, training, and
development sandboxes for a quick implementation. Companies
participating in thePlatform Framework include:

Advertising & Monetization
• Adapt.TV
• BlackArrow
• CSG Systems
• DoubleClick
• Lightningcast
• Panache
• PayPal
• ScanScout
• SpotXchange

Content Delivery
• Akamai
• BitGravity
• Cisco Systems
• Edgecast Networks
• GridNetworks
• Highwinds
• Internap
• Limelight Networks
• MediaMelon
• OnStream Media

Playback Experience
• Apple Corp.
• Adobe Systems
• Microsoft Corp.
• Move Networks

Transcoding
• Digital Rapids
• On2
• Rhozet
• RipCode
• Telestream

Content Syndication
• AT&T
• Clearspring
• Comcast.net
• GoTV
• iTunes Podcasts
• MobiTV
• MSN Video
• Sprint
• Verizon Wireless
• Yahoo
• YouTube

Professional Services
• Ascertane
• Cypress Consulting
• Genex
• Online Video Service
• Schematic

Digital Asset Management
• ClearStory Systems
• North Plains Systems

Content Protection
• Microsoft Corp.
• Widevine Technologies

Additional companies will join the partner program in the coming
months. Technology companies interested in participating in
thePlatform Framework and utilizing its application programming
interface (API) should visit www.thePlatform.com.

thePlatform's system manages the entire logistics process behind the
publication of broadband video from the content owner to the consumer.
Media companies and video sites rely on thePlatform's services to
manage their media, generate revenue from their content, syndicate
media to outlets and create unique broadband video players. Hundreds
of professional media companies use thePlatform for their online and
mobile video needs, handling billions of videos requested by consumers
every year.

Media companies interested in publishing or syndicating their video
across the web and mobile phones should visit www.thePlatform.com.

Taking the Next Step in Online Video Advertising

2008-02-12T17:48:00.001-08:00

By Christine Beardsell, The ClickZ Network

It seems like a new fact, figure, or news story pops up every day that
further validates online video as the next revolutionary advertising
platform. For the most part, marketers know the Internet isn't just
another channel for distributing :30 broadcast spots; it's a place to
start having real conversations.

But realizing the potential of online video advertising is much
different than doing something about it. The big dark void that still
sits between realizing and doing hasn't necessarily grown smaller.
It's just been filled with a lot of chatter.

Case in point: the beloved in-stream video and overlay ads. YouTube,
Hulu, Joost, Brightcove, and endless other content providers are
seeking fast, scalable advertising models. Now, with announcements
from companies like FreeWheel, such interruptive models will soon
prevail.

The question: where do real conversations fit into these models? Sure,
we can now market a car racing show within (or on top of) a video
about cars, but what about the interactivity and conversations we keep
hearing about?

The online advertising industry needs new online models that drive
imagination and diversity rather than convention and standardization.
We need easier ways to create experiences people want to seek out,
rather than click away from. How do we start to fill that gaping void?

Shifting Dollars Online

It takes but a look at the Super Bowl to see where most marketing
money is still going. How can advertisers begin to develop new online
models and create truly compelling video content without a hearty
budget that competes with the offline model?

Part of the problem (and advertisers are at fault here, too) is that
the industry still believes online video is cheap. Just because a
YouTuber can use a $150 camcorder to make a pixilated video a million
people will watch doesn't mean every brand can. Or should. While
there's the occasional viral video success story, it's hardly the
norm.

Until agencies stop telling clients "we can do that for $10,000," and
until clients stop asking their agencies to "do that for $10,000,"
we'll never be able to see what real money can do in the online video
space. People love beautifully shot and directed footage with
superstar talent and amazing special effects. Audiences respond to
that quality in any setting.

In addition, the experience is no longer about creating for a single
destination, it's about creating for multiple destination,
syndication, and distribution outlets. Producers require the budgets
to do it right.

The ideal online production shoot may consist of a chroma key (define)
for a live-action avatar creation, a photographer to capture high
quality stills, and additional video and audio production to be
scripted/shot for contextual placements. That's all on top of the
traditional video shoot needs!

Investing in Alternative Ad Models

In-stream video ads and overlays are a quick, scalable way to monetize
online content. That model isn't going away anytime soon. But what
about investing money toward the research and development of models
that aren't centered around entertainment? How about creating scalable
models driven by people's needs?

My last column discussed the brand utility supported entertainment
model in which content providers and marketers work upstream to create
customized complimentary experiences. One option would be to align
this model with the open standard objectives of DataPortability.org.
Their mission: to gather "existing open standards into a blueprint for
a social, open, remixable Web where your online identity, media,
contacts and content can follow you wherever you go."

For brands and content creators, that means conversation would truly
have to be initiated by the user. The user would own the data, and the
brand content offering would have to be valuable enough to warrant an
exchange. In essence, brand content would be bought with "data
currency."

Why would this be a good model for marketers?

There are brand enthusiasts who participate in campaigns on an ongoing
basis. Yet each time they return, these fans must register and sign-up
for the full experience. If the brand were to embrace technologies
such as OpenID, not only would it provide their fans access to
cross-promotional properties around that campaign, it would also
provide easy access to all future campaigns. And with future potential
of data portability, people could take those experiences with them,
introducing content to friends and hopefully igniting passionate new
fans.

Could this lead to the most ideal scalable model ever -- a tangible
word-of-mouth engine?

Online video advertising has a ways to go before it reaches
revolutionary status. We need to be willing to take the next steps.
That means more money allocated to develop a unique cross-channel
storytelling experience, and more research and development toward
innovative new models.

Perhaps then online video advertising will have a chance to live up to
the potential we all know it has.

IAB Guidelines

2008-02-12T09:32:00.001-08:00

For those of you that are interested, you should definitely review the new Interactive Advertising Bureau Guidelines for digital video.

Happy to hear all of your comments, comment on this post or email me about this topic!

Yahoo Acquires Maven Networks for $160 Million

2008-02-12T08:35:00.001-08:00

Taking a break from dodging Microsoft, Yahoo is doing some buying of
their own, scooping up Maven Networks for $160 million. Maven is an
online video platform provider, meaning versus a destination site like
YouTube or Metacafe, they provide the technology to power Internet TV
for big media companies like Fox and Scripps.

Yahoo sees an opportunity to further monetize the relationships Maven
has established by selling video ads to their large customer base of
display advertisers. Maven offers a few different types of video ad
formats, including pre/post rolls and overlays. According to Yahoo,
advertisers will now be able to buy video advertising across both
Yahoo properties and those powered by Maven.

The online video space has become increasingly crowded in the past
year, with oodles of funding flowing into startups. Maven was one of
the early movers in the space, founded in 2002 by Hilmi Ozguc. The
company is based in Cambridge, MA.

Let's (Not) Make a Deal With YouTube

2008-02-11T15:13:00.001-08:00

Based on the recent slew of online video distribution deals, media's
biggest companies are sending YouTube a clear message: We don't need
you. At least that's the stance of companies like Viacom and NBC
Universal, which continue to resist placing their content on the Web's
largest video site (the site reached 75 million people in December,
according to comScore).

Yahoo! Launches Live Video Service

2008-02-08T10:10:00.001-08:00

Check out Live.Yahoo.com...

Rumor: Plaxo Sold to Google for $200M?

2008-02-08T10:08:00.001-08:00

From Wired.com

We're hearing rumors that online contact management service Plaxo has
accepted a sub-$200 million offer and that the purchasing company is
most likely search engine Google.

Plaxo has been in the news recently, reportedly hiring a bank to
shepherd a sale. A representative for Plaxo declined to confirm or
deny the deal, saying that the company has a policy of not commenting
on M&A rumors.

Got any details? Let us know in the comments, or by email.

Plaxo was founded in 2001 by Stanford classmates Cameron Ring and Todd
Masonis along with Napster cofounder and Facebook founding president
Sean Parker. It is backed by Sequoia Capital, Cisco Systems, Globespan
Capital Partners, DAG Ventures, and Harbinger Venture Management.

Plaxo board members Ram Shriram and Michael Moritz were among the
original board members of Google. Shriram still serves on Google's
board while Moritz stepped down from Google's board last March.

Clipblast Partners With TWERQ

2008-02-08T09:55:00.003-08:00

From MediaPost:

CLIPBLAST, A WEB-WIDE VIDEO SEARCH and navigation platform, announced
that it has partnered with TWERQ, a startup with a new approach to
consolidating and streamlining the search process.

Under the agreement, ClipBlast will be the exclusive video search
platform for TWERQ. With the accent on speed and efficiency, TWERQ
supports multiple simultaneous searches - as many as 10 to 15, or more
-- encompassing video, text, RSS feeds, images and more. With its
"Tabbed Search," TWERQ dramatically reduces the time associated with
traditional navigation, in the browser and the search engine, by
eliminating the need to refine key words. Users can then select the
best results from among the various search streams TWERQ returns.

ClipBlast recently unveiled Version 3.0 of its video search platform,
which serves as a "remote control for the Video Web." The new release
includes enhancements that promise a richer, easier and more relevant
experience for advertisers and content providers.

TurnHere Gets $7.5M In Funding From Hearst and Venrock

2008-02-08T09:55:00.001-08:00

TURNHERE ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAS secured $7.5 million in funding from
Venrock and Hearst Interactive Media, a division of Hearst Corp.

Emeryville, Calif.-based TurnHere's online video production and
distribution platform powers the videos for sites like CitySearch and
Simon & Schuster's Bookvideos.tv. Using a network of producers and
proprietary content management tech, TurnHere allows publishers to
create and syndicate video content quickly and cost-effectively.

CEO Bradley J. Inman has said that the company will use the new funds
to expand both its in-house and contracted production teams, as well
as to further the development of new tools like video search
optimization technology.

Microsoft adCenter Labs unveils digital advertising enhancements, including contextual ads for video

2008-02-06T11:41:00.001-08:00

Microsoft Corp. unveiled a series of new digital advertising
technologies that are in development by Microsoft adCenter Labs.

The enhancements include computer vision technology to create
so-called "bug ads" that appear in "nonintrusive" frames in a video.
Microsoft said the technology approximates human judgment and places
the ad in the video where it is least likely to interfere with the
user's viewing experience.

"We believe the technical advances and intelligence we are creating at
adCenter Labs can change the game of online advertising," said Tarek
Najm, technical fellow at Microsoft, in a statement. "Solutions to
today's challenges must be capable of handling and understanding the
complexity of vast amounts of data. To address that challenge, we are
developing advertising algorithms that can anticipate and understand
consumer behavior faster than the speed of thought, so that we can
help advertisers create more efficient and relevant user experiences."

AOL gets widgety with Goowy acquisition

2008-02-04T09:20:00.001-08:00

from CNET:

AOL announced on Monday that it has purchased Goowy Media, a company
that has created technology for widget creation and analytics
reporting. AOL has been partnering with Goowy since early in 2007;
financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

To consumers, Goowy is best-known as the parent company of Yourminis,
a widget creation and discovery engine.

But the Time Warner unit's aim with Goowy is more likely on the
advertising front. AOL recently relocated its headquarters from
Virginia to New York to bolster its Madison Avenue street cred; the
former online-service powerhouse has been attempting to reshape itself
as a digital-media company with profits stemming primarily from
advertising, not subscription revenues.

AOL stated in a press release on Monday that Goowy's technology will
be used in part for widget-based advertising, providing both more
interactive content and detailed statistics on where and how the
widgets are being used.

Top Google execs pledged to stay 20 years: report

2008-02-01T12:51:00.001-08:00

Co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, together with Chief Executive
Eric Schmidt say in a joint interview for Fortune's February 4th issue
that the three had agreed to work together for two decades starting
one month before the 2004 IPO.

"We agreed the month before we went public that we should work
together for 20 years," said Schmidt, who added that he will be 69
years old by that time. Page would be 51 and Brin 50. The interview
can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2oo5vt/. A Google spokesman could
not immediately be reached to comment. Schmidt is Google's chairman.
Page is president of products and Brin is president of technology.
Each is a billionaire.

The Bane of the Video Generation

2008-02-01T09:21:00.003-08:00

By Dorian Sweet, The ClickZ Network, Feb 1, 2008

We've been watching events unfold on TV for a long time. Over the last 50 years, a large amount of television programming has been archived, though much may never make it online.
And that's OK. We don't have to relive everything that was ever done in a video, kinescope, or HD format. In fact, most of what's been on video is fairly uninteresting or just plain banal.

Yet here it is, that form of communication that slyly worked its way into our homes and just about everywhere else, making it possible for us to spend time ignoring our environment. Remember portable TVs? It's a format that has delivered more visual information to more people in the history of the world. Though cause for debate, the Internet is probably fast approaching that mark on some scoreboard somewhere.

We can all see the good in how humanity can share hope, joy, and grief in our terrestrial video play. But what about the other times when the TV is on and things aren't so notable?

This form of communal ignorance is guised in the form of entertainment. A few decades ago, entertainment was long form, aptly based on classical techniques and practices: the three-act play, the soliloquy, subtext, and the story arc.

That isn't to say these kinds of practices are outdated. But in some ways, we're seeing the multitasking populous with its frenetic attention span influence the art of visual storytelling.

Have you ever watched "CSI"? Maybe most of you have. But the first time I did a short time ago, I felt like I'd regressed to a 9-year-old sugar freak. Not that it's a horrible program, but I wouldn't recommend it to a Shakespeare fanatic.

Online video is here, and it's changed the consumption of dramatic, comedic, and tragic content into bite-sized pieces. If you prefer subtlety and nuance in storytelling, online video won't do. This new language is designed for the "sound-bite generation," for whom a story must be told in 30 seconds or less.

Is video, then, the ultimate solution for the advertiser who wants to cram as much as possible into an ad? Does the new generation of consumers who consume video provide a gateway for higher message consumption?

As much as the hopeful might want to think so, that trend won't last for very long.

Some TV ad studies show that only 5 percent of people fully pay attention to TV advertising. No matter how funny and how good, the ad's got a small chance of getting exposure. Combine that fact with the multitasking nature of online viewers, and that fraction is reduced even more.

No matter what you think the next best thing will be online, remember short attention spans are fleeting like the wind. Just because you can say it punchier and in less time doesn't mean anybody will be listening.

Obviously you heard about that one....

2008-02-01T09:21:00.001-08:00

Microsoft this morning has made a bid to acquire Yahoo at a 64% premium to Thursday's closing stock price to represent a $44.6 BILLION value, which is projected to be over a 30X EBITA multiple offer on projected 2008 earnings.

User Generated Video Expects 34 Billion Views in 2008

2008-01-31T10:55:00.001-08:00

From Research Brief:

According to a recently published market report from AccuStream iMedia Research, user Generated Video (UGV) scored 22.4 billion views in 2007, up 70% over 2006. Semi professional content grabbed a 47.5% total share on MySpace TV, and the Screen Bites category on Crackle.com generated a 17.5% cumulative share of total views.

A more refined analysis, says the report, reveals average views per video of 10,695 in 2007. Crackle.com led the UGV group, averaging 216,596 per video, accelerated by its re-organization emphasizing category expansion and more professional content.

User Generated Video Market Size (total "views")
*Year*	*Views*
2005	3,250,000,000
2006	13,156,655,241
2007	22,368,960,636
2008	34,000,681,857
Source: AccuStream iMedia Research, January 2009

The report says that in the entire market segment, there were a total of 1.68 million non exclusive videos added to UGV libraries in 2007 (net of removed, retired videos) that generated views and became part of library rotation and were accessible to users, averaging 9,538 views. Almost 20% of total views generated in 2007 were delivered by videos published in 2006 or before. Yahoo Video was one of the exceptions, opting to focus almost exclusively on videos published in 2007.

Top line report findings and analysis:

(All data presented, analyzed, summarized and forecast in this research report is based on video views that are non duplicated, and double counting minimized)

There were a total of 22.4 billion views of User Generated Content (UGV) in 2007, including professional, semi-professional and partner channel video views on UGV sites

The market grew by an estimated 70% in 2007, up from a total 13.2 billion views generated in 2006

The market is forecast to grow at 52% in 2008, and reach 34 billion views, as indicated by straight line linear regression analysis of current market data

The UGV video segment is made up of several top tier brands which capture large chunks of viewing share, particularly YouTube and MySpace, as well as many second and third tier sites that contribute significantly to overall market

It's estimated YouTube added 831,147 videos to its library in 2007 (net of all video retired or removals)

An analysis of selected group of UGV sites reveals average views per video of 10,695

Crackle.com was the market leader in generating views per video at 216,596, accomplished by emphasizing professional content

Metacafe, a highly editorialized site with a mix of adult content was next at 85,505 videos per video

The report concludes that YouTube partner channels accounted for 10.6% of cumulative site views generated over the past year.

Current TV Files For IPO With SEC

2008-01-29T07:57:00.001-08:00

MediaPost reports:

IN A MOVE SURE TO cause some heads to shake, Current TV--the network
widely identified with founder Al Gore--filed for an IPO with the SEC
on Monday. The move comes despite an overall downturn in media stocks,
an uncertain future for independent cable networks and some $32
million in losses since 2005.

The company, which operates the Current TV network and associated Web
site, said it would be known as Current Media, and plans to continue
building a global media company targeting 18- to-34-year-olds with
news and lifestyle content. The network is in some 51 million homes,
including distribution in the UK and Ireland. It has a deal to launch
in Italy this spring.

Revenue in 2007 was $63.8 million, up from $37.9 million in 2006. Net
losses increased from $7.6 million to $9.9 million. (Expenses,
including an additional $9 million-plus for programming, also went up
considerably.)

The company has lost some $31.8 million since 2005 when the Current
network went live. The IPO filing comes as share prices in media
companies have been dropping precipitously, as fears of a recession
and its ripple effect on the ad market rise. Also, the fate of
independent cable networks appears to be up in the air, with
conglomerates that control a portfolio of networks benefiting from
that heft in negotiations with both affiliates and advertisers. NBC
Universal recently acquired the Oxygen network, while the Hallmark
Channel has sought a buyer for some time.

Last year, some 84% of Current TV's revenues came from affiliate fees,
although the company said in its SEC filing that "over the longer term
the majority of our revenue growth will be derived from advertising."

Ad revenues were some $10 million in 2007, up about 25% over the year
before. The company, which has former Turner and Weather Channel
executive Liz Janneman heading sales, indicated that it will look to
build its sales staff.

Gore and co-founder, former Ohio Democratic Senatorial candidate Joel
Hyatt, will control all the Class B shares of Current Media--which
come with enhanced voting power --once the company goes public on the
NASDAQ, as planned.

In order to build its ad base until now, the company has made what
appears to be a series of category-exclusive deals with certain
marketers--"agreements with some advertisers that effectively prevent
us from selling advertising to their competitors"--according to the
filing. Toyota, Johnson & Johnson and General Electric are prominent
advertisers. The network does not yet subscribe to Nielsen ratings,
though says it plans to.

Since 2006 when Sony launched a campaign, Current has offered
marketers the opportunity to run user-generated ads--what it calls
"VCAMS," for "viewer created ad messages." About a third of Current's
programming comes from viewers, and the network seeks shorter-form
content that runs in two- to 10-minute blocks.

"Leveraging this programming platform, we have pioneered innovative
ways for blue-chip advertisers to reach and engage with our young
adult audience--an audience that is highly sought after and, we
believe, increasingly elusive in traditional media outlets," the
company wrote in the filing.

In retrospect, when it launched in 2005, Current was on the cutting
edge of the user-generated-content wave. But it arguably was soon
overtaken by the likes of YouTube.

Current, which had been in the planning stages since 2002, got its
toehold when it purchased cable network Newsworld International in
2004. That switched over to the Current network the next year in some
19 million homes.

Current's affiliate agreements, which give it distribution in some 51
million homes, are with a range of U.S. distributors, including
Comcast, DirecTV and AT&T. The company said those deals don't begin to
expire until three years down the road.

US Internet Users Are Glued to Video

2008-01-28T17:01:00.001-08:00

Young men are the most frequent online video viewers, but US Internet
users of all ages are getting into the act. That is the main finding
of BurstMedia's "Online Insights" report, conducted in December 2007.
BurstMedia found that more than seven out of 10 adult US Internet
users surveyed had viewed online video content. A majority of all age
segments had watched online videos, including more than half of
respondents age 65 and older. Young men were viewing most often. More
than a third of the 18- to-24-year-old male online video viewers in
the survey reported that they watched once a day or more. The good
news for advertisers is that more than half of online video viewers
recalled seeing in-stream advertisements in content they had watched.

But more than three-quarters of respondents said in-stream
advertisements in online video were intrusive, and about one-half said
advertisements in video content disrupted their Web surfing
experience. Women were more likely than men to say advertisements in
video content disrupted their surfing. One-half of respondents stopped
watching an online video once they encountered an in-stream
advertisement. More than two-thirds of respondents said they paid
about the same or less attention to in-stream video advertisements
than to standard creative units on the same page.

"Marketers need to tread carefully with online video advertising,"
said Jarvis Coffin, CEO of BurstMedia. "It's pretty clear from our
research that most online video consumers are not yet willing to sit
through advertising to get the content they seek." The online video
viewer demographic characteristics reported by BurstMedia differed
somewhat from Internet users who visited video and movie Web sites.
Nielsen Online's "NetView" report, cited by the Center for Media
Research, found a nearly even split by gender among the site visitors
surveyed.

These are apples-to-oranges comparisons, since Burst was asking about
frequency of viewings among online video viewers and Nielsen profiled
unique Internet users visiting video sites.
Yet the Nielsen study indicated that 18- to-24-year-olds comprised a
small portion of visitors to such sites. What can be said is that, as
a result of their frequent online video viewing, 18-to-24-year-olds
represent an outsized percentage of all video views compared with
their numbers in the population as a whole.

YouTube Announces New and Expanded Mobile Offerings

2008-01-28T15:14:00.001-08:00

From Streaming Media

Creating the best possible mobile video experience for users involves
allowing the community to engage with YouTube whenever they want,
wherever they are. The latest enhancements to YouTube for Mobile will
give users access to the largest repository of mobile video content
available, on over 100 million devices worldwide, and will give them
more tools to personalize their experience.

YouTube for Mobile (http://m.youtube.com) users will be able to access
tens of millions of videos. YouTube for Mobile requires a streaming
capable (RTSP) phone as well as a 3G operator. This includes a
majority of 3G phones from leading mobile phone manufacturers. YouTube
works closely with many mobile partners to improve the user experience
on YouTube for Mobile, including Motorola, LG, Helio, Nokia, and more.

Not only will users and partners have access to the largest mobile
video catalog, they also will be able to personalize their experience.
Users will now have access to features regularly used on YouTube,
including their YouTube accounts, Favorites, Videos, Channels as well
as the ability to directly upload from mobile devices and share videos
instantly. Users also will now have the ability to rate and comment on
videos directly from their mobile phones.

YouTube for Mobile seeks to provide users the ease of mobility with
all of the features found on YouTube.com. YouTube's latest mobile
offerings will be made available to users all over the world and seeks
to provide users the ease of mobility with many of the features found
on YouTube.com.

YouTube is also offering YouTube for Mobile via a free downloadable
Java application for a limited number of mobile phones, giving users a
more interactive experience. Currently in beta and available in US and
UK English, the application offers another way to access YouTube for
Mobile. At this time, the YouTube for Mobile application is supported
only on J2ME (Java) MIDP2 devices with streaming video capabilities.
This includes the Sony Ericsson k800, w880, Nokia e65, n95, n73, 6110
navigator and 6120 classic.

The expansion of YouTube's mobile offering will improve the user
experience, giving YouTube users the ability to engage the world of
video anytime and anywhere. With more mobile functionality and
features, YouTube for Mobile will also allow users to develop more
innovative original content directly from their mobile devices and
encourage new users to share and engage the community.

*YouTube for Mobile (m.youtube.com) is available in the following
countries and in the below languages: Countries: United States, Japan,
United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Brazil,
Canada, Mexico, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, New Zealand, Germany and
Russia Languages: English, Japanese, Italian, French, Spanish, Dutch,
Polish, Portuguese, Chinese (Traditional), German, Russian

Online Advertising To Face Growing Obstacles

2008-01-25T14:07:00.001-08:00

from adotas:

Deloitte's Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) industry
predicts that, in 2008, at least one technology innovation developed
in an emerging market will become a disruptive force in Western
economies.

"Western companies understand the importance of innovating in emerging
markets," said John Hegel, co-chairman of the Deloitte Center for Edge
Innovation. "They should not miss the much larger opportunity for
innovation blowback to use emerging markets as seedbeds for innovation
that can be used to attack more entrenched positions in more developed
countries."

Meanwhile, the transformation of mobile networks from primarily
outdoor to increasingly indoor usage will create new opportunities for
network operators, who will need to move rapidly as the process of
fixed displacement takes hold. In advertising, the growing online
advertising market will contend with increasing consumer antipathy to
online ads and concerns about the tracking of online behavior.

Predictions 2008 is a series of three reports examining emerging
developments and how they will shape the TMT market. They were written
by the Deloitte TMT industry group with input from leading industry
analysts and executives. Each report includes recommendations on how
to best take advantage of these trends.

Accompanying the Global TMT Predictions this year is a closer look at
the U.S. market in a separate report called the Deloitte 2008 Industry
Outlook. This report for Technology, Media and Telecommunications
looks directly at trends impacting the U.S. market in 2008.

Key trends identified in these reports include:

Technology

– Innovation Blowback: Technology industries are demonstrating
Increased interest and investment in developing products to reach
Large, low-income populations in emerging economies such as India,
China and Latin America. In a phenomenon called innovation blowback,
expect to see at least one of these innovative products, services, or
management practices be introduced back into Western economies in
2008 and act as a disruptive force, targeting the entrenched
positions of incumbents in these more developed economies.

— Green Technology Issues: LED lights, nanotechnology and water
conservation technology predictions are all examples of how
technology will play an important roll in green issues in 2008.
Additionally, the growing importance of green technology to U.S.
corporations will lead to the creation of a new certification body
for energy-conservation claims.

– Privacy & Protection of Personally Identifiable Information: The
rising value of digital protection, the flight to privacy and a move
to online authentication will become increasingly important as
increasingly sophisticated consumer targeting plans emerge, along
with continued data security breaches involving personally
identifiable information security.

Telecom

— Getting Mobile Indoors: With an increasing portion of network traffic
moving indoors, how will mobile operators adapt to this changing
landscape? Network sharing will be a strategic decision made by many
operators in 2008.

– Accessibility as a Business Driver: Demographics are creating new
market opportunities for communications services and products. Market
segmentation will play a key role in creating new product target
markets.

— From Credit Crunch to Communications Crisis: A vital question for the
telecommunications sector is the extent to which the current credit
crunch may provoke a crisis in the telecommunications sector in 2008.

Media & Entertainment

– Online Advertising: Despite increased spending on online advertising
($10 billion invested in specialist online advertising companies
alone), there is growing antipathy by consumers to the online
advertisement and the tracking of online behavior.

– Long Live Traditional Television, Thanks to Internet Television:
Internet television will increasingly broaden the user experience of
traditional 'TV' as opposed to providing a viewing experience that
competes with it.

– The Living Room Moves Closer to Being Public Enemy Number One: More
elaborate TV/entertainment set-up in living rooms means higher energy
consumption nationwide. The media and electronics industries will
need to consider how the carbon footprint of the living room can be
reduced without returning to antiquated technology.

In-Stream Advertising: Killing or Saving Online Video?

2008-01-25T11:38:00.001-08:00

By Ian Schafer, The ClickZ Network, Jan 25, 2008

No one can deny the strong revenue potential for online video.
However, there are many schools of thought on how that revenue
potential can be realized. Publishers and advertisers alike hope that
realization happens soon.

Most consumers probably feel differently.

A new study from Burst Media says that consumers are turned off by
in-stream ads, such as pre-roll. While advertisers and publishers
don't want to hear this, the study raises many issues that might make
you question the study's validity, second-guess its naysayers, and
even determine whether or not you should take action to address its
findings.

Ad vs. Brand Recall

The study of 2,600 respondents found that more than half (53.6
percent) of all respondents actually remembered that they'd seen ads.
But do they remember what the ads were for? Ads, especially those in
the form of a traditional TV spot, are hard to avoid, but easy to
ignore.

You'll remember it when an ad interrupts an online experience, such as
watching an online video. The number of people who remembered seeing
ads doesn't surprise me.

Of those people who remembered seeing ads, how many recall what the
ads were for? That would be a key piece of learning to take away from
this study, but alas, that statistic is nowhere to be found.

Video, Interrupted

A total of 78 percent of respondents said in-stream ads were intrusive
and 50 percent said those ads disrupted their viewing experience.

Well, yes. Ads interrupt. That's their job. No news here.

Ads and the Effect on the Viewing Experience

One in two respondents said they stopped watching a video once they
encountered an in-stream ad. And, 43 percent stuck around to watch the
content.

But here's something interesting. Those ages 18 to 24 were actually
the most tolerant of in-stream ads: 57 percent watched content past an
ad. This demographic represents the generation of on-demand, P2P,
I-want-it-now, media consumption.

To me, this actually holds promise for the online video business, and
gives me a glass half-full feeling about online video's ad-supported
future. While many bloggers and pundits zeroed in on the 15 percent of
the people who abandoned Web sites after seeing an in-stream ad, we
should instead focus on those who stuck around.

If the 18- to 24-year-old age group stats haven't surprised you,
here's another one: 38.5 percent pay more attention to in-stream video
ads than they do to standard ads.

So, while the study has provided plenty of fodder for critics of the
online video industry, it gives us quite a bit to be optimistic about.
If 18- to 24-year-olds are our future, then online video advertising's
future actually looks pretty bright.

Til then, it'd just be nice to have more studies that are more
thorough to learn more from.

BBC Signs Deal With MySpace

2008-01-24T13:10:00.001-08:00

MySpace is teaming up with the BBC to promote some of the content from
the site to a broader audience. This signifies the site's first major
deal with a news network.

This will improve MySpace's standings in the online video world. The
site has become increasingly focused on entertainment technology such
as music and video where as its rival Facebook, has been focused on
messaging, and various other social technologies, according to Globe
and Mail.

The BBC has an existing deal with YouTube.

Simon Danker, director of digital media for BBC Worldwide stated "With
the global nature of the deal, this is a great opportunity to put the
best shows form the BBC in front of new audiences."

Under this deal, the two companies will be sharing the ad revenue.

MySpace's executive VP of marketing and content Jeff Berman was quoted
by the Associated Press to say that the deal "reflects a
fast-approaching Internet future defined by co-operation between
corporations."

YouTube Expands Mobile Reach

2008-01-24T13:09:00.003-08:00

YouTube is opening its services to run on millions more handset phones
which the company announced today.

The company is expanding its service availability from a few phones to
a wide range used by 100 million users globally that stream videos to
mobile screens, reports Reuters.

Dwipal Desia, YouTube's mobile product manager was quoted to say "It's
basically the full YouTube experience you can get on the desktop – on
the phone. We expect it to get fairly popular from our past
experiences."

Only now has the company made full mobile video service available to
iPhone users and select Helio devices, the report continued.

A limited version of the site will become available to Verizon
Wireless phone users as the technology is not quite capable yet of
supporting fuller streaming services.

Desia told Reuters in an interview of the company that "Right now we
are focused on building a user base on alternative screens and we'll
look at monetization in the future."

YouTube for Mobile will be made available in 17 countries and 11
languages, the report concluded.

EyeWonder Launches Campaigns For OMD & Tequila

2008-01-24T13:09:00.001-08:00

EyeWonder Inc., a rich media and digital video advertising company
announced this week the launch of a round of major campaigns from
agencies OMD and Tequila that leverage EyeWonder's In-Stream 2.0
Research Initiative.

This anticipated to advance current levels of pre-roll video
advertising effectiveness and measurements by testing, tracking and
analyzing user behavior tied to new video-based rich media ad
platforms and formats.

John Vincent, CEO of EyeWonder stated "These campaigns represent
significant progress in our In-Stream 2.0 Research Initiative, a
project that will result in new standards and expectations for
in-stream advertising. Through our collaboration with leading agencies
like OMD, Tequila and their clients, we are generating the empirical
data we need to drive quantifiable and meaningful innovation that
optimizes the in-stream advertising experience for users, advertisers
and publishers. This initiative is just another example of what we do
best: leveraging our experience and technology to drive further
innovation and richer results for the interactive advertising
industry."

EyeWonder has partnered with third-party research provider
InsightExpress for the In-Stream 2.0 Research Initiative.

David Goodrich, West Coast director of OMD Digital said "As a primary
partner in this initiative, we greatly appreciate the impact it will
have on the effectiveness and measurement of the in-stream advertising
and the overall online advertising experience. We look forward to
putting the findings to use on more and more upcoming EyeWonder
In-Stream 2.0 campaigns."

Audience for video sharing sites nearly doubles

2008-01-23T17:49:00.001-08:00

From bizReports:

Over the last year the audience for video sharing websites has doubled
according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Researchers
found that 48% of adults said they had visited a video sharing site in
December 2007.

In December 2006 only 33% of users said they had visited a video
sharing site; that is an increase of 45% year over year. About 15% of
the respondents in 2007 said they had visited a video sharing site the
day prior to the survey; in 2006 only 8% said the same thing.

This is a very large growth span for the year and an indication that
online video is continuing to increase in popularity. While growth
such as the 45% increase cannot continue indefinitely, it is clear
that users are becoming accustomed to visiting these sites on a
regular basis. This means that advertisers will soon have even more
reach into the audience segment.

As online video continues to grow, though, advertisers will need to
grow their own video capabilities and increase their targeting
methods. Sponsoring video content or segments will likely become a
large part of the video ad spends. Advertisers will also need to have
unique ideas for their online ads.

While consumers have indicated that watching video ads rather than
paying for content is preferred, if the ads offered aren't engaging,
users will tune them out.

Former DoubleClick Execs Launch Video Ad Rights Management Firm

2008-01-23T10:52:00.001-08:00

from clickZ;

Aiming to solve a "vexing and challenging problem" facing online
video, three former DoubleClick officials today launched FreeWheel, a
company with patent-pending technology designed to automate, for
publishers and portals, many decisions about video ad revenue.

The New York-based company said three major clients -- Joost,
NextNewNetworks and Jumpstart Automotive Media -- have already signed
up to use its "Monetization Rights Management" (MRM) technology,
described as a platform that can determine on the fly who is permitted
to sell ads against syndicated or networked content, who shares the
money and how much is distributed to each recipient.

"The focus of what we are doing is to solve a vexing and challenging
problem in the industry," said FreeWheel co-founder and co-CEO Douglas
Knopper, former CEO of Bitpass and SVP and GM for ad management at
DoubleClick. "The real question is, who gets to sell the ads, under
what conditions and who gets paid how much?" Knopper said the music
industry "somewhat solved" a similar problem through the use of
digital rights management (DRM). But unlike MRM, DRM is "a
constraining solution," he said.

"It doesn't allow the content to be distributed beyond a very limited
set of users," said Knopper. "The way we see the world… consumers want
the videos to be distributed far and wide. They are OK with it being
ad-supported."

Knopper asserted FreeWheel's MRM works with content owners and
distributors to allow them to make decisions on when an ad is first
supposed to appear, who gets to sell the ads, which ads get served and
how the revenue is "divied up."

Joining Knopper at FreeWheel are the company's other co-founders,
Jonathan Heller and Diane Yu. Heller, who is co-CEO, spent six years
as the operating officer of the DoubleClick Media Network, followed by
positions as COO/CFO of Visible World and VP/General Manager at Yahoo.
Yu, FreeWheel's CTO, was VP of Engineering at DoubleClick, where she
was involved in the development of the DART ad serving platform.

In its launch announcement, FreeWheel suggested its MRM approach might
resolve one of the disagreements underlyling the current Writers'
Guild strike. It explained that, since revenue sharing from digital
marketing is at the center of the dispute, "MRM's ability to account
for complicated dispersals automatically" would avoid the unclear
"Hollywood Accounting" practices that provoked the strike.

Knopper said one challenge facing FreeWheel is winning over content
owners, distributors and publishers that already have payment systems
in place. "They don't want to rip out their existing systems," he
said. "What's happened is the problem has kind of stalled the
industry. They are just not syndicating their content and the ones
that are are doing it manually or with a hodgepodge of systems that
aren't meeting their need."

YuMe Powers NBC Dire

2008-01-22T12:45:00.001-08:00

YuMe, the first ad network dedicated to broadband video, and NBC
announced that YuMe's ad platform has been chosen to provide ad
management, campaign management, trafficking and reporting for the new
NBC Direct service.

NBC Direct is an online destination that offers free access to NBC
primetime programs. CEP and co-founder of YuMe stated "We're excited
to be a part of this historic effort to deliver, for the first time
ever, free on-demand access to primetime programming for consumers.
Over the coming months, we will provide NBC with new and unprecedented
abilities to service their advertising clients in connection with the
online viewing of premium content via NBC Direct."

Vivi Zigler, Executive VP of NBC Digital Entertainment said "We
believe we have found an excellent partner in YuMe to help us bring to
viewers their first free, on-demand access to the best programming our
network has to offer. Our network has a proud tradition of innovation
and leadership when it comes to bringing content to viewers in new
ways and NBC Direct will be another milestone in this proud history at
the network."

Programs that are currently available include "30 Rock", "The Office",
"Heroes", "My Name Is Earl", "Medium", "American Gladiators",
"Celebrity Apprentice", "Friday Night Lights", "Late Night with Conan
O'Brien" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

Video Drives Apple's Innovation

2008-01-21T14:27:00.001-08:00

from streaming media:
SAN FRANCISCO—As happened last year, Apple succeeded in turning heads
just after the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). At last year's event,
Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone, which he reported at this
year's keynote on Tuesday is only second behind the Blackberry in
terms of smartphone sales in the U.S. After being on the market for
exactly 200 days, Apple has sold 4 million to date or 20,000 iPhones
every day. From a national perspective, Apple's iPhone in its first
quarter of shipping stood at 19.5% of the total market, behind
Research In Motion's Blackberry at 39.0% but better than Palm,
Motorola, and Nokia combined.

"We equaled these three in first 90 days of shipment," said an
exuberant Jobs. "The numbers for the December quarter, when they are
announced, look like they'll be even better."

About an hour prior to this year's keynote at Macworld San Francisco
(MWSF), though, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) fought back
with a well-timed press release titled "2008 International CES Reigns
as Global Stage for New Technology Innovation." But, as happened last
year, Apple pushed aside the critics and released several key products
that will drive the CES companies back to the drawing board.

The one that will get the most attention as a hardware gadget is a new
ultra-thin Macbook laptop called Macbook Air. The product has
impressive specifications (incredible thinness of .76" to .016" – 60%
thinner than the next closest competitor, the Sony TZ series which is
1.2" to .8" thick – a 13.3" widescreen and a 45 nanometer Core 2 duo
at 1.6Ghz standard or 1.8Ghz option). Apple asked Intel to shrink the
Core 2 Duo by 60%, which Jobs said was the single most important
innovation to allow Apple the ability to build Macbook Air. Of course,
with H.264 as the primary codec in Apple's arsenal and a move to HD
content playback, Apple's desire to put a Core 2 Duo in the Macbook
Air was a strict requirement, as no single core processor would be
able to consistently handle H.264 decoding of HD movies. The battery
decision—Apple claims 5 hours of battery life on the new Macbook
Air—is as much about being able to complete the viewing of a movie as
it is about application productivity.

Broadband Enterprises Receives $10 Million Strategic Equity Investment from Velocity Interactive Group

2008-01-21T14:26:00.001-08:00

New York (January 17, 2008) - Broadband Enterprises, the premiere
online video network, today announced it has received a $10 million
strategic equity investment. The Company's inaugural equity investment
was raised with Velocity Interactive Group, a leading global digital
media and communications investment firm.

"This strategic investment highlights the exceptional operating
performance we achieved in 2007 and underscores the value proposition
of our company," said Matt Wasserlauf, CEO, Broadband Enterprises. "By
working closely with Velocity Interactive Group and putting our
world-class agency, brand advertiser, content publisher and video
producer clients at the forefront of everything we do, Broadband
Enterprises will continue to deliver an unmatched online video
experience."

"Over the past four years Broadband Enterprises has built a highly
successful online video monetization engine, which has grown rapidly
throughout 2007," said Jonathan Miller, Partner, Velocity Interactive
Group. "We expect the growth to be bigger and faster as the company
executes its 2008 strategic plan."

The money raised will complement re-invested free cash flow and be
used to accelerate the Company's strategic growth initiatives,
including expanding the breadth and depth of content – through
partnerships with established media companies and from emerging video
producers – and launching new client-centric, scalable technology
solutions.

With Velocity Interactive Group's investment, Jonathan Miller will
join the Broadband Enterprises board of directors and advise the
Company on strategic matters.

Jefferies & Company acted as financial advisor to Broadband
Enterprises in this transaction.

WPP May Absorb Spot Runner, VideoEgg, Visible, JumpTap

2008-01-21T13:52:00.001-08:00

Online TV spot buying platform Spot Runner could be the next
acquisition for WPP Group, reports The New York Post.

Spot Runner allows advertisers to create TV spots targeted by
demographic or geographic locations, with customized information
inserted automatically wherever the spot runs.

Video and ad network VideoEgg, mobile marketing shop JumpTap, and
social media monitoring firm Visible may also be WPP Group acquisition
targets.
The speculation was born after WPP chief Sir Martin Sorrell said one
purchase or more may be in the near future.

WPP Group already owns online ad company 24/7 Real Media, which it
acquired last May. Refinery, an interactive agency, was also purchased
last year.

Zenith Restructures Video Buying.

2008-01-18T14:04:00.001-08:00

From MediaPost:

ZENITH MEDIA USA, THE FLAGSHIP unit of Publicis Groupe's
ZenithOptimedia Group, this morning announced what it called a "major
restructuring" of its media buying operations, naming long-term
broadcast buying diva Peggy Green Vice Chairman, and putting in charge
of a new "video investments and marketplace approach."

Green, who reports to ZenithOptimedia North America CEO Tim Jones,
will oversee the integration of all video-based media buying
operations, consolidating traditional broadcast and cable buying
departments, with video buying duties for emerging platforms such as
online video. The move is similar to the restructuring and integration
of video buying, or "activation" departments popping up across Madison
Avenue, especially at Zenith's sister shops, Starcom and MediaVest,
both of which adopted those strategies a couple of years ago.

The move also comes as video advertising and content is jumping off
the personal screens of TV, PCs and hand-helds, into a variety of
public venues within a burgeoning out-of-home digital video
advertising marketplace, which is seeing many traditional TV players -
companies like CBS and NBC - jumping into the space - literally (see
today's MediaDailyNews).

Video download business snowballing

2008-01-18T14:03:00.001-08:00

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Video downloads will grow from 215 million in 2008 to more than 2.4
billion in 2012, with rentals accounting for about half of these,
according to new research published Thursday.

Research group ABI said rental, download-to-own and subscription
models will all see significant traction as new solutions for bringing
online video to the TV flourish. However, most downloads -- about half
-- will be through rental, in particular for online movie rentals, it
said.

"The opening up of rental for video on iTunes is not surprising, given
that is how most consumers looking for legal paid movie downloads will
choose to acquire them," ABI research director Michael Wolf said.

"Distribution offerings for movies that are in attractive release
windows and that offer easy viewing on a TV or portable screen will
see the greatest success."

However, challenges still remain for this market, ABI said,
particularly competition from legacy VOD services as well as
unattractive ownership and rental terms offered by the studios.

The group added that rival service providers such as cable and IPTV
are offering impressive VOD libraries to consumers through their
traditional pay video services, and increasingly video service
providers such as Comcast are expanding into over-the-top streaming.

Additionally, ABI said over-the-top rental terms are becoming
unattractive as the studios dictate the same rental terms to all
distributors, even iTunes. "Studios are locked into the same 24-hour
'once-started' viewing window and similar pricing for all online
rental partners," Wolf said. "We believe that over time they will
begin to offer greater flexibility, in particular as DVD and other
physical media continue to mature and new consumer Internet-to-TV
hardware expands their audience of consumers."

Google Sees Surge in iPhone Traffic

2008-01-17T16:48:00.001-08:00

Form the NY Times:

Of all the iPhone's features, none had reviewers gushing more than
its Internet browser. It was the first cellphone browser that promised
something resembling the experience of surfing the Internet on a PC.
Santa helped deliver on that promise.

On Christmas, traffic to Google from iPhones surged, surpassing
incoming traffic from any other type of mobile device, according to
internal Google data made available to The New York Times. A few days
later, iPhone traffic to Google fell below that of devices powered by
the Nokia-backed Symbian operating system but remained higher than
traffic from any other type of cellphone.

The data is striking because the iPhone, an Apple product, accounts
for just 2 percent of smartphones worldwide, according to IDC, a
market research firm. Phones powered by Symbian make up 63 percent of
the worldwide smartphone market, while those powered by Microsoft's
Windows Mobile have 11 percent and those running the BlackBerry system
have 10 percent.

The iPhone has taken the frustration out of browsing on a mobile
phone, said Charles Wolf, an analyst with Needham & Company.

Other companies confirmed the trends, if not the specific data,
observed by Google. Yahoo, for instance, said iPhones accounted for a
disproportionate amount of its mobile traffic. And AdMob, a firm that
shows billions of ads on mobile Web sites every month, said it saw
traffic from iPhones surge drastically around Christmas.

"Consumers are going to demand Internet browsers" as good as Apple's,
said Vic Gundotra, a Google vice president who oversees mobile
products.

Mr. Gundotra said Web browsers as capable as the iPhone's could also
prove a boon for developers of mobile software, who have long
struggled to adapt their programs to different types of phones. As it
does on the PC, he said, the browser could provide a more homogeneous
"layer" for programmers.

"The reason no one considered this seriously is that the Web layer on
mobile devices was terrible," he said. Google has taken advantage of
the capabilities of the iPhone browser to create a product, internally
called Grand Prix, that it says provides easy access to many of the
company's services, including search, Gmail, Reader and Picasa.

Google, which developed the first version of Grand Prix in six weeks,
is introducing a new version on Monday, just six weeks after the first
one. That is a speed of development not previously possible on mobile
phones, he said.

green Sites

2008-01-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

We're observing many emerging sites like BeVerty.com which is owned by The Gaia Store in the green space. Should video also arise on those sites?

Anyway, I really like beverty.com and I hope it'll get the traffic this beta site deserves!

Check it out here or here.

Traffic To Video-Sharing Sites Double Year-Ago

2008-01-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

ON A TYPICAL DAY NEAR the end of 2007, the share of Web users going to video-sharing sites like YouTube was nearly twice as large as it was in 2006, according to new data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. What's more, in December, nearly half (48%) of Internet users reported visiting a video-sharing site, up from 33% at the end of 2006.

About 15% of respondents said they had used a video-sharing site "yesterday"--the day before they were contacted for the survey. A year ago, 8% had visited such a site "yesterday." Thus, on an average day, the number of users of video sites nearly doubled from the end of 2006 to the end of 2007.

These results come from a survey of 2,054 American adults conducted between Oct. 24 and Dec. 2, 2007.

"The dramatic growth in the population using video-sharing sites is tied at least in part to the popularity of such sites among men, younger adults (those under age 30), and college graduates," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "Nearly a third of wired young adults (30%) watch a video on a site like YouTube on a typical day, and fully a fifth of online men (20%) do the same."

At the same time, growth in daily traffic surged among some other demographic groups. Among women, for example, use on an average day jumped from 5% to 11%--or an increase of 120%. And among those ages 30 to 49, use on a typical day increased from 7% to 14%--an increase of 100%.

Growth in traffic is also linked to the spread of broadband connections. In Pew's December 2006 survey, 45% of all American adults said they had broadband at home, and in this most recent survey, 54% of all adults said they had high-speed connections at home.

Online Video Attracts Six Out of Ten Internet Users Weekly

2008-01-09T19:58:00.000-08:00

According to the latest Horowitz Associates report, Broadband Content and Services 2007, six out of ten high speed Internet users watch/download online video content at least once a week and 86% do so on a monthly basis, compared to 45% and 71%, respectively, in the 2006 study. News and user-generated, non-professional content are the most often viewed genres, followed by movie previews/trailers, music videos, and previews/segments of TV shows.

Weekly viewing of full episodes of television shows doubled from last year, with 16% of high speed Internet users watching TV online on a weekly basis.

NBC and ABC are the networks Internet users mention the most frequently for online TV content, with Grey's Anatomy being the most often mentioned TV program viewed online.

While consumption of broadband video has grown, the study shows that television is still the preferred platform for traditional TV content:

70% of Internet users who watch TV online say do so because they missed the episode on TV
18% of these respondents say they watch TV shows online to watch them again after having watched them on TV
20%watch TV shows online just when they happen to find them or when someone else tells them about them
13% of Internet users who watch TV shows online say they watch them directly online, and not on regular TV.

Breakthrough TiVo Innovation Allows Customers to Easily Download Internet Video Automatically to Their Television Sets

2008-01-09T18:51:00.000-08:00

TiVo Applies Highly Valued Season Pass Functionality to Web Video Further Demonstrates TiVo’s Commitment to Providing a One-Box, One-Stop Destination for all Entertainment and Content Needs

Widevine and Move Networks

2008-01-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

Widevine Technologies, the only provider of multiformat, multiplatform DRM and the recognized “Switzerland of DRM”, today announced it has integrated with Move Networks, a leading provider of digital media publishing and delivery services. The integration delivers a complete and secure end-to-end solution for monetizing online video delivery and enables major media companies to secure Internet TV, copyrights, ad-based revenue and geo-political boundaries.

KickApps Extends Partnership with Advertising.com

2007-12-23T15:43:00.000-08:00

From mediapost:

ON-DEMAND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM KICKAPPS has extended its partnership with AOL's Advertising.com to include its Lightningcast video ad-serving system. The new integrated platform combines KickApps' community-building services with Advertising.com's Lightningcast video ad-serving system in an effort to help publishers serve ads via editorial and user-generated video content on their KickApps-powered social media sites.

"Publishers want to co-mingle their professionally produced content with the user-generated video, because it gives them more inventory to run advertising," said KickApps CEO Alex Baum, a former president of JumpTV, who previously spent eight years in a senior programming role at AOL. "What's changing and driving this trend is--user-generated stuff is driving a CPM that is comparable to premium content as long as it's properly targeted."

KickApps provides sites of all sizes with a range of building blocks that include user-generated content, social networking, video players, Webcam applications, widget-building, media/member management and reporting.

Corporate users and Web masters can mix and match building blocks from the widget library to crate a more customized or branded solution.

Advertising.com's Lightningcast platform was designed to help Web publishers insert, manage and track ads that are incorporated within their videos. The new integrated solution will now enable KickApps affiliates large and small to generate their fair share of advertising revenue from their sites.

The New York-based KickApps' tools have powered a successful Procter & Gamble Tag Body Spray community effort. Within six weeks of launch, it drove 772,400 page views and 260,000 unique visitors, according to KickApps.

My43.net used the tools to raise monthly site traffic by 30% with no on-air promotion. Other companies using it include AFL Network, Cycling.tv, and National Lampoon, Universal Music/Interscope and others.

KickApps is also serving targeted ads to relevant audience clusters, allowing for the monetization of sites.

KickApps is backed by Spark Capital and Prism VentureWorks. Its board members include former Liberty Digital and E! Entertainment CEO Jarl Mohn and former MTV and NFL President Sara Levinson.

ROO Group Announces Strategic Realignment, Appointment of New CEO

2007-12-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

New York (December 19, 2007) - ROO Group (OTCBB: RGRP) announced today that the company has entered into an Executive Management Agreement with KIT Capital pursuant to which it has agreed to appoint Kaleil Isaza Tuzman as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer commencing on January 9th, 2008. Mr. Isaza Tuzman will succeed Robert Petty, who will retain the office of Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Founder.

Mr. Isaza Tuzman, 36, is currently the President and Chief Operating Officer of JumpTV Inc. (JTV: AIM, TSX) where he is responsible for managing the Company's day-to-day operations including global business development, sales, marketing, network operations and product development. As previously announced, he will be stepping down from his operating position at JumpTV on or before January 8th, 2008, but will remain on the board of that company.

ROO also announced that four independent members of the company’s board of directors – Simon Bax, Stephen Palley, Scott Ackerman and Doug Chertok – have resigned. The Company’s Board of Directors is expected to appoint Isaza Tuzman as a Director and the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Upon Mr. Isaza Tuzman’s appointment, the Board will consist of three directors which will include current board members Robert Petty and Robin Smyth, Executive Director. In accordance with the terms of an Executive Management Agreement, Isaza Tuzman will have the right to appoint up to four new independent board members to fill vacancies on the Board of Directors, subject to shareholder approval. Isaza Tuzman, is also investing in the Company through an affiliated entity.

Mr. Isaza Tuzman has been brought on to rationalize the existing business and position ROO to become the leader in IPTV infrastructure services—through both organic growth and strategic acquisition. The company is already one of the leading distribution platforms in the online media space and is the premier solution for IP-based Video-on-Demand. The ROO Video Network is watched by millions of viewers and supported by a wide-range of premium advertisers.

“We are very pleased to welcome Kaleil as our new CEO,” said Robert Petty, Chairman of ROO. “Kaleil brings the experience and insight needed to lead us through this next stage of growth. He has a proven record of helping companies achieve their fullest potential and we are confident that his deep knowledge of our sector, operational discipline and leadership skills will enable us to generate value for our shareholders.”

Mr. Isaza Tuzman stated, “ROO is at an inflection point in its development. The massive growth in the demand for high-value, IP video content, coupled with the need for leading edge platform provisioning puts this company in a very enviable position. I believe that with greater emphasis on exclusive content, TV broadcaster relationships and the best quality distribution tools, ROO will become the leading player in the provisioning of video over the Internet. In my view, a focused B2B strategy is what is needed to build a profitable company in the sector. ROO’s commitment to this path—coupled with our shared vision of potential industry consolidation---has been critical to my decision to invest in and manage the company."

Under new management, the company plans to:
·Leverage expertise in international media to expand client and partner base;
·Reduce costs and implement cost control policies company-wide,
·Achieve profitability as quickly as possible;
·Assess and prioritize product development initiatives;
·Assess corporate branding;
·Assess and execute strategic acquisitions consistent with the IPTV platform provisioning strategy, including the development of live-streaming and mobile distribution capabilities.

As part of the strategic realignment, ROO also announced today that it has completed a recent reduction of 21% of its workforce. This decision reflects the substantial completion of ROO’s platform and automated distribution tools, which have made the company more efficient and reduced staffing needs.

“ROO has now entered a new phase of development,” said Robert Petty, Chairman of ROO. “We have substantially automated our operations, allowing us to function as a leaner, more effective company.”

Mr. Petty concluded, “I would like to thank our independent board members for their contributions to our organization. As a result of their guidance, we are now a stronger, more efficient company.”

As part of the Executive Management Agreement, KIT Capital Ltd., an entity controlled by Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, has been granted the right to purchase up to 51% of the preferred class of shares in the Company at US$0.38 per share. KIT Capital has the option to invest up to US$5 million in common shares of the Company at US$0.16 per share, a 15% premium to the closing price yesterday, December 18th, 2007.

Utilizing Limelight Networks and Microsoft Technology, Blockbuster Premieres First Studio-Backed Broadband Movie

2007-12-17T09:23:00.000-08:00

from streaming media:

TEMPE, ARIZ. (December 17, 2007) - Limelight Networks® (Nasdaq: LLNW), the leading content delivery network (CDN) for digital media, today announced that Blockbuster Inc., a leading global provider of in-home movie and game entertainment, has exclusively selected Limelight Networks’ rich media CDN and Microsoft Silverlight to provide the technical streaming capabilities for the first studio-backed feature streamed in its entirety - JACKASS 2.5 - to be distributed directly online by Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment, MTV New Media group from MTV Networks and BLOCKBUSTER®.

Available for free, courtesy of BLOCKBUSTER, at blockbuster.jackassworld.com beginning December 19th through December 31st, 2007, the U.S. online distribution of JACKASS 2.5, an event made possible by the recent acquisition of Movielink by Blockbuster Inc., leverages the power of Limelight Networks’ CDN and Microsoft Silverlight.

“This ground-breaking event underscores our commitment to providing customers with convenient access to media entertainment, whether it’s through our stores, the mail or through new technologies,” said Keith Morrow, chief information officer for Blockbuster Inc. “Combining the CDN performance and scalability of Limelight Networks with the power of Microsoft Silverlight should deliver a compelling and high-quality viewing experience to online viewers of JACKASS 2.5.”

The release of JACKASS 2.5 taps into a market which is believed to be a driving force for online digital media consumption today. In search of the right solution to power the movie premiere, BLOCKBUSTER turned to Limelight Networks and Microsoft as two leaders in online media delivery.
“BLOCKBUSTER is taking a great step forward in making Hollywood digital,” said Brian Goldfarb, group product manager in the developer division at Microsoft Corp. “Using Silverlight for this initiative will provide consumers with an outstanding, high-quality experience in online entertainment.”

“BLOCKBUSTER is making history by driving the studio-backed release of JACKASS 2.5 to an audience whose lifestyles are continually influenced by the latest online innovations,” said Dave Hatfield, senior vice president of products, marketing and sales at Limelight Networks. “Limelight Networks’ infrastructure was built for these types of large, rich media streaming events. Coupled with our strong relationship with Microsoft and its leading-edge Silverlight platform, BLOCKBUSTER could not have a better solution and team supporting this project and helping them in their efforts to deliver a dynamic entertainment adventure to consumers.”

Streaming JACKASS 2.5 is open to anyone in the U.S. 17 years or older whether they are a BLOCKBUSTER member or not. And best of all, it’s free. Available December 19th through December 31st, go to blockbuster.jackassworld.com, download the free Microsoft Silverlight media player and with a few quick steps, you’re watching the movie.

About Limelight Networks
Limelight Networks is a high-performance content delivery network for digital media, providing massively scalable, global delivery solutions for on-demand and live Internet distribution of video, music, games, software and social media. Limelight Networks’ infrastructure is optimized for the large object sizes, large content libraries, and large audiences associated with compelling rich media content. Limelight is the content delivery network of choice for over 1,000 companies, including many of the world’s top Internet, media and entertainment companies, including Microsoft Xbox LIVE, Sony Playstation 3, Akimbo, Amazon Unbox™, Belo Interactive, Brightcove, “BuyMusic” @ Buy.com, DreamWorks, LLC, Facebook, FOXNews.com, IFILM, ITV Play, MSNBC.com, NC Interactive and Valve. For more information, visit www.llnw.com.

Safe Harbor Act Disclaimer: All forward-looking statements contained in this release are made within the meaning of and pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements other than statements of historical facts, including but not limited to statements concerning the performance and scalability of Limelight Networks' CDN, notably its ability to deliver large, rich media streaming events, and other statements concerning the plans, intentions, expectations, projections, hopes, beliefs, objectives, goals and strategies of management. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed, projected or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the results expressed, projected or implied by any forward-looking statements will be achieved, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and are based on the current plans, goals, objectives, strategies, intentions, expectations and assumptions of, and the information currently available to, management. The Company assumes no duty or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as the result of changes in expectations, new information, future events, conditions or circumstances or otherwise.

IAC To Employ Brightcove Platform For Web Video

2007-12-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

WEB VIDEO COMPANY BRIGHTCOVE HAS reached a deal with media company IAC to provide IAC's properties with a platform to create, manage, publish, distribute and monetize video on the Web. Ticketmaster, Citysearch and 23/6 are among the first IAC brands to use Brightcove's service. IAC has been a minority stakeholder in Brightcove since December 2006.

Under the agreement, any IAC business can use Brightcove's on-demand platform to publish video content to their sites, manage syndication and viral distribution, integrate advertising and launch independent or integrated consumer media campaigns.

ClipBlast Unveils "Remote Control for the Video Web"-

2007-12-11T17:12:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES, Calif (December 11, 2007) - ClipBlast! (www.clipblast.com), the premier Web-wide video search and navigation platform, today announced the release of ClipBlast! Version 3.0. Acting in effect as a “remote control for the Video Web,” the new release represents a major enhancement of ClipBlast!'s video search platform, with improvements that promise a richer, easier and more relevant experience for advertisers and content providers -- and the video viewers they aim to reach.

At the heart of ClipBlast! 3.0 is the Intelligent Index™, which matches the content of the ad with the content of the video. Rather than relying exclusively on the content provider's description and metadata—which can be subjective or even nonexistent— ClipBlast!'s Intelligent Index uses proprietary technology to categorize content in real time more effectively, thereby delivering both more relevant search results and highly targeted ads.

The Intelligent Index simultaneously addresses the issue of “how to get found” and provides a monetization model for online video. The ClipBlast! 3.0 platform gets “smarter” with every video it indexes. The more videos added, and the more metadata ingested into the platform, the better the platform becomes at recognizing, organizing and drawing correlations among related data -- which leads to smarter search results.

For the content provider – which can now extend its reach well beyond its own site -- ClipBlast! 3.0 literally raises a video's IQ. For advertisers, ClipBlast’s Intelligent Index can mean increased revenues, thanks to the ability to serve highly-targeted ads in conjunction with smart content.

"ClipBlast! 3.0 provides a way for advertisers to take true advantage of the ever-growing Video Web,” said Gary Baker, ClipBlast! founder and CEO. “Our Intelligent Index not only leads to better, more accurate search results for the viewer, it also creates a situation where advertisers can get their message, in a vibrant, living format—in front of viewers who are paying attention a particular topic.

“ClipBlast! 3.0 leverages the collective input of the community to hone contextual searches,” he added. “And because the Intelligent Index ensures higher quality video search, ClipBlast! 3.0 advances the state of the art in contextual search. Like a remote control unit, it places the entire Video Web at your fingertips.”

Video Advertising 3.0
ClipBlast's 3.0 platform does for Video Web advertisers what pay-per-click programs did for the early generations of online marketers -- it gives advertisers an innovative way to get their relevant message directly in front of a viewer who's expressed interest in a subject.

“Because our search results are both smart and highly refinable, advertisers can pinpoint specific user targets and serve relevant ads at the exact moment the viewer has shown interest,” Baker said. “This kind of one-to-one advertising – occurring within a one-to-many medium -- offers unparalleled opportunities for advertisers.

“Intelligent indexing represents a sea change in the video search paradigm,” he noted. “Until now, a video creator could name a video anything, and could describe that video in any way -- but the content within the video may have nothing to do with what the creator says. ClipBlast! 3.0 looks at both the information the creator provides and the information the video itself provides -- the images, the speech, the text -- and returns results accordingly. It's simply a more holistic and less subjective way of indexing video — and, ultimately, it ensures a better experience for everyone the Video Web touches."

Today’s announcement follows the launch of the ClipBlast! Video Widget at DEMOfall07 in late September. The ClipBlast! Widget is a Web-wide video search and navigation tool that resides on the desktop, enabling search, navigation, browsing and viewing of the Video Web without having to launch a browser or visit a specific website.

The ClipBlast! platform searches the entire Web for available content, continuously providing video web viewers with up-to-date, personalized video content, no matter what the source. ClipBlast! indexes more content providers than anyone on the Video Web.

Five Technical Issues Hampering Online Video Growth

2007-12-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

Posted on seeking alpha.com:

For many years, the online video industry has always had some who like to point to limitations on the technology as being the excuse and reason why the industry is not grow as fast as some may like. For years it was people complaining that video quality is not good enough, that it's too hard to deliver and too difficult to scale. Today, those arguments are no longer valid. The technology is here today to have great quality video, to deliver it with performance and to reach as big of an audience as today's business models support.

But when it comes to online video advertising, there is a valid argument that the technology today does not have the functionality that is needed for us to see video advertising growth on a faster scale. Will we get there? Yes. But it's taking longer than it should due to these ten technical and industry issues:

There is no set standard for the length of an ad based on the length of the content. We all get ads at 10, 15 and 30 seconds in length for both long and short form content, with each content site doing it differently. And in some cases, like I outlined with Yahoo!, some sites deliver different ad lengths in the same piece of content. What a bad user experience. How can we expect viewers to get use to watching ads when the experience is different on each site?
Many times, ads are delivered at a lower quality and smaller window size than the content itself. This is a trend I am seeing more and more of lately. I click to watch a video that is encoded at 300 or 500Kbps but the ad I get before it is only encoded at 100kbps and the ad only fills up a fraction of the video window. What a poor experience. For instance you are given a 320x240 window but then the ad shows up as 240x180. The only reasoning behind this that I can think of is that it's cheaper to deliver the ads this way since they are at a lower bitrate and/or the agency encoded all of it's ads at only one bitrate. It looks like crap.
There is still very little being done in the way of targeted ads. Due to many technical issues, ads are still being churned out and delivered to web users with almost no insight into what the user wants to see or more importantly what the user should see based on their location. I always use the example of how I see Crispy Creme donut ads yet the closest Crispy Creme to where I live is 43.3 miles away in Milford CT. I know some ad platforms are doing more and more with targeting, but still not enough. This needs to be figured out faster. If you can't deliver ads based on a persons interests, geographic location or even gender, then the majority of these video ads are completely being wasted. It's no wonder the pre-roll ad format is dying.
Reporting metrics. Where are they? It seems that every ad network I talk to all measures and records user metrics for ads very differently. What is the problem here? Not being able to give advertisers back the reporting they want, thereby enabling them to try and come up with their own metrics to judge if their campaign was a success or not is like shooting the industry in the foot. No service, product or offering is worth anything if you can't give the person who is paying for it the data they need to analyze if they should keep paying for it. The ad vendors make this WAY too difficult. For instance, if you look at the top six to eight vendors websites who provide these services, why can't you download a product sheet from their website that shows exactly what type of reporting is offered? Why are they hiding this info and keeping it mysterious?
CPM rates. Ok so this one is not a technical issue but it is one of the biggest problems in the industry. Why is it that no one is willing to say what they get per CPM for online video ads? I ask content owners all the time, I ask the portals, I ask the major networks and to date, I don't know of a single specific example I could tell someone of what the rate is. I could not point you to one major content owner and say I know what price they are getting for CPMs rates and no one shares this info. Yes, everyone says it's between $10 and $60 and that's completely useless. All of the major studios keep telling us how well they are doing online with their content and how well the advertisers love to sponsor it and how much growth they are seeing yet, none of them will give any numbers, to anything. Short-sided thinking folks. You know how many content owners actually have good content worth syndication or licensing but don't as they have no idea what type of rates they can get? There is such a lack of information in the market for CPM rates and no one is doing any educating of the market. It's a losing proposition for everyone when this information is hidden away as if it's some sort of patented trade secret. They always have excuses like the one where the major broadcasters say advertisers are buying ads across many different platforms and they can't break out the P&L from just one platform like the web. What crap.
I'm certainly not the first person to point out some of the technical problems the online video advertising industry is facing and I won't be the last. We all see the potential that online video advertising holds and see the many ways that content owners and portals are embracing all forms of online video ads for pre-roll, post-roll, in page, in stream etc.

Part of the problem is the industry itself but a good deal of the problem lies with the technology of the entire ecosystem for video ad creating, selling, fulfillment, delivery and tracking. I'm as big a fan as anyone when it comes to ways that content can be monetized, but the industry as a whole needs to do a lot better job of working together to create as much in the way of standards as they can.

Most video sites will be "roadkill"

2007-12-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

from iMedia:

If you're having trouble keeping track of all the new video sites, you may not have to worry. At the NewTeeVee Live Conference, Dennis Miller of Spark Capital predicted that most video sites wouldn't last very long, according to a Financial Times blog post.

"There's too much money chasing too few ideas," Miller said. "There is already roadkill and there will be massive roadkill ahead."

George Zachary of Charles River Ventures was even more pessimistic.

"I think it's a humongous mistake to invest in content," Zachary said.

For Zachary, the solution is to aggregate and distribute existing content, something he praised Bebo for doing. Earlier this month, the social network announced Open Media, which allows broadcasters like CBS and the BBC to distribute content across its network.

AOL takes Truveo video search worldwide

2007-11-01T13:46:00.001-07:00

AOL extends video search site as part of strategy to switch its focus
from providing Internet access to helping people find and view content

AOL, which is trying to grow its online advertising business
worldwide, has localized its video search site for eight countries and
added two languages for its India portal, the company said Wednesday.

AOL has extended the local versions of its Truveo video search site to
France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and the United
Kingdom. Within two months, versions will be launched for Australia,
Brazil, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Russia, and Turkey, the
company said.

Truveo came under AOL's wing in early 2006, and the company has sought
to grow the site as its traffic figures have risen with increased
demand for online video.

Unlike Google's YouTube, Truveo doesn't store content but instead
indexes it from sources around the Internet. Truveo can pull some
videos into a window embedded in its Web site, or direct users to
where the video is hosted. Truveo also groups videos by category, and
AOL has created some localized popular categories, such as
cricket-related clips for India.

AOL's main site for India is in English, but the company said it has
added new content channels in Tamil and Hindi that cover news,
astrology, and movies. AOL said more than half of Indians who are
active online users -- about 30 million people -- prefer reading in
their own native language.

AOL, which is owned by Time Warner, is trying to change the focus of
its from providing Internet access to helping people find and view
content. The company had seen a sharp drop in subscription revenue,
which still counts for the majority of its profits.

Earlier this month, AOL said it would cut 2,000 jobs worldwide, or
about 20 percent of its workforce, while building up its online
advertising business. It recently acquired three online ad firms and
started Platform A, a new subsidiary in charge of selling online ads
across its Web properties.

Online Marketers Joining Internet Privacy Efforts

2007-10-31T14:26:00.001-07:00

Most consumers are familiar with do-not-call lists, which are meant to
keep telemarketers from phoning them. Soon people will be able to sign
up for do-not-track lists, which will help shield their Web surfing
habits from the prying eyes of marketers.

Such lists will not reduce the number of ads that people see online,
but they will prevent advertisers from using their online meanderings
to deliver specific ad pitches to them.

Today the AOL division of Time Warner will announce a service of this
type, which will be up and running by the end of the year. Other
programs are likely to be articulated soon, as online advertisers
prepare for a two-day forum on privacy to be held by the Federal Trade
Commission.

AOL says it is setting up a new Web site that will link consumers
directly to opt-out lists run by the largest advertising networks. The
site's technology will ensure that people's preferences are not erased
later.

There is a silver lining for marketers, however: the AOL site will try
to persuade people that they should choose to share some personal data
in order to get pitches for products they might like. Most Web sites,
including AOL, already collect data about users to send them specific
ads — but AOL is choosing to become more open about the practice and
will run advertisements about it in coming months.

Consumers who have already seen some benefits from online tracking
systems — in the form of movie recommendations from Netflix, perhaps,
or product recommendations from Amazon — might warm to AOL's argument.

"Instead of having interruptive ads, instead of jarring things that
will grab your attention, things are hopefully tailored to be suitable
to your experience," said Jules Polonetsky, the chief privacy officer
for AOL. "We think tailoring advertising content in a way that is
useful is a good proposition."

Whether consumer privacy groups and other advertising companies agree
with AOL's philosophy will become clearer tomorrow and Friday at the
event put together by the F.T.C., the agency that monitors advertising
for deceptive and unfair practices. The gathering will feature privacy
officials from Google, Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft, as well as experts in
the field of behavioral targeting, which is the delivery of ads to
people based on their online habits.

Advertising companies fashion their behavioral targeting models
differently, but generally the practice involves linking demographic
information and Web site visits. Under the practice, people who read
articles about babies would receives ads for baby gear even when they
move on to read articles about stocks, for example. Much of the
information is gathered anonymously, without links to people's names.

Consumer advocacy groups have in the past asked the F.T.C. to set up
some kind of do-not-track list for the Internet, but the commission
has been hesitant to issue regulations that might slow innovation on
the Web, said Eileen Harrington, deputy director of the agency's
Bureau of Consumer Protection.

"We all love the Internet, and the last thing we want to do is suggest
that the government would step in here in a way that would take that
away from consumers," Ms. Harrington said. "We haven't reached
conclusions on any of these questions. The big news here for us is —
and maybe it seems obvious when you say it fast — is that advertising
has changed dramatically."

Since 2004, companies have more than doubled the amount they spend on
ads on the Internet, shifting that money away from more traditional
outlets like television, radio and print publications. Companies will
spend $20 billion this year on Internet ads, the Interactive
Advertising Bureau, a trade group of Web publishers, estimates.

The growth has been fueled in part by technologies that enable
advertisers to use data about consumers on the Internet in ways that
were not possible in older media. Traditionally, viewers and readers
have been shown the same ads in the same places at the same times, no
matter their age, gender or interests. Advertising was designed for a
mass audience, leading to decades of water-cooler humor about that
funny commercial last night, shown to everyone who tuned in.

But to many consumer brand companies, making different ads for
different people is a better way to reach prospective buyers — and the
Internet captures enough data for them to do so.

AOL executives say they are happy to give people a way to keep their
Internet habits private, even though that would undercut AOL's own
behavioral targeting efforts. In July AOL acquired a behavioral ad
network company, Tacoda, that has been promoting opt-out options to
users for a year.

"We all have to build toward a future where we are delivering ads
people want and not just ads we want people to see," said Dave Morgan,
the founder of Tacoda who now works at AOL. "The only way to do that
is to listen to consumers."

Hulu adds Sony, MGM, launches test

2007-10-29T12:50:00.001-07:00

Hulu, an online video service formed by two media conglomerates, will
begin a private test on Monday with two new partners in one of big
media's most ambitious attempts to court viewers wherever they spend
time.

The joint venture of General Electric's NBC Universal and Rupert
Murdoch's News Corp, which earlier had trouble persuading other big
content producers such as Viacom Inc and Walt Disney Co to join, now
adds shows from Sony Pictures Television and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Studios Inc., Hulu executives said.

The long-awaited free, advertising-supported service makes its debut
as consumer interest over watching video clips and television shows on
the Internet.

Despite Hulu's high powered backers, the service has drawn skepticism
among media and Internet executives, who have struck out on their own
by offering shows on its own sites and are either selling shows on
Apple's iTunes or offering it for free on other.

But these companies have yet to garner the hundreds of millions of
viewers on such services as Google Inc's top online video sharing
service YouTube.

"We are still in inning No. 2 in the whole game of online video,"
Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said, employing a baseball
metaphor.

Ahead of Hulu's anticipated public launch early next year, NBC
Universal has stopped offering its shows for sales on iTunes and
pulled its channel off of YouTube.

On Monday, Hulu will offer about 90 TV shows from the four companies
and smaller partners ranging from current prime-time hits such as
"Heroes" and "The Simpsons" to vintage shows "Miami Vice" and "The
A-Team."

It will also make about 10 feature films available including "The
Breakfast Club" and "The Blues Brothers."

Shortly after the test begins, these shows will also be made available
on a handful of the biggest online distributors Time Warner Inc's AOL,
Comcast Corp, Microsoft's MSN and Yahoo.

"Given that they're late, I have to admit that they've actually
delivered more than I expected," said McQuivey.

McQuivey pointed to the site's ability to let users share and embed
entire shows or movies everywhere on the Web as surprising features to
be offered by a service controlled by media companies who have spent
its entire history directing where and when its shows can be accessed.

NOT YOUTUBE KILLER

Although framed in the press as big media's "YouTube-killer," Hulu
Chief Executive Jason Kilar, a former Amazon.com executive, said the
site aims to make it the premier destination for full length shows and
movies.

"We want to stand for a high quality approach to the content," Kilar
said in a phone interview on Friday, who drew a distinction from
YouTube's offering of video clips.

Viewers could easily mistake the site for another dot-com start-up:
one would be hard pressed to figure out who its corporate sponsors are
as Hulu's minimalist design is stripped of network logos and largely
consists of a white background with thumbnails of the shows adorning
the screen.

Videos are played in wide-screen format on the top of the screen, with
an options to dim the entire screen, view it full screen, or as a
separate smaller box separate from the site.

One distinguishing features created by a team that consists almost
entirely of executives from the Internet and technology industries,
addresses an issue that is unique to its service -- the ability to
find a spot within a show that a viewer wants to share.

The ability to share video or embed video clips of a funny or
interesting moment on a show have existed legally and not for years on
services like YouTube that restrict the uploading of videos to ten
minutes.

But access to full length shows presents a new problem -- finding the
right moment.

Viewers can adjust a slider at the bottom of the video window to clip
the exact spot within a show -- a particularly funny skit on "Saturday
Night Live" for instance -- to send or embed on another Web page.

Hulu also confirmed Providence Equity Partners has invested $100
million for an undisclosed stake in the company. Earlier, media
reports said the stake valued the company at $1 billion.

New Site!

2007-10-19T10:12:00.001-07:00

http://www.thedailyshow.com/

nice new site...

Eyeblaster Simplifies Video Ads

2007-10-18T17:53:00.001-07:00

Today Eyeblaster announced Channel Connect for In-stream Video, a
scalable and wholly integrated solution that transforms the process of
delivering online video ads. Pre-, mid- , post-roll and overlay ad
formats are all supported through Eyeblaster Ad Campaign Manager v2.0.

A recent eMarketer report forecasts online video ad spend will rise
89% in 2007 and reach a total of $4.3 billion by 2011. Still, despite
these numbers, online video continues to be and underutilized
advertising opportunity. The report continued that for every $100 US
marketers spend on television ads this year, only $1.10 will be spent
on video ads online.

Eyeblaster has joined with Brightcove, to provide Brightcove
publishers the ability of this new advertising solution. Chris
Johnston, director of ad product management at Brightcove said
"Eyeblaster has a long history of innovation in the rich media
advertising space. We are excited to bring the new Eyeblaster
capability to publishers using Brightcove to distribute and monetize
their Internet video content."

Chanel Connect for In-stream Video also supports publishers using
Windows Media playlists and other video players. CEO of Eyeblaster Gal
Trifon said that the previous "…lack of standardization meant that
agencies had to ship multiple video files – or even raw video tapes –
to individual publishers in order to satisfy the countless specs. To
complicate the process further, ads were also run and managed through
internal proprietary ad servers, making consolidated third party
reporting unavailable to agencies."

The solution standardizes video assets, enabling agencies to change
and optimize the creative on the fly. Both standard and enhanced
metrics are then made available to the agencies through Eyeblaster
Analytics.

PacketExchange Brings New Radiohead Album to Fans around the Globe in Record Time

2007-10-17T09:05:00.003-07:00

British band Radiohead made its brand new album 'In Rainbows'
available for download to fans across the world this week. By doing
this, Radiohead posed a bold challenge to the traditional music
industry's business model by offering its new album via digital
download at a price open to fans' discretion.

With the music world's attention focused on the launch, the hosts of
Radiohead's official download site, w.a.s.t.e, needed a solution that
guaranteed uninterrupted delivery of the album. By selecting
PacketExchange, the leading provider of private high-speed internet
networks, w.a.s.t.e was able to bypass the public internet and its
bottlenecks, and enable fans to download the album 100 times faster
than via the public internet.

"With such a prestigious band as Radiohead, and such an important
release, we knew that we had to call on the services of a company who
could perform this delivery without a hitch. Fans had committed money
upfront for their download and were therefore entitled to get it as
soon as it became available and quickly. Ultimately people's
experiences on release day had to be the music and not the delivery,
and PacketExchange exceeded our highest expectations," says Julie
Calland, at Radiohead's band management company, Courtyard. "The
Radiohead album launch would have not been possible without
PacketExchange."

PacketExchange has been working with a number of partners utilizing a
combination of complementary delivery platforms to ensure 100%
guaranteed reliability and delivery of the album. PacketExchange
worked closely with w.a.s.t.e to understand their requirements and
developed the optimum solution for both the initial surge of demand
after launch and ongoing demand in the future. Following the launch
this week, users will have guaranteed access to Radiohead's album 24/7
directly over PacketExchange's eXpress service.

"If this album was sent over the public internet, it would have
bounced back and forth significantly slowing down the download. This
can have serious implications on the overall user experience and
jeopardize Radiohead and w.a.s.t.e's reputation," says Kieron O'Brien,
CEO of PacketExchange. "A recent survey we commissioned shows that on
average users wait no longer than ten seconds to get the content they
want so speed is absolutely fundamental."

Fox News Digital, Scripps Networks, Ogilvy, 24/7 Real Media, Digitas and DoubleClick Among Industry Leaders Joining Maven to Redefine Internet TV Advertising

2007-10-17T09:05:00.001-07:00

Maven Networks, a leading Internet TV platform company, along with
several titans of the advertising, media and technology worlds, today
announced the formation of the Internet TV Advertising Forum, an
industry collaboration founded by Maven Networks to define
next-generation online video advertising standards. Inaugural members
of the Forum include Fox News Digital, Scripps Network, Ogilvy,
Digitas, TV Guide, 4Kids TV, Microsoft Corp., DoubleClick and 24/7
Real Media. The industry collaborative was established to help solve
the challenges and deficiencies associated with current online video
advertising models.

The goal of the Forum is to develop and standardize effective online
video advertising solutions that create engaging and appealing user
experiences as well as innovative and scalable monetization
opportunities. To accomplish this, Forum members will leverage
comprehensive research, development and usability testing of new ad
formats and technology capabilities to address the challenges
associated with launching successful Internet TV advertising
campaigns.

Maven today also announced the launch of the Maven Internet TV
Advertising Platform which will serve as the group's online video
advertising format foundation [see separate release]. This
breakthrough technology platform features cutting-edge new ad formats,
a dynamic and intelligent ad insertion engine, and sophisticated
inventory management and forecasting tools. The combined power of the
platform's feature set will help enable media publishers to unlock new
ad inventory and exponentially increase ad revenues. With Forum
members' insights, Maven will leverage the input of major industry
players to create a universally-supported, third party ad
server-compatible online video advertising platform.

"Online video advertising has so much potential yet it is not where it
needs to be today," said Hilmi Ozguc, Founder and CEO of Maven. "And,
no single segment of the community has been able to successfully
overcome the challenges posed by pre-roll video ads, the current
dominant format. Rather than build a proprietary solution in a vacuum,
we wanted to bring together key members of each industry segment
contributing to and benefiting from online video advertising to
develop a comprehensive and effective outcome that works for all media
companies, advertisers and consumers."

The Internet TV Advertising Forum will meet regularly to complete
several projects ranging from an in-depth research project designed to
identify and test various new video ad formats to the development of
technical capabilities that meet the individual needs of each market
segment participating in the collaboration. The results of this
research project will be made public by the end of 2007.

"We are seeing incredible pent-up demand for online video advertising,
not just the pre-roll model, but also for a new, more effective
model," said Jeff Meyer, SVP of Interactive Sales for Scripps
Networks. "Scripps Networks has taken a lead role in innovating
advertising online and on-air, and the Forum collaboration will
instantly provide a more deeply engaging consumer and advertiser
experience across all of our category-leading online lifestyle
properties."

Adotube Raises the Bar with New Online Video Advertising Standards

2007-10-17T09:04:00.003-07:00

Adotube recently unveiled its latest online video advertising tool,
powered by Adotube Media Player technology, that allows advertisers to
deliver non-intrusive, demographically targeted advertisements through
video in Flash format. One of the outstanding features of Adotube's
In-Video Media Player is that the advertisements do not disrupt the
user experience.

Adotube's technology seamlessly integrates opt-in offers from leading
advertisers into video from any flash video source. Publishers can use
the space on a video stream in the same way advertisers use space on a
simple Web page.

"Our core philosophy at Adotube is to respect the Internet user.
Instead of Internet users being bombarded with advertisements that
interrupt their video viewing experience, with AdoTube's In-Video
Media Player, users who want to view ads can do so simply by rolling
their mouse over the ad's logo," says Leo Grzhonko, president of
Adotube.com.

Those advertisers and publishers who opt to use the In-Video Media
Player can quickly and easily integrate ads into video using several
lines of JavaScript code with an embedded tag or link. Advertisers who
register with Adotube are issued a unique advertiser ID, which can
then be used to download a Java plug-in.

"In-Video Medial Player is truly a revolutionary marketing tool that
can benefit everyone involved – the advertisers, publishers, and the
users themselves," Grzhonko says.

Metacafe And Peerbox Team Up To Offer User-Generated Videos On Mobile Phones

2007-10-17T09:04:00.001-07:00

PeerBox by Nareos, a popular mobile social networking service, today
announced a partnership with Metacafe, the world's leading independent
online video entertainment site, to provide Metacafe's 27 million
unique monthly visitors (comScore Media Metrix, August 2007) access to
highly entertaining short videos on their mobile phones.

With one click on the 'get on mobile' button, Metacafe viewers enjoy
the chosen video on their mobile phones with the help of PeerBox
technology. The PeerBox Mobile application provides instant access to
Metacafe content, allowing users to stream or download videos.

"The short videos showcased on Metacafe are especially well suited for
mobile distribution, enabling people to enjoy an entertainment break
whenever they like and wherever they want," said Erick Hachenburg, CEO
of Metacafe. "Media-on-the-go is increasingly part of our daily lives,
and we're pleased to introduce new viewers to Metacafe and extend our
reach into Europe by teaming up with Nareos."

The service offers a multitude of other unique features, allowing
users to share their personal videos shot with the built-in phone's
camera, uploading their own videos directly to the Metacafe site while
on the go and socializing with peers worldwide straight from their
phones.

"By providing instant access from the mobile phone to the millions of
videos available on Metacafe, one of the world's largest video
entertainment sites, PeerBox Mobile strengthens its position as the
leading content-rich mobile social network service." said Alexander
Lazovsky, CEO of Nareos. "This partnership with Metacafe positions us
at the forefront of the mobile user generated content revolution."

The PeerBox - Metacafe partnership, launching next month, will begin
with implementations in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands with
expansion to other markets expected in Q1 2008. During the initial
stage, at least two million people will be exposed to the service each
month.

Gore's Current TV enlists Web users to shape news

2007-10-16T09:26:00.001-07:00

Current, the television network backed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Al
Gore, is embarking on a new Internet strategy to enlist viewers in
submitting video and commentary to create broadcast TV news.

The network, which already lets professional videographers submit
video news segments, is going several step further on Monday by
soliciting user feedback over the Web and converting submissions into
online news as well as pieces for broadcast.

Its network programming runs on cable and satellite broadcasters in
select U.S. markets, Britain and Ireland.

Current has embraced several of the most popular Internet trends in
reconstituting its own site. Users, once they sign up, are encouraged
to enhance Web pages devoted to specific topics, similar to the
anyone-can-edit Wikipedia encyclopedia.

In introducing a new site for viewers and contributors at Current.com,
the company claims it has created the first fully integrated online
and television network that allows users to create and vote what news
and information is relevant to them.

"For years, the attempt to unite television and the Internet has
basically been one of duplication of the content on another medium,"
said Current Chief Executive Joel Hyatt, a successful entrepreneur who
co-founded the company with Gore.

In early tests, the company has encouraged users to create postings on
topics, then upload photos, animation, embedded YouTube videos,
cartoons, text comments and Webcam responses.

The 24-hour network is based in San Francisco's digital media
district, home to Wired magazine and also new offices of leading
Internet companies Google, MySpace and Yahoo.

In its first two years, the company's TV programming contained
frequent references to online material, but its Web site at Current TV
functioned largely as a place for a few thousand semi-pro or pro
videographers to submit their works, learn new skills and collaborate
in video editing efforts.

"This is a new form of social media to create, engage with and
influence the news and information that our users and their friends
receive," Hyatt said. "We wanted to create a TV platform we could
share with the very best content creators."

More than two decades ago, Hyatt created a chain of low-cost legal
clinics called Hyatt Legal Services.

Current's programming consists of short video programs, typically
under 15 minutes in length, which the organization refers to as pods
-- a reference to the combinatorial nature of each work -- assembled
as it is from multiple contributions.

While adhering to professional broadcast standards in the main video
pieces, Current encourages users to submit responses to the videos,
which many do in bedroom confessional style, sitting in front of a
computer Webcam at home, like YouTube.

A survey of Current users found 70 percent watch the programs while
multi-tasking on a computer simultaneously. This multi-tasking
reflects the target demographic of 18- to 34-year-olds, who are
turning away from passive TV viewing.

"This is about being more actively involved in the news," said Gartner
analyst Mike McGuire, who has been briefed on the Current
Internet-meets-TV plan. "It presumes a pretty active consumer as
opposed to a passive one," he said.

"Is that mass audience behavior? Probably not," he says. "The
challenge is broadening the core audience for this."

Last month, the network won the first Emmy award for interactive
television earlier this year.

New site features introduced on Monday are designed to give viewers a
greater voice in media, while also giving them context on any
particular piece of programming on the site. It does through various
forms of voter feedback, giving sites users a role in what segments
are selected for broadcast.