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Hulu Content Discovery Makeover Can Bring More Ad Dollars

Hulu has always done well at luring advertisers, and its new makeover may help bring in more money.

The site serves up a healthy number of ads per viewers -- tops among the leading video sites. Hulu delivers 46.4 ads per viewer, the highest of any of the top 10 video properties and nearly double its closest competitor in ESPN, according to an analysis of comScore’s online video numbers. That’s all the more impressive given that it’s not even a top 10 property by videos viewed -- its strength lies in squeezing as much revenue as it can out of the premium programming it carries.

That’s why the site’s new makeover is not only good for users -- it’s potentially good for marketers. Hulu introduced a new look this week that features larger graphics, better visuals, easier browsing capabilities, more intuitive show pages and more personalized discovery tools. The site is aiming to surface more “hidden gems,” it says, as well as to deliver what each viewer wants-- like Amazon does with its personalized recommendation.

Better discovery will increasingly make the difference in landing more online video ad dollars. Why? Because online video is only getting bigger and more confusing. By 2016 there will be more than 1.2 million minutes of video flowing through the Web every second, Cisco has said.

The problem is that as more video comes online, the harder it becomes for consumers to find the video. That’s where discovery (as well as metadata and SEO) come into play. When a site delivers more personalized recommendation, viewers stay longer, they watch more videos, and they interact with more content. They effectively spend more money by spending more time. The more time they spend, the more ads the site can serve up.

On the topic of online video and advertising wins, Evolve Media’s women-centric site SheKnows.com nabbed another celebrity for its roster in singer Alanis Morissette, this month’s guest celebrity video blogging mom for its series “Mommalogues.” She follows past SheKnows celeb video bloggers Cindy Crawford and Melissa Rivers. The series is sponsored by Legos.

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