Enter 2006. No longer is online video a loss leader for Web publishers. It's increasingly a prime revenue source and major opportunity. With opportunity, of course, comes complexity. How do you make an online video effort not only engaging and attractive for end users, but also profitable and successful from a business standpoint?

It's been hard not to notice the dramatic upward pricing trend for broadband video while engaged in the upfront marketplace. The CPM is almost the elephant in the room that no one talks about. As all marketers and agencies must determine, is the premium price that affords one the "privilege" of running ads before online video content really worth the added cost, or simply cost-prohibitive?

Why not use video for the communication of "fine print" information--especially since consumers are reading less and relying more on TV and the Internet for information?

Back in the late '90s, well before the infamous "dot bomb" implosion, interactive TV was the rage at almost every television-related industry show. A phalanx of technology mavericks leading recently launched companies (ripe with venture capital dollars), descended upon the MSOs and DBS companies with brash new ITV plans, new "lean forward" services, and the great promise of wealth-building potential....