Online Video Watch

Early Weekend Pick: U2 Live

Corey Kronengold — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:16:36 +0000

This weekend, U2 will stream their concert from the Rose Bowl live on YouTube.

YouTube will stream the concert live, and two replays will be available after the live feed — on www.U2.com and YouTube.

Manager Paul McGuinness said in a statement, “As we’re filming the LA show, it’s the perfect opportunity to extend the party beyond the stadium. Fans often travel long distances to come to see U2 — this time U2 can go to them, globally.”

LIVE Today: Beet.TV Online Video Roundtable From 30 Rock

Ben Homer — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:32:34 +0000

Tune in at 3PM for Beet.TV’s live online video roundtable. They’ve assembled an impressive panel so should make for an interesting discussion.

UPDATE: Now that the event is over you can watch it here.

Don’t Miss the Internet Content Syndication Council Summit

Corey Kronengold — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:06:52 +0000

Tomorrow, October 20th, don’t miss the Internet Content Syndication Council Summit in NYC.

The Internet Content Syndication Council (ICSC) Summit will feature industry leaders in a discussion about creating value and increasing revenue. The ICSC Summit will enable Internet content syndication providers to find out the latest trends, research and licensing issues that impact the industry.

Panel topics will cover:
Advertising: Using Content to Adapt to the Post-advertising Age
Research: How Well Does Syndicated Content Perform
Licensing: Making Money When “Information Wants to be Free”
Video Syndication: Why Viral is Not the Answer
Debate: Citizen Journalism vs. Professionally Produced Content

I’ll be moderating the Video Syndication panel, and will be joined by Ric Camacho from Retuers, Joanna Breen from Howdini, Damon Bethel from Digital Broadcasting Group and David Jackson from Grab Networks.

Be sure to say hello and make sure we address your issues and answer your questions. No holds barred on my panel.

Don’t Miss Tonight’s VideoShmooze

Corey Kronengold — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:30:12 +0000

Tonight is VideoNuze’s “VideoSchmooze” Broadband Video Leadership Evening, from 6-9pm in NYC, hosted by our friends at VideoNuze.com.

The panel “Realizing Broadband Video’s Potential” features a stellar group of industry big brains including:

Dina Kaplan – Co-founder, blip.tv
George Kliavkoff – EVP & Deputy Group Head, Hearst Entertainment & Syndication (and formerly Chief Digital Officer, NBCU and first CEO of Hulu)
Perkins Miller – SVP, Digital Media and GM, Universal Sports, NBCU Sports & Olympics
Matt Strauss – SVP, New Media, Comcast

And of course, there’s the shmoozing and boozing. Come say hi to me and Ben.

Weequahic: The Trailer

Corey Kronengold — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:08:31 +0000

I’ve long espoused the use of online video as a quintessential tool for aspiring film makers to build buzz, raise funds and show off their work to get real jobs. So I’ll take the opportunity to post a just-released trailer for a new gangster flick, “Weequahic,” by my longtime friend, Jamie Ruddy.

Jamie is an up-and-coming film maker with a knack for writing some seriously scary horror scripts. As a student at NYU, she won the Austin Film Festival’s Student Short Film Award for an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Genesis and Catastrophe.

Associate Creative Director, Tremor Media

Corey Kronengold — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:33:11 +0000

Job Title: Associate Creative Director

Job Summary:

The Associate Creative Director provides creative leadership for Tremor Media’s internal and external marketing communications to meet the company’s business objectives and goals. The Associate Creative Director is responsible for managing Tremor Media’s brand identity and expression both internally and externally. In this role, the Associate Creative director will lead the concepting, design, and execution of marketing, sales, and internal messaging ranging from sales tools, media kits, invitations, event signage, logos, brochures, packaging, posters, company website, and all forms of advertising. The Associate Creative Director will manage creative projects from concept development to completion including participation in the hands-on development of work. This role requires a deep understanding of Visual Design, Brand Strategy, Advertising, Copywriting, User-Centered Design, Interactive development, and Video Production / Editing, sales marketing communications. You will play a key leadership role within the marketing team and in collaboration with other departments including Sales, Product Development, Creative Services, and others.

Responsibilities:

Responsible for building overall creative direction and standards, and ensuring the Tremor Media brand is consistently communicated.
Leads and directs the creative efforts from concept to completion
Translates marketing objectives and sales strategies into creative strategies.
Translate complex concepts into messaging and visuals
Drives brainstorming efforts
Leads creative aspects of product development including naming, branding, visual ID, and collateral
Plans and estimates for highly complex projects
Strong business acumen and ability to grow knowledge of Tremor Media’s strategy, products and services in order to proactively identify opportunities for marketing to deliver value.
Develops sales collateral including sales tools, media kits, custom PowerPoints, demos, one-sheets, video reels, etc
Develops marketing collateral including print, online and other forms of advertising, web site designs/copy, event signage, invitations, video reels, etc.
Develops collateral, templates, signage, video reels, etc to support internal branding and communication needs.
Directs internal resources and external agencies.
Attracts, recruits, and retains creative talent (internal or external resources) to grow the creative capabilities to meet the company’s creative needs.

Requirements

Experience in leading B2B creative strategy
Up to date in current design knowledge and trends especially in the interactive space
Able to develop creative concepts individually as well as in a brainstorm environment
A self starter who takes initiative and is action oriented
Can multi-task and gracefully juggle multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
Sound judgement to assess and prioritize projects based on business needs.
Can balance the need for quick turnaround with longer term strategic efforts.
Is flexible and can deal effectively with changes in priorities or ambiguity. Ask questions to draw out relevant information
Is solution-oriented and can overcome obstacles to drive projects through completion
Provide leadership and inspiration to co-workers and act as a positive catalyst for the overall group
Meticulous with design details and quality
Strong verbal communication skills, with experience presenting to all levels of clients and co-workers
Excellent writing skills and copywriting experience.
Knowledge of consumer marketing, online advertising, and web experiences, with proven conceptual and design abilities
Experience leading a team of designers, writers, producers and other creatives; And or training; Or equivalent combination and education and experience.
A solid knowledge of the latest versions of applicable programs.
Understanding of the online video advertising space and other emerging platforms.
Strong portfolio.
Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design or similar discipline preferred;
10-15 years of industry experience in a well established, creative role with a proven track record of success, agency experience and publisher / media company experience ideal
Alignment to Tremor Media’s vision and core values

Candidates please contact ssteele@tremormedia.com with resume and portfolio.

Content Discovery: The New Peer In Search

Adam Singolda — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:05:36 +0000

Today we bring you another guest blogger, Adam Singolda. Adam is the CEO and Founder, Taboola, a video recommendation engine.

For far too long, Internet users have been tasked with being proactive in searching for content that is relevant to their wants and desires. While the concept of search has certainly improved over the past 10 years or so, the ease of creating, distributing and consuming content – as well as the overall user experience — have changed tremendously. This leaves us to ask is search the answer? Perhaps discovery is the new search?

While semantically search and discovery seems like very similar concepts, they are in fact completely different. Discovery means that users may find themselves with several minutes to spend on a site, but don’t know what to view or read next. At this point they need help in discovering content that is personalized and meets their needs.

From a publisher perspective, discovery means that they will have to equip themselves with the necessary tools to automatically provide personalized and recommended content that increases user engagement, enhances monetization efforts, and makes the web more compelling for individual users.

The area of online video is the ideal forum for leading this emerging trend. And, the key to content discovery actually is all about personalization and harnessing the power of “people actions and interactions”. From an online video perspective, this means that – based on viewing patterns, tastes and preferences – videos should be served up to users much like much like a custom-made piece of furniture or musical instrument: always providing a unique product.

The world of science plays a key role in content discovery. By using mathematical algorithms to scientifically analyze video viewing patterns — extending beyond just the type of content (i.e., watching home improvement videos) – web publishers can actually gain insight into video length preference, time spent on the site, day of week, Geo-location, how many videos viewed and tens to hundreds of other metrics that determine user-engagement. The intent of this scientific approach is to gain a true snapshot of each user’s needs, and provide more personalized videos to watch. Plus, in the true form of the word “discovery,” this allows users to find video content they never knew existed.

Pretty simple concept, huh? Well, the challenge is that only the most forward-thinking online video publishers are embracing this true discovery concept. In the next 12-24 months, we anticipate that this type of approach will bring content discovery into every web users’ world – from the early adopter Web 2.0 fans to the timid grand mother. All content will be served up on a personalized platter. It will actually have meaning to the user, and will provide a strong revenue stream for online publishers.

Search made information accessible. Discovery will connect the right content with the right user.
Everyone wins.

Online Video: The Next Social Media Frontier?

Billy Linker — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:25:36 +0000

I work in online video and spend a good amount of time reading and talking about social media. Lately, however, I’ve starting getting a little frustrated with what I have been seeing in the space. As I watch social media completely transform a variety of industries, online video is continuously left off the playing field. Video is still mostly being looked at as a static side-note at a time when it should be front and center in social media strategy. What gives?

It’s not breaking news that we are in the middle of a paradigm shift in the way we communicate. We have gone from a culture of anonymity to a culture of over-sharing. It is now the norm for the average Joe to use technology to share thoughts, activities and statements that were traditionally kept under wraps. And whether you were begrudgingly peer-pressured into social media or went willingly, you are here and want to be heard. You don’t post a video on YouTube or write on someone’s wall on Facebook to read your own comments – you write, record and post for others to read, react and respond. You want to be followed and recognized. And not just from friends, but from your community, local politicians, supermarket, car company, etc.

In response, advertising, marketing and media are being swiftly overhauled in favor of a model that reaches consumers and users on a more conversational level. We are seeing ad agencies spending less on talking at customers (traditional marketing), and more on talking with them (social marketing). There are tons of creative campaigns coming out daily, but with a couple exceptions, I can’t shake the feeling that video is not being seen as an integral part of the social media revolution.

At first glance, online video appears to be stuck in a model that resembles the ethos of the aforementioned “traditional marketing”. The majority of company websites’ use of video consists of a couple embedded YouTube clips and the occasional “video” tab in the site navigation linking to a dedicated video page. The videos on these sites tend mostly to be produced in house and can be counted on one hand. They can provide entertainment and information, but offer very little in the way of community interaction beyond outdated sharing and commenting features. (A few generalizations never hurt.)

It is clearly not enough. With a proliferation of video shooting devices (Most mobile phones, Flip Cams, Nanos), brands have to start using video as an interactive tool – to talk with customers, not at them. How? Encourage user uploads (why doesn’t your site offer a video submission option?) and harness user generated content that is out there (people have uploaded good stuff about your brand or related to your product that can be used, so use it). Facilitate a conversation with customers or users that is video based and respond to video posts as you would to tweets or blog posts. Live stream important announcements. Move away from thinking of video as a piece of segregated entertainment to a tool to talk to your customers and promote your brand.

Video will continue to grow exponentially and become an even bigger part of the social media eco-system and if we don’t start moving away from the static “here’s your video, watch it and like it” model towards a more interactive and social media friendly model, we are going to shoot ourselves in the foot. We are at a crucial time where brands and companies can actually mold the conversation of the next major social media frontier as opposed to running to catch up to it.

Akamai Ups the HD Ante

Ben Homer — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:20:03 +0000

Akamai today is unveiling what it calls the Akamai HD Network which includes enhancements to its existing Content Delivery Network for analytics, authentication, DVR functionality and the addition of HTTP adaptive bitrate streaming enabling the HD its network to reach mobile devices. While this is a big step for Akamai it will take some time to make any lasting impact (both adoption and network capacity, especially over mobile are stumbling blocks), but hey, it’s progress.

The network will be introduced in a live press conference today at 1PM EST. While the network is adding a number of things content producers have been asking for, analytics in particular have been one of the areas Akamai is behind the curve.

But a key consideration here as Dan Rayburn points out is also cost. Adaptive bitrate streaming has the benefit of offering every viewer the best possible experience and that means far higher bitrates on average than are delivered with a constant bitrate stream.

This means higher bandwidth costs for those distributing digital content. While higher quality should mean increased engagement and higher ad revenue we’re not there yet as we say all the time, but again, this is progress.

Mixpo Brings Web Video to Local Agencies

Corey Kronengold — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:38:10 +0000

Earlier this week I had lunch with Mixpo CEO Anupam Gupta (and IlluminatePR’s Steve Stratz) for a fresh chat about an old idea – leveraging TV assets in the online video environment.

Today the company officially announced the launch of “Mixpo for Agencies,” which is designed to extend local TV ads to the web. Sounds a lot like one of those bad words – repurposed – doesn’t it? But Mixpo contends that repurposing your video assets isn’t all that bad. In between mouthfuls of pad thai, Anupam made some very convincing arguments. Mixpo for Agencies builds on the success the company has already had with large media companies that penetrate local markets including Comscast, NBC Local Media and Tribune.

Its all too easy to forget that $10k may be a drop in the bucket for a Madison Avenue shop to invest in developing creative, but it could be a local marketer’s entire advertising budget for the year. While I’d love to gush about powerful technology solutions, segmenting massive audiences, the social graph and so on, Mixpo is bringing a simple and effective solution to an audience in need of just that.

Instead of using generic B-roll video for local advertisers or dynamic ad assembly systems that can be daunting for your average local advertiser, Mixpo is approaching the local market with easy to produce “Xspots” that are very similar to a typical video overlay. Like the early promise of online video – consistent messaging across both online and off for national advertisers – Mixpo is delivering the same consistency for local advertisers like auto dealers, local insurance companies and local franchises. The power of video with the direct response elements that local marketers live and breathe by.

If online video and display advertising wants to bring those big TV dollars online, it would be wise to take a look at what Anupam is up to. Local TV advertising is a nearly $25 billion market, compared to the $500 mil currently spent in online video. If you want to catch fish, go where the fish are, right?

Expect to see more video based display and in-stream video advertising from within your community on your personalized portal page very soon. (But please, just not those Zap Lube ones.)