I thought I'd take a step back and use this forum to return to square one and ask the question: What is the single largest challenge facing online video today? In past articles I've harped on the need for metrics, begged for standardization, and dared creative folks to conceive new and more engaging ways to utilize the real estate. However, I'm inclined to believe there is an even greater challenge: Who is responsible for the strategic planning and buying of online video?

Seventy-four billion dollar: that's what advertisers will spend this year to buy airtime on TV in the U.S. The limp upfronts have gotten a lot of press and naturally, advertisers are getting some pressure to explore online video opportunities in an effort to "integrate the silos." Here are some ideas of what advertisers need to know to allocate TV money toward online video.

With an overabundance of video content out there, advertisers and content producers alike seem to be constantly striving to simulate a TV viewing experience on the Web and within rich media. But users are on the Web to interact; simply telling them to relax and sit back does them a disservice and loses them as an audience.

Good question and one that has more unpopped kernels (read as dependencies) than simple timing or technology rollout woes might suggest. It certainly has not been for lack of effort on the part of the cable Multiple System Operators, who have feverishly deployed video-on-demand capability. So why is VOD taking so long to take hold? Maybe it's because VOD already has an identity crisis and the average Joe doesn't quite get it.

I can't express my joy enough at the huge move DoubleClick made this week in the acquisition of Klipmart. I've ranted enough about the importance of metrics as the key seller of online video as a part of the media mix....

As we pontificate about all things video, we tend to pass over the little guys and focus on bigger opportunities. With national having the big guy footprint, local media outlets are all too often brushed aside....

Decisions, decisions. Paper or plastic? Coffee or tea? Yankees or Mets? For advertisers preparing to launch an online video campaign, add a new one to the list: in-page or in-stream.

Online advertising has made enormous strides in recent years. Yet few ads, especially in the video space, have kept up with the rapid developments in technology that separate the Internet from traditional media....

One large opportunity has been underutilized in online video ads: direct response purchase options originating from the ad unit.

According to a lawsuit filed by the record labels, XM Satellite Radio's XM + MP3 service is causing "Massive Wholesale Infringement." Ooo... that sounds bad! The suit, filed May 16, 2006, alleges that the service is an improperly licensed "download service." Ouch!