There's a new energy in television today--perhaps even the emergence of a new era. Or maybe it's just simple desperation that is bringing better content to the fore, as the industry faces the new challenge of technology fragmentation, with new digital media devices ushering in portable viewing, VOD, and out-of-home viewing experiences.

So, what is the next evolution of online video? That depends on the creative agencies. It is creative shops that drive our innovation. They challenge technology vendors to push the limits and make their creative visions become a reality. Whether they are developing greenscreen video editing or figuring out how to make a 5 MB video game work within a microsite banner, they are driving us to new innovative heights.

Are there any of us old-timers in the online ad business who have not struggled with (or been beaten down by) the call for accurate measurement of Internet activity, for years now? If you haven't been on at least five "measurement task forces" and been to at least 10 panel discussions on the subject, then you just haven't earned your stripes.

When TiVo was first introduced, many of us in the television business immediately understood the challenge it posed because we went out and got one--and we stopped watching commercials. Although some of the early panic was overblown, the pendulum has probably swung a bit too far in the other direction. Now network executives are downplaying the effect of the DVR on their businesses. But they're kidding themselves and their shareholders.

Frequently when I'm traveling, someone will ask "how can you be watching live TV in the airport on your laptop?" or "how can you receive DirecTV satellite signals and HBO?" Slingbox is the answer.

Music surely is today's killer app, but as the success of YouTube indicates, video is certain to be the big player as multimedia meets user-control.

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....