VideoNuze Posts

The latest episode of the intensely watched drama, “What Will Facebook Do With Original Video?” arrived yesterday via a Wall Street Journal report. According to the report, Facebook is meeting with talent agencies, telling them it is willing to spend up to $3 million per episode of original scripted shows, which would be about on par with high-quality cable TV originals.

Facebook is also open to scripted shows under $1 million per episode, and also has an appetite for unscripted content running less than 10 minutes per episode.

No surprise, Facebook is targeting audiences age 13-34 years-old, with a focus on 17-30 year-olds. But in a twist, Facebook reportedly only wants shows that don’t include politics, news, nudity or bad language. These parameters significantly limit the range of what Facebook could pursue. This type of a Hallmark Channel’ish approach could also misfire with younger audiences who enjoy more authentic-feeling shows (think “Girls” for example).

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I’m pleased to present the 376th edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia.

This week we start by discussing research Akamai released this week with Sensum, proving in how streaming video delivered in high quality results in improved satisfaction. Colin and I wrote about it here and here. It’s further evidence of how viewers’ expectations have been set by TV’s quality. Viewers clearly react to quality deficiencies.

Then we transition to talking about Apple and its hiring late last week of 2 producers who were formerly presidents of Sony Pictures Television. On Monday I wrote how this is a positive step, but still missing was any sense of Apple’s overall video strategy or business model. We debate what Apple might do, and also wonder about what private assurance may have been given to the producers to induce them to move to Apple.

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Everyone in the video industry is focused on data these days, whether to help target ads, develop more relevant content, improve viewer experiences or compete better. At last week’s VideoNuze Online Video Ad Summit, our panel “The Data Gold Rush: How Investments Are Paying Off,” delved into where specific investments are being made, what’s working, where key challenges remain, how companies are staffing their data initiatives and lots more.

The session included Gabe Bevilacqua (SVP, Product Management, Viacom Vantage), Denise Colella (SVP, Advanced Advertising Products & Strategy, NBCUniversal), Adam Shlachter (President, Global Innovation, PMX, Publicis Media), Catherine Warburton (Chief Investment Officer, MDC Media Partners), with Scott Ferber (Chairman and CEO, Videology) moderating. With both media and agency executives on the session, lots of contrasting insights were raised.

Watch the video (36 minutes, 5 seconds).

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It goes without saying that the quality of any consumer experience will directly affect the satisfaction derived from it. Video is no different; as has been shown in numerous studies over the years, whenever the streaming quality is diminished, so too is the viewer’s satisfaction.

But new research from Akamai, conducted by Sensum, which used advanced biometric measurement methods, has revealed the extent to which lower quality streaming impacts viewers’ experiences and perhaps more importantly, what the business consequences of this are. Admittedly, the research is a bit geeky, but it’s also quite eye-opening and valuable for anyone building video products and services.

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Although more video is being produced than ever, for advertisers, premium video remains the most sought-after. At last week’s 7th annual VideoNuze Online Video Ad Summit, our opening panel “Exploring Premium Video’s Winning Formula,” dug into why premium video is so valuable and how it can maintain its desirability.

The session included Maureen Bosetti (Chief Partnerships Officer, Initiative), Pooja Midha (SVP, Digital Ad Sales & Operations, Disney ABC Television Group) and Scott Rosenberg (SVP/GM, Advertising, Roku), with James Rooke (GM, Publisher Platform, FreeWheel) moderating.

(Note, I’ll be posting all of the VideoNuze Ad Summit videos over the next couple of weeks)

Watch the video (37 minutes, 44 seconds).

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There was plenty of industry buzz last Friday after Apple announced that it had hired Sony Pictures Television’s presidents Zach Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht to oversee video programming. After all, Apple has long been spinning its wheels in video, and so the hiring of two high profile producers with a string of TV successes (e.g. “Breaking Bad,” “The Crown,” “The Blacklist,” etc.) would appear to signal that the company has finally, belatedly, realized how strategic video is to its future.

To be sure, it’s almost inconceivable that Van Amburg and Erlicht would take their talents (as LeBron would put it) to Apple without a guarantee from their new boss, and Apple media head, Eddy Cue, that the company was serious, at last, about making high quality TV shows. The problem for Van Amburg, Erlicht and most importantly Apple, is that to actually succeed, the company needs to do far more than just make great shows (which in itself is of course, far from a slam dunk).

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I’m pleased to present the 375th edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia.

This week we’re excited to have Mike Lawlor, FreeWheel’s SVP of Client Services, join us to dig into the company’s Q1 ’17 Video Monetization Report, which it released on Wednesday at the VideoNuze Ad Summit.

First up, we talk about the meteoric growth in OTT devices, which when coupled with set-top box video, means nearly half of all ad views in premium video now occur on TVs. FreeWheel calls this the “new living room” and Mike describes the drivers of this growth and what it means for programmers and advertisers.

Overall, it was the 25th straight quarter of double digit percentage growth for online video, and we discuss whether this amazing streak will continue. We cover a lot of other ground, including what types of programming viewers are watching, what role programmatic is playing for premium video, the importance of improving the viewers’ ad experiences and much more.

FreeWheel’s VMR continues to be an incredibly valuable piece of research, helping industry analysts and executives better understand how disruption is playing out. The VMR is available as a complimentary download.

Listen in to learn more!
 
Click here to listen to the podcast (25 minutes, 37 seconds)

Click here for previous podcasts.

Click here to add the podcast feed to your RSS reader.

The VideoNuze podcast is also available in iTunes...subscribe today!