Posts for 'Devices'

If you're looking for a case study on how a successful independent content provider with its roots in YouTube is looking to diversify its distribution through other devices/outlets, "The Young Turks" (TYT) is a great example. Yesterday the company announced the availability of its Roku channel and its intention to launch standalone Android and iOS apps soon. TYT's COO Steve Oh told me these direct-to-consumer initiatives are part of a broader plan to augment - but by no means abandon - its traditional distribution through YouTube.

With 50 million views per month, 1 billion+ views to date, and over 1.1 million subscribers, TYT believes it is the biggest online news show in the world. TYT is a top 50 YouTube partner, and what Steve calls a "boutique multichannel network" (MCN) because it focuses on a relatively narrow slice of partners in online news. While there has been some public grumbling about YouTube from its content partners lately, Steve had nothing but praise for the 800-pound gorilla of the online video world, highlighting that all of TYT's new efforts are an "augment" not a "replacement" for YouTube.

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I'm pleased to present the 189th edition of the VideoNuze weekly podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. This week we debate whether Google's new $35 Chromecast media streamer is a game-changer or not. I'm in the former category and Colin is in the latter. The caveat to my enthusiasm is that I haven't used Chromecast yet so I'm going by the Google demo and description.

As I wrote yesterday, I really like how Chromecast integrates the TV with mobile devices - something that Smart TVs hadn't achieved, but which many consumers yearn for. For many video content providers outside the pay-TV ecosystem, Chromecast offers, at last, a clear path into the living room, with increased advertising and subscription potential. If the Chromecast SDK is straightforward, I'm betting many content providers / app developers will quickly integrate it. Even with currently limited content, Chromecast sales are apparently very strong.

On the other hand, Colin is more cautious. He sees Chromecast as more of a transitional product. Colin likes how it helps the Google/YouTube ecosystem in offering an easy TV viewing solution, but doesn't see other content providers being as motivated, given other device priorities. Colin highlights the key question of how broadcasters will react to Chromecast - will they try to block its access to their online TV programs as they did with Google TV? If this is possible and they succeed, it would diminish Chromecast's value proposition.

It's a very robust debate, with no clear answers just yet. But one thing is for sure: Google has clearly stirred up the connected TV space with Chromecast. Listen in to learn more!

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By now, you've no doubt heard and/or read something about Google's clever new Chromecast HDMI device, a $35 media streamer introduced yesterday (Google's intro/demo video embedded below). Chromecast has a lot going for it, and could well become Google's first big hit product in the living room. If it does, there will be at least one significant consequence: instead of TVs continuing to become "Smart TVs," they are going to become dumb yet again. This would be a huge blow to TV manufacturers who have labored to convince consumers to spend extra to derive the benefits a Smart TV offers.

I don't think Google set out to kill Smart TVs with Chromecast, but I have no doubt the team recognized some of the serious shortcomings of today's Smart TVs and sought to capitalize on them. At the top of the list of Smart TVs' limitations are lack of integration with other devices, narrow content offerings and inability to entice developers.

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I'm pleased to present the 188th edition of the VideoNuze weekly podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. This week rumors were once again flying about Apple and Google looking to enter the pay-TV industry, which Colin and I separately wrote about here and here.

In our discussion, Colin notes that any potential move would be expensive, given the need to carry many networks in a typical bundle. Colin also believes that Apple's rumored plan to compensate networks for ads skipped in a premium service it may offer has some merit based on his back-of-the-envelope analysis. But Colin is skeptical the networks will be interested in shifting their model away from advertising.

I see it the other way around; given high DVR penetration, networks could be intrigued by the idea of moving more of their economics to fees. The problem is I just don't see how the economics would work for Apple or consumers.

Regrettably, all of this is based on rumors so we readily admit we don't have solid facts on which to base our arguments. And that's why I consider Apple and Google's pay-TV aspirations to be the industry's longest-running soap opera.

Listen in to learn more!

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I'm pleased to present the 187th edition of the VideoNuze weekly podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. During the short July 4th week news broke that Samsung acquired Boxee. Today, we discuss whether the deal makes sense and how much Samsung could benefit. Colin believes that Samsung will benefit by being able to integrate live broadcast TV more seamlessly into its Smart TVs, something that has been missing to date, but which Boxee excelled at with its Boxee TV service.

While that would be a step forward, it feels to me like a relatively limited value proposition, since cable TV networks wouldn't be included unless a CableCARD slot was available. Even as a second TV in the home as Colin proposes, a Samsung/Boxee Smart TV seems like it would have limited appeal, due to the rise of tablet-based viewing and the ability to access broadcast TV via Hulu, network sites/apps, pay-TV operator apps, etc. (a larger question raised is whether 2nd TVs have much of a future themselves).

While Colin and I agree that the rumored $30 million purchase price for Boxee is a drop in the bucket for a goliath like Samsung, it's not clear yet how much of a return they'll get.

Listen in to learn more!

Click here to listen to the podcast (19 minutes, 52 seconds)

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These days everyone has their own favorite device on which to consume video. While improved convenience is great for content providers and advertisers, the resulting fragmentation also causes huge headaches developing for multiple devices.

In a session at the recent Video Ad Summit, executives from Adobe, AOL, Scripps and TheBlaze shared their insights on the challenges and opportunities of surging video consumption across devices, how to generate an ROI and what it all means for advertisers.

The video is below and runs 22 minutes, 14 seconds.

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TVs connected to the Internet - whether through set-top boxes, game consoles, Blu-ray players and/or as Smart TVs - are one of the hottest trends in the video landscape. Connected TVs allow viewers to have all of the traditional lean-back, long-form experiences they're accustomed to, but with online video/over-the-top's benefits of convenience and selection. Connected TVs crack open pay-TV operators' grip on TV delivery and give advertisers new opportunities to engage audiences.

Nonetheless, it is still early in connected TVs' evolution, and at the recent Video Ad Summit, we dedicated a session to debunking 5 key myths that have grown up around connected TVs and video advertising. Moderator Tom Morgan, CEO and co-founder of Net2TV, led a discussion of these myths with executives from LG, Media Storm and YuMe, which was based on thought-leadership from YuMe (full presentation available here).

The video is below and runs 30 minutes, 21 seconds.

Watch the video

I'm pleased to present the 186th edition of the VideoNuze weekly podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. Colin attended a CDN conference earlier this week first shares observations on the potential long-term rollout of 4K TV and HEVC, along with the deployment of Netflix's Open Connect CDN based on conversations with Netflix and Time Warner Cable.

Next we turn to data from NPD earlier this week indicating that for watching TV shows, DVR usage is more than twice as popular as SVOD services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon, which I wrote about earlier this week. Colin caveats the data, noting that in SVOD-specific homes he believes the usage is stronger than NPD suggests.

Lastly we touch on news that Samsung will be selling curved TVs, for $13K apiece. Colin and I are skeptics, to say the least.

Listen in to learn more!

Click here to listen to the podcast (16 minutes, 28 seconds)

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Next Wednesday, June 19th, I'll be hosting a complimentary webinar focused on the impact of social media and second-screens on TV experiences. By now, anyone involved in the TV industry is well aware that the content itself is one part of the overall viewing experience;  for a growing group of viewers the social aspect that surrounds it has become equally important. Still, social is a relatively new phenomenon for TV and much is not yet understood.

In this webinar, Michael Greeson, founder of The Diffusion Group, will share social insights from his firm's recent survey of 1,000 broadband users/TV viewers. TDG will also provide registrants with a complimentary copy of its accompanying report, a $1,500 value. Then, Kevin Wyatt, director of business development for Rovi, will explain how the company's entertainment-related social media can be incorporated into TV apps. There will be plenty of time for Q&A.

Register now!

At the Cable Show yesterday, Comcast's CEO Brian Roberts showed off "X2," the latest generation of its cloud-based X1 entertainment platform. Beyond a slew of UI improvements, X2 offers at least three things that are very important and I believe, indicative of key future trends in video delivery: cloud-based DVR, an inexpensive IP set-top box and a unified cross-platform experience.

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A new report from video ad solution provider Mixpo has found that 78% of ad agencies ran multiscreen campaigns on behalf of their clients in 2012 and 90% expect to do so in 2013. In addition, 81% of media companies ran multiscreen campaigns in 2012 and 96% plan to do so in 2013. The report is based on surveys and interviews with 300 industry executives at agencies, media companies, and ad tech providers.

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Please join me for a complimentary webinar on the impact of social media and second-screens on TV experiences. In this webinar, which I'll moderate, Michael Greeson, founder of The Diffusion Group, will share detailed findings from his firm's recent survey of 1,000 broadband users/TV viewers. TDG will also provide registrants with a complimentary copy of the accompanying report, a $1,500 value.

In addition, Kevin Wyatt, director of business development for Rovi, will explain how it enables entertainment-related social media to be seamlessly incorporated into apps, with supporting examples. There will be ample time for Q&A.

Register now!

(Note: this week has been a juggling act with Tuesday's Online Video Ad Summit, but VideoNuze will be back to its regular editorial schedule next week.)

I'm pleased to present the 183rd edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. This week I share very brief reactions to the Video Ad Summit, which was a big success. We had 45 speakers on 14 sessions and 550+ industry executives registered. Pictures and session videos will be posted over the next couple of weeks.

Colin moderated a terrific session, "Anywhere TV: How Devices are Driving an Explosion in Video Advertising," and he shares his takeaways and we discuss the challenges that the fragmented device landscape presents to content providers and advertisers. We also discuss a couple of interesting solutions that are bubbling up, which we'll get into in more detail next week.

Listen in to learn more!

Click here to listen to the podcast (17 minutes, 56 seconds)

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I'm pleased to present the 182nd edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. Apologies in advance for audio quality this week as Colin was dialing in from a London hotel room and his audio level is low.

In today's podcast Colin leads off by sharing key takeaways from Cisco's latest Visual Networking Index (VNI) that was released this week. Cisco has been forecasting strong online and mobile video growth for years and this version continued the trend. Colin also wrote about it here.

Then we move on to discussing BlackArrow Linear, a new product announced yesterday that enables pay-TV operators to dynamically inserts ads into live and linear video viewed on devices. Colin and I agree that it should move the TV Everywhere ball forward, helping programmers monetize better and therefore help catalyze broader video distribution.

Listen in to learn more!

Click here to listen to the podcast (16 minutes, 54 seconds)

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Net2TV is announcing this morning that its Portico service will be available on Roku in June and that it is enabling dynamic ad insertion. Portico, which I last wrote about here, curates and packages short-form content into longer-form, TV-style programs, for viewing on connected TVs. Portico uses the ActiveVideo CloudTV platform with a thin client, which means it can be deployed and updated quickly on connected devices.

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I'm pleased to present the 181st edition of the VideoNuze podcast with my weekly partner Colin Dixon of nScreenMedia. This week we discuss the newly-unveiled Xbox One and its TV integration.

As I wrote earlier this week, Xbox One is very slick, but because it's not tightly integrated with pay-TV set-tops, it can't access on-demand and DVR programming. That means even with an Xbox One, complexity will remain in the living room. Colin notes that even the original Google TV box had better integration (with Dish TV, although it was  sub-optimal), and it still failed.

That leads Colin to believe that Xbox One will succeed as a gaming device, but he's skeptical that it will have broad appeal outside that community due to its high price and competitive options from Roku and others. I agree; though Xbox One clearly improves the live TV viewing experience, given today's changing viewer behaviors toward on-demand, it is far from being the "ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system" Microsoft says it is.

Listen in to learn more!

Click here to listen to the podcast (16 minutes, 46 seconds)

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The VideoNuze podcast is also available in iTunes...subscribe today!

Yesterday Microsoft introduced its long-awaited new Xbox console, dubbed "Xbox One" and positioned as a "the ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system."

Watching company executives demo Xbox One, it was immediately apparent how slick the device's gesture and voice controls are, particularly for navigating live TV and other features. For many buyers, these - along with Xbox One's gaming-related advances will be very compelling.

But for those looking for a living room device that supports their on-demand oriented viewing, interest in niche specialized programming, affinity toward mobile interfaces/apps, or all of the above, Xbox One doesn't appear to break any new ground. In this sense, Xbox One is less about being a disruptor of today's TV ecosystem than about improving its use.

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ABC will enable live-streaming of its programs through its iOS app, moving beyond an on-demand only programming model for the first time. The "Watch ABC" live feature will no doubt please a subset of the people who have downloaded the ABC app 10 million times to date and who still value live viewing. But Watch ABC will also likely puzzle and irk some users when they discover they must be authenticated as a pay-TV subscriber in order to access the live stream.

In fact, requiring authentication for Watch ABC is just the latest evidence of TV Everywhere's tightening grip on broadcast TV. Another recent example was NBC making large portions of last summer's Olympics available only to authenticated pay-TV subscribers. In addition, Fox has maintained an 8-day exclusive window for pay-TV subscribers for almost 2 years.

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Following is a contributed post by Frank Sinton who is the CEO and founder of Beachfront Media, a video solutions platform for publishers, advertisers, and enterprises. Previously, he worked for Sony Pictures Entertainment as executive director of architecture.

Video Apps, Devices, and Fragmentation: How to Navigate the Maze
by Frank Sinton

Fragmentation has long been an issue in the mobile industry. Even with the advent of the smartphone era, it’s still a problem. Take these stats from a recent report by app analytics company Flurry:

"Suppose you’re an app developer who wants to ensure that your app is optimized to function well on 80% of the individual connected devices currently in use (e.g., my iPad, your Windows phone). How many different device models (e.g., Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Wi-Fi, Galaxy S III) do you think you need to support? 156. Maybe you’re okay with having your app optimized for only 60% of active devices. That still means that you need to support 37 different devices. Even getting to 50% means supporting 18 devices, as shown below. If you’re a large or particularly thorough app developer, reaching 90% of active devices will require supporting 331 different models."

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No April Fool's joke: this is the final reminder that tomorrow (Tuesday) I'll be doing a complimentary video webinar, "Sizing Up the Apple TV Opportunity," with Brightcove's Executive Chairman Jeremy Allaire at 1:30pm ET.

The hottest rumor in the video industry is that Apple will launch a TV and/or TV-like device (beyond the current Apple TV puck). But beyond the hype and speculation, Jeremy and I both believe there's compelling strategic logic; a device that is properly conceived could well be a game-changer with wide-ranging consequences. In this webinar we'll dive into the details, and leave plenty of time for audience Q&A. We don't have any agenda or inside knowledge; we just thought it would be fun and timely to share thoughts and have a discussion on this topic.

For anyone whose business would be impacted by an Apple television/device, it should be well worth your time.

Complimentary registration here

Follow the discussion and submit questions via Twitter at #SizingUpAppleTV