VideoNuze Posts

With over 700 content partners in its channel store, Roku has built out the most extensive set of content choices of any of the over-the-top devices.

And in a recent interview at NATPE, Scott Rosenberg, Roku's VP, Business Development, Content and Services, explains that's because the company has "very deliberately operated with a pro-content provider strategy" and prides itself on being easy to work with, allowing content providers to use the same standard technologies they use on the web and offering favorable economics. Scott contrasts this with the approach other OTT devices have taken.

Watch the interview

I'm pleased to present the 169th edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. First up today, we review the latest video industry litigation, Cablevision vs. Viacom. We mostly agree that major industry change is unlikely to occur due to the litigation, but rather, over time, the expense of pay-TV and appeal of OTT alternatives will drive changes in consumer choices, which in turn is what will change the pay-TV industry's dynamics.

Speaking of changing dynamics, it's no secret that live TV viewing is under huge pressure as viewers turn to on-demand choices and DVR usage. To help reverse things, Colin discusses an interesting new initiative announced this week by Fox and Watchwith. Fox will be syndicating its FOX NOW "sync-to-broadcast" second screen companion content via Watchwith to numerous network partners such as Shazam, Viggle, ConnecTV and NextGuide, helping drive higher usage and monetization. As Colin wrote earlier this week, it's a clever way of proliferating FOX NOW content and improving the live experience.

Listen in to learn more!

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Note: I'm pleased to post the latest from Stewart Schley, VideoNuze's newest contributor.

Survey: Under 2% of Pay-TV Subscribers Are Using Their Providers' Tablet Video Apps

by Stewart Schley

Digitalsmiths’ Q1 2013 Video Discovery Trends Report is out, and one of the key findings is that less than 2% of pay-TV subscribers use their providers' tablet video apps. The online survey of 1,800-plus adults shows how far the pay-TV industry has to go before their tablet video apps influence TV watching.

Of the roughly one-third of respondents who said they have tablets, 60% said they haven’t downloaded their pay-TV provider’s app, and another 14% aren’t aware such an app even is available. Of the 26% of tablet owners who have downloaded pay-TV provider's apps, only 18% said they actually use them. That means for every 100 pay-TV subscribers, under 2% of them ever fire up their provider's video app.

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Please save the date for the 3rd annual VideoNuze Online Video Advertising Summit on Tues., June 4th in NYC.

Once again, the Video Ad Summit will be a high-impact day of learning and networking for executives at brands, agencies, video content providers, technology companies and others in the online video ecosystem. Last year over 350 industry executives attended, with 40+ speakers.

The volume of video coming online these days is unprecedented. Consumers have more content choices and more devices to watch them on than ever - helping drive viewership to record levels. And the reality is that the vast majority of today's online video is free and ad-supported, making it essential that the advertising model continue to develop and mature.

The good news is that there's tons of innovation happening, which is helping accelerate advertisers' online video spending. But huge challenges still remain. And that's where the Video Ad Summit comes in. Through a fast-paced program of thought-leader keynotes, panel discussions, fireside chats, case studies, presentations and demoes, attendees can expect to take away actionable insights and develop new relationships.

If your business's success is tied to the ever-growing influence of online video and online video advertising specifically, the Video Ad Summit will once again be a must-attend event.

Premier sponsors of the Video Ad Summit include Adap.tv, Adobe and TubeMogul, along with Headline sponsors Altitude Digital, Collective, LiveRail and Videology.  Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available. Please contact me to learn more.

Early bird, discounted registration will be available shortly.

upLynk, which provides a single HD adaptive streaming format, has extended its technology solution to also incorporate native video ad insertion. Whereas traditional video ad insertion requires logic in the video player upLynk moves it all to the server. By integrating the ads with the content this way, upLynk is able to deliver a single continuous adaptive stream to the player. By reducing the player's workload, viewers get a smoother, buffer-free video experience. This in turn builds viewer loyalty and view times, which are critical to ad monetization.

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Yesterday, Cablevision announced that it has filed suit against Viacom, seeking, among other things, to void a carriage deal it struck just 2 months ago. Cablevision is alleging that Viacom illegally coerced it into carrying 14 of its low-rated cable networks in order to get access to the 8 popular ones Cablevision really wanted.

The most obvious first question to ponder is why would Cablevision agree to a deal in December, only to sue to nullify it in February? Surely the presiding judge will ask something similar. If Cablevision was so perturbed by Viacom's negotiating position, why not bite the bullet and sue then? Another interesting question is that given bundling has been upheld by the courts in the past, what's different this time around?

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Note: Today I'm pleased to welcome VideoNuze's latest contributor, Stewart Schley. Stewart has been writing about media and telecommunications subjects for more than 20 years for publishers including CED magazine, Multichannel News, Paul Kagan Associates and One Touch Intelligence.

Ooyala 2012 Video Index: Tablet-Based Viewing Times Continue to Rise


by Stewart Schley

Video’s leap to tablets continues to impress, and not just when it comes to short-form content. Ooyala’s new Global Video Index 2012 illuminates a rising role for tablets in playing long-form content. Ooyala's data shows that in Q4 '12, 63% of total viewing time on tablets was for videos longer than 10 minutes, up from 46% in Q1 '12.  Nearly one-third of time spent watching videos on tablets in Q4 ’12 was for those an hour or longer.


The numbers suggest users are becoming increasingly comfortable watching full-length TV shows, movies and other long-form content on tablets, a finding that has implications for television networks and other content providers that want to extend their viewership to the small screen. Among playback devices Ooyala tracks, only connected TVs and game consoles had a higher percentage of long-form video viewing (81.7%) in Q4. PCs clocked in at 57%, and smartphones at 43.6%.

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Aereo announced this morning that it has expanded service to 19 million residents in 29 counties in the New York City metro area, moving Aereo beyond the 5 boroughs. The move is part of Aereo's nationwide expansion to 22 additional markets throughout 2013.

In addition, Aereo took the wraps off its first consumer marketing initiative, with executions emphasizing its live, DVR and portability features. The ads will be placed on billboards, phone kiosks and main transit points in NYC. Importantly, they each carry the company's tagline: "Live TV. Online. No Cable Required." which pointedly positions the company as a cord-cutting option (see below for an example), as I explained recently would happen.

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