• Comcast Shows Us The Garden Of Eden
    Lately we have seen announcements regarding new OTT ("over the top") box launches, like Roku and Boxee. Netflix has done a masterful job of securing distribution agreements with these boxes. Netflix's marketing strategy -- perhaps a throwback to AOL's CD-ROM mailing campaign-- offers every new customer a free trial period. Today the company has one million new subscribers trialing the streaming service.
  • How Video Producers Can Create Scarcity And Add Value To Content
    In my last post, I looked at scarcity with regard to traditional media companies. Today, we will focus on how new-media video producers can create scarcity in order to create valuable, sustainable content businesses.
  • Tell Me A Story: How Video Ads Can Drive The Best Results Online
    Successful online advertising isn't just about the channel -- from search to display to video -- it's about storytelling. When ads incorporate narrative elements, they increase interaction rates and the audience's willingness to consider the product, react, or even move towards a purchase. Savvy advertisers know that nothing tells a story better than video. I would propose that the power of storytelling through sight, sound and motion is the reason why video is the fastest growing form of online advertising. eMarketer estimates that online video ad spending will grow 48% to $1.5 billion this year and hit $5.5 billion by …
  • The First Billion-Dollar Video Ad Business
    Last week, Google announced that its display ad business is now on a $2.5 billion revenue run and its mobile ad business is on a $1 billion run rate. Google now has a billion dollar business in three major online ad categories -- search, display and mobile. With Hulu announcing $240 million in revenue in 2010, the race is on for the first billion-dollar video ad business.
  • Are You Doing The Right Things To Increase Video Views?
    Video CPMs are the one of the highest revenue sources for Web publishers (versus display and BT ads), and for the first time in many years, advertiser demand is higher than publisher supply. This year the video advertising market is estimated to cross $1 billion, and consolidation is well underway. Clearly there is a lot of movement into the video space, and one of the key questions is: "How can publishers generate more supply and tap into this exploding market?"
  • Gone But Not Forgotten: Mrs. Cleaver And Mr. C
    October was a particularly bad month for iconic TV parents. Within days, we lost two -- Barbara Billingsley ("June Cleaver" on "Leave it to Beaver") and Tom Bosley ("Howard Cunningham" on "Happy Days"). Both played 1950s-era parents; one in the 1950s, and the other in the nostalgia-minded 1970s. The widespread attention garnered by the deaths of these beloved TV legends has shown that there is still an audience that cares passionately about the lives and work of these greats. The rise of available online video makes it possible for old footage to be relevant and new again, and the increase …
  • Content Scarcity
    Despite an accelerated shift towards online advertising spending, most traditional media companies (TMCs) are more reluctant than ever to believe the "content wants to be free" mantra.
  • Waiting For The 'I Love Lucy' Moment
    Few television shows generated as many spirited, laughter-filled discussions as the classic "I Love Lucy." During its six-year run, people would go out of their way to spend that half-hour with Lucy, just so that they could recall their favorite moments the next day with their friends or co-workers. Around our offices, we affectionately refer to this as the "I Love Lucy" moment. We are now dealing with the reality that content can be consumed by using a number of different devices. Thanks to this new world we live in, the "I Love Lucy" moment can potentially happen anytime, anywhere. …
  • Is 'Sharing' The New Viral -- Or A New Virus?
    Have you heard the latest video advertising pitch?<"Buying impressions is dead, buying engagements is dying... the future is in buying video sharing! You only pay when your videos are watched by self-interested consumers and they can share it with their friends!" Yes, "shared videos" are being positioned as the new "going viral." And in a never-ending quest to find media that is completely controllable, yet entirely consumed by self-interested consumers (read: the holy grail) buyers are beginning to ante up. Unfortunately, the only viral in this cleverly packaged snake oil is the virus you wake up with in the morning …
  • Juggling The Platforms In 2010: Celebrities Recognize The Importance Of Digital Presence
    Headlines pour in each day expressing how technology is changing the way we communicate. Across the board these changes affect how business is conducted in virtually every industry. In the entertainment industry, the technology revolution has created opportunities for individual artists, movie studios and production houses everywhere to reach fans in new and innovative ways. It has also opened up avenues for new stars to shine, not on the silver screen but on computers and mobile devices.
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