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Over $236 Million Raised in Q3 '11 By Private Online/Mobile Video Companies
Private online and mobile video companies raised at least $236.5 million in Q3 '11, the largest amount since Q2 '10 when $247 million was raised. It's also a huge rebound from Q2 '11's $84 million which was the lowest in the past 2 years. I've compiled the total from numerous sources I track and as always, it is possible that I missed some news during the quarter. If so, please let me know and I'll update the list.
As detailed below, the $236.5 million was raised by 20 companies, with 2 additional financings undisclosed (ClipSync and Ooyala). Of the $236.5 million, 62%, or $147 million, flowed to just 5 companies, Tango ($42M), Tremor Video ($37M), Thought Equity Motion ($25M), Vidyo ($22.5M) and Zenverge ($20.5M). All of these were later stage rounds in companies that had previously raised substantial sums.
As I always like to add in these roundups, too much shouldn't be read into one quarter's data as financings close when they do - a few days one way or the other and quarters can look very different.
Still, the number and breadth of the financings across the online and mobile video value chain - from chips to monetization - is solid evidence that investors remain bullish on video's potential. This should continue as video usage increases, devices proliferate and advertisers accelerate their spending.
In addition to the financings, there was also significant M&A activity and public financings in Q3, which are noted below.
Categories: Deals & Financings
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Early Bird Registration Now Open for VideoSchmooze:NYC on Nov. 30th
Early bird discounted registration for the next VideoSchmooze:NYC Online Video Leadership Forum, on Wednesday morning, Nov. 30th, is now available.
This will be the 8th VideoSchmooze that VideoNuze has hosted and it promises to be the best yet, packed with lots of learning and networking with industry leaders in an expanded morning format from 7:30am-11am at the Harvard Club of NYC.
Following breakfast, the program will begin with Eric Kessler, co-president of HBO, discussing HBO GO, the network's highly successful online/mobile TV Everywhere app. Eric will provide an update on key usage metrics and what's ahead. Then I'll do a fireside chat with Eric where we'll delve into larger industry issues including over-the-top challenges from Netflix, Hulu, Google/YouTube, Amazon and others, the changing landscape for premium video online and TV Everywhere's status.
Categories: Events
Topics: VideoSchmooze
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Netflix Stock Hits 52-Week Low Amid Fear of a Potential Q3 Subscriber Debacle
If Netflix investors were hoping that the company's decision to scrap its Qwikster spin-off might re-energize its beaten-down stock, then they're
sorely disappointed as it instead hit a new 52-week low today of $111.62, down nearly 5%, even as the Dow Jones rallied by 330 points. On the positive side, the DVD reversal shows Netflix management was willing to be flexible, but on the other hand, the quick change unnerves investors looking for a steady hand on the tiller.
Mostly though, the number 1 question now is why did management abruptly change course and dump Qwikster overboard?
Categories: Aggregators
Topics: Netflix
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Netflix (Partially) Comes to Its Senses, Drops Qwikster DVD Plan
Whew. Sanity has (partially) returned to Netflix as the company has announced that it won't pursue a colossally misguided plan to split off its DVDoperations as "Qwikster" after all. A blog post from CEO Reed Hastings begins "It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs."
While this is certainly true, what the post leaves unsaid - but which is even more fundamental to Netflix - is that DVDs remain absolutely essential to the company's success and will for some time to come. By not fully embracing this, the company seems to be ignoring reality. No doubt this led to the Qwikster move in the first place, and now also raises the risk of additional missteps down the road.
Categories: Aggregators
Topics: Netflix
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Cinemark Shouldn't Worry: Universal's "Tower Heist" $60 VOD Test Will Also Flop
Late yesterday, the LA Times reported that Cinemark, the 3rd-largest theater chain in the U.S., will boycott "Tower Heist," the new Eddie Murphy-Ben Stiller comedy, because of a test unveiled by its studio Universal Pictures to offer the movie just 3 weeks after its theatrical release for $60 on video-on-demand. Cinemark is concerned that the test would cannibalize box office sales. From my perspective, it needn't worry much as the test is likely to be yet another flop in what has become known as "Premium VOD."
Categories: FIlms, Studios, Video On Demand
Topics: Cinemark, Universal Pictures
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Music Choice Raises the Bar on TV Everywhere Distribution
Music Choice, which delivers dozens of channels of streaming music to over 50 million homes in the U.S. via digital set-top boxes, is raising the bar on TV Everywhere by offering its whole array of
services via the cloud to connected and mobile devices. In an initiative announced last week, Music Choice is partnering with content management provider Sitecore, digital media platform Unicorn Media and Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud service.
Categories: TV Everywhere
Topics: Azure, Microsoft, Music Choice, Sitecore, TV Everywhere, Unicorn Media
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Steve Jobs and the Elusive Connected Device
This morning the world remembers Steve Jobs, whose influence on the computing, music, film, communications and other industries is immeasurable. Jobs's ability to imagine how things could be - and then make them so - made him the most unique business leader of modern times. His personal philosophy, articulated in his memorable Stanford commencement speech in 2005, is likely the only career advice anyone should ever need. Setting the bar high, and never being willing to settle for less, was Jobs's mantra. His ability to infuse this in his Apple colleagues was the reason the company turned out one hit product after another.
Yet for all of Jobs's successes, one product he had yet to nail was the "connected device," the industry term for something that delivers personalized video, including TV shows and movies, to a large screen. To be sure, Apple has begun having success with its Apple TV, yet Jobs still considered that device a "hobby" (his words) because he saw that it fell well short of the revolutionizing impact the iPod or iPhone had in their respective industries.
Topics: Apple, Steve Jobs
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YuMe Adds Social and Interactive Elements to Its Pre-Rolls
Video ad technology provider YuMe is enhancing its traditional pre-roll ad with social media and other interactive elements. The new pre-roll unit will include
hooks to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube as well as special offers and store/dealer locator integration. YuMe SVP of Marketing Ed Haslam and Product Marketing Director Alp Pekkocak told me yesterday that the move is a direct response to brands seeking more social engagement throughout their marketing mix as well as competitor initiatives. The new pre-roll unit doesn't cost extra than the prior one.
Categories: Advertising
Topics: YuMe
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