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Analysis for 'Miscellaneous'
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Happy Holidays, See You in 2013
Once again, it has been an exciting year in the world of online video and great fun to report on and analyze the year's significant happenings. I know you have many choices concerning what to read, and so I want to thank you for spending time with VideoNuze. It's a pleasure to engage with you and get feedback on my posts - favorable or otherwise!
2013 is shaping up to be another transformative year for online video and the larger video ecosystem. Led by the proliferation of viewing devices, shifting consumer behaviors, innovative business models and evolving technologies, much change is still ahead. I look forward to covering all of it and interacting with many of you along the way.
I also want to say thank you to all of VideoNuze's sponsors in 2012 - on the web site, email and live events. They are critical to VideoNuze's success and I am deeply appreciative for their support.
I'll be taking some R&R next week, and won't be posting anything new unless some big news breaks, which is unlikely. I'd like to wish you and your families a happy, healthy holiday season and all the best in 2013!Categories: Miscellaneous
Topics: Events
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Happy Holidays
Wow, another year has already passed!
Being in the online and mobile video world often feels like a roller-coaster ride - fast-moving and with lots of twists and turns, some that are expected and some that are total surprises. 2011 was no exception. The industry as a whole continued to advance rapidly with lots of technology/product innovation, new content and distribution deals, financings and M&A activity and disruption to multiple industries. Whether through anecdotes from friends and family about their changing viewing behaviors or the regular diet of industry data, it's clear that online and mobile video are becoming commonplace experiences. All of that is very good news for everyone in the video ecosystem.
Categories: Miscellaneous
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A Personal Note This Holiday Season
When I started VideoNuze 4 1/2 years ago, one of my key principles was to stay focused on business, and not deviate into sharing personal details like so many blogs tend to do. In fact, because the term "blogging" had gained a certain connotation, I decided early on to refer to VideoNuze as an "online publication" to avoid it being mischaracterized. Over time, I've stayed pretty true to that original vision; I respect that you are busy and read VideoNuze for business reasons and I don't want to distract you. However, today I'm going to break my own rule.
Categories: Miscellaneous
Topics: Starring Eliza, Very Berry
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Happy Labor Day and End of Summer
Happy Labor Day to VideoNuze readers here in the U.S. and to all, a happy end of summer. Many of us are getting in some time off before back-to-school and back-to-work realities kick in next week, and so no there's no new VideoNuze content today. However, I'll be back on Tuesday, with regular VideoNuze coverage.
Kicking off next week, I'll provide analysis of the Starz-Netflix non-renewal, and what the implications are for each party. As VideoNuze readers know, I've been a keen Netflix observer and this latest turn of events is part of the larger story of Netflix reckoning with its own massive success, as TDG's Colin Dixon and I forecast would happen this year. The Starz situation is illustrative of Hollywood's wariness in dealing with a far bigger and more influential Netflix.
See you on Tuesday, and enjoy your holiday weekends!Categories: Miscellaneous
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5 Unexpected Things That Happened This Week in Online Video
Happy Friday! Each day this week seemed to bring another unexpected head-scratching moment related to online video. I suspect I wasn't the only one reacting this way. Following is a recap of the week's top 5 (actually 4, plus 1 tongue-in-cheek). Read on and see if you agree.Categories: Miscellaneous
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5 Items of Interest for the Week of April 4th
Happy Friday! Below is VideoNuze's end-of-week feature, recapping 5-6 interesting online/mobile video industry news items that we weren't able to cover this week. Enjoy!Categories: Miscellaneous
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And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming
Thanks for all the comments, emails, tweets, calls and other feedback on my little April Fool's Day "exclusive," that Netflix planned to acquire HBO, dissolve its channels and add HBO's programs to its iPad app. As with my prior April Fool's Day posts, it was a lot of fun to write, and even more fun to receive the range of reactions (yes, if you still thought it was true by the end, you were not alone!)
As with all April Fool's Day attempts that seem to work, the key is making the joke just believable enough to elicit the tension of "Wow!" vs. "No Way!" Of course April Fool's Day has become open season on the Internet, meaning that for many, the new standing policy on April 1st is to not believe ANYTHING they read.
While that raises the bar for me, the good news is that in the online video and pay-TV worlds, things have gotten so tumultuous that what was unthinkable yesterday somehow becomes reality today. Thus quite a few people's reaction to today's "exclusive" was that it was not only plausible, but actually expected. The idea that Netflix could acquire HBO still feels like an awfully big stretch to me, but who knows - someday it could happen.
Regardless, on Monday, VideoNuze will be back to its serious-minded coverage of the industry. Enjoy the weekend!
Categories: Miscellaneous
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5 Items of Interest for the Week of March 21st
Happy Friday! Below is VideoNuze's end-of-week feature, recapping 5-6 interesting online/mobile video industry news items that we weren't able to cover this week. Enjoy!Categories: Miscellaneous
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5 Items of Interest for the Week of March 7th
Happy Friday! Below is VideoNuze's end-of-week feature, recapping 5-6 interesting online/mobile video industry news items that we weren't able to cover this week. Enjoy!Categories: Miscellaneous
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5 Items of Interest for the Week of Feb. 28th
Happy Friday! Below is VideoNuze's end-of-week feature, recapping 5-6 interesting online/mobile video industry news items that we weren't able to cover this week. Enjoy!Categories: Miscellaneous
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5 Items of Interest for the Week of Feb. 25th
Happy Friday! Below is VideoNuze's end-of-week feature, analyzing 5-6 interesting online/mobile video industry news items that we weren't able to cover this week. Enjoy!Categories: Miscellaneous
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5 Items of Interest for the Week of Feb. 14th
Happy Friday! Below is VideoNuze's end-of-week feature, analyzing 5-6 interesting online/mobile video industry news items that we weren't able to cover this week. Enjoy!
Categories: Miscellaneous
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5 Items of Interest for the Week of Feb. 7th
Happy Friday! Below is VideoNuze's end-of-week feature, analyzing 5-6 interesting online/mobile video industry news items that we weren't able to cover this week. Enjoy!Categories: Miscellaneous
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5 Items of Interest for the Week of Jan. 17th
Happy Friday, and another snowy one if you're here in the Northeast U.S. like me. Below is VideoNuze's Friday feature, analyzing 5-6 interesting online/mobile video industry news items that we weren't able to cover this week. Enjoy!Categories: Miscellaneous
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Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011
With the holidays upon us, it's time to say goodbye to 2010 and to think about the year ahead.
As I described in my "Online/Mobile Video's Top 10 of 2010" post yesterday, it was a whirlwind year for the industry, with exciting progress on all fronts. 2011 is shaping up to be equally exciting as players in the ecosystem innovate and jockey for position.
In 2010 I wrote almost 500 original analyses of industry events, and aggregated over 2,000 news items from third-party sources on VideoNuze. In 2011 VideoNuze will continue to provide analytical, even-handed coverage of the rapidly evolving online and mobile video industries, and those industries that are impacted by the rise of viewing on these new platforms. Readers continue to tell me that VideoNuze is one of the few media outlets that delivers consistently thoughtful industry analysis, resisting the hype and piling-on that is all too common today. I know VideoNuze readers are busy and have lots of choices for what to read, so thank you for making VideoNuze a part of your day.
As the year winds down, I also want to say a big thank you to VideoNuze's sponsors and to the sponsors of the 3 VideoSchmooze events this year. Without them VideoNuze wouldn't be possible and so I'm very grateful for their support. As always, if you're interested in learning more about sponsoring either VideoNuze or VideoSchmooze events, please contact me.
VideoNuze will be on break until Monday, January 3rd, unless something big happens during the holiday week. I'll continue to post news and do some tweeting, but for the most part I'll be relaxing and re-charging my batteries. I hope you'll be doing the same.
Happy Holidays to all of you, see you in 2011!
-WillCategories: Miscellaneous
Topics: VideoNuze
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Marriott Gets It Right With "Ultra-Adaptable Room"
When I'm traveling I'm pretty much a Starwood loyalist. But this week I stayed at a Marriott in Newport, RI for a night and was pleasantly surprised with Marriott's "Ultra-Adaptable Room" which is not only well suited to the connected business traveler, but also highly appealing for guests who want to watch their own video, not just what's available from the expensive in-room entertainment options (to show how long it's been since I've stayed at a Marriott, apparently the Ultra-Adaptable Room concept was introduced in '07, so maybe this is old news for some of you).
I've scanned in a picture from the brochure of the connected console that hangs on the wall adjacent to both the desk and the TV (it's about 18 inches wide and 6 inches high). As the labels indicate, there are multiple inputs, which offer a range of choices for video viewing from your laptop (HDMI, VGA, S-Video and Component). With the set-up guests can watch video that's stored locally (DVDs, weekend home movies, etc.) or, if using the hotel's broadband connection or their wireless aircard, can stream content from online sources (e.g. Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, etc.).
Categories: Miscellaneous
Topics: Marriott
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In Unprecedented Deal, Google and Apple Team Up to Privatize the FCC
VideoNuze has learned that Google and Apple have teamed up to privatize the FCC in a transaction preliminarily valued at $42.5 billion. Though the U.S. government is already widely believed to be controlled by corporate interests, this is the first time that a formal deal to transfer ownership of a government agency has been contemplated. The deal has far-ranging implications for the media and technology industries, not to mention for American democracy. VideoNuze has gained exclusive access to the details.
In an interview last night, Google's CEO Eric Schmidt provided background: "Larry, Sergey and I were recently working on this new algorithm to fix the pickle we've gotten ourselves into in China. The boys are still just so incredulous that this is happening; they keep on saying 'We're Google for chrissakes, we can't let mere countries boss us around!' But then we got to thinking, yikes, what if the U.S. government started treating us this way? That would really suck."
He continued, "And then it just hit us all at the exact same nanosecond (we're so wondrously simpatico that way) - what if, instead of being subject to the regulatory powers-that-be, we owned the regulatory powers-that-be?" But then, Larry's like 'Hmm, I'm not so sure about this guys - even though it would be wicked cool, would the public really let us pull it off?' Now, Larry can be a little bit of a Nervous Nellie, but in this case he had a good point. And then, boom, yet another brilliant idea hit us at the same nanosecond (I know it sounds freakish, but this really does happen with the three of us). We thought, 'What company can we partner with whose brand is walk-on-water loved and can do absolutely no wrong? And we all agreed - it's Apple of course!"
In a follow-up interview, Apple's CEO Steve Jobs added further detail, "I was sitting in my office micro-managing the legal weenies on this HTC lawsuit aimed at gumming up the Nexus One's rollout when my iPhone rings with Eric's caller ID. Ordinarily I wouldn't even answer that back-stabbing, lying sack of you-know-what's call but I wanted to rub his nose in our big legal plans. So I nonchalantly answer the phone, 'What's up dirtbag, looking for some more of Apple's product ideas to steal?' And he's like, 'yeah, whatever, look, here's why I'm calling.' And then he proceeds to tell me about this cockamamie scheme that he and those two Doogie Howser co-founder dorks of his have come up with, to privatize the FCC." Jobs went on:
Categories: Miscellaneous
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Avaak Lands $10 Million Series B Round, Provides Another Example of Video's Value
While my focus at VideoNuze is strongly on media/entertainment and consumer apps, I'm always on the lookout for other interesting broadband video applications. A perfect example is Avaak, which makes the Vue Personal Video Network, a system for remote video monitoring of your home or business. This week Avaak announced a new $10 million series B round, led by Qualcomm.
Vue is a dead simple system which includes a gateway and 2 tiny wireless
video cameras. The gateway connects to your router and you mount the camera wherever you want, adjusting them with an ingenious peel-and-stick magnetic mounts. You then monitor the video feeds through a personal dashboard. You can record the video, share it with others, add more cameras and even see the video through a new iPhone app. The system costs $299, with additional cameras running $99 each. Vue is a very clever and simple system that addresses a widespread security issue.
What do you think? Post a comment now (no sign-in required).Categories: Miscellaneous
Topics: Avaak, InterWest Partners, Leapfrog Ventures, Qualcomm, Trinity Ventures
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VideoNuze Posts from the Caribbean
If you noticed a little "virtual sand" in your VideoNuze emails this week, that's because I've been posting from St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where I'm on a quasi-vacation with my wife. If you've never been, I highly recommend it. Lounging on Trunk Bay's powdery white sand and snorkeling in its crystal-clear green water is one of life's exquisite pleasures (see below). Apologies for slow responses to emails and voicemails this week. Tomorrow I'm taking the full day off, so VideoNuze will be back on Monday.
Categories: Miscellaneous
Topics: VideoNuze
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Netpulse is Bringing Online Video to a Gym Near You
Now there's really no excuse not to work out.
This morning Netpulse is unveiling an exclusive partnership deal with Town Sports International, operator of 158 fitness clubs in the Northeast, to bring its interactive media platform to 8,000 pieces of cardiovascular equipment. The deal is yet another example of online video's growing pervasiveness. It's also another reminder of how clever entrepreneurs are finding unique new online video applications and business models. Yesterday, Bryan Arp, Netpulse's CEO brought me up to speed on the company and how the TSI deal works.
When the Netpulse platform (which for TSI will be private labeled "Sports Clubs Active Network) is installed, the equipment user logs in and sees a customized view of their content choices. The user can
watch live TV from their personalized line-up, dock their iPhone/iPod/iTouch in a cradle and watch all their iTunes content on a widescreen HD TV, browse among hundreds of music videos, create their own playlists and gain access to tons of online-only video. In addition, the platform will record the key metrics of their exercise session so that when the user goes home he/she can log-in and download their stats for analysis. Bryan likened it to having a set-top box on each piece of equipment.Netpulse is focused on one of the increasingly rare moments left when people are not online or connected to their mobile devices. But that 30-60 minutes spent in a gym is a perfect time to offer users entertainment choices because it's a huge incentive for them to go to the gym in the first place. It's a time to watch that episode of "Lost" that you missed or sample some independent online video program that your friends keep talking about. No doubt TSI recognizes this, and is a key motivation for them to partner with Netpulse. It doesn't take much to imagine how TSI could create an advertising campaign that focuses on how you can be entertained while you work out.
For its part, Netpulse is clever about its approach to getting its platform into the gyms. It has signed deals to be integrated with manufacturers of screens that can be added to existing equipment and also with the manufacturers of the equipment itself. That means that Netpulse can be deployed when the fitness club upgrades existing equipment or when it does full replacements, which are done regularly. With the TSI deal, for example, any new equipment TSI purchases have to include the Netpulse platform.
While Netpulse is focused on license fees for its platform, advertising quickly becomes a really attractive proposition for the club. Bryan estimates that the TSI locations (which are branded NY Sports Club, Boston Sports Club, etc.) alone account for 4 million user sessions per month. That's a critical mass opportunity for any brand selling to people with active lifestyles. Further targeting can be done based on profile information users submit.
Netpulse is additional evidence of how online video is making it possible to offer consumers customized entertainment that fits their lifestyles. It also shows that by putting together an ecosystem of parties, each with their own motivations, everyone can benefit.
What do you think? Post a comment now (no sign-in required).
Categories: Miscellaneous
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