-
For Pay-TV Operators, Will TV Everywhere Be TV Nowhere?
I continue to be confounded by the fact that the pay-TV industry - both operators and cable TV networks - have not made more progress on TV Everywhere, their most important competitive initiative in the online era. Yesterday I got yet another dose of this sobering reality watching a panel discussion at ScreenPlays magazine's Media Innovations Summit in LA. The panel included Synacor's Ted May, Starz's John Penney, EPIX's Emil Rensing, thePlatform's Marty Roberts and AT&T's Dan York and was moderated by Marketing/PR executive Bob Gold.
It's not that industry executives can't articulate the value to both operators and networks. For pay-TV operators, it's providing increased value to paying subscribers, which helps both acquisition and retention efforts. For cable networks, its expanded audience reach and advertising, while maintaining their hybrid model of paid distribution and advertising. For both it's staying competitive by providing access to premium content for consumers when, how and where they want it.
Categories: Cable Networks, Cable TV Operators, Satellite, Telcos
Topics: AT&T, EPIX, Starz, Synacor, thePlatform
-
Webinar Next Tuesday, Oct. 5th: Demystifying Mobile Video
Next Tuesday, Oct. 5th, The Diffusion Group and VideoNuze will present the fifth complimentary webinar in our 2010 "Demystifying" series, with this session's focus on demystifying mobile video. The series is exclusively sponsored by ActiveVideo Networks.
Once again, TDG's Colin Dixon and I will be hosting and moderating. Joining us will be Matt Smith, VP/Chief Systems Architect at Inlet Technologies, a leading provider of solutions for digital media preparation. Matt will share thoughts on how Inlet's media customers are beginning to exploit mobile video, along with their challenges and successes. Then we'll have moderated Q&A followed by plenty of time for audience Q&A.
Mobile video is white hot right now and poised for huge growth ahead. The proliferation of video-capable smartphones (iPhone, Android, etc.) and more recently video-friendly tablets like the iPad (plus new entrants like the Dell Streak, Samsung Tab, etc.) are driving a sea-change in consumers' expectations about on-the-go video. In the midst of this we're seeing advertisers flock to mobile video. In fact, even using the term "mobile video" may be short-lived, as the lines between devices and the experiences they provide continue to blur.
Click here to learn more and register about this complimentary webinar (Tues, Oct 5, 11am PT/ 2pm ET).Categories: Mobile Video, Webinars
Topics: ActiveVideo Networks, Inlet Technologies, Webinar
-
NYTVF Digital Day Highlights: Indie Success through Branded Entertainment, Syndication
Originally conceived four years ago as a platform for burgeoning independent television producers, the New York Television Festival (NYTVF), which just finished up this weekend, has jumped ahead of the looming convergence by giving online video a progressively larger focus, particularly through its "Digital Day."
Started in 2008, Digital Day is a daylong event with panels discussing the digital entertainment landscape. This year's panels included producers and executives from MSN/Bing, Blip.TV, Next New Networks, Digitas' The Third Act, NBC Universal, and Electus' Ben Silverman. The topics discussed were primarily monetization through brand integration and syndication on major portals.
Categories: Branded Entertainment, Syndicated Video Economy
Topics: New York Television Festival
-
Time Warner's "Premium Video-on-Demand" Experiment is a Blind Alley
Talk about an initiative that flies in the face of all prevailing sentiment: Time Warner is moving forward on testing a new window for early-release movies on VOD priced at $20-30 apiece in 2011, according to comments its CFO John Martin made yesterday at the Goldman Sachs conference. Never mind the
wrath the idea will stir up among movie theater owners whose traditional windows get cannibalized as a consequence (Disney learned about that with its "Alice in Wonderland" early DVD release experiment last February), the real issue is that pay-TV operators should deem the idea a non-starter.
Typical VOD rental rates of $4-5 already look expensive to consumers compared to Netflix's $9 all-you-can-eat monthly plans and Redbox's $1 DVD rentals. And while there are scenarios where getting a group or family together to watch a movie makes sense, it's getting harder than ever to do so. The reality is that families are atomizing to their individual activities; perusing or playing on Facebook, watching YouTube/Hulu/Netflix/etc., playing with the Wii or Farmville, chatting on Skype, shopping on Amazon, etc. Corralling this crowd and getting them to agree on any one movie is already a challenge; the prospect of paying $20-30 for the pleasure just sets the bar that much higher.
Categories: Cable TV Operators, FIlms, Satellite, Studios, Telcos
Topics: Disney, Netflix, Redbox, Time Warner, Time Warner Cable
-
Netflix's Expanded NBCU Deal Further Marginalizes Hulu Plus
This morning Netflix announced its latest content licensing deal to bulk up the its streaming catalog, adding a range of programs from NBCU. It's a long list which includes next day access to Saturday Night Live (plus the full back
catalog), last season episodes for 30 Rock, The Office and Law&Order: SVU (in addition to renewing back episodes already available), plus past seasons of Friday Night Lights, Psych, Monk, Battlestar Galactica, Destination Truth and Eureka. Netflix didn't identify exactly how many total episodes the deal adds to streaming, but it's very substantial.
On the losing end of this deal is Hulu, and more specifically, its budding subscription service Hulu Plus (note the irony that one of Hulu's parent companies is NBCU). As I explained in late August, in "88% of Hulu Plus Content is Already Available for Free on Hulu.com," when it comes to content, Hulu Plus is getting squeezed from all sides, seriously limiting its ability to be much more than an outlet for delayed-release current season and past seasons' episodes of broadcast programs. This is an extremely narrow value proposition which is unlikely to gain widespread adoption.
Categories: Aggregators, Cable Networks
Topics: Hulu, Hulu Plus, NBCU, Netflix
-
6 Things Pay-TV Operators Can Learn From Blockbuster's Fall
Blockbuster's bankruptcy filing was a long time in coming, but is still daunting when you think back to how omnipresent and powerful the company used to be. To be sure, there has been a lot of distracting M&A and corporate drama surrounding Blockbuster over the years which no doubt contributed to its decline. Still, there have been fundamental shifts in its business that Blockbuster missed.
Specifically, Netflix has been both a catalyst of Blockbuster's demise and also a big beneficiary. Now, with Netflix aggressively pursuing over-the-top streaming, it is inevitably going to put pressure on traditional pay-TV operators. So what might pay-TV operators learn from Blockbuster's bankruptcy? Here are 6 things. No doubt there are more.
Categories: Aggregators
Topics: Blockbuster, Netflix
-
BrightRoll Unifies Mobile and Online Video Ads in New Offering
Online video ad network BrightRoll is announcing this morning that clients can now buy pre-roll ads in mobile streams using the same BrightRoll buying
platform as they use for online video. The move is further evidence that as the universe of mobile devices that play video continues to proliferate, the infrastructure that allows unified media planning and buying will follow.
Categories: Advertising, Mobile Video
Topics: BrightRoll
-
Roku Refreshes Product Line to Offer 1080p HD Streaming
Roku is once again refreshing its product line, introducing 3 new players, including two that will offer 1080p HD streaming for the first time for Roku. As the chart below shows, the most notable features of the new top-of-the line XDS model ($99.99) are the upgraded HD capability, and a new "Instant Replay" feature on the remote control that allows users to jump back in the stream by 10 seconds without any buffering. The XDS also includes extended-range, dual-band Wireless N connectivity to home networks and a USB drive for portable media (note the existing HDXR model also has USB and will receive a firmware upgrade in the Fall to activate it).
Categories: Devices
Topics: Roku
VideoNuze Posts
Connect with VideoNuze
Exclusive News Roundup
- Spotify, Netflix Partner On 'Happy Gilmore' Game Promo Mediapost
- NFL in talks to take a 10% stake in ESPN CNBC
- MLS commissioner offers rare disclosure of Apple TV viewership Sports Media Watch
- Jeff Bezos weighing possible acquisition of CNBC cable network NY Post
- NBCU Is Exploring Launching a Sports Cable Network WSJ
- YouTube earns $9.8 billion in ad revenue during Q2 The Desk
