-
What's Up With Amazon Going Hollywood?
Last night when I read about Amazon getting into the movie-making business through a new crowd-sourcing project called Amazon Studios, my first reaction was, "huh, what's up with that?" Now, having had a night to sleep on it, my reaction is still, "huh, what's up with that?" I must be missing
something here. I just can't figure out what strategic value Amazon gains by vetting scripts and financing $2.7 million in prizes to aspiring film-makers.
It would be different if a video-centric, like YouTube, Hulu or Netflix were pursuing such a project, as it would feed them potentially exclusive, or at least a first window distribution opportunity for feature films, while also strengthening their bonds with their users. But for Amazon, which is first and foremost an e-commerce that competes on price, availability and service, creating new films doesn't quite add up. That said, I do get the value for Amazon's partner Warner Bros.; for them it's another chance to get first dibs on projects that look promising.
Topics: Amazon, Warner Bros.
-
Report: 4% of Hulu Users Subscribe to Hulu Plus; Of Them 88% Also Subscribe to Netflix
A new report being released today by One Touch Intelligence has found that 4% of surveyed Hulu.com users are subscribing to Hulu Plus and that of them, 88% of them are also Netflix subscribers. The survey included 970
individuals who subscribe to both a pay-TV service and a broadband Internet service, and have streamed or downloaded at least one TV show or movie in the past month. Of the 970 individuals, 612 of them said they use the free Hulu.com service at least weekly, with 25 of them subscribing to Hulu Plus. Of the 25, 22 of them also subscribe to Netflix.
On the one hand, the 4% penetration is noteworthy, since Hulu has yet to advertise the Hulu Plus service beyond its own site. That was reflected in the relatively narrow awareness of the service, with 68% of Hulu.com users who are not subscribing to Hulu Plus saying they are either "barely" familiar with Hulu Plus or not familiar with it at all.
Categories: Aggregators
Topics: Hulu Plus, Netflix, One Touch Intelligence
-
Comcast's New Xfinity TV App: Nice Start, Lots More To Do
Comcast unveiled its new Xfinity TV app today for iOS devices, and after downloading and playing around with it a bit, I'd say it's a nice start, though there is a lot more to do. The free app is ultimately meant to allow Comcast digital video subscribers to use it as a guide, program their DVRs, search for shows in the On Demand catalog, view streaming content, create watch lists and access social networking sites to share the viewing experience.
In the press release Comcast noted that the last 3 features will be coming soon. Of these, the viewing feature on the iOS devices is the most interesting, as it will allow authenticated subscribers to view available content wherever they may be. That's the vision of TV Everywhere, and it's good to see Comcast bridging its content to non-Comcast set-top boxes (which is actually quite a rarity in the cable TV business). It's also an example of how Comcast will, in a sense, be going over the top of other pay-TV operators, when its subscribers watch video outside of Comcast territories.
Categories: Cable TV Operators, Devices, Mobile Video
-
SpotXchange Rolls Out Real-Time Bidding Application
Video ad network SpotXchange is introducing SpotMarket RTB this morning, an application that offers real-time bidding for online video ad placements.
Using SpotMarket RTB, advertisers, agencies, ad networks and demand side platforms can buy ads on an impression-by-impression basis in SpotXchange's auction-based market which includes 700+ publishers.
Targeting can be refined using SpotXchange's own behavioral targeting and retargeting tools and/or any third-party data sources. Using SpotMarket RTB, advertisers are able to increase their campaigns' performance by reducing waste and focusing on those sites with the best conversion results.
Categories: Advertising, Technology
Topics: SpotXchange
-
TokBox Raises $12 Million for In-Browser Video Conferencing
TokBox, a streaming video communications provider, has raised a $12 million Series C round, led by DAG Ventures, to support the rollout of OpenTok, which allows in-browser video conferencing. With the new funding the company has raised $26.4 million to date. I got a demo of OpenTok last week and spoke to company CEO Ian Small and VP of Marketing Micky O'Brien.
What makes OpenTok interesting is that developers can use its JavaScript APIs to build video conferencing right into their web pages. That means that instead of opening separate video chat windows in Skype or other apps,
participants appear within the web page itself. With OpenTok's APIs enabled, the web page "listens" and detects video streams from participants' web cameras. Video is controlled in the cloud by media servers which decide how to route the call to appropriate web pages, via Flash. A set of master controls lets the site owner manipulate the prominence of individual participants. Importantly, no plug-in is required by users. They simply click "Join call" or whatever prompt the web site owner implements to invite participants.
Categories: Deals & Financings, Live Streaming, Technology
-
VideoSchmooze:NYC Early Bird Discount Ends Today
The early bird discount for the next VideoSchmooze breakfast/panel ends today. The event will be in New York, on Wednesday, December 1st at The
Samsung Experience, located in the Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle. As a little added incentive, early bird ticket holders only will be entered to win a new Samsung connected Blu-ray DVD player (model BD-C6500; I have one and it's awesome).
The topic of our panel, which I'll moderate, is "How Connected and Mobile Devices are Transforming the Video Landscape." Panelists include:
- Charlie Herrin - SVP, Products and Technology, Comcast Interactive Media
- Doug Knopper - Co-CEO and Co-Founder, FreeWheel
- Olivier Manuel - Director of Content, Samsung Electronics
- Steve Robinson - CEO and Founder, Panache
- Jeremiah Zinn - SVP, Digital Products, MTV
The dynamics in connected and mobile device are changing fast and we'll try to untangle what's going on and what's ahead. Just recently we've seen 4 of the broadcast TV networks block Google TV, Apple sell nearly 8 million iPads in its first 5 months, rapid consolidation/M&A among video ad networks, pay-TV operators lose subscribers for the first time ever and plenty more financings for private online/mobile video companies. We'll dig into these topics and more.
The timing of this VideoSchmooze - in the middle of a holiday season where connected and mobile devices are among the hottest gifts - makes our discussion all the more relevant. As with past VideoSchmooze events, attendees can expect a high-impact, interactive, educational session. And if you want to go hands on with any of Samsung's cool products, their team will be on hand to do demos and answer questions.
This VideoSchmooze breakfast is generously sponsored by Akamai Technologies, FreeWheel and Panache. It is being held in association with CTAM's New York chapter. The Fortex Group is providing marketing support.
I hope you'll be able to join us at this special event!
Click here to learn more and register for early bird discountCategories: Events
Topics: VideoSchmooze
-
Visible Measures Introduces "Share of Choice" Metric
Media measurement firm Visible Measures has introduced another clever way for brands to follow the success of their online video initiatives, called "Share of Choice." A play on the "Share of Voice" concept in the offline media world,
Share of Choice measures the frequency of consumer viewership of brands' online video ads and content. Share of Voice lets brands measure their own success as well as track competitors' efforts.
By understanding consumers' online preferences and social behavior, brands get up-to-date insight on how well their video is performing, and what potential changes should be made. Because online video is driven entirely by users' interests, Share of Choice becomes a really good gauge not simply of what ads are running (as in traditional TV), but who's choosing to watch and how often. Visible Measures has segmented Share of Choice into 12 different industry reports with subscriptions available to each. Subscription pricing wasn't disclosed.
What do you think? Post a comment now (no sign-in required).Categories: Analytics, Branded Entertainment
-
Clearleap Raises Another $4.5 Million To Accelerate Delivery To Connected Devices
Clearleap, a web-based technology platform, has raised a new $4.5 million round from current investors, bringing total capital raised to $16.8 million. It is also announcing a new "Stream On Demand" solution which is targeted to pay-TV operators who want to deliver authenticated video streams to connected IP devices. Clearleap introduced this concept over the summer by partnering with Roku to allow pay-TV operators deliver video to its devices.
At the time I wrote that the partnership blurred the boundaries between traditional video and broadband-centric or "over-the-top" video distribution. As Clearleap's CEO Braxton Jarratt explained to me the other day, those boundaries will become even more blurry as customers adopt Stream On Demand. With the new solution, pay-TV operators can authenticate, manage quality of service (QOS) and bill for video delivered to connected devices that are either owned by the consumer or by the operator itself. Braxton said that Stream On Demand's first customers will be announced later this year or early next. Clearleap's focus to date has been on incorporating online video into legacy linear and VOD systems.
What do you think? Post a comment now (no sign-in required).Categories: Deals & Financings, Devices, Technology
Topics: Clearleap
VideoNuze Posts
Connect with VideoNuze
Exclusive News Roundup
- Spotify, Netflix Partner On 'Happy Gilmore' Game Promo Mediapost
- NFL in talks to take a 10% stake in ESPN CNBC
- MLS commissioner offers rare disclosure of Apple TV viewership Sports Media Watch
- Jeff Bezos weighing possible acquisition of CNBC cable network NY Post
- NBCU Is Exploring Launching a Sports Cable Network WSJ
- YouTube earns $9.8 billion in ad revenue during Q2 The Desk
