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JW Player is Now Downloaded 15,000 Times a Day; Being Positioned as "WordPress for Video"
Yesterday I had a chance to catch up with Dave Otten, CEO of LongTail Video, who told me that the company's JW Player is now being downloaded 15,000 times a day, and is live on 1.3 million sites globally. Dave estimates that 7-10 billion video streams are consumed via JW Player monthly, a sizable portion of the approximately 90 billion streams he estimates are delivered globally each month.
If you're not familiar with the JW Player, it is an open source video player that was developed back in 2005 by Jeroen "JW" Wijering and was used by YouTube as its first player. Dave said the player's growth has come purely through viral distribution and he thinks of it as "WordPress for video"
(WordPress is the widely-used open source blogging platform). Dave believes JW Player's fast growth reflects the broadening appeal of online video beyond the traditional media industry. Many downloads are for first-time video users looking for an inexpensive solution to get them started (though few have graduated to other players even as their volume has scaled).
Categories: Technology
Topics: JW Player, LongTail Video
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Webinar Tomorrow: Boosting VOD Revenue and Engagement Through Enhanced Content Discovery
Even as the range of new over-the-top connected devices brings consumers an explosion of new video choices, incumbent pay-TV operators have continued building viewership of their own video-on-demand (VOD) offerings. But, as Colin Dixon, Senior Partner at The Diffusion Group, a digital media research firm, argues in a new white paper, the vast majority of this viewership has been of free content, effectively leaving pay-TV operators out of the burgeoning rental and download markets. A key reason for this has been sub-optimal electronic program guides (EPGs).
In a complimentary webinar tomorrow at 11am PT / 2pm ET titled "The Social TV Guide: Boosting VOD Revenue and Customer Engagement Through Enhanced Content Discovery," Colin will lay out both the opportunity and specific tactics for how providers can improved their VOD offerings. Colin will be joined by Sefy Ariely, VP of Sales and Marketing for Orca Interactive, which makes content navigation software. The data and lessons that Colin will share is applicable not only to pay-TV operators, but to anyone offering online and mobile video options trying to drive higher usage and revenue.
Categories: Events
Topics: Orca Interactive, TDG
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5 News Items of Interest for the Week of Aug 30th
In a week dominated by Apple's new products, there actually was some other interesting online/mobile video industry news this week. Continuing VideoNuze's new Friday feature of highlighting 5-6 stories that we didn't cover this week, below are a collection of items for your weekend reading pleasure.
YouTube Ads Turn Videos Into Revenue
The 800-pound gorilla of the online video industry is reportedly closing in on profitability, based partly on ads running against user-uploaded copyrighted material. By detecting these uploads and offering the underlying rights owners the choice to have their video taken down or leave it up and generate revenue, many are choosing the latter. YouTube continues to evolve from its UGC roots.
Samsung, Toshiba Unveil Google-Based iPad Rivals
The battle line between Apple's "i" devices and those running Google's Android will ramp up, with mobile video set to follow, as Samsung and Toshiba plan to sell tablet computers in the coming months. Though the iPad is of to a strong start, it looks like it won't enjoy the same market dominance as the iPhone did as competitors jump into the tablet market quickly.
Google TV: Up to $300 Price Premium?
The components to enable Google TV could add $300 to the retail price of a television. If accurate this would put Google TV at a big competitive disadvantage given the trend toward lower-priced connected devices such as this week's $99 Apple TV and Roku's price cuts.
A Look Back: Lessons Learned From TV Everywhere a Year After Deployment
Marty Roberts, VP of Sales and Marketing for thePlatform, which has powered a number of TV Everywhere rollouts, offers insights based on the company's experience. Topics include authentication, content ingest, parental controls, discovery and content security. TV Everywhere is still in a nascent stage, but pay-TV providers should be following early lessons and moving quickly.
ShowUHow Scores $3 Million Series A Backing for Video Instruction Guides
A startup site that offers video instruction guides for various types of products that need to be assembled illustrates how valuable video can be for how-to video applications.
Categories: Advertising, Aggregators, Cable TV Operators, Deals & Financings, Devices, Startups
Topics: Apple, Google TV, Samsung, ShowUHow, thePlatform, Toshiba, YouTube
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Putting Premium Content Within an Arm's Length of Desire
Robert Woodruff, the long-time president of Coca-Cola, had a famous quote summing up his ambition for the fizzy brown water: "I want Coke to be within an arm's length of desire." Given the initiatives of Apple, Google, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Sony, pay-TV operators, Roku, TiVo, gaming consoles and numerous others, a spin on the Woodruff quote might well be, "They're all putting premium content within an arm's length of desire." It's no exaggeration to say that we are on the cusp of unprecedented consumer access to premium content - both current and past seasons' TV programs along with archived and new-release movies.
The choices being presented to consumers are dizzying, and are poised to become increasingly complex. With Apple's announcement yesterday of a $99 Apple TV connected device, and 99-cent rentals from ABC and Fox (and others no doubt to follow), another relatively low-cost option for viewing premium content will be available. Not to be outdone, Amazon also unveiled its own 99-cent option yesterday, for downloads of TV programs, though the durability of this offer isn't yet clear. And Sony too announced a new service called Qriocity to delivery its content to its connected devices.
Categories: Aggregators
Topics: Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Sony
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Amazon Must Offer DVDs-by-Mail As Well As Streaming to Fully Compete With Netflix
The WSJ is reporting that Amazon is gearing up to offer a subscription service to stream catalog TV shows and movies. Amazon has long offered content on a VOD rental and purchase basis, but a subscription move would put the retail giant into direct competition with Netflix, the current 800-pound gorilla of the TV/movie streaming market.
However, for Amazon to effectively compete head-on with Netflix it would need to secure comparable streaming rights, which is probably doable, albeit costly. More importantly though, Amazon would also need to offer a full
selection of DVDs, delivered by mail, and the infrastructure to support it. In some ways that's a much tougher challenge, and whether Amazon wants to take this on is a huge open question.
Categories: Aggregators
Topics: Amazon, Hulu Plus, Netflix
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For Connected Devices, To Browse or Not to Browse - That is the Question
If Hamlet were considering what functionality devices connecting the Internet to TVs should have, he might well pose the question, "to browse or not to browse?" In other words, should connected devices come with a browser that allows users to freely the surf the entire Internet - as they do online and on mobile devices - or should they present content and services through walled gardens of approved "apps?"
With new connected devices proliferating (see Apple iTV tomorrow), and becoming less and less expensive (see Roku price cuts yesterday), it's inevitable that massive connected device adoption lies ahead. Yet even as these devices are poised to take on greater importance in consumers' lives and be ever more strategic to any company committed to a three-screen strategy, it is still far from clear which device approach will dominate.
Categories: Devices
Topics: Apple, Espial, Roku, Samsung, TiVo, Vizio
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Justice Dept Considering Online Restrictions For Comcast-NBCU
An article in today's WSJ, "Comcast Gets Static on Net TV" describes how the Justice Department is scrutinizing the online video implications of Comcast's deal to acquire control of NBCU. According to the article, the Justice Department is digging in to try to understand what, if any, implications the deal could have on online-delivered TV shows and movies from NBCU.
The article points out that nothing is likely to come out of the investigation that could derail the deal. However, the results could provide the foundation for the Justice Department to impose restrictions on Comcast's flexibility to decide where and how NBCU's premium programming could be distributed online. The purpose would be to head off Comcast somehow gaining preferred and/or exclusive access.
The investigation is merited given the size of the deal and yet the yellow caution flags should be up regarding the government making too many assumptions about how the online video market will unfold. As I've written a number of times, we are continuing to see surprising deals, technologies and products which challenge popular assertions that online video and incumbent pay-TV models are on a collision course with one another, with one winning at the other's expense. Just in the last few weeks, the Netflix-Epix deal, the Cox-TiVo partnership, and possibly this week 99-cent broadcast TV rentals from Apple all show that the market is incredibly dynamic, with a blending of online and traditional distribution becoming more common.
That said, Comcast already has huge market power, and control of NBCU's top-notch assets mustn't deprive others of access from which consumers gain. Finding the delicate balance between just enough safeguards, but without limiting innovation, is the key.
What do you think? Post a comment now (no sign-in required).Categories: Broadcasters, Cable TV Operators, Deals & Financings, Regulation
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5 News Items of Interest for the Week of Aug 23rd
Following is the latest update to VideoNuze's new Friday feature, highlighting 5-6 of the most intriguing industry news items from the week that VideoNuze wasn't able to cover.
Ads skipped by 86% of TV viewers, but TV ads still most memorable
A new Deloitte survey unsurprisingly finds high rates of ad skipping among DVR users watching time-shifted programs, yet also notes that 52% of respondents say TV advertising is more memorable than any other type (only 2% cited online video advertising). Is there a love-hate relationship with good old TV advertising?
Endemol USA Plans Kobe Bryant Web Series
Online video continues attracting celebrities, with the latest being LA Laker star Kobe Bryant, who will be featured in 8 episodes teaching Filipino kids about hoops. The series is being produced and promoted by powerhouse Endemol. More evidence that independent online video is gaining.
NFL Sunday Ticket To-Go, Without DirecTV
DirecTV unbundles its popular NFL package, selling online access to non-subscribers for $350. It's not clear there will be many takers at this price point, but it does raise interesting possibilities about unbundled subscribers connecting to their TVs and also how sports will be impacted by online and mobile viewing.
TiVo Launches Remote with Slide-Out Keyboard
TiVo is enhancing navigation with a long-awaited keyboard that slides out of its standard-shaped remote control for $90. With TiVo's new Premiere box offering more video choices than ever, quicker navigation is required. As other connected devices hit the market, it will be interesting to see what clever solutions they come up with too.
MTVN's Greg Clayman Heads to News Corp to Lead iPad Newspaper
Amid the ongoing shuffle of digital media executives, MTV Networks lost a key leader in Greg Clayman, who's moving to News Corp to head up their new iPad newspaper. Greg's been on VideoSchmooze panels and we've done webinars together; he always brings great insights as well as a terrific sense of humor.Categories: Advertising, Cable Networks, Devices, Indie Video, People, Satellite, Sports
Topics: Deloitte, DirecTV, Endemol USA, MTV, News Corp, NFL, TiVo
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