SiliconANGLE » online video

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.

Consumers Rely On Digital Content Before Buying: Cisco Report is a post from: SiliconANGLE
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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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New Media Minute: Online Video Ad Views Skyrocket in Q3

Daisy Whitney — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:03:07 +0000

Online video advertising is finally catching up to consumer viewing habits. The growth rate of video ad views in the third quarter outpaced the growth rate for video views for the first time, according to new data from video technology company Freewheel. Completion rates for ads were highest in long-form videos that had more ads, a promising sign for the online TV business. For more details, check out this week’s New Media Minute.

[Thanks, Daisy!]

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Bright Future for Online Video Ads at BrightRoll: $30M Round

Cherr Aira — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:30:55 +0000

The best is yet to come for online video advertising, especially with mobile ads catching a powerful triple digit growth rate this year. The holiday season is looking pretty good for online ads as well. This is aside from the fact that a recent survey revealed that more than 70% of web users watch online content weekly, 25% of which tend to purchase the product or service featured in the video ads. The industry is expanding at a record pace, and anything within its radius could profit from its success.

One of the beneficiaries of this phenomenon is BrightRoll—a leading online video ad network that showcases products and services that enable advertisers to resourcefully maximize the value of their investment. Today, the San Francisco based company has secured $30 million in funding, led by Trident Capital. This Palo Alto financier’s confidence will augment BrightRoll’s momentum to stay on track to hit 100% growth year over year.

To oversee how the assets are faring, Senior Managing Director Evangelos Simoudis was elected to join BrightRoll’s board. Simoudis is confident that they have placed their money into the pocket of the perfect organization saying, “As long-term adtech investors, we continually look for companies with a leadership position in important sectors of the online advertising space.

“After following online video advertising for some time we have decided to invest in BrightRoll, which we consider one of the market leaders. We are impressed by the company’s leadership, vision and cutting-edge technology. Tod and the rest of the executive team have built a solid company and we look forward to helping them continue to grow the business.”

Earlier this year, BrightRoll joined the campaign in combating fraudulent click schemes and partnered with Forces. It has also recognized the tremendous demand for mobile video ads, which is said to be the final frontier of the marketing avenue. In this light, the company has embarked on projects targetting iPhone, iPad and Android users. They make online buying more effective by means of its huge aggregate of online video ads inventory and one of the most sophisticated business analytics available.

Just this November, BrightRoll conducted a market study that showed compelling numbers placing online video as the prime money makers for advertisers. They have also tied with Nielsen Catalina Solutions to measure offline sales and accurately reach targeted consumers.

Online video advertising is poised to generate more revenue as users continue to rely on online and mobile content for almost everything. This reality fuels various enterprises’ engines to drive initiatives in this direction. Last week, Disney decided to ride on Youtube’s “coolness” to extend its digital footprint. Jivox, an India-based video ad firm has also roped in funds amounting to $8.2 million to accelerate their adoption for interactive video ad platform. California powerhouse Adconion Media Group is also dead serious in cementing its kingship globally, as evidenced by its latest acquisition: Europe’s largest digital video ad network, Smartclip.

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New Media Minute: How to Migrate Online Videos to Mobile Phones: Tips from AOL Video

Daisy Whitney — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:48:02 +0000

Mobile video usage is growing fast among consumers and big video
sites like AOL Video are implementing mobile solutions as a result. In
part two of our interview with AOL Video’s SVP Ran Harnevo, he shares
tips with the New Media Minute for how video sites can migrate their
videos to mobile platforms as well, drawing on his experience at AOL
Video and Huffington Post.

[Thanks, Daisy!]

New Media Minute: How to Migrate Online Videos to Mobile Phones: Tips from AOL Video is a post from: SiliconANGLE
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How to Grow Video Views, Increase Video Ads: Tips from AOL Video Head

Daisy Whitney — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:36:08 +0000

The placement, context, and library surrounding online video is
critical to success in growing video views, said AOL Video’s head Ran
Harnevo in an exclusive interview with the New Media Minute. He also
shared tips on growing ad revenue through content quality, unique
formats and a deep understanding of data. For more details, check out
the episode.

[Thanks, Daisy!]

How to Grow Video Views, Increase Video Ads: Tips from AOL Video Head is a post from: SiliconANGLE
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