-
1/3 of YouTube's In-Stream Ads Now In Skippable Format
Google executives were as sparing as ever in yesterday's Q2 '11 earnings call with details about YouTube's financial performance, but they did divulge one
interesting new nugget: 1/3 of YouTube's in-stream ads are now in a skippable format. Susan Wojcicki, Google's SVP, Advertising shared the data point to show the rapid progress that YouTube has made since launching its "TrueView" format last December.
TrueView is an important building block in a larger industry initiative Google is pursuing, to have 50% of video ads include a cost-per-view element. Google believes that by giving viewers the option to skip the ad or select a particular one, engagement will be stronger which will in turn drive rates higher. As with DVR ad-skipping, viewers also gain greater control of their experience which so satisfaction will improve.
Categories: Advertising, Aggregators
-
Test
Test -
VideoNuze Report Podcast #104 - Netflix Pricing Debate - July 15, 2011
Daisy Whitney and I are pleased to present the 104th edition of the VideoNuze Report podcast, for July 15, 2011.
In this week's podcast Daisy and I debate Netflix's decision to separate streaming and DVD-by-mail pricing. The topic has been widely covered this week, and we try to address some of the major questions swirling around (e.g. why did they do it? what are the implications? what choice will subscribers make? And more). One point I continue to make is that if Netflix's goal was to kill off the DVD business, as some have suggested this week, that seems pre-mature to me. DVDs still have a huge amount of strategic value to Netflix because they offer so much more choice than today's streaming catalog.
More of VideoNuze's coverage below (including great commentary from readers):
Sorting Through the 4 Tough Choices Most Netflix Subscribers Now Face
Netflix Makes a Surprising Left Turn With New Pricing Approach
Click here to listen to the podcast (17 minutes, 47 seconds)
Click here for previous podcasts
The VideoNuze Report is available in iTunes...subscribe today!
Categories: Aggregators, Podcasts
-
NHL GameCenter LIVE Subscriptions Up 31% for 2010-2011 Season
The National Hockey League and its technology partner NeuLion are reporting this morning that subscriptions to NHL GameCenter LIVE increased by 31% in the 2010-2011 season, with a 83% renewal rate. The service, which costs $169 for the season, includes live out-of-market game broadcasts, full-length and condensed replays and 500+ classic games in the NHL Vault.
Categories: Sports
-
Sorting Through the 4 Tough Choices Most Netflix Subscribers Now Face
Netflix's decision yesterday to separate unlimited streaming and DVD-by-mail pricing means that a large majority of its nearly 23 million U.S. subscribers will be forced to choose from among four tough choices. As I described in my last post, Netflix subscribers to any of its DVD-by-mail plans now face the choice of either scaling back to DVDs-only, switching to streaming-only, absorbing a rate increase of somewhere between 33%-60%, depending on which plan they've had, or simply dropping Netflix altogether.
Following is an attempt to sort out how subscribers may think about their decision as well as my take on Netflix's viewpoint on each choice.
Categories: Aggregators
Topics: Netflix
-
Netflix Makes a Surprising Left Turn With New Pricing Approach
For a company that has done just about everything right for the past several years, yesterday Netflix took a surprising left turn, unveiling an unusually
aggressive new pricing approach that raises its rates across the board. Though no rate increase will ever be welcomed by subscribers, this one has generated a massive amount of subscriber enmity, with scores of subscribers threatening to drop the service. The decision has wide-ranging competitive implications and could well mark another turning point in the evolution of online video.
First, to recap the new pricing. In a blog post yesterday, Netflix VP of Marketing Jessie Becker announced that DVD-by-mail plans and unlimited streaming plans would henceforth be charged separately. As a result everyone who had some type of DVD plan must now also pay an additional $8/mo in order to access streaming content. That marks a stark reversal of Netflix's strategy of including streaming as a free value-add to DVD subscribers.
Rewinding history a bit, Netflix's approach not to charge for streaming content was likely the most strategic decision Netflix ever made. It allowed the company to leverage its DVD library's breadth to introduce millions of subscribers to streaming with no barrier to trial (i.e. no need to make a new decision whether the streaming content was worth paying for). The value prop was breakthrough: get massive choice with DVDs, but a convenience bonus with streaming.
Topics: Netflix
-
Cisco Divestiture Could Be Final Blow for Traditional Set-top Boxes
It's no secret that sales of traditional set-top boxes (STB) have been under huge pressure for a while now as IP delivery becomes more integral to pay-TV operators' technical architecture. But yesterday's news that Cisco, which is one of the biggest providers in the world of traditional STBs, is looking to divest its big STB plant in Juarez, Mexico, could be a final blow for the beleaguered devices, accelerating pay-TV operators' IP plans.
Cisco has been getting hammered from all sides recently and the divestiture would no doubt have much-needed short-term financial benefits (coupled with an imminent layoff). The larger context behind the move is more significant: pay-TV operators want to gain more flexibility in delivering services to subscribers while reducing their capex. As more pay-TV subscribers turn to their iPads, Rokus, smartphones and gaming consoles for their video entertainment, pay-TV operators need to run harder than ever to innovate.
Categories: Cable TV Operators, Technology
Topics: Cisco
-
Claussen Pickles Is Latest Brand to Use Incentivized Video Views
Claussen Pickles, which is part of the Kraft Foods family, is the latest brand to successfully use incentivized video views in social games. For those not familiar with the concept (which I wrote about last April), those playing social games on sites like Facebook and others are offered the opportunity to earn virtual currency in exchange for watching a brand's video and/or engaging with it in a particular way (e.g. sharing, liking, etc.). The brand gets an uncluttered experience delivered to a highly-targeted audience.
Mitchell Reichgut, CEO of Jun Group, whose firm partnered with ad agency The Escape Pod, to execute the Claussen campaign, shared the 1-minute video that was created, called "Journey to the Claussen Pickles" (see video below). The offbeat video highlights the idea that Claussen pickles are found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, and though they require extra effort to find, are worth it.
Mitchell said that video is targeted to moms playing social games on sites like Facebook. The completion rate is 75-80%, driven be the need to finish viewing in order to earn the reward. Of those that complete viewing, approximately 10% "Like" Claussen on Facebook, which means the brand now has a direct communications channel to send future offers and news.
Categories: Advertising, Games, Social Media
Topics: Claussen Pickles, Jun Group, Kraft Foods, The Escape Pod
VideoNuze Posts
Connect with VideoNuze
Exclusive News Roundup
- The Cable Business Is In Flux. Altice USA’s CEO Thinks There’s a Path Forward The Hollywood Reporter
- Max to Get ‘More Assertive’ in Blocking Password-Sharing Users Later This Year, WBD Exec Says Variety
- Creators Are Building Their Own Supersized Studio System As Hollywood Cuts Back The Hollywood Reporter
- Netflix Overhauls Its Home Screen for the First Time in 12 Years NY Times
- Netflix debuts its generative AI-powered search tool TechCrunch
- Comcast's cable spinoff to be named Versant, picked to emphasize corporate versatility CNBC
