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VideoNuze Report Podcast #67 - July 9, 2010
Daisy Whitney and I are pleased to present the 67th edition of the VideoNuze Report podcast, for July 9, 2010.
This week Daisy and I talk about YouTube's new "Leanback" and mobile experiences, both of which were unveiled this past Wednesday. Daisy was at YouTube's headquarters and interviewed the company's mobile product manager Andrey Doronichev. Regarding Leanback, I wrote that it looks promising, as it offers viewers a passive, continuous way to experience a personalized version of YouTube, with all their new favorite video streamed back-to-back. It also makes YouTube a more important part of the Google TV value proposition. Listen in to learn more.
Click here to listen to the podcast (15 minutes, 1 second)
Click here for previous podcasts
The VideoNuze Report is available in iTunes...subscribe today!Categories: Devices, Mobile Video
Topics: Google TV
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Interview with Mitch Berman, Co-founder, ZillionTV
Last week I had a chance to catch up with Mitch Berman, co-founder and Executive Chairman of ZillionTV, the early stage online entertainment service. Mitch is a long-time Hollywood veteran and will be speaking at next week's NATPE LATV Fest (VideoNuze readers get a special discount). An edited transcript follows.
VideoNuze: What are the 2-3 key trends in digital media we should be watching?
Mitch Berman: I often talk about the growing role of influence, sharing and reward which are tied to social networking. Reward is both the influence you get with other members of your social circle as well as "points." Another trend is the rise of casual games which are becoming very popular with examples like Farmville. Then I'm also watching the trend toward over-the-top video. Now you have retailers, CE makers, independent over the top players like Roku and others, plus software providers. They're all attacking the traditional video subscription model.
VN: Is the threat of cord-cutting real or imagined?
Categories: Events
Topics: LATV Fest, NATPE, ZillionTV
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YouTube Aims for Big Screen and Small Screen Success
Not content to dominate online video viewing, yesterday YouTube unveiled new initiatives for viewing on both TVs and mobile devices. Taken together they demonstrate how aggressive YouTube plans to be in the 3-screen viewership era.
First up, YouTube introduced the beta version of "Leanback," the new 10-foot experience that it introduced at the recent I/O conference. With Leanback, you only need to use the 4 arrow keys and Enter key on your keyboard to
navigate the YouTube experience. Video plays in full-screen mode and in automatically in HD when available.
There are different options for what content Leanback delivers: if you have set up subscriptions, it will give you a feed of those videos; in addition, if you've connected your YouTube account to your Facebook account you'll also get a feed of videos your friends are watching/sharing; alternatively, if you've done neither YouTube will simply give you the most popular comedy, entertainment, news, etc. You can also easily search and browse.
Categories: Advertising, Mobile Video
Topics: YouTube
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Complimentary Webinar Tomorrow, July 8th: Demystifying Open vs. Closed Internet Video Distribution Platforms
Please join me for a complimentary webinar tomorrow, July 8th at 11am PT/2pm ET, as Colin Dixon, senior partner at research firm The Diffusion Group, and I debate the topic of closed vs. open Internet video distribution. Colin and I have both been watching closely all the different devices that are bridging online video to the TV. There are many different devices and many different approaches.
One key difference is the idea of "closed" vs. "open." In the "closed" experience only certain content is available, while in the "open" approach anything that's available on the Internet becomes available on the big screen. There are pros and cons to each approach. Which is more likely to ultimately succeed? Colin and I will do our best to demystify the issues and forecast what's most likely to work. There will be plenty of time for audience Q&A. Please join us for this timely complimentary webinar!Categories: Events
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Best Buy's "Movie Mode" Mobile App is Part of New Promotional Trend
When I got home from my long holiday weekend I noticed a huge promotion on the cover of the Best Buy Sunday circular for its new "Movie Mode" app (see below). The app was featured with an offer to buy the new Sprint Evo, but it works on other Android devices as well as iPhones and certain BlackBerry models.
Categories: FIlms, Mobile Video
Topics: Best Buy, Droid X, Evo, Sprint, Verizon
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More Than $247.1 Million Was Raised by Private Video-Related Companies in Q2 '10
Q2 '10 was another strong quarter of financings for private video-related companies, with at least 18 companies raising more than $247.1 million according to public sources I track. Once again the group was dominated by technology-focused firms rather than those involved with content. The biggest recipients of funding in the quarter were Tremor Media ($40M), Zenverge ($30M) and Vidyo ($25M). The Q2 '10 total tracks well against past quarters of $175.4M (Q1 '10 - U.S. only), $150.1M (Q4 '09) and $180.9M (Q3 '09) as investors clearly continue to be bullish on the video sector. In the past 5 quarters, investors have poured almost $814M into private U.S. video-related companies, which is impressive in light of the narrow window for public offerings.
In addition to the private financings, there was also plenty of deal activity in the video space in Q2 '10. This includes (in order of date announced), the remains of Veoh being sold to Qlipso, Juniper Networks acquiring software company Ankeena Networks, Nielsen buying video analytics firm GlanceGuide, ActiveVideo Networks adding network game developer TAG Networks, KIT Digital rolling up video asset manager Benchmark Broadcast Systems, Google acquiring Norwegian real-time video provider Global IP Solutions, Sonic Solutions buying DivX, Akamai adding mobile services platform Velocitude and RGB Networks acquiring mobile video encoder RipCode.
Following are the investments that I tracked during the quarter, the date disclosed and new investors identified if applicable. Links are provided to the companies' press releases, or to relevant media coverage if none could be found (note that I haven't verified media coverage with companies themselves). If I've missed anything or you find an inaccuracy, please post a comment.
Categories: Deals & Financings
Topics: Deals
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Hulu Plus Should Drop the In-Stream Ads Immediately
I activated my 7-day Hulu Plus trial last evening and spent some time with the new subscription service on my Mac. The overall navigation and video quality was excellent, consistent with the high standards Hulu has set from the beginning on Hulu.com. I particularly liked how Hulu has chosen to display the many episodes of past seasons. They are listed by title in reverse chronological order, with run-time, original airdate, length, and the ability to add to your queue well-displayed. For shows with multiple past seasons Hulu Plus lets you drop-down to see particular seasons as well.
Net, net, though I haven't spent a ton of time with it, my first impressions are generally positive, except for one major, major thing: Hulu Plus programs carry the same full in-stream ad load as programs on Hulu.com. In my "7 Quick Reactions" post earlier this week, I called this out as both a big surprise, and also a key detraction from the service. Now that I've experienced the ads, I can say even more emphatically that Hulu Plus must relinquish the ads.
The biggest problem with the ads is that they are discordant with consumer expectations for a paid subscription service. The right comparables for Hulu Plus should be premium cable channels like HBO, Showtime and Epix, and a DVD/streaming service like Netflix. In the former, you'll routinely see cross-promotions for other programs, but you'll never see a commercial break. In the latter, aside from previews, you never see any ads at all.
Categories: Advertising, Aggregators
Topics: Hulu Plus
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VideoNuze Report Podcast #66 - July 2, 2010
Daisy Whitney and I are pleased to present the 66th edition of the VideoNuze Report podcast, for July 2, 2010.
This week Daisy and I discuss Hulu Plus, which was launched earlier this week. There has already been a lot written about Hulu Plus, with most early users reporting favorably on the user experience. I just activated my 7-day trial and gave it a whirl last evening. Reactions are here.
Click here to listen to the podcast (15 minutes, 59 seconds)
Click here for previous podcasts
The VideoNuze Report is available in iTunes...subscribe today!Categories: Aggregators, Podcasts
Topics: Hulu Plus
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