Beet.TV

Videology Inks Deals with More Data Providers

2012-02-10T12:34:05-05:00

In a pair of deals that expand its slate of data providers, online video ad technology firm Videology has partnered with database marketing service I-Behavior and WPP's shopping data firm Kantar Shopcom for additional online audience insight. We spoke with Brad Herman, Chief Supply Officer at Videology, and he shared more details on Videology's approach to the online video market.

These new deals help Videology tap into in-store behavior and demographic data. Videology draws on partnerships with about 20 third-party data providers to help marketers target audiences online, Herman said. "If advertisers want to reach men 18 to 34 who are sedan buyers, they can go into the platform and identify them in a granular manner and price and execute," Herman explained. Videology works with a range of companies including ad exchanges, ad networks, syndicators, content aggregators, premium publishers and others.

The company just rolled out a new product in its publisher audience and analysis platform that is designed to "bring the supply side and the demand side" closer together for media planners, he said. Videology recently released a study on effectiveness of cross-platform media buys.

Daisy Whitney

CBS Interactive Readies Three-Day Grammy Build-up, Lands GM & Target as Sponsors

2012-02-09T15:21:13-05:00

CBS is kicking off a robust slate of pre-Grammys programming online starting on Friday February 10 for the three days leading up to the music industry awards night on Sunday February 12, said Marc DeBevoise, Senior VP and General Manager, Entertainment, at CBS Interactive in this interview with Beet.TV

CBS has signed on Target and GM as the lead sponsors for the extended online coverage prior to the event.

CBS is also offering a Grammys mobile app for iPhones, iPads and Android devices. DeBevoise explained that the expanded online video and new media efforts serve two purposes -- they help promote the on-air telecast and also give CBS a chance to connect with viewers in a new way. The three-day online coverage includes live streaming of pre-Grammy events such as pre-show concerts.

He expects usage to peak during the three hours of live red carpet coverage before the award show itself. But once the awards show starts, viewers will need to tune into the broadcast channel.

Daisy Whitney

Digital Video Sports Syndicator SEASON Expands with Original Programming

2012-02-09T12:08:54-05:00

Premium sports video provider SEASON is upping its custom content for online publishers in 2012, as part of a push for more original and exclusive programming, said Marc Mallett VP East Coast Sales, SEASON, during a recent interview with Beet.TV.

SEASON is part of sports media company Silver Chalice and focuses on premium sports. SEASON's video highlights draw from MLB, NBA, NHL and many college sports. SEASON has also begun packaging sports content exclusively, such as its Pro Football Weekly video package, Mallett said. He expects to expand on that work in 2012 with more custom content for distribution partners. He added that SEASON sells standard video units including pre-rolls, mid-rolls and post-rolls as well as overlays and banners. CPMs are in the $20-plus range, he said.

The company is also working on a mobile sports programming package that it will roll out soon.

Yahoo! Expands Operations in Middle East with Portal in Qatar

2012-02-09T09:29:28-05:00

Yahoo!, which has gained a substantial foothold in the Middle East with its acquistion of the Arab language portal Maktoob, has agreeement with the Qatar to create a significant content portal, the Gulf state and Yahoo! announced today.

In November, we spoke with Rich Riley, SVP/MD of EMEA for Yahoo! about the fast-growing opportunities for online media in the Middle East. We have republished the video today.

Yahoo! says that Maktoob has 56 million monthly unique visitors, making it the region's "leading online destination."

Below is a photo of Riley (l) and Ali Al-Khulaifi, ICT Market Development Manager, ictQatar

For an indepth story on Yahoo! under its new CEO, see today's Wall Street Journal story.

Cross-Platform Campaigns Boost Brand Recall 9X; Mobile Bumps Interaction 4X

2012-02-08T19:29:44-05:00

Mobile phones generate a much higher interaction rate - 4.5 times - than online video does, according to a new report from video vendor Videology.

But when mobile, connected TV and online video are coupled together in a campaign, brands can see a 9 times boost in brand recall. For more details on cross-platform campaign effectiveness, check out this week's New Media Minute.

-Daisy Whitney

Editor's Note: Daisy's New Media Minute is produced and sponsored separately from Beet.TV. We are pleased to feature it regularly on our network.

Extreme Reach Expands Into Talent Rights; Grows Web, TV Ad Distro Business

2012-02-08T08:44:33-05:00

Boosted by its recent acquisition of talent rights management shop Spotlight Business Affairs, TV and Web video platform provider Extreme Reach plans to hire 140 additional employees this year, bumping its head count to 300 by year-end, the company's CEO John Roland told Beet.TV in this interview.

What's more, Extreme Reach has been growing revenues by 300% each year since its founding three years ago, and Roland expects more growth this year especially as talent rights become a more vital part of managing cross-platform ad buys. Extreme Reach is an infrastructure provider that manages the process of delivering commercials to TV stations, online video sites, and mobile and social outlets on behalf of its more than 2000 clients. Extreme Reach opened an office in Detroit last month to service auto clients.

Roland explained that talents rights and payment have become more vital as brands push out ads to multiple platforms. Marketers need to make sure they have the rights to air those spots in various mediums and they also need to pay the talent, Roland said. That's why those capabilities have been added to the Extreme Reach toolset, in addition to ad serving, distribution and management, he said.

Digital Video Sports Syndicator Perform Adds AOL, LA Times to Lineup

2012-02-07T14:57:11-05:00

Digital sports media property Perform has added new syndication partners for its video player including Los Angeles Times, Sporting News on AOL, New York Newsday, and others, and those additions will help keep the now-public company on pace for more growth in 2012, the company's Juan Delgado, Managing Director of Americas, told Beet.TV during a recent interview.

The U.K.-based Perform licenses sports programming and then syndicates it via an embeddable video player to more than 1000 sites worldwide, including TV stations, newspapers, radio stations and others. With more than 14 million unique viewers in the U.S. across its syndication sites, Perform ranked as the 3rd-largest property in the online sports category, behind ESPN and Cinesport, according to comScore's December 2011 Video Metrix ranking.

In its lineup, Perform has sports including Major League Baseball, NBA, NHL, NASCAR and most college sports. The company also launched a college sports highlight program last summer as part of its video syndication content.

Delgado said the company was on track for 50% revenue growth in 2011 and expects that pace to continue this year. "Before [these sites] weren't really monetizing sports video. We give them premium content monetized at premium CPMS," he said. Perform sells the ads in the video player and splits the revenue with distributors.

Brightcove Plans to Raise $55 Million in IPO

2012-02-06T14:00:42-05:00

Brigthcove, the big Boston-based video services company, expects to offer shares from $10-12 a share next week, according to a filing on Monday, The New York Times reports.

Last year, the company expanded its core business of video services to creating Apps for publishers. Last May in Boston, we spoke with Brightcove CTO and co-founder Bob Mason who about the company and its expansion into the applications area.

We have republished that interview today.

Note: Please excuse the issues with the thumbnail with this video -- hit play to watch. Will be fixed later today.

Conviva Raises $15 Million Investment Round from Time Warner

2012-02-06T12:29:43-05:00

Conviva, the San Mateo-based provider content delivery infrastrure solutions, has raised a $15 million round from Time Warner, the company announced today.

Conviva works with many leading video publishers to assure their content is delivered without buffering to consumers with different bandwidth and processing speeds.

Back in 2010, we interviewed CEO Darren Feher about the company and its solution. We have republished the interview today.

Smart TV's: The Emergence of a New Advertising Medium

2012-02-05T22:56:19-05:00

At CES this year, with WPP's chief Sir Martin Sorrell flying in from London and Publicis' chairman Maurice Levy in from Paris, along with hundreds of advertising and brand executives, the annual electronics show was very much an advertiser expo this year.

From our vantage point, the technology getting the most attention from marketers was the new crop of Smart TV's along with technologies which power Internet-enabled television including game consoles and platforms including Google TV

We spent a good good deal of time on the convention floor and in hotel suites reporting on this story where the advertising opportunities around the growing medium were explained by executives from LG Electronics, Samsung, Razorfish. Dailymotion and YuMe. (Please watch our interviews linked here.)

Although a nascent medium, with perhaps as little of one-percet of digital media buy at this point, the medium is ready for growth, says Frank Barbieri, SVP for Emerging Platforms at YuMe, the online video advertising services company.

In this interview, Barbieri explains the opportunities around the new medium which he says combines the "power of the Internet advertising coupled with the impact of television."

YuMe, which counts Samsung as an investor, made several announcements at the show including this one to measure brand impact around ads served on connected TV's.

Disclosure: The coverage of CES was sponsored by YuMe and this post has been created as part of that sponsorship arrangement. You can find our 40 clips from CES right here.