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AlphaBird Spreads Its Wings With Warner Bros./Dailymotion Syndication Deal
This morning, AlphaBird, a branded entertainment syndication startup, is announcing that it has syndicated 4 digital series from Warner Bros. Television Group's web content arm, Studio 2.0, to Dailymotion. In addition to distributing and selling advertising around the programs, Dailymotion will promote the various series on its homepage every Monday through the end of the year. Ad revenue will be split between Dailymotion, Warner Bros. and AlphaBird.
The deal is the latest example of premium online video being distributed to a third-party with sizable audience in order to build awareness and viewership (part of what Will has called the "Syndicated Video Economy"). As AlphaBird's CEO Chase Norlin explained yesterday, while it's always challenging to create high-quality content, with the fragmentation and noisiness of the Internet, these days an even bigger challenge is gaining audience.
Categories: Syndicated Video Economy
Topics: AlphaBird, DailyMotion, Warner Bros.
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Brightcove Doubles Global Customers to 1,800, Eyes Asia with New VP
In a show of continued strength, Brightcove is announcing that in the first half of 2010, its customer base doubled to 1,800 media publishers worldwide. This was fueled in part by meeting demand overseas in Europe and Japan.
Continuing to look towards Asia as its next major growth area, Brightcove also announced hiring Dennis Rose, a veteran from the software company Citrix, as vice president for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
On top of expanding sales geographically, Brightcove is benefiting from the mushrooming uses of online video and the changing definition of a "media publisher" (this echoes Will's post about IBM's use of video from last week) For example, its Japanese subsidiary, Brightcove KK, signed a number of marketing and e-commerce companies from many different sectors, including high-end fashion, healthcare, and even Japan's very first Girls Professional Baseball League. Additionally, Brightcove has been making strides into the growing mobile space, adding Android support, HTML5 support, and more importantly working with Freewheel to help monetize that HTML5 video.
Categories: Technology
Topics: Brightcove
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For Broadcast TV Networks, Google TV is Friend, Not Foe
Reading this morning's WSJ story, "Google TV Is a Tough Sell Among Would-Be Partners," you get the impression that broadcast TV networks are viewing Google TV as a potential disruptor of their business models. While the networks should take time to fully understand Google's new product, plus
assess additional work being asked of them (e.g. enhanced metadata) and how their programs will be incorporated in Google TV's UI, on the whole, broadcast TV networks should view Google TV as beneficial, not disruptive, to their digital distribution efforts.
Broadcast networks are right to be concerned about what effect viewing on any new digital device will have on their on-air business models. I've written often about my concern that the networks' web sites and Hulu's "ad-lite" approach was threatening to their on-air economics. However, more recently the networks (and likely Hulu) have been increasing their digital ad loads. ABC for one has said that digital delivery profitability is already on a par with "DVR economics" (accounting for ad-skipping by DVR households), and more ads will only further enhance digital's ROI. Certainly ABC's decision to make its programs available on the iPad is evidence that proper monetization, along with a coherent windowing approach, can yield incremental views and profits from distribution to new devices.
Categories: Broadcasters, Devices
Topics: ABC, CBS, FOX, Google TV, NBC
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Kyte Continues Mobile Push With New BlackBerry Features
Online video platform Kyte is expanding its support for mobile devices, announcing this morning Kyte Mobile Producer for BlackBerry. The feature allows owners of certain BlackBerry devices to upload and distribute videos
from their handsets to multiple destinations. Supported models include the Bold, Curve 8900 and Storm. The Torch, the latest BlackBerry introduced, which is positioned to compete with the iPhone and Android devices, is not yet supported.
Kyte has previously introduced a similar mobile video feature for both the iPhone and Nokia S60. With the iPhone version, Kyte says that customers like Fox News have incorporated on-the-spot video captures from its field reporters. The "LIVEShots" feature allows for more informal video news coverage.
Categories: Mobile Video, Technology
Topics: BlackBerry, Kyte
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Boxee and Widevine Partner for Enhanced Video Delivery
Boxee and Widevine are announcing this morning that they plan to incorporate Widevine's DRM, adaptive streaming and virtual DVD controls into
CE devices that contain Boxee's digital media software. The move gives Boxee a more complete solution to offer CE providers looking to bring both content and connectivity to their devices.
Widevine has been on a roll recently, signing deals with EchoStar, Sonic Solutions, LOVEFiLM and others in the past few months. Widevine is benefiting from an explosion of connected devices that bring online video to TVs. Consumer electronics manufacturers must ensure that video is delivered securely and complies with digital rights, and plays out in high-quality. In addition Widevine offers a "trick play" feature with progressive download that allows users to fast forward or rewind like they would with a DVD, without the annoying buffering.
Topics: Boxee, Roku, Samsung, Widevine
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Webinar Next Tuesday, Aug. 24th: Independent Online Video and Syndication Models
Next Tuesday, Aug. 24th, The Diffusion Group and VideoNuze will present the fourth complimentary webinar in our 2010 "Demystifying" series, with this session's focus on demystifying independent online video and syndication models. The series is exclusively sponsored by ActiveVideo Networks.
Once again, TDG's Colin Dixon and I will be hosting and moderating, and we have two terrific guests joining us, Jim Louderback, CEO of Revision3, a leading Internet-only television network, and Richard Bloom, SVP of Business Development for 5Min, a leading syndication platform for instructional and lifestyle videos. Jim and Rich will each do short presentations and then we'll have moderated Q&A followed by plenty of time for audience Q&A.
Our webinar couldn't be more timely; with online video viewership exploding (comScore reported 5.3 billion total viewing sessions in July) and myriad connected devices leveling the playing field for on-TV viewing, web producers have lots of opportunity ahead of them.
Categories: Webinars
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For Mobile Video, Primetime Continues to be Most of the Time
Rhythm New Media's Q2 '10 mobile video advertising report, which is being released this morning, continues to show how mobile video consumption is spread throughout the day. Unlike online video or traditional TV, where there's a large difference in viewership between the 8pm-11pm primetime daypart vs. other dayparts, the Rhythm data (see below) shows a more even distribution. Rhythms data is based on about 1 billion content views and 75 ad campaigns run during the quarter. Adam Wright reported similar findings in Rhythm's Q1 '10 report.
Categories: Advertising, Mobile Video
Topics: Android, iPhone, Rhythm New Media, ScanScout
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5 News Items of Interest for the Week of Aug 9th
Last week I unveiled a new Friday feature on VideoNuze, which is to highlight 5 of the most intriguing news items that I noticed during the week (VideoNuze may have covered them too). The feature is an additional level of curation beyond the "Exclusive News Roundup" that is included in the right column of VideoNuze each day. I recognize that you're busy and therefore may not read VideoNuze each day, so at a minimum the Friday wrap-up will give you an at-a-glance opportunity to catch up, possibly over the weekend. Synopses and implications for each are briefly noted. I welcome your feedback!
After Drought, Hope for Shows Made for Web
Profile of web show Easy to Assemble draws a larger conclusion that independent online video productions are making a comeback and attracting financing. My Damn Channel also raised $4.4 million this week. Expect more of this as universe of connected devices expands creating a level playing field for independents.
Sam's Club to Use Wi-Fi to Push TVs
Big retailer plans Wi-Fi coverage in all its 500 stores, helping shoppers gain hands-on understanding of how connected TVs work. A wise move that will no doubt be widely imitated.
Studios, Cable Closer to Home Movie Deals
Plan for movies to be available on cable or satellite VOD within 30-60 days of theatrical release for a premium fee of $25-$50. Will consumers pay up for immediacy? Studios are open to all ideas for increasing revenues, but this still seems like a stretch idea given huge price premium vs. other options.
Cable Firms Eye Tablet Space
At least 7 pay-TV providers have various plans to move subscription video to tablet devices like the iPad, and those coming based on Android. The efforts are related to TV Everywhere, and while promising, and need to be released soon to keep up with Netflix and others.
Upcoming Apple TV Loses 1080 Playback, Gains Apps and Will be Renamed iTV
Lots of speculation about the next incarnation of the Apple TV device, now rumored to be renamed "iTV." Despite its device prowess, Apple has yet to be heard from in a meaningful way in over-the-top video/TV. If what has been reported about this new product is true, it too is unlikely to be a game-changer for Apple.
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- Bob Iger Says Disney Unlikely to Follow Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery In Exiting the TV Channel Business The Hollywood Reporter
