SiliconANGLE » online video

Context in Content: Thismoment Leverages a Social Distribution Model

Cherr Aira — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:15:49 +0000

thismoment.com, a provider of social content management software for brands, today announced that it surpassed 650,000 user generated content (UGC) submissions through its flagship product, the Distributed Engagement Channel (DEC).

Thismoment’s UGC contest engine allows brands to collect video, photo, and text content from users directly through YouTube, Facebook, and brand site pages, and offers full moderation and workflow controls to manage submission data.

Big brands can use YouTube, Google+, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, and Instagram as viable content and sales channels.

Thismoment customers can build and deploy creative and engaging UGC brand channels on YouTube at a faster rate than ever before.

Since partnering with YouTube in 2010, thismoment has launched over 100 YouTube brand channels for customers within all major industry verticals, including more than 100 Fortune 500 brands. Throughout this time, thismoment has powered some of the most inventive uses of YouTube APIs in the deployment of engaging and flexible brand experiences on YouTube.

According to Vince Broady, CEO and Founder, thismoment

“Given our successful relationship with YouTube to-date, we are pleased to broaden the reach and scope of our UGC contest engine. We’re seeing an increasing demand for user content enabled engagement programs in all international regions that YouTube supports. This is a clear indicator that YouTube is approaching brand relationships more aggressively and openly than ever before and underscores the value that custom YouTube channels provide to brands.”

Security in social context

While social networking proves to be a lucrative space for branding and marketing, it could also be risky for sensitive information with privacy issues looming. SocialVolt knows this well, and promises to drive engagement without having to expose customer’s data. With security measures in place, they partnered with DigitalMedia, a leader in digital communications for financial firms to bring cutting-edge social media engagement.

“Given the SocialVolt team’s history in banking security and strong understanding of the unique challenges the industry faces, robust risk and compliance features were of the utmost importance when we developed the platform,” says Scott Oppliger, CEO of SocialVolt. “DigitalMailer’s deep expertise in the banking space will help us reach businesses who understand the importance of social media engagement, but require a platform uniquely suited to their heavily regulated industry.”

To audit social media content, there will be a detailed audit trail and administrators will be assigned to oversee passwords and profiles.

Capitalizing existing social engagement platforms

Facebook has the benefits of building hype around social advertising, and milking billions from it. Arguably, Zuckerberg’s brainchild is in a league of its own. Capitalizing on this is Offerpop, another social content marketing that runs engaging and viral promotions in Facebook and Twitter for brands that wish to grow fanbase and repeat customers. It’s recently released a Facebook-sponsored feature called Stories. This support will allow marketers to amplify Offerpop campaigns across the social network.

Mark Cooper, co-founder and CMO of Offerpop, briefly explains benefits of the new feature, saying, “Facebook Sponsored Stories is a powerful way for brands to build awareness and engagement around new initiatives. Our Stories feature helps take the guesswork out of running effective Sponsored Stories campaigns – marketers can literally set them up in minutes.”

The Opportunity in Fragmented Social Portals

The fragmentation of media right now, while it may seem a dilemma for brands to break through the barriers, is a sign of distributed opportunities for social platforms. YouTube was a frontrunner, and still is the one to beat when we talk about online video streaming with a “social” component. For brands, building a social presence is the focus to stay relevant in the game. Making sure that they execute efficiently is another story.

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Online Video Streaming To Victory: Youtube at the Olympics, Nextflix Battles HBO

Cherr Aira — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:00:07 +0000

The viral phenomenon is the definitive characteristic for online video business’ success. In this day and age where the internet, social media and mobile devices dominate technology, fame can be easily gained by uploading a video online. Becoming an overnight sensation with millions of hits in a short span of time is turning into a trend. To aggravate this is the ease of video-sharing through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. For these reasons and more, the industry has come a long way from featuring videos of the past to real-time online streaming. And the future is burning bright for the market and organizations within the circle. Here are some recent noteworthy updates from online video streaming providers.

Netflix

Netflix is gearing up to battle HBO. Reuters reported that Netflix is eyeing to stream movies online, and that CEO Reed Hastings has secretly met with several cable companies in the United States to pursue this ambition. The company desires to be the on-demand option for cable subscribers through their set-top boxes.

Hastings hinted on this issue while speaking at an investor conference last week, saying, “it’s not in the short term, but it’s in the natural direction for us in the long term. Many (cable service providers) would like to have a competitor to HBO, and they would bid us off of HBO.”

Netflix was thought to be a serious threat to cable companies, even if it streams really old TV programs and movies. It’s significantly lower package price has stricken fear in the industry with the rising trend around cord cutting. The cheap online video alternatives are growing at a record pace. But some cable execs think otherwise, viewing Netflix as a booster of old shows that have long been thrown in the casket.

Is there a reason for HBO to be worried? It’s too early to put a punctuation mark on this subject. Netflix has a good track record of surviving competition and pondering their opponent’s misery. This was seen when they bested in streaming services, noted in Q4 of 2011 with figures that U.S. Netflix subscribers watched more than 80% streaming video hours than were viewed within the same time on all U.S. PayTV VOD.

Hulu

Hulu teams up with Nintendo Wii to offer current television shows and classic movies on its console. With an internet and monthly subscription of $7.99, Wii owners will be able to watch their favorite programs and flicks. Hit series available for streaming include Family Guy, Glee, New Girl, Vampire Diaries, The Office, The Biggest Loser and Modern Family.

Pete Distad, VP of Marketing and Distribution at Hulu, expressed excitement as they venture on being present everywhere and accessible at any given time:

“We want to be everywhere, on every screen where people want to watch their favorite shows and discover new ones on their own schedule. Wii is not only one of the most important entertainment devices in the living room, but one of the most heavily anticipated and requested platforms by users and subscribers. Teaming up with Nintendo gives millions of households across the U.S. an immediate way to access some of their favorite current season shows on-demand in their living room through Hulu Plus.”

Together with industry biggies, Hulu is also keen on producing original TV content.

Youtube

Google-owned YouTube will be at this year’s Summer Olympics in London, thanks to NBC. The media giant tapped Youtube’s services to provide the video player for NBCOlympics.com for the entire duration of the world’s most anticipated sporting event. This means that YouTube will not be streaming live, but will direct viewers to NBC’s site and drive Olympics ads revenues.

And YouTube’s influence is mounting. There are numerous ways the service is used at present: showcasing talent, pleas for help, expressing stands on an issue, showing affection towards loved ones in the form of marriage proposals, and now for self-validation. The “Am I Pretty or Ugly?” videos from a growing number of teens asking this question has collected massive attention, with one clip getting more than 4.5 million views.

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New Media Minute: How to Build a Loyal Video Series Audience

Daisy Whitney — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:01:34 +0000

Since only one in twelve branded videos pass the one-million
view mark, brands and producers are better off building an audience
than going for a viral hit. There are several best practices that any
Web producer, marketer or brand can follow when making a video series.
Jay Miletsky, CEO of online network MyPod Studios, shared several with
the New Media Minute.

[Thanks, Daisy!]

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Cable, Mobile Carriers Anxious to Topple Netflix

Kristina Farrah — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:25:41 +0000

One of the hottest goings-on in the online video scene right now involves the clash between Comcast and Netflix, as the latter eyes a takeover in the online streaming service.

Dubbed as Xfinity Streampix, Comcast will give video subscribers a wide array of video entertainment, from old movies to recent TV shows, that they can enjoy on TV or any internet-connected device. Comcast’s also priced competitively at $4.99 compared to Netflix’s $7.99 monthly subscription.

Mobile’s an important delivery channel for any online video streaming service these days. And while Netflix has reviled in a head-start all these years, the industry titans on both cable’s and network’s sides are anxious to jump on this bandwagon. Comcast’s expanding its mobile reach with a partnership with T-Mobile, which looks similar to that of Redbox and Verizon, which combines video download and streaming from Verizon with Redbox’s array of rental DVDs, Blu-rays and video games.

Meanwhile, YouTube is looking for mainstream love, undergoing a major revamp and $100 million to sponsor 96 new video channels. The online video hub has also hired a number of Hollywood talents to develop and produce video content. Hollywood-wise, a hundred million may not be a huge amount of capital, but it’s good enough to appeal to amateur film makers trying to make it big.

“The cash has enticed some of TV’s biggest stars, including Fast Five director Justin Lin, who directs episodes of Community, CSI creator Anthony Zuiker and Nancy Tellem, the former president of CBS entertainment,” Notes New Zealand Herald.

Hulu is also making a significant move as it extends its reach to Nintendo Wii consoles. Like the rest of Nintendo Wii’s application line up, Hulu’s expected to work using the remote to access TV shows. While the app is free to download, you still have to pay a small amount for a monthly fee in order to stream content beyond computers.

Hulu’s efforts certainly are paying off. A recent comScore report trumpets Hulu and Amazon as they gain online video consumption in January, increasing by 6 percent compared to the same period last year. Top viewers are from Hulu, Amazon and NBC Universal.

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New Media Minute: Online Video Buy Boosts TV Reach by 14%, Frequency by 18%, Study Finds

Daisy Whitney — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:15:48 +0000

What do you get when you combine a $500,000 online video buy
with a $2.6 million TV campaign? A 14% percent boost in reach, an 18%
jump in frequency and an 11% reduction in the cost of the impressions.
Or so says YuMe, the online video network that partnered with Nielsen
to study effectiveness of a cross-platform campaign. For details on
how online video boosted the efficiency of TV, check out this week’s
New Media Minute.

[Thanks, Daisy.]

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Netflix is Asking for It: Deems Amazon its Nemesis

Kristina Farrah — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:17:31 +0000

Good intuition or paranoia, Netflix sure does a good job at peaking the interest of the technology scene. In a letter to shareholders disseminated yesterday, Netflix says Amazon was advised to spin off Amazon Prime’s streaming video section, Instant Video, to compete with Netflix’s Watch Instantly service.

“One class of competitors is the other over-the-top pure plays such as Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime,” the letter reads, adding, “We expect Amazon to continue to offer their video service as a free extra with Prime domestically, but also to brand their video subscription offering as a standalone service at a price less than ours.”

Amazon’s Instant Video comes free with a $79 subscription to Amazon Prime though non-subscribers can still buy or rent individual movies and TV episodes on a per-title basis. The New York Post said the new service would be derived from the Netflix’s business model in a way, but spokespeople from both Netflix and Amazon have yet to comment on this speculation. The report also said that Amazon is already working on the matter, but has been having a tough time with licensing.

“The big issue is their bundled media service,” spills the “unnamed digital media executive” to post. “The subscription service, with the goodies being free video, is contractually an issue for the licensers.”

Amazon is not at all new to the streaming content space, as it holds Lovefilm in the UK. The subsidiary successfully offers DVD rentals by mail, and streams content online to subscribers as well. It has been doing so even before Netflix took up a similar business model with international appeal. Amazon was Lovefilm’s largest shareholder in 2008, until last year when it finally took ownership of the company.

But Netflix doesn’t seem to be that worried about the potential and current competition from Amazon, or Hulu Plus for that matter, as “both Amazon and Hulu Plus’s content is a fraction of our content, and we believe their respective total viewing hours are each less than 10% of ours.”

There’s also the issue of whether or not Amazon can win over the hearts of Netflix users with a price war. Netflix has recovered quite well from its price hike and product changes last year, as their sales and user base continue to increase. They currently have 220,000 consumers and earned 21.6 million in Q4 2011.

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Video Vogue: Vimeo Reinvents Itself, Boxee Goes Live TV

Cherr Aira — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:30:36 +0000

This year marks a major shift in advertising towards digital media, online videos in particular. A number of media companies and brands are heavily investing in this arena vis-à-vis the consumer’s redefinition of the television experience. The growing popularity of internet TV going into the living rooms and getting ready for prime time has tickled the big names in the industry, and also attracted a few new players. Taking all of this into account, it’s easy to see why these trends are already being embraced by several organizations.

Vimeo

One of the leading online video brands, Vimeo has revealed a slew of changes that would pave the way for the rollout of the new site. The redesign aims to attract more users by means of an enhanced streaming experience. Some of the improvements include a double-sized, full-width player, allowing users to play videos from their personal homepage, better navigation, tighter account security options and a host of new sharing and discovery features. Vimeo CEO Dae Mellencamp says this is spruce up is original, and that they would like to start a new trend within the online video space.

Mellencamp also shares how their commitment to their avid users drove them to reinvent their site:

“Vimeo’s growth [approx. 65M Monthly uniques in Dec. 2011] and dedication to maximizing the user experience was the catalyst for this redesign. The result protects the essence of Vimeo while allowing for future growth of audience and features in a simple, intuitive environment.”

Youtube

Following a much discussed Obama hangout, Google’s other video prodigy has proudly announced the milestone of 4 billion daily video views. YouTube has achieved a 25% increase in video streaming in the past eight months. The leap was attributed to the viral videos in its shelf, the mobility boom, the social networking craze and jumping outside personal computers to internet TV and smartphones. Moreover, around 60 hours worth of video is being downloaded every minute on Youtube.com. In December, we reported 1 trillion playbacks for the site, noting their biggest videos of the year.

Although Hulu is surpassing them in the online video advertising race, YouTube remains a staple go-to for video streaming, according to a recent comScore study. VEVO is hailed as the site’s strongest partner. It has also undergone some massive website revamps before 2011 ended. Just a week ago, the video streaming hub has announced a new film competition in partnership with no less than the Venice Film Festival and Ridley Scott. This online film fest hopes to epitomize YouTube as the low-cost entertainment center.

With all these developments, Google is still lucky to have acquired YouTube in 2006—a good catch, a good buy, indeed.

Boxee

Following the launch of Netflix in the United Kingdom, Boxee has promised to bring forth its services to customers via the online streaming giant. And following the “reinvention” trend, the company is no longer just a plain and simple media streamer, with the release of Boxee Live TV. The app, which they introduced during the recently-concluded CES event, is the option for users to share what they are watching on Facebook and Twitter. Aside from this, they have also brought the SOPA protest to living rooms, joining an internet movement against the proposed legislation.

Online Video Ads

Internet TV and streaming are greatly influencing the rise of online video ads. A recent report notes how consumers rely on digital content, especially online video marketing campaigns, before purchasing a product.

Providing more solutions to publishers, Tremor Video acquires InPlay, video analytics solutions. With this, videohub publishers will be given better picture and real-time data on user engagement, viewership and performance ratings.

User engagement and management is going to play a crucial role in the mounting online video competition. With several options budding from every direction and strong growth on European soil, loyalty and innovation will keep the business alive. It will be quite interesting to see who will win the battle for the broadcast of the future.

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Consumers Rely On Digital Content Before Buying: Cisco Report

Cherr Aira — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:40:02 +0000

Shopping has become an essential part of a person’s lifestyle. Some sees this as therapeutic, combating stress and depression. While online shopping is rising to popularity right now, the physical experience still remains the choice of many. But consumers are becoming wiser and more tech savvy each day. This is why many retailers are focusing on enhancing the customer experience with technology-aided marketing tools to help shoppers quickly reach their purchasing decisions (and more readily spend their cash). A recent Cisco study demonstrates how an immersive in-store shopping experience can attract and keep customers loyal to the brand.

Global Retail Industry Director at Cisco, Lindsay Parker, explains the present consumer behavior and shopping trends that retailers must be aware of in order to succeed:

”Today’s shoppers are merging their online and offline behaviors while shopping, and simultaneously leveraging technology to help them find what they want, when they want and how they want it. Retailers who want to succeed, must offer consumers an immersive shopping experience regardless of channels and consumers technology preference.”

The Influence of Online Research

It’s common practice to research on the internet before purchasing a product, whether shopping online or offline. The Cisco study illustrates how digital content largely affects buying behavior. Around 19% of surveyed respondents say that digital “inspirations” trigger their decision to buy, and 30% turn to online videos to choose the best product or service. More than 50% of US consumers wanted to have an accessible in-store kiosk to access the web for product research, and 42% would like for stores to have a built-in video screens or walls for showcased items. When asked what mobile device they would most likely utilize for in-store content delivery, 47% answered it is through their mobile phones while 35% use their tablets.

“Try On” and Product Viewers

Perhaps one of the most interesting shopping buddy today is the full-length screen where customers can “try on” clothes and accessories virtually and see if they match. This can also be done with furniture, where pieces and lighting could be arranged in a virtual environment. This makes decision-making easier with visualization tools. Around 46% of surveyed customers liked this kind of innovation, with 44% wanting to virtually see the fit of furniture, clothes and accessories, and 49% interested in seeing the actual available products.

Product viewers run on parallel expectations, except that they leverage the social aspect of shopping. This technology allows shoppers to browse items via interactive displays and take their pick base on customer ratings and “likes.” More or less, 45% are happy with the ability to compare prices and feedback, and 32% love the idea of being able to learn the product specifications through a centralized mechanism. Roughly 29% had a great time “liking” products while 27% are pleased with having directions to locate items easily within the store.

Mobile Shopper and Favorites

Mobile commerce is red hot, and has made the shopping experience a lot different from the norm. With in-store shopping, retailers can integrate mobility by providing customers with personalized greetings soon as they enter the store and customize offers based from previous transactions and positive Facebook interactions. Something like 49% liked the way their mobile phones give them price comparisons while 47% is fond with the idea of “opt in or out.”

Shoppers’ favorites are presented in a digital, content-rich format on a high definition virtual display, where they feature the most “liked” products, new arrivals and top selling items. Nearly 44% gave thumbs up to up-to-the-minute special offers and 43% were exhilarated by the “what’s new” element.

Catch ‘Em and Keep ‘Em Strategy

The shopping experience need not to be digitally complicated. In fact, the more user-friendly the technology gets, the more positive response it will gain from customers. Retailers juts have to make sure that virtual displays are content-rich and eye-catching, not entirely different from the long-standing traditions of marketing.

Senior Director at Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group or IBSG, Lisa Fretwell chronicles what needs to be done to stay competitive and gain market advantage:

“The key for retailers’ survival is to reinvent the store by bringing online content into store and creating engaging, personal, and emotional experiences that encourage shoppers to buy. It’s about capturing shoppers’ ‘feet and fingertips’ right in the store with digital content and experiences. We call it a ‘catch ‘em and keep ‘em’ strategy, getting both footfall and fingertips from shoppers to drive sales.”

Whether people are shopping online or offline, technology-based solutions will always come into the picture and bring forth ways to up a notch the overall customer experience. Consequently, buying the customer’s approval and keeping them coming back will be the gauge on how smart and tech-savvy are your in-store facilities. Remember, the generation of today predominantly relies on their smartphones and tablets for almost anything they know they can find in the internet.

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CES Showcases the World’s Smallest POV

Kristina Farrah — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:25:51 +0000

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has become the springboard for Cerevo “LiveShell,” the world’s smallest and cheapest portable live-streaming video solution, according to the company. Real-time video broadcasting will be delivered to the UStream website by connecting Contour’s Contour+ Camera to Cerevo’s Live Shell using a simple HDMI cable, enabling a hands-free, high-quality, real-time broadcast for point-of-view footage. You can also set them to share on other video platforms besides UStream.

This new product will allow people to capture and stream quality video anytime, anywhere. Added functionality is found on the web-based Dashboard to remotely direct and modify settings.

“Contour is excited to include LiveShell to our product suite in the U.S., allowing our customers to broadcast their hands-free pursuits live to the web as it happens. ” said Contour CEO, Marc Barros.

“It’s a perfect complement to our Contour+ camera model. We start with the best hands-free, POV camera with built in GPS and mobile connectivity – and have now add a wireless live-streaming solution with the LiveShell. Partnering with Cerevo and Ustream will allow Contour customers to share their ski run, bike route, or any other hands-free action with their family and friends in real-time.”

LiveShell is available for sale at the Contour website for $299 starting February 1st.

Dropcam demos new house monitor

There’s also a new camera from security camera maker, Dropcam, with new features that will make it even easier to keep an eye on your house. Dropcam lets you monitor your house using a wall-plug-in camera that can record up to 30 days of non-stop video without running into battery glitches. The video is then wirelessly uploaded and stored in the cloud. It can pick up audio and movement, can toggle between night vision and daylight, can zoom in and out. But the most peculiar of its features is the two-way audio. If you spot a robber in your house, you can just make creepy sounds or yell “GOTCHA!” to scare them away.

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Online Video Ready for Prime Time: Personal Media Prevails

Cherr Aira — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:15:32 +0000

The accessibility of streaming devices like mobile phones, tablets and game consoles have pushed streaming demands to the hilt. Not to mention our innate love for anything unlimited, like data. The proliferation of web-enabled television has invaded living rooms and changed the way people watch their favorite films and TV series. And this industry is just getting bigger, as investors and entrepreneurs are lured into the booming market of online video streaming.

Most recently, TiVo bagged approximately $215 million for mutual licensing of three of their patents with AT&T. The deal is said to be just the beginning of a licensing bonanza, as the latter introduces the service to its wide customer base.

CEO and President of TiVo Tom Rogers was very pleased to announce that they have inked a deal with the telecommunications giant. He made mention of notable achievements of TiVo recently:

“We are extremely pleased to reach an agreement with AT&T, which acknowledges the value of our intellectual property. This settlement, on the heels of our recent operational success that has resulted in the growth of TiVo’s overall subscriber base, is another major accomplishment for TiVo and we believe a great outcome for our shareholders.”

He further noted on what customers should expect from the deal, saying “the combination of guaranteed payments and future additional fees paid to TiVo in the event that AT&T’s pay TV business continues to grow in-line with consensus analyst expectations, represents hard-earned compensation for our IP enforcement efforts. The settlement also provides us rights to innovate TiVo products and services under license from AT&T and allows us to avoid significant legal expenses that we expect would have been incurred by us during and after trial.”

Netflix has its ups and downs

Another online video streaming leader, Netflix experienced quite a roller coaster ride last year. The first three quarters of 2011 didn’t bring raving reviews for the movie rental service. But they were able to redeem themselves towards the end of the year with 2 billion hours of movie and television streaming from customers in over 45 countries. Their stocks also leaped 11% as a result. You’ll recall that Netflix suffered a few setbacks as a result of a badly executed price hike, dropping their plans for a spin-off with Qwikster as well.

A promising industry for Apple and Google

Nevertheless, these industry figures are startling and are only the tip of the iceberg for a burgeoning industry. This could also explain why the biggies are jumping on the bandwagon. Google and Apple are reportedly bidding to have exclusive TV rights for the English Premier League—which is one of the most watched sporting events in the world. Apple has met with television executives as they try to penetrate this avenue.

It is quite interesting how mobility and social networking influenced the uphill climb for online video streaming services. In this infographic, mobile and tablet video streaming have toppled the usual desktop viewing patterns. Movies are becoming mobile, too. The same illustration showed that Facebook has made video sharing more widespread than Twitter. It is eight times more popular in the US and seventeen times more popular in Italy.

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