VideoNuze Posts

I'm pleased to present the 340th edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia.

This week we return to the topic of mobile video, which we last discussed in June. Mobile video has reached a milestone, according to new Ooyala data, reaching nearly 51% of all video views, which is 10 times greater share than just 4 years ago.

Mobile video has soared mainly due to the proliferation of smartphones. However monthly data caps have curbed mobile video, as users have learned how expensive exceeding their plans can be. This is why T-Mobile’s “Binge-On” has been so popular and why we’re now seeing the advent of other “zero-rated” services like DirecTV Now.

But as Colin and I discuss, mobile video could get a big boost in 2017 as Comcast and Charter both announced this week they’ll enter the mobile business (here and here). Because they’ll be leveraging millions of their WiFi hotspots, they will likely be able to not only offer bigger data plans, but also charge subscribers less by bundling mobile phone with other services.

(Note, one clarification - I said I didn’t know of any video service on Verizon Wireless that is zero-rated, but in fact Go90 is.)

Listen in to learn more
 
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The first of the three presidential debates is coming up on Monday night, and in addition to the spotlight being on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, it looks like a big focus will be on live-streaming. That’s because Facebook, YouTube and Twitter - each of which is pushing hard into live-streaming - will stream the debates, in partnership with a variety of major media companies.

YouTube will be streaming in partnership with PBS, Fox News, The Washington Post, Bloomberg and Telemundo as part of its #voteIRL initiative. Facebook has once again partnered with ABC News (as it did for the conventions) to stream the debates, which it will enhance with viewers’ comments and conversations in Facebook Live. Finally, as part of its previously-announced partnership, Twitter will be streaming Bloomberg TV’s coverage of the debates.

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We are in the era of “Peak TV,” where hundreds of original programs are spread across many different free and paid video services and TV networks. For those who no longer want to spring for pay-TV, assembling the right mix of OTT, SVOD and skinny bundles to cost-effectively access desired programs is very confusing.

Now a startup named CobbleCord is aiming to address this, using a 4-part set of user-provided information about viewing preferences to return a list of custom recommendations. CobbleCord was started by Virginia Juliano, a 10-year Showtime marketing executive, who walked me through how CobbleCord helps users “cobble” together the most appropriate video services for them.

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According to Ooyala’s newly released Q2 ’16 Global Video Index, mobile viewing now accounts for 50.6% of all video views, up a whopping 10x from the 5% viewing share on mobile in Q2 ’12. Ooyala has been tracking mobile viewing for years and this is the first time it has crossed the 50% mark. One year ago, in Q2 ’15, mobile was at 44% viewing share and two years ago, in Q2 ’14, it was just over 25%.

Ooyala attributed the strong growth to the popularity of smartphones and robust WiFi, especially globally. 64% of American adults now own a smartphone and 90% of millennials reported they’re almost never without them. 75% of viewers age 18-29 watch video on their smartphone.

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Fourteen industry-leading companies are on board as the initial sponsors of VideoNuze’s SHIFT // 2016 Programmatic Video & TV Advertising Summit on Wednesday, November 30th in NYC. This will be our 2nd annual SHIFT conference, following the success of our inaugural event last year which drew 375+ attendees and 50 executive speakers.

The initial group of sponsors includes Premier Partners Altitude Digital, AOL, DashBid, SpotX, VertaMedia and Videology, along with Headline Partners Alphonso, Beachfront Media, FreeWheel, Genesis Media, Placemedia, TiVo Research and WideOrbit, plus Branding Partner Roku.

I’m incredibly grateful that all of these companies are supporting SHIFT // 2016. There are additional sponsorship opportunities available; please contact me if you’d like to learn more.

The SHIFT // 2016 program is coming together nicely and will be laser-focused on key topics in programmatic video & TV advertising. The program will include a mix of keynote interviews, panel discussions, fireside chats and research presentations. As always the goal is to provide attendees with insights and data that are valuable in both day-to-day and longer-range planning. Stay tuned for more information on the program and our initial group of speakers.

Early bird discounted tickets are now available. I hope you’ll join us on November 30th!

LEARN MORE and REGISTER NOW!

I recently had a chance to talk with Eddie Lee, who is VP of Programmatic at 495 Communications, which combines original travel-related video and programmatic video advertising. Eddie brought me up to speed on the company and their recently launched 495 QeX product. Following is a transcript.

VideoNuze: Explain the multiple parts of 495 Communications' business and how they work together?
 
Eddie Lee: 495 Communications has two subsets on the supply side: one being a large publisher-direct network and the other side being our O&O content, HTML5 player (SavvyGo), and Travelsavvy.tv - true cross device inventory (desktop, mobile and CTV/OTT apps).   Using our own proprietary RTB exchange, we are able to service advertisers and demand partners by providing them quality traffic, in scale.

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Last Thursday night felt like a milestone moment to me in the continued mainstreaming of online video viewing. At 9pm, I turned on my 46-inch Insignia HDTV, toggled to input 3, grabbed my Fire TV remote control, scrolled to the app section, downloaded the Twitter app and began watching the Jets play the Bills over my 100 mbps Comcast broadband connection in pristine quality. Just like that I was watching an NFL game outside the traditional TV ecosystem.

The whole process took just a few minutes and likely could have been accomplished by the least tech-savvy among us. On the surface it might seem like a relatively trivial undertaking, but in reality, the experience reflected the significant technology and consumer behavioral advancements that have taken place in just the past 10 years or so. Every one of these advancements was critical in enabling the Twitter broadcast. And every one of them is also causing the seismic changes roiling the broader TV industry.

Consider:

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I'm pleased to present the 339th edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia.

First up this week we discuss Time Warner’s investment earlier this week in You.i TV, a video app development platform. Colin notes that the acquisition furthers Turner’s strategy of owning its own technology and going direct-to-consumer. From my standpoint, You.i TV is critical in streamlining Turner’s app development across multiple connected devices, where viewing is migrating.

We then transition to talking about skinny bundle research from Altman Vilandrie & Co., which I wrote about yesterday. The data confirmed my skepticism about how difficult it will be for skinny bundle providers to offer sufficiently comprehensive channel lineups while still enticing subscribers with cost savings. We dig into some of the most salient data points.

(apologies, the recording quality was a little sub-par this week)

Listen now to learn more!

Click here to listen to the podcast (22 minutes, 16 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!