think d2c

Comupter assisted gardening

2008-10-20T10:26:00.007-05:00

Neat toy I saw this weekend, the easyBloom plant sensor, helps you pick the right plants for your specific growing area and helps diagnose plants that are in trouble.

The senor is first plugged into your computer's usb port and allows you to register for the service. The you plant the extended device into the ground where you want to plant or where you have already planted something.

Over a period of 24 hours the device records various details about the soil composition and the growing zone.

The company has a database of over 5,000 plants that it then compares results against and provides recommendations.

From the site:

Plant recommendations. Use our sensor and web site to find out exactly what plants will thrive in any location - indoors or out.
Plant monitoring. Find out what is wrong with an ailing plant and get expert advice on how to bring your plant back to health.
Plant Library. Search our 5,000+ plants, create a personal library of your plants, add notes and other information - all with our easy to use website.

Giant plans and small boxes

2008-10-11T12:33:00.011-05:00

Its been a year since I last posted. It feels like even longer. Scanning for inspiration today I stumbled across a post by Chris Brogan that seemed timely. Here are the main points:

"Decide what matters most. Articulate it in the largest possible way. It’s easier to drill down when you have the larger goals in mind.
Put constraints around HOW you’ll accomplish the goals you’ve set out to accomplish. Include accountability in the constraints.
Figure out what you need to help you achieve those goals. In my case, I need two other people and some more education. You’ll need something else.
Make your goals public in some form or another. (This helps with accountability)."

He continues, "If you can put your giant plans into small boxes it will help you move towards your goals."

One goal I have is to get back to creating content, be it written or otherwise. My content creation experiments got pushed to the back seat along with the blog last year and I want to change that.

Looking back on those efforts they seem dated now. In the gap I missed out on the whole Twitter explosion and I don't really have any regrets about that.

I have been deeply involved with Flex and AIR desktop applications but some of those projects could have used some small boxes along the way too.

I finally got an iPhone. I have played the waiting game with Apple since I got my first SE in 1988 and I wanted to wait for the 3G network.

The iPhone is sharp. It looks good, feels good and provides a portable computing platform unlike anything else I have seen. Its ok as a phone but I knew that going in. I like the headphones and try to use them when I can but in regular use sometimes its hard to hear the other person and hard for them to hear me.

Call management and especially voice management is awesome. Being able to delete voice mail without having to listen to a menu system is great. I have used the speaker phone and it works fairly well too.

Like everyone says I only turn on 3G when I have to get data and am not on a wifi connection because it does drain the battery. Hitting the "find me" button on Maps is super cool.

My favorite app Art Envi Deluxe:

The main thing the iPhone has done is freed me from a desk by putting a computer in my hand. You may say, "I've been getting email on my Blackberry for years."

I say, "whatever, fraking Blackberrys..."

Maps and mobile data are gradually finding their way to automobiles, the last human environment to be enabled. With the new XOHM WiMAX and the whitespace projects I expect one of the next big things to be a mobile broadband cloud. Fast access everywhere is going to change things, just like the iPhone has changed things for me.

So as I think about content creation in the year ahead I am going to focus on small projects that involve mobility and connectivity.

My last goal is to have fun. Its been a hard couple of years.

(Oh yeah, transfer blog to wordpress!)

Second Life...the street finds its own use for things

2007-10-11T10:05:00.000-05:00

TechCrunch hasn't been that excited about Second Life, until now.

From TechCrunch:

"Last Saturday night I noticed that Australia’s answer to Robert Scoble (in a good way) Microsoft’s Nick Hodge was in Second Life chatting to The Podcast Network’s Cameron Reilly via Twitter. I jumped into Second Life to join the conversation, making it the three of us. I Twittered my presence and provided a link. Within 30 minutes three had blown out to around 15 people, or 20 different people over 3 hours. With voice in Second Life we discussed a variety of topics, from Second Life itself, to Web 2.0, politics and the environment."

AT&T buys Aloha's 700MHz

2007-10-10T12:26:00.000-05:00

Tired of waiting for the auction, AT&T buys Aloha's spectrum.

From The Street:

"AT&T got a jump on next year's radio wave auction with a $2.5 billion bid for Aloha Partners' 700-megahertz spectrum licenses. In the deal, AT&T would take ownership of former UHF channels 54 and 59, the so-called C block of wireless spectrum Aloha had acquired in the past few years. Aloha owned the largest swath of licenses covering about 80% of the population in the top 100 cities.

From the press release:

"Customer demand for mobile services, including voice, data and video, is continually increasing," said Forrest Miller, group president-corporate strategy and development. "Aloha's spectrum will enable AT&T to efficiently meet this growing demand and help our customers stay connected to their worlds."

From Unstrung:

"AT&T's experience on deploying UMTS at 850 MHz makes 700 MHz a great fit with its existing network," says Gabriel Brown. "In particular, the carrier should be able to source attractive 3G handsets that work at both frequencies."

Brown says the price AT&T has paid for this spectrum is "full but fair." He calculates that, at a price of $2.5 billion for 12 MHz of spectrum covering 196 million people, AT&T has paid roughly $1 per MHz per head."

How to beat (compete) with Google locally

2007-10-09T09:50:00.000-05:00

Terry Heaton takes a look at how local media can try and compete with Google for local media dollars.

From the post:

"So in order to compete with Google at the local level, we also must become an advertising system. There are a variety of ways to go about this, but here are five things that are required for making it happen:

Define and identify the Local Web.
Organize the Local Web.
Provide tools to help it grow.
Serve it by enabling commerce across the network.
Sell the concept to the community."

I think Terry forgot number 6: Give up.

Turner signs deal with Kaneva (updated)

2007-10-03T12:40:00.000-05:00

I don't see any press releases about this but here is the word from Paid Content:

"Now the Time Warner division will try for a relationship with a little more depth, signing a one-year deal with Kaneva to build and test virtual worlds for its entertainment networks. Turner gets access to Kaneva’s technology and tools to create and use Web communities and “virtual spaces” on Kaneva’s site and in the virtual world of Kaneva .

One of the Turner spaces will act as a virtual portal for the rest. One intriguing twist: each Turner virtual community and “Virtual World” space will include an embedded video player streaming related Turner content. Earlier this year, Kaneva integrated synchronized viewing of YouTube videos, which sounds like a precursor for this."

The full release from 3pointD:

“Our exploration with Kaneva of virtual worlds is yet another example of Turner staying at the forefront of consumer technology trends,” said Blake Lewin, vice president for TBS, Inc.’s New Products Group. “Through this opportunity, we hope to leverage the Kaneva platform to explore how users interact with our brands in a virtual world."

Christopher Klaus, founder and CEO of Kaneva added, “Turner is an ideal flagship media partner for Kaneva. Turner’s high quality programming and credibility is synergistic with our unique focus on delivering entertainment to the masses inside a virtual world. As a result of this partnership, we will provide entirely new ways for audiences to watch, participate and interact around their favorite TV programming.”

Terry's 10 local TV assumptions

2007-10-02T12:06:00.001-05:00

If you read this blog you know that I am a big fan of Terry Heaton. He's not pulling any punches with this post:

"The TV audience for local media isn’t coming back.
News — and especially local news — is being increasingly commodified.
The local weather franchise is moving to The Weather Channel, Weather Underground, and a host of outside providers who’ve made their applications easy to find and easy to use.
Advertisers themselves will put a halt to the blue smoke and mirrors of mass marketing.
We will never, NEVER overcome revenue losses to our legacy platforms through portal websites alone.
The people formerly known as the audience are entertaining themselves and each other. The best we can do in this scenario is to support it — let people show off. Teach them to know what we know.
The network-affiliate system isn’t just changing; it’s history.
A successful internet sale is AGAINST television and all mass media. This is why the lack of dedicated web sales people is beyond problematic.
The local advertising community needs to be taught about internet advertising, and we have to do it.
Local media MUST move forward along two separate paths of profitability, one maturing as rapidly as the other is growing."

Bud.tv - not dead yet

2007-09-27T09:57:00.000-05:00

Bud.tv gets another year of life.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

"Following a keynote speech Tuesday at the Online Media, Marketing & Advertising Conference & Expo, Tony Ponturo, vp global media and sports/entertainment marketing, also said that Anheuser-Busch decided to end its 25-year title sponsorship of NASCAR's Busch series and its role as the official beer sponsor of NASCAR so it could invest more in entertainment and the digital space.

"We wanted to get through the step of, 'OK, should we continue into '08 as we build our marketing plans?' and that was the decision," he said. "I think it (Bud.TV) is something that could have an ending someday, but I think if we keep learning from it and if we keep seeing assets from it ... then it makes sense to continue the site."

In-car Wi-Fi

2007-09-17T10:18:00.000-05:00

Bridge Ratings has a report that looks at the coming availability of in-car Wi-Fi.

From the report:

"Of the estimated 30 million users of wireless access technology in the U.S., 75% or 23 million have wireless accessed Internet radio. In fact, 48% of those accessing the Internet via wireless technology seek out Internet radio. The number of Internet radio listeners accessing wirelessly will grow to 77 million by 2010 as wireless technology penetrates the average U.S. lifestyle.

ABI Research forecasts that the total number of Wi-Fi-enabled consumer electronics devices will grow from just 40 mln shipped in 2006 to nearly 249 mln in 2011.

Mobile WiMAX customers will grow at an annual compounded rate of 64% between 2009 and 2012, when telecoms embrace WiMAX as a fixed wireless broadband service, according to Pyramid Research.

By year 5 of in-car Wi-Fi acceptance, traditional radio can expect to see the amount of time spent listening to fall below 19 hours a week and by year 8 when we project that more than 23% of the U.S. public will have adopted wireless Internet technology in-car, weekly time spent listening to traditional radio will fall below 18 hours per week.

The availability of wireless Internet in-car poses a signficant threat to traditional as well as satellite radio. This study projects that the growth of Wi-Fi in-car should reach more than 50% of the U.S. population after nine years of market availability."

Comcast buys BuddyTV

2007-09-17T09:03:00.000-05:00

The acquisitions continue.

From PaidContent:

"Seattle-based BuddyTV, a TV community site, is being acquired by Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA), paidContent.org has learned from sources. BuddyTV took a loan of $250K from the Charles River Ventures’ Quick Start Seed Funding program back in May, before taking a $2.8 million investment from Gemstar-TV Guide this summer.

The site competes with a wide range of TV-related blogs and communities, but co-founder Andy Liu told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer this summer that the site was receiving 3 million uniques per month and that it now has 20 employees. It seems likely that BuddyTV will be used in conjunction with Comcast’s Fancast.com site, as well as Fandango, which it acquired in the earlier this year."

Onow.com: free classified ads

2007-09-14T09:58:00.000-05:00

Onow.com is a classified ad site from KMTV and its five radio stations.

From Lost Remote:

"It is its own brand and does not have the names/logos of the TV or radio stations on it. For now, users can post everything, including pictures and videos, for free. Eventually the site will charge for the pix and video, but the text ads will remain free."

And there is a blog that highlights listing.

Quincy Smith on Hulu

2007-09-13T10:16:00.000-05:00

From Forbes:

"Yes, we're constantly talking to [Hulu]. We'd love the opportunity to do it, assuming that the deals make sense. I don't know Jason [Kilar, Hulu's chief executive], the guy they got from Amazon, though I certainly know a lot of people who know him and respect the heck out of him. If anyone could try and build a next-generation destination, it's probably him, based on his background.

I love everything about the joint venture and the notion of syndicating content with distribution partners that are already proven in the business, both in the video-destination and the widget business. But why--why still hold on to a destination [Web site]? That's a huge amount of infrastructure, that's a huge part of investment and frankly, a huge distraction."

Hulu does something - rumormill

2007-09-13T08:53:00.000-05:00

TechCrunch set off a blogstorm of posts over the rumor that Hulu is buying Mojiti.

From TechCrunch:

"It is surprising that Hulu would use a third party platform for their service rather than build it themselves from the ground up. They’ve already missed their promised Summer 2007 launch date, however, and probably think the acquisition will get them to market faster."

Michael in the comments: "remember when they promised a mostly decentralized platform? no mention of that recently, and mojiti isn’t the right tech for that. I sense chaos and disorganization, not a smart strategic decision to buy v. build. And a new strategy to focus on a centralized, youtube-like site. And remember that Adobe already built all the hard parts of this and put it in the Flex platform. For some reason people are giving Hulu a lot of room before judging them. I prefer to judge them now."

From PaidContent:

"The exact role Mojiti will play technologically is unclear. NBBC’s technology was supposed to be the foundation for the distribution network—the distribution player will be skinned to match various destinations—but, in its previous incarnation, it hadn’t operated on the kind of scale Hulu requires. The destination portal will have its own video player, which is where what Feng and his team have been working on may best fit in.

Feng is just part of the shifting staff at Hulu, which started life with a team borrowed from NBCU and News Corp. Many of those involved at the senior level, including some whose managers expected to stay with the new venture, are in the midst of returning to their respective companies. The mantra I’ve heard: Kilar wants his own team."

FOX: Merchants of Cool

2007-09-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Where do you turn to find the hottest local bands? How about FOX Interactive Media's O&Os! Thats right folks, no longer satisfied with highschool sports, Local TV lashes out at local music.

From Lost Remote:

"FOX Interactive Media and a few FOX O&O’s have launched a few local music websites in connection with MySpace. The sites are an experiment to see if there is an audience for content that focuses on local bands, concerts and fans.

The first round of sites include mymusictwincities, mymusicboston and mymusichouston, with MySpace pages for each (example). The sites include streaming audio, video of performances, concert calendars and links to the bands’ MySpace pages. It’s kind of a flashback to what was a key to the success of MySpace."

Actually this is not as big of a deal as it might seem. FIM recently rolled out a much discussed content management application for its affiliate stations. This is just some additional content in the existing entertainment section.

Regardless of your views on FIM hosting local TV sites and taking half of the revenue, I can't get past the horsey graphics on the user interface. For whatever reason, the sites that use the scrolling updater completely freeze my browser.

First run and syndication end around

2007-09-07T10:49:00.000-05:00

More bad news for local TV stations.

From Broadcast&Cable:

"ABC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television Group struck a unique two-year digital-distribution agreement for four shows; Big Shots, Men in Trees, Notes from the Underbelly and Pushing Daisies.

The deal allows ABC to stream episodes of these series online and to retain advertising revenue generated on ABC.com’s broadband player. Episodes of the shows will be available on ABC.com the day after their broadcast premieres and will remain there for up to four weeks following broadcast. ABC can use pilots on alternative platforms to support the launch of the shows.

In the second year of the deal, Warner Bros. has the rights to stream past episodes of the shows that previously streamed on ABC.com. In addition, Warner will offer digital downloads of previous year’s episodes, as well as DVD boxed sets.

Warner can stream episodes to unlimited outlets, but episodes will be branded ABC and promote back to the network."

From Lost Remote:

"So now locals that are used to milking syndicated reruns should be concerned that the networks are going around them twice: once in the show’s original run, and then again in syndication. Get into the original, local production business and you’ll always own your stuff."

Velocity Investment Group

2007-09-05T09:05:00.001-05:00

Two media big shots are starting an internet holding company, backed by General Atlantic LLC and advised by Allen & Co.

From the WSJ:

"Former AOL Chief Executive Jonathan F. Miller and former Fox Interactive Media President Ross Levinsohn have joined together to start an Internet company, according to people close to the situation.

The new entity, called Velocity Investment Group, is already actively scouting for acquisitions and has signed letters of intent with a few consumer-oriented Internet companies. Velocity aims to purchase start-ups in related content areas and boost their online ad revenue by selling across multiple properties. Velocity is also considering buying out companies that broker ads for other Web sites. It is being advised by the investment bank Allen & Co.

The two executives are considering buying Internet companies in several niches, including online video, according to people close to the situation. The idea would be to buy up several companies in a related area, then possibly spin off the consolidated entity into a public offering or a sale."

Hulu: the hating game

2007-08-31T08:23:00.000-05:00

NBCU gave everyone plenty of time to store up the hate for the newly named Hulu. So let the games begin.

From Techcrunch:

"Congratulations are in order to YouTube-competitor Hulu, which took just five months to come up with a name after announcing itself in March. CEO Jason Kilar says the name “captures the spirit of the service we’re building” in an open letter published today.

Just don’t translate that name to certain languages, because the name may capture significantly more of the spirit of the service than NBC and News Corp., the media giants behind Hulu, intended.

Given the litigious nature of online video, that is some serious irony. And you can bet that Hulu, and its parent companies NBC and News Corp., are going to be sending out one heck of a lot of cease and desist letters as soon as this thing launches."

From Silicon Valley Insider:

"For anyone keeping track, that means the venture now has a $100 million investment from Providence Equity, a $1 billion valuation, a CEO and a name. Great! Only a few more hurdles left! Hulu still has to deal with the fact that it:

hasn't launched
has 120 employees and a big burn rate (call it $10 million a year)
has a deeply entrenched, globally dominant competitor
is two years too late
has been shunned by the other big dogs in the industry (CBS, Disney, Viacom)
is a joint venture between two companies that hate each other."

From Terry Heaton:

"This portal has been so hyped as God’s gift to online video that any name they came up with would likely have bombed, especially with the tech community — which includes the people who’ve written the book on online video without the “help” of the networks or studios. Old media just doesn’t get that new media isn’t created in a board room with fancy consultants (oh shit, I’m a consultant!), because the results are usually just varnished horse crap. Hulu?

The problem is that the fuss over the stupid name casts a pall on what is really a smart move by NBC and Fox, namely creating a single portal for video instead of asking people to come to each branded site. Of course, it would be better if all networks were a part of this, and I think announcing the project without a name or a more complete partner list was a huge tactical error."

From Steve Sarfran: (Lost Remote)

"Three stages in newly named web product:

1. Everyone hates it, makes fun of it
2. People slowly adopt it, forget that they hated it
3. People start to use it either as a verb (”Google that”) or in comparison to inferior products (”It’s no flickr.”)"

Clown Co = Hulu

2007-08-29T13:51:00.001-05:00

Fall is in the air (not really in Atlanta) and the branding exercise is over, NBCU and News Corp present Hulu.

From Techcrunch:

"This morning news broke about NBC Universal and News Corporation’s joint video venture, hitherto dubbed “Clown Co.”, after a press release was sent out by a Hulu.com representative claiming that “Hulu” was the new name for that venture.

Initially, I was a bit concerned that this could be merely a hoax, as no press releases were sent out by NBC or News Corp. themselves. However, after speaking with the Hulu representative, Christina Lee, and seeing the news spread across the circuit like vine, it does appear as though this announcement is authentic."

From Reuters:

"We just wanted a name that is short and easy to spell," Hulu spokeswoman Christina Lee said. "We like the idea that it rhymes with itself. We wanted a fun name."

From Ad Week:

"When it does launch, the site will allow fans to stream episodes of NBC series such as The Office and Friday Night Lights, along with the soon-to-launch remake of The Bionic Woman.

Meanwhile, Fox is planning to offer on-demand episodes of staples like The Simpsons and Mad TV as well as premiering shows such as the New Orleans-set cop drama K-Ville. In addition to Hulu.com, the sweeping venture will see these series distributed across the biggest sites on the Web, including AOL, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo!.

"Why is Hulu the new venture's name? According to a note posted on the site by newly installed CEO Jason Kilar, it's meant to connote fun and simplicity. "Objectively, Hulu is short, easy to spell, easy to pronounce and rhymes with itself," he wrote.

"Subjectively, Hulu strikes us as an inherently fun name, one that captures the spirit of the service we're building. Our hope is that Hulu will embody our (admittedly ambitious) never-ending mission, which is to help you find and enjoy the world's premiere content when, where and how you want it."

Eric Schmidt on the Spectrum Auction

2007-08-24T08:37:00.000-05:00

The High School sports battle

2007-08-21T08:23:00.000-05:00

On the heels of Hearst's announcement of HighSchoolPlaybook.com comes Belo's HSgametime.com and Emmis' IHSAAsports.org. From a naming standpoint I think Hearst is the clear winner.

From Mediaweek:

"Hearst-Argyle’s HighSchoolPlaybook, an online, on-air and mobile brand that combines social networking with high-definition video, stats, music and merchandising, initially launched on seven of its 26 stations; four also launched YouTube pages. The TV group also plans to syndicate the brand next year in markets where it doesn’t own stations.

Belo launched HSgametime.com covering football in six of its markets, with plans to complete the rollout to all 15 of it stations by September.

“High school sports is an untapped area,” said Chris Campbell, director of interactive media for Emmis and managing director of IHSAAsports.org, which is running the Indiana-wide site as a stand-alone brand with its own staff and sales. “We’ve found an overwhelmingly positive reaction from advertisers who are hungry to reach the multiple demographics that high school sports attract.”

“We’re treating high school sports as a community,” said Terry Mackin, executive vp of digital media for Hearst-Argyle. “You can talk to friends, talk to groups, move pictures back and forth, participate in contests about which school is the most spirited.”

From Lost Remote:

"Belo is in the middle of a multi-market rollout of HSGameTime.com, a national high school sports site with local ties to each of its TV and newspaper properties. Beyond the stuff you’d expect, the site features a social network for both parents and teens, as well as the capability for users to host their own blogs and upload video and photos. Much more later, but in the meantime, check out the Dallas version of HSGameTime, one of the first to launch."

From the old favorite Little Lost Robot!

"I’ve been busy lately, helping train up our small army of high school VJ reporters for football season - “sideline reporters”, we’re calling them. Of course, high schoolers are video sponges these days, with all their YouTubin’ and Facebookin’, so it’s actually been rather smooth going.

Anyway, I’m getting kinda excited about my station/company’s new endeavor and I can’t wait to see what the fledgling reporters come up with. The hardest thing about the whole process was learning the video editing software - after spending most of my career becoming an AVID master, it’s kinda frustrating to learn a $79 over-the-counter editing program that’s completely counter-intuitive. But there’s people smiling on the back of the box who look like they’re enjoying it, so I’m gonna give it another shot."

The Happiness Factory

2007-08-17T12:36:00.000-05:00

Coke is taking a different approach with its new Happiness Factory promotion.

From AdWeek:

"For the sequel to the Cannes Silver Lion-winning (and Emmy-nominated) "Happiness Factory," Coke engineered a Hollywood-style premiere in Second Life.

There is nothing like a movie to be able to tell the story of the world inside the Coca-Cola vending machine and bring the characters to life," said Judith Snyder, a Coke representative. "Through the short film and other promotional elements—including authentically designed movie posters, movie-style trailers, an interactive digital program, promotions and packaging—we are able to extend the life of this campaign."

"The eco-system of the world feels very complete, from the weather to geography to insects to relationships, to magical elixir to archetypal character," said Al Moseley ecd at Wieden + Kennedy in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, of making the spot. "We played to narrative conventions, with the ordinary guy who goes through a right of passage to learn about himself."

"It isn't about disruption anymore, it's about creating a piece of entertainment that people choose to download and own," said Moseley. "That's the difference here: we've created something people will want. It's a commercial, but it's not a spot."

BREAKING: People don't like mobile ads

2007-08-17T08:08:00.000-05:00

No way!

From MocoNews:

"Not great news for the legions of mobile ad firms and the many content companies hoping to graft their ad models onto the mobile platform: a new survey from Universal McCann found that display and video advertising on mobile TV, and the mobile Internet in general, are “irritating.”

In a poll of 9,500 mobile users in 21 countries, 61 percent of people rejected ads that ran alongside mobile TV programs and mobile Internet pages. Meanwhile, paid-for branded content, opt-in Bluetooth downloads and promotional giveaways fared much better, with 71 percent of those polled accepting these formats.

Hearst-Argyle's Highschool Playbook

2007-08-16T10:43:00.000-05:00

Hearst-Argyle launched High School Playbook in seven markets.

From Broadcast&Cable:

“We’re targeting three demographics,” says Hearst-Argyle Executive VP Terry Mackin, “teens, the parents of teens, and the [local] adult community that’s interested in high school sports.”

Mackin termed the project a “seven-figure investment, minimally,” that took about a year to create."

From Lost Remote: Michael Gay

"Seven Hearst-Argyle markets launched a new social networking site that is focused around local high school sports. HighSchoolPlaybook.com provides an environment where teens can share video and photos about their schools’ sports teams, cheer leading and bands.

Many of the stations have even hired a group of student sideline reporters who are using HD cameras to shoot local sports stories and reports for the site. According to Broadcasting and Cable, Hearst-Argyle plans to license the service to non-Hearst-Argyle stations in the next year. As part of the launch, Hearst-Argyle also launched five new YouTube channels for the stations involved in HighSchoolPlaybook."

TV ads not on TV

2007-08-14T13:16:00.000-05:00

Advertising HD TVs in a different way. From the comments: Official Aurea site here.

Go take a look at the site. It takes an amazingly long time to load and then... what? Ok, its a reveal site but come on. The only thing you can do is send them your email address. No mention of anything product related; it could be a toaster, a TV, a new sitcom, who knows?

From Lost Remote:

"Phillips Electronics has a new high-end HDTV flat screen line called Aurea it has launched in Europe. They’re not bothering much with TV ads, however. They’re spending their ad bucks by producing five minute, artsy films and then showing the films on the Aurea at fashion and jewelry stores in Europe."

From the NYT:

"The five-minute film is actually an advertisement for a new television from Philips Electronics, a high-end flat-screen model called Aurea. The film, a spy story shot in Shanghai, will be shown in the Paris boutiques of the fashion label Lanvin and the jeweler Lorenz Bäumer — on Aurea televisions, of course.

The decision to produce a short film with an art-house director like Mr. Wong shows how brands are trying to break away from their reliance on 30-second television spots, which some marketers fear have lost their effectiveness. Now, even televisions are being marketed without recourse to television.

“The idea is to be more exclusive, to be very different from your traditional kind of advertising,” said Sandrine Huijgen, marketing director for consumer electronics at Philips. “We don’t see Dior advertising a lot on television.”

Joost: Hindered by American Stupidity

2007-08-13T10:53:00.000-05:00

Not like "you are stupid" stupidity, more like "you didn't pay attention to who you elected or what they did" stupidity. Its not big secret that America, inventor of the internet, is somewhere down the list past Slovenia in terms of broadband speed and cost.

(The US - with broadband penetration at just under 53% - is in 24th place.)

The fact that anyone would consider 3Mps down broadband in 2007 should be an indicator of just how bad the situations is.

Oh wait! I just checked and the official definition is "data transmission speeds exceeding 200 kilobits per second (Kbps), or 200,000 bits per second, in at least one direction: downstream (from the Internet to your computer) or upstream (from your computer to the Internet)."

I guess the rest of the post really kind of writes itself. Joost can't work on a 10 year old, crippled network. Another big win for the USA!

From NewTeeVee:

"The fundamental problem that Joost faces is the fact that the broadband available to North American households simply isn’t fast enough for them to provide image quality comparable to digital cable or satellite, much less high-definition video.

My concern is that with DSL provider AT&T moving into IPTV, and cable Internet providers already delivering video, what little competition there is in America for consumer broadband providers, any incentive to increase speeds (especially the upstream bandwidth) could hit a wall of corporate self-interest. After all, why should companies like Comcast offer the kind of high speed broadband enjoyed in Europe and Asia when it would simply enable companies like Joost to compete with the company’s own digital video offerings?

Even if there is a significant increase in network speed, without any guarantees of network neutrality, Internet providers could simply charge Joost and other independent IPTV upstarts for the bandwidth rights to stream video of comparable quality to their own digital video offerings.

And guess who that cost would get passed on to? That would be you. So while Joost has a lot of potential on other continents, the cards are stacked against the company here in the USA."

Gannett's 100 local mobile sites

2007-08-13T10:41:00.000-05:00

Gannett launched 100 local mobile sites in support of its existing newspaper and TV stations.

From the press release:

"Breaking news, sports, weather and other must-have local information now can be accessed easily by mobile phone users in more than 100 local markets, Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) announced today.

The local mobile sites are designed to appear on small screens and include content – updated 24/7 – produced by local Gannett Information Centers. Information Centers power real-time news and information to multiple platforms, including the Web, newspapers, television and now mobile devices, throughout the day and night.

“Local news and information is more in demand than ever by consumers across the country. Making it easily available by mobile device takes Gannett’s local information expertise and puts it in consumers’ hands,” said Jack Williams, president of Gannett Digital. “Advertisers who appreciate the value of trusted brands, local content and audiences will be able to reach out to those consumers throughout the day.”

From MocoNews:

"The company release does not mention 4Info, but Matt Jones, Gannett’s director of mobile strategy and operations, tells us that it will be used in the new local site services. Gannett has had a growing relationship with the SMS-based mobile search company—in June announcing a $10 million investment and an intention to use 4Info’s mobile search and interactive advertising services for its national flagship title USA Today.

Jones tells us the local mobile initiative will not be crossing over with the online advertising venture Gannett has been working on with Tribune, which has its own local mobile sites. He says Third Screen Media will be one of the companies serving ads onto the local sites, but he did not confirm whether Google will be involved. Gannett was an early partner of the search giant’s business selling print newspaper inventory to Google advertisers; Google of course has high hopes of taking its advertising services mobile (not to mention getting deeper into local services to help further its advertising reach)."

The Weather Channel's blue box

2007-08-08T09:32:00.000-05:00

Weather videos with ads for you!

From Lost Remote:

"The Weather Channel’s weather.com launched a new video player today they’re calling “Blue Box.” (No, I didn’t get the name at first either, until I looked at their logo.) In a press release, the player is described as being powered by Brightcove and DoubleClick. The player itself has 5 “channels” of video: News/Breaking Weather, Local Forecasts, Lifestyle, Severe Weather, and On the Weather Channel. It also allows you to search by zip code, where I found the weather forecast for my own city."

From the comments:

"Well, speaking as someone who has used all sorts of video content systems, there is a reason why Brightcove is on dozens of sites.

It’s easy to navigate, and can be at least lightly personalized to match the web site. It’s easy to separate the videos into all sorts of channels, and you can easily share and embed any of the video clips (as well as syndicate a channel or your entire player)."

Hearst buying Kaboodle (updated)

2007-08-08T09:19:00.000-05:00

Aggregation marches on.

From PaidContent:

"Hearst has announced its second online acquisition in two weeks: first it bought UGO for between $100-$150 million, and now it is buying shopping recommendation site Kaboodle, reports WSJ. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. (Updated: Om says the price was around $40 million).

It started as a general sharing service, where people could save their search results from other sites, for other users to review…and then it quickly morphed into a commerce/shopping recommendation site, where users can browse, tag and collect finds from other shopping sites. The site’s 250,000 registered users can also rate and review the products they save...it generates revenue through advertising and affiliate relationships with more than 1,000 retailers.

Hearst wants to include Kaboodle’s service into the websites of its magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping, mixing content with commerce. Also, it wants to develop Kaboodle into a larger independent lifestyle site by adding more content and then more advertisers, the story says."

From GigaOM:

"According to our sources went for somewhere around $40 million. Manish Chandra, founder and CEO of the 18-month old start-up based in Santa Clara, Calif., declined to comment on specific terms of the deal.

When I asked him why he decided to sell the company, he candidly replied, that “the stakes are getting higher, and others [competitors] are raising a ton of money.” What do that say, any exit is a good exit.

Chandra said that since a large percentage of Kaboodle users are women, and the site has an e-commerce/shopping component, it fit nicely with the larger goals of Hearst. He also added that the deal doesn’t impact its deals with Conde Nast properties.

There is an interesting pattern in some of the buys by big media corporations. They are not just buying pure-content, but instead seem to be interested in content-enhancing tools that rely on communities than individual content creators. Newroo, Photobucket, Reddit, Last.fm, Clipmarks and now Kaboodle fit that profile."

From WSJ:

"The deal marks Hearst's attempt to tap a new area of e-commerce that combines online social networking with shopping, as it pursues new ways to engage magazine readers online while investing in fast-growing Internet businesses. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Hearst says it is likely to build pages on Kaboodle featuring products from many of its 19 U.S. magazine titles, such as Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping, aiming to generate buzz around the magazines by allowing shoppers to sound off about the products they feature online. It wants to develop Kaboodle into a larger independent lifestyle site by linking it with deep-pocketed advertisers and more editorial content."

From Under the radar:

8. What does the future look like for Kaboodle?

Manish Chandra: We believe Kaboodle's social shopping community will fundamentally alter the landscape of online shopping - by connecting people with similar taste and style, and tying together the entire shopping process, from product discovery to purchase.

Most shopping platforms built to date have been optimized, not for lifestyle goods, but for products where decisions are based primarily on features and price, like electronics and computer hardware and software. These same platforms provide a solitary shopping experience, and work well for people who want to quickly and efficiently complete a transaction completion."

Update: From CNET:

"With its impressive technology, tools and audience, Kaboodle is a natural overlap for Hearst Magazines," Cathleen P. Black, president of Hearst Magazines, said in the statement. "We think Kaboodle has terrific potential for many of our brands, especially in the fashion, beauty and consumer technology categories. Our readers will be able to find the products featured in our magazines, shop electronically with their friends and get their feedback. It's another means for making sure our readers stay engaged in today's saturated media landscape."

Smartphone browser shootout

2007-08-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

Information Week looks at the Palm, Blackberry, HTC and the iPhone. Go read it all or just read this:

"The good news, as you might expect, is the Apple iPhone. The genius of Apple is its ability, over and over again, to completely reinvent, from the ground up, the user interface for hardware, and to support it with brilliant software. Web browsing on the iPhone is a paradigm shift, a completely different experience -- just as the BlackBerry was, in its time, a paradigm shift.

The elements of the technology that makes the iPhone so different will find their way into other devices, just as the BlackBerry's thumbpad and push e-mail have become more or less standard on smartphones. Touchscreens and direct interaction with the Web page will become standards of their own sort because they've come along just in time as computing, both personal and business, moves to the Web."

Worldwide Biggies raises $9m round

2007-08-07T10:32:00.000-05:00

These guys have been out for about a year and have just decided to raise a round.

From NewTeeVee:

"Albie Hecht, the former president of Nickelodeon, has raised $9 million and secured distribution deals for Worldwide Biggies, his young adult- and family-focused digital studio. Worldwide Biggies is not exclusively devoted to online productions, though web distribution is a part of all of its projects.

“We birth things online but make sure they have multi-platform DNA so they can be transported elsewhere,” said Hecht in an interview Monday. That means constraining itself a smaller budget — a.k.a. lots of green screens — and having the agility to quickly incorporate viewer feedback. “We can constantly be version 3 the day after version 2,” he said.

NBC Universal, Hearst Corp., Greycroft, Platform Equity, and PrismVentureWorks invested in the company, which already has a hit under its belt with The Naked Brothers Band TV series (accompanied by webisodes and podcasts) for Nickelodeon.

NBC plans to partner with and potentially invest in additional digital entertainment studios, with Worldwide Biggies being the first and additional deals in the works, said George Kliavkoff, chief digital officer at NBC Universal, in an interview Monday."

Digital Chocolate launches DeChoc Cafe

2007-08-07T10:24:00.000-05:00

Trip Hawkins betting big on his mobile game philosophy.

From Moconews:

"Digital Chocolate has officially launched its DChoc Cafe Series, and claims that carrier launches are underway for more than 100 operators. In addition to the previously announced Nokia Ngage launch it claims games in the series are already available on 3, AT&T and T-Mobile. Future operators include Sprint, Alltel, O2, Telefonica, SFR, Telecom New Zealand, Telstra, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile, and handset manufacturer Sony Ericsson is also mentioned.

It’s a pretty wide-ranging launch but Digital Chocolate has been working on this for a long time, and it covers found Trip Hawkins’ mantra that mobile games should be social and casual—in this case casual games have social results. Whether this will work won’t be known until later…"

From the site: (Not a direct link, ie its a flash site)

"What are DChoc Café Games?
DChoc Café games provide you a virtual café on your mobile phone where you can gather with friends to play the most popular games like Solitaire, Sudoku, Mahjong and Hold'em Poker! Customize a character to represent you and invite friends to join your café. Best of all, try any game before you buy it!"

Clown Co, NBCU and Peacock Equity

2007-08-07T08:53:00.000-05:00

NBC is out in front today with two stories. The first is a head to head about web video with Sab Kanaujia, vice president for digital product strategy at NBC Universal and Steven Starr, co-founder and chairman of Revver. The second is a somewhat strange interview with NBC Universal Chief Digital Officer George Kliavkoff.

From the WSJ:

Sab Kanaujia begins: Can independent creators make a living with Web video? I don't think they can in the short term. Current business models online are not attractive enough to make a living or leave your other day job.

Steven Starr responds: Well, it all depends how you define independent creators. Old school independent creators, used to Hollywood economics, should stay home. But successful independent online creators are seeing CPM and [cost-per-click] returns that can exceed $10,000 per month.

From Forbes:

"Will New Site be distributing any content through widgets?

New Site is working through that. It's certainly their right to do that, and there's no reason why they wouldn't want to do that.

NBC Universal and GE Commercial Finance launched a $250 million Peacock Equity Fund in April to invest in media and technology companies that are developing products of relevance to NBC. How does the fund fit with your overall strategy?

This is a way for us to seed digital businesses and to have an equity stake. Most of the time, we take an equity stake, we have an operating relationship as well. So it's a great way for us to play the field. We've announced three investments so far; we've made five. We think we're well on pace to distribute that $250 million over the two- to three-year life span that we expect it to last.

In January, NBC signed up with Qualcomm's MediaFlo platform to provide two channels of programming. Mobile video doesn't seem to drawing much in the way of traffic yet. What has to happen for that to change?

I generally think that underlying that is a larger issue with the way video content is distributed on cellphones in the United States. Today, it's a broken business model. If you look across most of the platforms on which premium content owners distribute their content, on almost every platform, the total gross dollars for the consumption of that content is shared in a way where the content owners, on the aggregate, get more than 50% of the gross dollars.

In this country, if you look at the gross revenue of content distribution on mobile phones, 9% of the gross revenue goes to content owners, 70% stays with the carriers and 21% goes to content aggregators and other middlemen. We think over time that that'll get fixed. I believe the carriers are like us, long-term greedy, not short-term greedy. There are two ways to get that fixed: either we do that in partnership with the carriers or we figure out ways to go around the carriers. We'd much prefer to do it in partnership with the carriers."

Lonelygirl15 finale: 12 in 12

2007-08-02T09:12:00.000-05:00

It seems like such a long time ago but I guess it was last summer.

From Mashable:

"the Season One finale of Lonelygirl15 (yes, there may be another series) will be debuted exclusively on MySpaceTV on Friday, August 3rd.

But wait, there’s more: this “12 In 12″ event means 12 LonelyGirl15 segments run at a rate of one per hour for 12 consecutive hours.

Beginning 8am Friday, you can start watching the segments, with another one coming down the drip-feed each hour of the day.

Each segment is only 1 to 4 minutes in length, meaning you’ll need to find something else to do for the other 56 minutes of each hour - no doubt MySpaceTV hopes you’ll stick around and view other clips."

22 megahertz of "open access"

2007-08-01T08:15:00.000-05:00

Well we were waiting all day for the news but it came over the wires around 6 last night. The FCC approved "open access" for part of the spectrum. Some say its kind of a win for Google but AT&T is keeping its own spin positive.

From Reuters:

"The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday voted to shake up the wireless market by approving a set of ground-rules for a big airwaves auction that would require the winner to make them accessible to any cell phone, device or application.

The access requirement would apply to 22 megahertz of the 62 MHz of spectrum to be sold. The FCC suggested a $4.6 billion minimum price for the 22 MHz block of airwaves. If that price is not reached, the airwaves would be auctioned again, but without the access requirement, according to the agency."

Kevin Martin's statement (via MocoNews)

Chairman Kevin Martin: I am committed to ensuring that the fruits of wireless innovation swiftly pass into the hand of consumers.

Currently, American consumers are too often asked to throw away their old phones and buy new ones if they want to switch cell phone carriers. And when they buy that new phone, it is the wireless provider, not the consumer, who chooses what applications the consumer will be allowed to use on that new handset…

A network that is more open to devices and applications can help foster innovation on the edges of the network...We will ensure these open platform rules are implemented, through significant enforcement mechanisms that place the burden on the licensee to demonstrate their compliance and that their policies are fair and reasonable.

Interested parties respond (via GigaOM)

Google: “The FCC took real but incomplete progress this afternoon,” said Rick Whitt, Google’s lead policy exec, in a conference call Tuesday afternoon, lauding the openness conditions but lamenting the omission of rules enforcing wholesale access to the spectrum. When asked if Google would still bid on the spectrum, Whitt said Google “didn’t say it wouldn’t,” meaning that Google will make that decision at a later date.

Frontline: “The FCC [vote] did not make it impossible for us, but they did make it clear that they weren’t going to use [the auction rules] to alter the importance of Verizon and AT&T,” Hundt said. Hundt’s take is that since the rules do allow for a bidder to construct a private-public partnership for public-safety buildout, there is still a chance for ideas like Frontline’s to succeed, but only if tech companies who agree with its goals stop “acting like warring Scottish clans” and instead band together more closely in their efforts.

AT&T: Though we have not yet seen the details of today’s decision on the 700 MHz spectrum auction, the FCC appears to have struck a reasonable balance between the competing interests debating the Google Plan. As we’ve previously noted, if Google is serious about introducing a competing business model into the wireless industry, Chairman Martin’s compromise plan allows them to bid in the auction, win the spectrum, and then implement every one of the conditions they seek. We commend the FCC for adopting this approach rather than stacking the deck in Google’s favor.

The Power Grid: its fundamental

2007-07-25T13:57:00.001-05:00

GigaOM takes a look at the aftermath of the big power outage in SF and notices some frightening issues.

From GigaOM:

"The seemingly invincible web services (not to mention the notional wealth they signify) vanish with a blink of the eye. It was also a reminder, that all the hoopla around web services is just noise - for in the end the hardware, the plumbing, the pipes and more importantly, the power grid is the real show.

According to North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) there has been a 50% decline in the capital expenditures by utilities over the last 15 years. The underground cables are crumbling.

The reliable data center/colo facilities have been a distinct advantage for US start-ups, especially the Web 2.0 start-ups. And yet we continue to bet our future on this creaky house of cards. That’s like building a Taj Mahal on quick sand. And that is one sinking feeling - the same one I got in the 100 odd seconds I found myself stuck in the elevator to nowhere this afternoon."

Wondering how long the power would stay on if zombies attacked? I thought so.

From Straight Dope:

"The North American power grid is a classic illustration of a chain being only as strong as its weakest link. As we saw during the blackout of August 2003, a relatively minor event or series of events can, under the right circumstances, bring down large portions of the whole system.

During the August blackout, despite massive non-zombified human intervention, enough parts of the system failed to result in the loss of more than 265 power plants and 508 generating units within a few hours.

As bad as the blackout was, without human intervention to shut down plants safely, balance load, transfer power to different lines, and disconnect salvageable chunks of the system from those that had totally collapsed, it could have been much worse. Quick intervention allowed isolated "islands" of power to remain in service – one large island in western New York supplied nearly 6,000 megawatts and was used to restart the power grid days later. But without humans working to isolate it, that island would not have been formed in the first place.

Bottom line? My guess is that within 4-6 hours there would be scattered blackouts and brownouts in numerous areas, within 12 hours much of the system would be unstable, and within 24 hours most portions of the United States and Canada, aside from a rare island of service in a rural area near a hydroelectric source, would be without power. Some installations served by wind farms and solar might continue, but they would be very small. By the end of a week, I'd be surprised if more than a few abandoned sites were still supplying power."

Well, what about the gird itself? Is Om right about a house of cards?

From IGN:

"On average, the grid age in the U.S. is about 50 years. Most of the equipment has an expected life of 30-45 years. And very little has been spent in the last 20-30 years. Between 1975-1999, Transmission spending declined, only inflecting in 2003, post-blackout."

Wow - that's old! So, how come there is not more spending on such a fundamental resource?

From the EIR:

"Then in 2005, the treasonous action of Congress and the Bush Administration opened the flood-gates for still bigger mega-mergers of utilities: They repealed the 1935 Public Utilities Holding Company Act (PUHCA), just as Vice President Cheney's energy task force had demanded.

North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) spokesman Stan Johnson reports "a 50% reduction in capital expenditures by utilities" over the last 15 years, especially in new transmission lines. He pointed to the deregulation climate in the industry as the culprit.

Under deregulation, Con Ed's own power generating capacity was sold off during 1996-2000 as follows: 2,200 megawatts to KeySpan Energy Corp.; 1,615 megawatts to Orion Power Holdings; 1,450 megawatts to NRB Energy, Inc.; and 1,200 megawatts, including nuclear plants, to the New York State Power Authority (which, in turn, sold them to Entergy in 2002). Con Ed retains only a 7,100-megawatt capacity.

Con Ed did make $500 million in repairs to the distribution system in 1995-99. Then, after a large electric rate increase in 2000, the company made a $400 million investment in 2001, with a few small expenditures since. Over ten years, this is a pittance for the country's largest distribution system. Its capacity, at 7,100 megawatts, is 1,000 megawatts less than it was 30 years ago."

NBC: digital local content

2007-07-25T13:39:00.000-05:00

NBC's new O&O guy says digital content for local TV stations needs to focus on local. John highlights the need for "local portals" and hopes to have "laser beams" in a bid to become the "Diet Coke" of "local content": just one calorie, not local enough.

From Broadcast & Cable:

"John Wallace, the new president of the NBC owned and operated stations, is urging his general managers to put as much of a local stamp on their product as possible. "You’ll see a big change in the focus on local, in terms of our digital strategy," he says. "It's our intent to have a bigger presence in niche communities and get away from general news."

Wallace stressed the significance of "local portals" on the Web that cover topics such as health, entertainment and sports on an ultra-local level.

"There are a lot of unique qualities in each marketplace," Wallace says. "There’ll be a very different look and feel to how we present content in that marketplace. There’ll be major reliance on [general managers’] local expertise."

Wallace also vowed to make mobile distribution more of a priority. He promised to forge ahead with equal parts caution and ambition: "We’ll move at the right pace, but we’ll take some big swings too."

Second Life: racing towards the deadpool

2007-07-25T13:24:00.001-05:00

In a Wired smackdown, Second Life viewed as a worthless investment for brands.

From Wired:

"Many places you go, there's still nobody there," he (Micheal Donnelly, worldwide head of interactive marketing at Coca-Cola) concedes. That's certainly the case with Coke's Virtual Thirst pavilion, where you can long linger without encountering another avatar. "But my job is to invest in things that have never been done before. So Second Life was an obvious decision."

Ever since BusinessWeek ran a breathless cover story titled "My Virtual Life" more than a year ago, reporters have been heralding Second Life as the here-and-now incarnation of the fictional Metaverse that Neal Stephenson conjured up 15 years ago in Snow Crash. (Wired created a 12-page "Travel Guide" last fall.) Unfortunately, the reality doesn't justify the excitement.

You might wonder what Coke is doing in such a place. "It had a lot to do with hype," admits Michael Donnelly.

"Companies say, 'It's an experiment' — but what are they learning?" Tobaccowala asks. "Basically, they're learning how to create an avatar and walk around in Second Life." Which is fine if that's what you want to do. Just don't expect to sell a lot of Coke."

Joost: 1 million beta users

2007-07-25T09:28:00.000-05:00

Joost has 1 million beta users and will launch by the end of the year.

From the APC:

"Joost, the peer-to-peer TV sharing application from the inventors of Skype and Kazaa, has signed up more than a million beta testers and is on track for an end-of-year launch, its co-creator has revealed.

"The plan is that the service will be fully launched later this year," he added, though he declined to specify an exact date. As Joost's user base grows, ensuring speedy delivery of content will become a greater challenge."

Open Mobile Video Coalition doubles membership

2007-07-25T09:17:00.000-05:00

The OMVC adds a number of new members: Cox Television, The Dispatch Broadcast Group, Freedom Broadcasting, LIN TV Group, Meredith Corp., Media General, Post-Newsweek Stations, Raycom Media, Schurz Communications, and the Association of Public Television Stations.

Hilarity ensues.

From the OMVC mission:

"To accelerate the development of mobile digital broadcast television, and capture the full potential of the digital television spectrum in the United States. The coalition will help identify and encourage broad adoption of technologies that enable mobile reception of digital broadcast television signals, so that consumers can watch television wherever and whenever they want, not just in the home.

From MocoNews:

"The additional 10 new members bring OMVC’s membership to 19 and increase the number of TV stations represented in the group from 281 to 422. Lots of verbiage about what they’re proposing and their naive hopes."

From the press release:

"The group has established a timeline that calls for parallel development of standards, devices and business models with the goal of a 2009 launch. With that goal in mind, the group has also launched two test markets in Tampa, Fla., and Washington, D.C. The Coalition has received significant interest from hardware and transmission manufacturing communities and continues to plan active dialogues regarding opportunities in the second half of 2007.

Estimates for 2007 U.S. sales of portable and mobile devices capable of video playback run as high as 100 million units. These include sales of video-capable mobile phones, personal media players, portable game players, imaging devices, notebook PCs, and in-car entertainment devices. With the addition of a low-cost receiver module, each of these devices could be built to receive DTV broadcasts from any of the 1,600 digital television stations in the U.S. that choose to transmit mobile capable signals. DTV spectrum is ideally suited for mobile video. It supports good picture quality, reliable reception inside buildings and on fast-moving vehicles, all using antennas small enough to fit in almost any portable device.

The Coalition's work will include promoting development of technical standards; defining technical objectives and requirements of broadcasters; accelerating the development of new technology, solutions and content; driving regulatory support and promoting consumer adoption of mobile digital broadcast television. Membership in the coalition is open to all U.S.-based television broadcast stations."

UGO acquired by Hearst

2007-07-24T09:36:00.000-05:00

Hot off the rumor mill.

From Techcrunch:

"We got a tip earlier this evening that Hearst acquired New-York based UGO and will announce the deal tomorrow. It sounds like Forbes got a tip as well, and a better one: they’re saying the price should be around $100 million. UGO is a popular new media site that was founded in 1997 and, according to Forbes, is generating around $30 million/year in revenue.

They spring up in rumors often as a company that makes the rounds trying to sell itself, and a lot of companies have passed on them, at this price. The company has raised $82 million in capital."

From the site:

"UGO Networks is the ultimate online entertainment playground for people with “Gamer DNA.” UGO engages its massive audience with interactive content and information about the hottest games, movies, TV shows, music, comics, technology, sports and celebrities. Attracting a young, predominantly male demographic, UGO reaches 11 million monthly unique U.S. visitors and over 28 million worldwide, consistently placing among Nielsen//Netratings’ Top 10 multi-category entertainment properties. The company delivers customized, high impact advertising programs for its world-class client base."

From Forbes:

"Moses has been trying to sell his company for more than two years. Just about every media giant out there has taken a look at the deal, and then taken a pass. The nine-year-old company has 82 employees and brings in some $30 million in revenue and an estimated $6 million in EBITDA. A nice little company, to be sure, but let’s put that into context. MySpace, which aims for a similar audience, is expected to bring in $1 billion in revenue this year. And it’s three-and-a-half years old.

Kenneth Bronfin, president of Hearst Interactive Media, said he plans to retain both Moses and McCracken, and allow them to run the company as a separate entity. Bronfin will also consider more acquisitions to help build out the UGO property. Areas for growth include user-generated content (UGO still gets all its content from full-time employees and paid freelancers) and video."

From Reuters:

"There's a lot of focus on entertainment, whether new movies or DVDs," Hearst Interactive President Kenneth Bronfin told Reuters. "We're appealing to this demographic by what they love to do on the Internet."

"This is the first operating division within my group and we will help to grow it and do additional acquisitions," he said."

Modeo Deadpool

2007-07-24T09:27:00.000-05:00

And then there was one (more or less.)

From GigaOM:

" Qualcomm is now the defacto winner of the mobile TV race in the US, thanks to its ability to partner-up with right wireless carriers - AT&T and Verizon - for its MediaFLO multimedia wireless network. Those deals sealed the fate of Crown Castle’s mobile TV effort, Modeo, that used the rival DVB-H technology.

The wireless tower owner has thrown in the towel, and instead of building its own network (via Modeo), it is going to rent the spectrum to a joint venture between Telcom Ventures and Columbia Capital for about $13 million."

700MHz Shootout: AT&T vs. Google

2007-07-23T12:13:00.000-05:00

Things are still heating up in the 700MHZ wars. You probably had a hard time getting through the weekend wondering what AT&T would say about Schmidt's letter.

From Techcrunch:

"CEO Eric Schmidt sent a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin stating that they would commit to bid at least $4.6 billion in the auctions if four key platform rules are adopted. These rules will define what types of services the winner could offer, and would require third party access to the bandwidth:

Open applications: Consumers should be able to download and utilize any software applications, content, or services they desire;
Open devices: Consumers should be able to utilize a handheld communications device with whatever wireless network they prefer;
Open services: Third parties (resellers) should be able to acquire wireless services from a 700 MHz licensee on a wholesale basis, based on reasonably nondiscriminatory commercial terms; and
Open networks: Third parties (like internet service providers) should be able to interconnect at any technically feasible point in a 700 MHz licensee’s wireless network.

From GigaOM:

"Jim Cicconi, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President, External and Legislative Affairs in a written statement emailed to us said:

Not satisfied with a compromise proposal from Chairman Martin that meets most of its conditions, Google has now delivered an all or nothing ultimatum to the U.S. Government, insisting that every single one of their conditions “must” be met or they will not participate in the spectrum auction. Google is demanding the Government stack the deck in its favor, limit competing bids, and effectively force wireless carriers to alter their business models to Google’s liking. We would repeat that Google should put up or shut up— they can bid and enter the wireless market with any business model they prefer, then let consumers decide which model they like best."

Industry opinions:

TechCrunch: "The FCC has competing goals of maximizing revenue from the auction (suggesting less regulation) and protecting the public (suggesting more rules to force competition). Having open access requirements like those suggested by Google will spur competition and grow an economy around this spectrum. It will also put commercial pressure on mobile operators and broadband companies to reduce the restrictions they have on current broadband and mobile services.

GigaOM: "While the sheer historical inertia of the telcos’ lobbying influence may win them the first round of the 700 MHz fight, Google is quickly catching on to the lobbying game, even holding mashup-type camp sessions to show legislators how to join the Internet age. With his letter to the FCC, Schmidt has moved the 700 MHz argument past the “regulation will limit the incentive to invest in new networks” bromide and is instead asking out loud whether the U.S. wants networks that are old and busted, or the new hotness."

Terry Heaton: "As the leader in the open internet world, Google stands to benefit in a purely open wireless world, but so will we all. Big or small, a level field of play will mean an explosion of creativity and applications that we can’t even imagine today. Just look at what has taken place in the 802.11 spectrum (Wi-Fi) since the FCC made that truly open. From your cordless phone to your home wireless network to hotspots in various public and private locations, all are there using “free” spectrum. "

Mike Cassidy loves Clown Co.

2007-07-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

In a breathless review of, well, of not much of anything, Video Insider's Mike Cassidy predicts great success for Clown Co.

From Insider Video:

"It appears as though the company is starting out right by selecting a digital executive to lead it. Jason Kilar has a good reputation and appears to be a wise selection. The management behind this venture knows they need fresh and creative thinking, and that starts with leadership that comes from the online world.

When the joint venture was first announced I commented that this was exactly what the industry needed to jumpstart the online video marketplace.

My advice to the soon-to-be named venture is to learn from the past but focus on the future. Leverage your media parents’ assets and capabilities, but be nimble, dynamic and act like an Internet start-up that has just received its first few million in financing. Be aggressive and outspoken and come to market with lots of new and unique video sponsorships ideas, especially for all those pre-roll naysayers. If you do, I think this company can be the most significant player in online video in 2008 and beyond."

Sprite Yard...wtf?

2007-07-12T12:05:00.000-05:00

Mobile Insider takes a look at Sprite Yard and comes away confused.

From Mobile Insider:

"But this branded Sprite project The Yard has me pretty much befuddled. I can’t figure out what I am supposed to be doing here — let alone why I am here. One rarely sees such a terrific misfire.

The mobile site is supposed to be a kind of social network tied to the Sprite brand. Unless I am missing something, the only brand association I am getting here is GREEN. Oh, and YELLOW. There are green and yellow patches here and there, so I guess that means I am in SpriteWorld. Why Sprite would be sponsoring a social network is not at all clear. Is there a groundswell of Sprite spirit out there that I missed? Is there some special brand identification at work that I am too old to appreciate?

Even if there is some special Sprite mojo out there I am not detecting, The Yard does nothing to tell me what it is. In fact, the site designers built an inhospitable wall around the place. I had to suffer so many questions to register, bite my lip through so many error messages and poorly highlighted form boxes to fill in, that I was in a surly mood once I got into Sprite’s Yard.

I have been behaviorally modified to believe that in most instances I am the one who is clueless. But so far as I can see in Sprite’s Yard, there is no compelling branding message or affinity to social networking. There is no obvious reward for my activities. Whatever social network that is here has no real character or means of differentiating individuals from one another. There is no entertainment value to it. It isn’t clever and the social networking tools are in no way unique. And I can’t see how the site is offering me any convenience or tools I can’t get elsewhere on my phone."

Got a minute for Bud.tv?

2007-07-12T10:56:00.000-05:00

Bud.tv sends out email survey.

From the survey:

What did you think of the “Swear Jar” video featured on bud.TV?
If you had to pick only one of the following types of videos to see more of on bud.TV, which would you choose?
Would you like to be able to connect / chat / comment / share stuff with other bud.TV members within the site?
Have you ever shared bud.TV to family and/or friends (mentioned it, shown it to them, shared a video)?

WeShow launches

2007-07-12T09:57:00.000-05:00

Backed by some hitters, WeShow launches today.

From TechCrunch:

"WeShow is not the first site of its type, but it does launch with strong backing. Investors include The Pilot Group (owned and managed by Bob Pittman, father of MTV and ex-COO of AOL Time Warner) and Bill Sahlman (Harvard Business School vice-dean and professor of entrepreneurship). The amount of funding has not been previously disclosed but is believed to be around $5-7million.

WeShow brings an editorial approach to selecting and organizing the best online videos available from sites such as YouTube, DailyMotion, Metacafe, Google Video and others. The site also offers the monthly “WeShow Awards,” billed as the “world’s biggest online video contest” where users get to vote on content from each country WeShow has a local version for (US, UK and Brazil). WeShow TV rounds out the offering by providing a review style show featuring some “of the world’s best videos.”

From the site:

"Despite estimates that an astounding 126 million people in the US alone view online videos each month, a majority of consumers are dissatisfied with their video experience online. A survey released today by Kelton Research has found that most of these viewers are lost, frustrated and overwhelmed by online video chaos. Officially launching and available today in North America, the United Kingdom and Brazil, WeShow (www.WeShow.com) has created a human-powered guide to organize the chaos and provide a convenient, easy-to-navigate view of high quality videos from around the world.

The June survey results from Kelton Research demonstrate that while there is much hype about online video, the lack of quality, organization and entertainment value threatens to prevent many people from actively participating in the online video revolution. Among the key findings of the survey:

I am overwhelmed by too many videos - More than 60 percent of Americans feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of online videos and 46 percent of these people do not watch more online videos because they dread the task of weeding through too many search results.
I know what I want but can't find it - 96 percent of Americans cannot find the videos they are looking for when initially conducting a search for specific content.
I'll watch online video ONLY when someone directs me - 45 percent of people only view videos when they are recommended by a friend or colleague. These people are not utilizing online video as a primary entertainment source.

WeShow will provide an alternative to online video chaos and provide a rich entertainment experience - inviting even the most overwhelmed, time-constrained and web-averse viewers to participate in the online video movement. The entertainment site thrives off the ever-expanding number of videos and online video sites - uniquely utilizing a staff of content experts to identify, filter and organize the best online videos across 200 channels, eliminating the need to spend hours searching for quality clips."

Tribune's local sites: Metromix

2007-07-11T12:23:00.001-05:00

More local websites from traditional media.

From Lost Remote:

"Tribune just took the wraps off LosAngeles.Metromix.com, a “fresh and dynamic new site for young and socially active Angelenos looking for the latest in pop culture, local trends and the newest spots to hit on the scene.” New York is next, and Tribune plans to roll out similar sites across all of its newspaper markets. You may recognize the Metromix brand — it launched in Chicago a decade ago, and Metromix sites already exist in Orlando and Baltimore."

From the press release:

“Our database is deep and current, with nearly 7,000 listings for LA restaurants, bars and clubs, as well as reviews, features, neighborhood guides, trend pieces, blogs and video tours,” said Deborah Vankin. “We have an incredible team of writers-editors who not only know the scene, but are very much of it and will provide true insider coverage — on everything from underground art events to off-the-radar sample sales to how best to get past the ubiquitous velvet rope."

"Metromix is an exciting, new online addition to our portfolio of products, directly engaging younger users and local advertisers in a targeted way," said Robertson Barrett, general manager of latimes.com and vice president of the Los Angeles Times Media Group. "With this launch, we're bringing L.A. an intuitive search engine and great writing by some of the best young talent in town."

Google's thoughts on 700MHz

2007-07-11T11:06:00.000-05:00

This is a big deal.

From Google Public Policy:

"Too much is at stake for the federal government to let that happen. Late yesterday, we filed a letter urging the FCC to take concrete steps to make sure that regardless of who wins the spectrum at auction, consumers’ interests are best served. We believe that the winning bidders should be required to adhere to enforceable rules that require the adoption of four types of "open" platforms:

Open applications: consumers should be able to download and utilize any software applications, content, or services they desire;
Open devices: consumers should be able to utilize a handheld communications device with whatever wireless network they prefer;
Open services: third parties (resellers) should be able to acquire wireless services from a 700 MHz licensee on a wholesale basis, based on reasonably nondiscriminatory commercial terms; and
Open networks: third parties (like internet service providers) should be able to interconnect at a technically feasible point in a 700 MHz licensee's wireless network.

We believe that adopting these four license conditions collectively will encourage prospective broadband companies to participate in the auction, and be able to bid successfully for the available spectrum. Not only are new entrants more likely to embrace an ethos of openness, but additional forms of competition will emerge from web-based entities, such as software applications providers, content providers, handset makers, and ISPs. And consumers ultimately will come out ahead in that rich and vibrant broadband environment."

From Daily Wireless:

"Martin may be giving a bone to Frontline for 10 Mhz (+12Mhz of public safety spectrum) for a shared public/private partnerships. But let’s be realistic — more than half the valuable real estate is not addressed by this proposal. It enables Verizon to buy into the Upper 700 MHz while leaving the lower 700 Mz band (with 30 MHz) largely unregulated and unrestricted.

What’s going to happen to it?

Some 60 Mhz of 700 MHz will be auctioned off early in 2008. Cellular companies may get the lion’s share, anyway. That’s because the lower 700 MHz band is also home to Qualcomm’s proprietary MediaFLO. It blasts out a 50,000 watt broadcast signal to mobile phones. A 100 mW two-way radio on an adjoining frequency is going to be drown out. It’s no good for two-way communications.

Block “E” (Channel 56) adjoins MediaFLO (on Channel 55). Verizon may pick that up. Block “A” and Block “C”, although they are composed of two, 6 MHz channels, ajoin the powerful broadcast blocks of channel 55 and 56. That makes them less than ideal for two-way communications. Robert Townsend’s Aloha Partners has already picked up most of the spectrum on block “C”, buying up hundreds of regional licenses. What does that leave for effective two-way communications? Block “B”.

Could 2×6 MHz (on Block “B”), using 6 regional licenses to create a nation-wide wireless broadband network, be a competitive threat to Verizon? I don’t think so. It’s a rural play. A 700 MHz urban tower would be swamped. Verizon might get RUS funding to supply “closed” access on that piece of spectrum - with their own mobile television channel on Channel 56."

Google's Socialstream

2007-07-10T15:52:00.000-05:00

Google comes to the table with a social networks aggregator.

From the site:

"Socialstream is the result of a Google-sponsored capstone project in the Master's program at Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute. This project was guided by three goals that built upon each other:

Initial Task: Rethink and reinvent online social networking

Refined Focus: Discover the user needs related to social networking and explore how a unified social network service can enhance their experience.

Prototype Goal: Create a system for users to seamlessly share, view, and respond to many types of social content across multiple networks."

From The Red Herring:

"It is unclear how a Google-backed social network aggregator would grab content from other social networks. In theory this could steal page views from other social-networking sites, such as MySpace, and Facebook. It’s unclear how—or if—other competing social networks would provide their content to a Google social network.

“All participating sites would simply share information through it,” the Socialstream web site reads. “While the centralization of social information would enhance all applications that use it, the [unified social network’s] own interface would be very simple, perhaps only focusing on preferences and privacy controls that applied everywhere.”

The idea of an aggregated social network is a solution to the problem of avid web users who have signed up for a variety of social-networking sites—from MySpace and Facebook to LinkedIn and Flickr—and cannot keep track of them all."

WKRN Supernova

2007-07-09T14:52:00.000-05:00

WKRN was a stand out in the local TV world for incorporating blogs and other online features. Too bad it didn't last. When/if Terry posts about it I will add.

From Broadcast & Cable:

"The often fractious relationship between Old and New Media has been on display at WKRN Nashville, an ABC affiliate owned by Young Broadcasting. The station’s efforts to modernize its newsgathering and connect with viewers online have garnered widespread praise. But the recent departures of several architects of that strategy have thrown into question the station’s commitment to digital innovation for the future.

WKRN began in the past few years to demonstrate a nimble, progressive approach to the new-media landscape. Under the leadership of President/General Manager Mike Sechrist, the station worked with video journalist (VJ) guru Michael Rosenblum to train reporters to produce and edit their stories with lightweight digital gear.

In February, the station launched NashvilleisTalking.com, an aggregation of Web logs that tapped the insights of numerous independent bloggers in the Nashville market. Staffers, including Sechrist, blogged regularly on topics ranging from sports to weather to the news business itself.

“The people who ran WKRN were really smart and did it on a shoestring budget,” says Gordon Borrell, CEO of media-research firm Borrell Associates, which has consulted for WKRN. “They did it without permission from Young and built something great.”

“There seems to be a real rub between those running interactive operations and the big traditional media companies,” says Borrell, “and [the media companies’] inability to move fast enough to satisfy those people.”

And while some insist the turnover at WKRN isn’t extraordinary for a middling station, others suggest there was a philosophical clash between Sechrist and Co. and their corporate bosses at Young.

Says one news veteran who asked not to be named, “They tried something new, it didn’t seem to have an immediate payoff, and they agreed to go their separate ways.”

Hyperlocal Deadpool: Backfence

2007-07-09T13:58:00.000-05:00

Hyperlocal takes a hit with the closing of Backfence. Lot's of people have opinions.

From American Journalism Review:

"The idea of virtual town squares seemed so promising that within months Potts (a veteran reporter and editor at the Washington Post and cofounder of its digital division) and DeFife (founder and chief executive of Womenconnect.com for women in business) had attracted $3 million from two venture capital firms, including one headed by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.

The money funded an expansion program that would have made Starbucks proud (see "Dotcom Bloom," June/July 2005). By early 2007, Backfence had grown to 13 sites serving towns around Washington, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay area. The partners began talking about creating as many as 160 sites in 16 markets.

And then? And then the bottom dropped out. Backfence's rapid expansion burned up its $3 million war chest. The partners have split; Backfence's staff, which once numbered as many as 25, was laid off. The company's online communities are largely ghost towns now. "We ran out of money," says a somewhat chastened Potts today. "And we ran out of runway."

From Jeff Jarvis:

"I think we need to look at local networks. No one can do it all. Newspapers can’t afford to cover everything. They never could but now they can afford to cover even less. TV and radio stations are covering next to nothing themselves; they have no idea how to get very local. New local ventures, as Backfence proves and Fahri points out, are finding it tough to do it themselves.

Individual bloggers don’t pretend to do it all and need help to get their stuff found and get revenue. And today there just isn’t enough stuff from all these players together to add up to a critical mass of coverage for almost every town and neighborhood in the country. We need more but we don’t yet know how to get it. I believe we can figure this out. But we have to try.

That, to me, is the state of hyperlocal. The work has barely begun.

I think we need a combination of platforms. Everything will not happen in one place; that is why, in my view, both newspaper local sites and independent, stand-alone ventures like Backfence haven’t worked. That is why lone bloggers have trouble making a business of it. They have to work together. They have to become networks that organize, enable, and monetize."

From Lost Remote:

"With 13 sites and $3 million in funding, Backfence is closing down due to two key problems 1) building a loyal user base without breaking the bank and 2) generating significant revenue among small-time advertisers.

Their founder still believes that the keys to success are keeping costs extremely low and bundling multiple sites around common regions.

But few if any sites have really succeeded to date: a study by the J-Lab found that only a handful of the estimated 500 hyperlocal news sites are making money. One of the success stories is Baristanet.com which covers the snazzy New York City suburbs of Montclair and Bloomfield in New Jersey. While the site is getting a ton of buzz, it only generated $60K last year — not enough for the two authors to quit their real jobs."

Bubblegeneration:

"In smaller towns, there just isn't enough supply or demand. Don't believe me? Check out the classifieds listings on most hyperlocal sites - they're updated very infrequently.

Put another way, there are network effects in cities - sometimes called urban economies - which can explode value creation. This is why most young people hate living in the burbs - it's relatively boring.

The numbers bear this out - there's just not enough news/classified/etc volume/reader (population, whatever) to make hyperlocal strategies work.

Now, lots of other stuff does happen in smaller towns - other kinds of interactions, like intense debate over the allocation of public goods, gossip, etc...these are avenues hyperlocal players should be exploring.

But for the typical news model, the deep economics don't - and I suspect can't - work."

From Terry Heaton:

"There are two big problems with most hyperlocal efforts.

One, we get hung up on content when content isn’t the problem. The question is how do you make money in a disintermediated, distributed media paradigm? Experiments in hyperlocal media don’t fail because of content; they fail, because they can’t deliver the promise of sustainable revenue. It is the advertising paradigm that’s the real problem, not how to make more or “hyperlocal” content that such advertising will support.

This is why I keep harping on organizing the local web and building databases of knowledge at the local level rather than trying to make another content play. Google (the hyperlocal winner) has proven that advertisers will pay a premium for actual business leads, but that has never been a part of mass marketing. How we put advertisers together with users is the key, and “news content” isn’t the only way to do that.

Two, in terms of building sites that appeal to “local” people, we simply cannot begin with revenue assumptions. In fact, I would argue that this guarantees business failure right out of the box, because the whole business of local advertising is evolving. How on earth can we create a business plan based on revenue when we don’t know what that revenue play will be? We simply must have the courage to move forward to build audience before we tackle monetizing that audience. If we do this, we’ll build things differently, because we’ll approach the process differently.

I believe strongly that niches are where it’s at downstream and that the long tail is the economic model for tomorrow’s media, so I very much like the “idea” of hyperlocal. But really, folks, Google is the hyperlocal model and their global mission ought to be our local mission — to organize our community’s information and make it universally accessible and useful."

Sharp dual mode chip for Mobile TV

2007-07-06T09:06:00.000-05:00

From the FT:

"Sharp, Japan’s leading mobile handset maker, is in negotiations with up to 30 European companies, including mobile phone operators, to supply its dual-mode tuner chip for television-equipped mobile phones.

Demand for TV-equipped mobile phones is forecast to grow ten-fold in the next five years, and their usage is widespread in Japan, South Korea and parts of Europe.

Until now, competing standards in different countries have made it impossible to receive digital TV broadcasts on a single phone in more than one country.

However, Sharp’s chip is capable of receiving terrestrial digital broadcasts in the US and Europe.

The mobile TV market is expected to reach 12m units in 2007 and 130m units by 2011 at a compounded annual growth rate of 67 per cent, according to Strategic Analytics, the market research firm."

From the company announcement:

"Major Features

Capable of receiving both DVB-H and T-DMB broadcasts, a world first
Industry's lowest power consumption (43 mW)
Compact, thin-profile package size (8.0 x 8.0 x 1.25 mm)"

From Slashphone:

"The tuner module is designed to be embedded in mobile devices, mainly mobile phones. Hence, manufacturers are strongly demanding compact size, thin form factor, and low power consumption in this key component."

NBBC: parts and pieces to Clown Co.

2007-07-05T12:50:00.000-05:00

From beta launch to dead pool in 10 months.

From TechCrunch:

"The remains of NBBC will be merged into the NBC/ News Corp joint venture first announced in March.

The new service, dubbed Clown Co by some has long been discussed but to date is yet to appear. Strangely, News Corp recently launched MySpace TV, a YouTube competitor in its own right that will compete directly with the NBC/ News Corp joint venture.

In an interview with MediaPost, George Kliavkoff, NBCU’s chief digital officer justified the closure of NBBC as a step towards strengthening the NBC/ News Corp joint venture : “we saw that “NewSite” could use NBBC’s resources, so last Friday afternoon we agreed to contribute it to the NewSite effort.”

The closure of NBBC and the transfer of IP and talent does not extend to existing agreements. Over 150 partners of NBBC, including Hearst, A&E Television Networks, The Horror Channel, Vibe Media Group, CNET Networks and Forbes.com will be required to negotiate new contracts with the new service."

Internal memo to content "partners" via Lost Remote:

"As part of our contribution, nbbc must sever all on-going business relationships in preparation for the merger. Therefore, this note serves as your 30-day notice of service termination with nbbc. NewSite is an independent operating entity and may reach out to you to explore potential business partnerships."

From TechCrunch comments:

"I’ve been consulting with NBBC. It’s kind of a nightmare being in the meetings. None of the senior executive team have any clue as to how to build a video portal, or how to build a cohesive development team. None of them have a clear vision - its ridiculous. They expect to compete with the likes of Youtube and Google, and there is much talk of building the killer experience, yet they can’t even put out a ’standard’ product that just works."

Coke frees trademark in Second Life

2007-07-02T14:09:00.000-05:00

In an interview with Rebang, David Vanderpoel talks about the company's decision to allow its trademark it be (mostly) freely used in Second Life.

From Rebang:

"After I’d read the secondhand report that Coca-Cola had “released” their trademark, I immediately got to thinking that a) there was no official guidance, and b) even I wouldn’t unconditionally release a trademark.

So I contacted C.C. Chapman who put me through to Vanderpoel. And I’ve got one thing to say: I’m impressed.

First off, my understanding from our conversation is that no one should expect any official guidance from Coca-Cola. Additionally, I was informed that Coca-Cola simply doesn’t want an intermediary policing their brand for them. Nor do they want to interfere with the in-world economy when people are using their brand in ways that do not adversely impact them.

Okay. So that part makes good, reasonable sense to me. But there’s more.

For those people who feel the need to use the Coca-Cola trade dress in ways that are detrimental to the brand’s reputation, Coca-Cola is more interested in establishing a dialog to help them understand why people want to attack them in the first place than they are in trying to stop them.

This is by far the smartest position I’ve seen a company take lately."

David is actually at North Highland Consulting, but is a project lead for Coke in Second Life. In the past Coke has not been a real industry leader in the interactive space. Sure, they were big and there but things just didn't go so well much of the time.

Maybe people like David and Tom are going to change all of that!

Prom Queen on Amazon

2007-06-29T09:26:00.000-05:00

The long tail of webisodes.

From Variety:

"The Web series has been repurposed as a full-length feature and will be offered for download exclusively on Unbox, Amazon.com's digital download service, beginning today.

The 90-second installments aired on MySpace, Veoh, YouTube and other vidsites. Last episode bowed June 20.

Online series has generated 15 million downloads since April, Vuguru said.

Film version runs around 130 minutes and will be exclusive to Amazon Unbox for the next 30 days.

Unbox offers more than 10,000 TV shows, movies and other video content for rent or purchase. The videos can be viewed via PC or TV through Unbox's deal with TiVo.

Amazon is offering up "Prom Queen" for $10 to own and $4 to rent for 30 days.

"The wonderful thing about producing in the new-media landscape is that fans can reach shows like 'Prom Queen' on a number of platforms," Eisner said. "Amazon Unbox gives shows like 'Prom Queen' longevity and serves as a new mass medium and unique way for the show's followers to watch."

Mobile banking: its a matter of when

2007-06-29T08:39:00.000-05:00

Mobile banking in the US is as behind as many of the other mobile services many countries enjoy (go ahead and add broadband to the list.) Still several major banks are moving forward.

From CNBC:

"Like regular online banking, the mobile service allows consumers to transfer funds, check balances, make bill payments, and look up branch locations from their mobile devices.

Though still in its infancy, banks are hoping the mobile service will catch on with consumers. Dan Schatt, a senior analyst at Celent, says banks see it as a way to keep customers and “generate more payment revenue down the line” as people get more comfortable with using mobile devices for their finances.

"The more services" the banks offer, says Asaf Buchner an analyst at JupiterResearch, "the less likely you are to quit your bank entirely."

Citi Mobile, which was launched last month, is a downloadable application. Customers need to log on to citi.com/citimobile on their computers and download Citi Mobile to their cell phones. The application then resides on the phone anytime you want to access your accounts.

Celent predicts that by the end of 2010, 35% of all online banking households will be using mobile banking.

"It's not a matter of if" mobile banking will take off, says Bob Egan, chief analyst at TowerGroup, "it's a matter of when."

MySpace TV

2007-06-28T13:26:00.000-05:00

In a bid to compete with Youtube, MySpace announces plans for MySpace TV.

From Adweek:

"News Corp.'s MySpace will launch an enhanced beta version of its video site this week designed to compete with Google's YouTube.

"This is the next step in the evolution of video on MySpace," said Jeff Berman, gm of video at MySpace. "This is just the tip of the iceberg."

MySpaceTV will be an upgrade to the social networking giant's current video site, which launched two years ago, and, according to comScore Media Metrix, is currently second to YouTube in the video destination category. The new site will showcase premium content like the Sony Minisodes, which debuted on MySpace last week and features five-minute versions of classic television shows, alongside user-generated content and more polished Internet video offerings like the recently concluded Prom Queen, from Michael Eisner's Vuguru company.

"It's going to be a broad and healthy mix just as users like to watch," said Berman. "It's really going to span the full continuum of the content curve."

150 online video tools

2007-06-28T13:25:00.000-05:00

The good folks at Mashable have a list, a big list.

From Mashable:

"Online video is a huge trend - so huge that’s it’s proving hard to keep track. From video sharing sites to video mixers, mashups and converters, we’ve brought together more than 150 of our favorite sites in this category. Enjoy."

ClownCo gets a leader: already worth $1 billion!

2007-06-28T13:05:00.000-05:00

The not-yet-named joint venture between NBC and News Corp has named a leader.

From Lost Remote:

"Former Amazon.com senior VP, Jason Kilar has been named to head up the video joint venture organized by NBCU and News Corp. Kilar had written up the business plan for Amazon’s entry into the video and DVD business. A name for the joint venture has yet to be announced, and NBCU and News Corp. still say the launch is planned for this summer."

From NewTeeVee:

"But the company, which still doesn’t have a name, is making the rounds meeting venture capitalists, and private equity people trying to raise $100 million on a valuation of about $1 billion. Multiple sources both in New York and Silicon Valley have confirmed NewCo’s attempts to raise cash. PaidContent had reported on this last month, and since then things haven’t changed much."

Microsoft's olive branch to Hollywood

2007-06-28T09:56:00.000-05:00

PaidContent points to a recent MSFT hire that shows renewed signs of bridge building to Hollywood.

From Variety:

"Wall Street media and entertainment analyst Kathy Styponias is going to Microsoft, where she will lead the business development team that forges partnerships with Hollywood.

Styponias, who worked for the past 12 years as the senior cable, entertainment and satellite equity analyst at Prudential Securities, is taking up the newly created post of general manager in the tech giant's media and entertainment group. She reports to Blair Westlake, corporate VP in charge of the group.

She will lead a team focused primarily on acquiring content for Microsoft's growing suite of digital media services, including Xbox Live and Zune.

By hiring Styponias, who is well known among media execs, Microsoft is signaling a renewed investment in its relationships with content providers, just as it did when former Universal Television chairman Westlake came over in 2004."

From the press release:

"I've known Kathy for more than 10 years and have the highest regard for her," said Blair Westlake, corporate vice president of the Media & Entertainment Group at Microsoft. "Kathy brings to our team an unparalleled depth of knowledge and understanding about the entertainment industry that will help expand business opportunities for both Microsoft and its
partners."

"After 12 years covering developments in entertainment, I'm looking forward to turning my knowledge and relationships into opportunity for the industry," Styponias said. "This is a time of tremendous change in the way entertainment is being delivered, and Microsoft is a great place to influence the game."

100th and last episode of Red vs Blue

2007-06-27T13:27:00.000-05:00

The end of an era. Red vs. Blue will air its last episode tonight.

From Wired:

"Red vs. Blue, the cult hit, web-video series created from in-game Halo footage, concludes its genre-defining run as it airs its 100th and final episode Wednesday evening.

The comedy series, featuring two squads of hapless Halo heroes locked in an endless civil war prolonged mostly by their own ineptitude, took the emerging machinima medium -- movies made with real-time video-game footage -- mainstream.

The videos are recorded directly from three Xbox consoles running a linked game of Halo. Players on two consoles play the red and blue characters, and one player on a third game console records all the action from the first-person viewpoint.

Red vs. Blue's popularity was bolstered when Microsoft decided to embrace Rooster Teeth's work instead of suing them."

NBC backs Sugar

2007-06-27T10:22:00.000-05:00

NBC has taken a stake in the Sugar publishing network.

From TechCrunch:

"Sugar Publishing, the company behind the hugely successful Team Sugar and ten or so other blogs aimed at the female demographic, will announce a new round of financing tomorrow. They are not disclosing the size of the round, but it is being led by NBC Universal, with participation from previous investor Sequioia Capital. They previously raised $5 million, on a rumored $12-15 million pre-money valuation.

Sugar Publishing continues to grow at a torrent pace. They claim 4.5 million monthly unique visitors and 40 million page views (see earlier numbers here). CEO Brian Sugar says they will continue to launch new blogs over the summer, including CasaSugar (home), LilSugar (babies), CitizenSugar (politics), PetSugar (pets) and SavvySugar (career & finance)."

Network audiances trending older

2007-06-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

A study by Magna Global USA shows the median age of the major network's viewers is rising.

From USA Today:

"An annual study by ad buyer Magna Global USA shows the four major networks each had a median age of 40 or more for the first time, meaning half of viewers are older and half younger than that figure.

"In other words, roughly half of its average audience is now older than what it still claims as its core audience," says the report's author, analyst Steve Sternberg.

Other findings:

The audience for NBC's Saturday Night Live had a median age of 45, way up from 39 four years earlier. Conan O'Brien's was at 44, David Letterman's 51 and Jay Leno's 52.
Cable networks Fox News, Hallmark, CNN and GSN had the oldest viewership, each with a median age of more than 60 in prime time.
Viewers of Tyra Banks and Maury Povich were the youngest among syndicated talk shows with a median age of 40. Audiences for Martha Stewart and Chris Matthews were oldest at 57.

Virtual Goods Summit coverage

2007-06-26T14:07:00.000-05:00

Great coverage of the Virtual Goods Summit by 3pointD.

From 3pointD:

Virtual Goods and Entertainment

"Panelists:

Jim Greer of Kongregate
Erik Bethke of GoPets
Sean Ryan of Meez

Charles: What motivates people to stay engaged, and how do virtual goods play into that?

Ryan: For us it’s about self-expression. When our users spend 4-6 hours online, self-experssion as they show themselves in their IM, in their blogs, in the game, is incredbly impoertant to them. Our most loyal users are female. Unlike in Second Life, where they routinely blow up the American Apparel store, it has to be a conscious choice to engage with the brand. We find our users actually associate with brands. "

The Next Big Business Model

"Panelists:
Tim Stevens of Doppelganger
Kevin Effrusy, general partner with Accel Partners (investor in Facebook)
Dan Kelly, CEO of Sparter
Min Kim of Nexon

Susan: How do you guys estimate the size of the overall virtual goods market?

Dan: It’s easily a billion dollar [secondary] market. Consumers have told us these things have value, the industry now is trying to reconcile that with their business model.

Susan: These are big numbers. Why aren’t more content developers and producers looking at this as a viable business model?

Kevin: If I had a startup doing that kind of revenue on virtual goods, I’d be ecstatic. It’s incredibly high-margin, you have no cost of sales and no sales force associated with it."

Why Virtual Goods Matter

"Panelists:
Craig Sherman of Gaia Online
Daniel James of Three Rings
Amy Jo Kim of Shufflebrain
Byron Reeves of Stanford University and Seriosity

Reeves: The human brian is not specialized to differentiate between virtual and real. Same neurons fire when an avatar smiles at you as when a real person smiles at you. Seriosity is looking at what happens when you create an opportunity to do serious things with virtual currency attached, such as sending email messages with virtual currency attached. The result? You open the email faster when currency is attached. Virtual money changes real behavior."

KartRider

"Min Kim of Nexon gave a presentation at the Virtual Goods Summit and said the company would probably announce the release of its KartRider in the US soon, which has been in closed beta. Kim also said Maple Story has been “kicking ass” in the US, with 3.5 million registered users. The company is also introducing prepaid cards at Target that can be used to buy virtual items, which it expects will push up sales as well. It also just released Audition, which already has 100,000 registered users, more than half of them female."

NeoPets:

"Kyra Reppen of Neopets gave a presentation at the Virtual Goods Summit on MTV’s Neopets. Like other MTV presenters before her, she began her presentation with a video. Perhaps the most interesting part, though, was about the new NC Mall that Neopets will introduce in beta next week.

It’s about customizing and self-expression. It’s complementary to the Neopoints economy, no exchange between the two. Themed items around Neopian events. Launching with PayPal. Why do we think this is going to work? Digital is real life for this audience. Technology is invisible. Emotional connection makes the pixels go away and it’s about these experiences.

Virtual worlds and virtual economies are simply applications to achieve those four core goals: fun, self-expression, social needs, and control. Kids ages 6-14 have $60 billion in income."

Tencent

"David Wallerstein of Tencent began the Virtual Goods Success Stories panel at the Virtual Goods Summit with a presentation, mostly to demonstrate what Tencent is doing in China: Chinese Internet penetration is only 10.5 percent. Wireless is 35.2 percent. Roughly 40 percent of Internet usage in China takes place in Internet cafes. Tencent currently has more than 4,000 employees, with roughly 30 percent R&D staff. Tencent has five leading online platforms:

QQ.com is the #1 portal in China
QQ games portal is the #1 mini casual games portal in China
QQ IM, #1 IM service provider in China
They also have a leading wireless portal
Qzone, the #1 blog site / MySpace in China"

Bud.tv: not dead yet

2007-06-25T08:26:00.000-05:00

Adweek reports that Bud.tv is making some changes.

From Adweek:

"Among the changes Bud.TV plans to implement are:

Putting its content—tagged with Bud.TV—on more popular sites like YouTube, AOL and Yahoo to gain awareness and encourage people to check out more on Bud.TV.
Reducing Webisodes to mostly one minute from the previous 5-6 minutes.
Changing content providers to come up with edgier programming and playing a larger role in deciding on the type of content it thinks will work.
Making Bud.TV an aggregator of Web content it deems its beer consumers would enjoy and building a social networking element to the site.
In the marketing arena, converting some traditional media and sports sponsorships to mention Bud.TV; working with wholesalers to create Bud.TV point-of-sale materials that can be put up at retail and at bars to help create awareness; and placing Bud.TV ads on the sites of sporting events sponsored by Budweiser, like Nascar races, NBA games and AVP Tour matches."

Susan' Wu's Virtual Goods Summit

2007-06-20T10:52:00.000-05:00

Virtual goods equal real profit.

From Susan's blog:

"Virtual goods and virtual currencies are growing beyond their traditional roots in online gaming and beginning to exert growing influence on the development of social networks, community sites, and casual games. This growing influence is due in large part to the fact that consumers have shown a willingness to embrace virtual goods as a way to express themselves online. From pets to coins to avatars, virtual goods are becoming a real opportunity for companies who are looking to build more engaging online experiences:

Neopets users have created over 206 million virtual pets
Tencent has over 250 million active users in China and generated $100+ million in Q1 2007, 65% of their revenue comes from virtual goods and services
Nexon generated $230 million in 2005, 85% of which came from virtual item sales
Habbo Hotel has over 75 million registered avatars in 29 countries, 90% of their $60 million+ yearly revenue comes from virtual goods
Gaia Online does over 50,000 person to person auctions a day - making them the 3rd largest auction site on the Internet. Their average user consumes 1200 page views a month.

We encourage you to join us at this year’s event and participate in what promises to be an exciting and lively conversation around some of the key questions facing the virtual goods market today:

How will virtual goods and virtual currencies impact social networking?
Are virtual goods the next big business model?
What does it take to successfully launch a virtual goods offering?
Are virtual goods poised to go mainstream?
What does it take to nurture and develop a successful virtual economy?
Why are users embracing virtual goods?

Embedded Joost

2007-06-19T11:38:00.000-05:00

After bringing on the new CEO from Cisco, Joost seeks embeddedment.

From The Register:

"This week, Joost started publicly talking about getting equipment manufacturers to embed its video-playing software in TV sets and other consumer hardware.

That would help it solve two problems. First, the glitches it's currently running into when it tries to deliver high-quality video over internet connections that are too slow for the function. The second, which cannot be fixed by tweaking software, is that people want to watch the majority of their entertainment videos on that newly purchased 42-inch flat-panel screen that's hanging on the wall in the living room.

New CEO Mike Volpi said Joost is a piece of software that can reside on a variety of platforms, including a television with an internet connection, a set-top box, a mobile phone, or in some alternative device that might come out in the future."

Online video: even more mass

2007-06-19T11:21:00.000-05:00

Another report points to the fact that online video is no longer an "emerging media."

From VNUnet:

"Daily use of online video rose by 56 per cent over the past year, according to the online Magid Media Futures survey conducted over the last week in March in the US.

Nine per cent of 12 to 64 year-old Americans who used the internet in 2006 reported using online video daily. This number has now risen to 14 per cent.

"Clearly the use of online video demonstrates that the internet has become a mass platform for distributing video content to a wide cross-section of Americans," said Mike Vorhaus, senior vice president and managing director at consulting and research firm Frank N. Magid Associates.

"The breadth of content viewed by consumers regularly online is amazing. This is not just short clips on YouTube," said Vorhaus.

"Consumers are watching news stories, movie previews, clips from TV shows, and, in some cases, even full-length TV shows and movies."

Prom Queen wraps

2007-06-19T11:17:00.000-05:00

The serial video experiment comes to a close.

From The Washington Post:

"Prom Queen" was designed to test the business model as much as the content. The budget for the show was between $100,000 and $150,000 -- high for an Internet production but minuscule compared with the budgets Eisner handled at Disney. And financially, it worked. Although Eisner declined to say exactly how much the show earned, he did note that "on our first venture we did not lose money. This is not what we expected. We committed to it with no anticipation of any revenue."

Eisner says he's plowing ahead with four or five shows in various stages of production and he's confident that Internet entertainment is not going away: "It's not going to displace movie theaters and broadcast and cable, but it's going to be one of the dominant platforms. You've got to be nervous if you own one of these other platforms."

Fox picks Brightcove

2007-06-18T09:33:00.000-05:00

Fox has partnered with Brightcove to provide its network with ad supported internet video channels.

From Paidcontent:

"The pact will also give Fox the ability to target its broadband video directly to specific demos. Fox will able to use Brightcove’s social net functions, including the ability to solicit fan-submitted videos and add them to its individual network and studio websites. FX Networks, SPEED and the Fox Broadcasting Company are the first. Each network will manage its own monetization strategy through the Brightcove service. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Release"

Sparter: dollars for gold

2007-06-13T09:46:00.000-05:00

Sparter, an virtual currency exchange company, goes live.

From Techcrunch:

"Sparter, a stealth startup founded by Bessemer Venture Partners, launched this evening. They are jumping into the middle of the estimated $1 billion market for buying and selling virtual currencies in games like World of Warcraft (WOW), EverQuest, Eve and others. The current spot price of 100 gold on WOW? About $10.

Sparter acts as the go-between for the parties, keeping payments in escrow until both sides say the virtual transfer went through properly. Users are also asked to rate each other after a transaction. Users with higher reputational ratings may be able to charge a premium.

The company only supports trading in currency for now. Other digital goods cannot be traded on the platform. They say they have no plans to deviate from that strategy, unless users show strong demand down the road."

Me.dium: attention data

2007-06-13T09:42:00.000-05:00

Me.dium raises $15m.

From Venturebeat:

"The figure might seem staggering, considering Me.dium is merely a downloadable plug-in for FireFox. Once you install it, it tracks where you go on the web and lets you talk with other people who have also downloaded the plug-in — as long as they’re sitting on the same websites you land on (See the screenshot above. The orange figure is me, the yellow figure is a friend, and the solitary blue figures are sitting on sites that Me.dium recommends based on the one I’m visiting.)

Attention data, captured on your computer, can produce much richer results. Me.dium knows when you initiate a search and what you’re searching for. It learns your browsing patterns and connects you to people whose patterns look like yours. And it communicates this information to its server and to you in real time.

If Me.dium reaches critical mass, you could theoretically connect to anyone browsing, shopping, even searching for the same things you are.

To reach its goals, Me.dium is going to have to collect a lot of data. Google, with its Web History offering, is already collecting similar data. Me.dium simply ads an element of social browsing to make it fun."

Online video: not really emerging anymore

2007-06-13T09:35:00.000-05:00

Wondering if online video is still in the "emerging" category? Well wonder no more, the answer is no. Online video is mainstream.

From Reuters:

"In March, seven of every 10 Internet users in the U.S. streamed at least one video online, with the average "streamer" viewing 55 videos during the month, according to digital measurement service comScore.

Such audience statistics clearly announce the arrival of online video as a mass medium worthy of attention, according to observers. And it is why media and entertainment giants are pushing into the Internet video space aggressively these days."

From Reelpop:

"The money quote: Such audience statistics clearly announce the arrival of online video as a mass medium worthy of attention.

Ya think?"

Tom Daly at the MMA

2007-06-08T09:04:00.000-05:00

The MMA is meeting this week. From the world of Coke, Tom Daly reflects on mobile marketing.

From the press release:

"Today, mobile spend by brand marketers is in the trial stages. Before allocating more budgets to mobile, brands require a deeper understanding of the role of mobile in the overall mix, consumer acceptance of brand messaging, consistent guidelines and best practices as well as insight into effectiveness and value. Under guidance of the MMA GMC, the industry will create a framework for the measurement of mobile marketing campaigns across all channels such as mobile video, television, multimedia services and more.

“The MMA is the right organization to lead the development of ad currencies against its current guidelines, given its diverse and representative membership base,” said Tom Daly, group manager, Strategy & Planning, Global Interactive Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company and MMA Global and NA Board Executive Committee member. “The Coca-Cola Company is committed to mobile as a viable channel to our consumer and measurement will help us ensure the investment is allocated in the right place.”

Sprite Yard!

2007-06-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

KO global introduces Sprite Yard to the Chinese mobile market.

From the press release:

"The Coca-Cola Company is redefining the relationship between consumers and their sparkling beverages with the launch of the Sprite Yard, a real-time digital “on-the-go” community that provides social connections and downloadable content via their mobile phone anytime, anywhere. This mobile marketing breakthrough launched in China on June 1, and will go live in the US later this month.

The Sprite Yard creates an entertaining social experience beyond the value of traditional online destinations by providing consumers constant mobile, social and brand connectivity through mobile devices such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs).

Accessing the Sprite Yard is easy and simple. Anyone with a WAP enabled phone and access to a data plan can join the Yard. Beginning June 22, U.S. consumers can text “YARD” to 59666 (“Lymon”) and receive a reply with a WAP link to access the Sprite Yard for the fist time. Clicking the link directs the mobile device to the “Yard” where they are invited to register by selecting a tag name and password. As soon as they are registered, users can opt to create a profile to share information about themselves with their friends in the Yard.

“Sprite is the first beverage brand to enable a mobile experience combining such a rich combination of features and functions,” said Mark Greatrex, Senior Vice President, Marketing Communications and Insights, The Coca-Cola Company. “The Sprite Yard provides an efficient, sustainable and fresh marketing platform that reflects changing consumer demands and significantly personalizes the relationship between consumers and Sprite.”

From the NYT:

"Sprite Yard was introduced in China last week, and Coca-Cola plans to extend it globally and perhaps to other soda brands over the next few years. For the time being, Sprite Yard will function only on cellphones — the medium that Sprite’s marketing team said was the most popular with teenagers.

“Being with them on their mobile phones is absolutely essential,” said Mr. Greatrex at a news conference yesterday. Sprite, he said, is “trying to establish an omnipresent, on-the-go, everywhere relationship with teens.”

As more consumers send text messages and surf the Internet from portable devices, media companies and advertisers are starting to create content specifically for mobile viewing. Most consumer brand companies have tested the waters with cellphone advertising that centers on text messaging; in those campaigns, advertisers typically encourage cellphone users to send a text message to a specific number to receive free content or enter a sweepstakes.

Sprite Yard will take cellphone marketing a step further, establishing a permanent mobile site with a variety of features rather than a short campaign, advertising analysts said.

“It is a comprehensive commitment as opposed to the toe-dipping we’ve seen up to date from other marketers,” said Christine Overby, an analyst at Forrester Research. “This is a significant commitment from a mainstream brand to use mobile in their marketing mix.”

From Reuters:

"Coke said it worked with the top U.S. wireless providers on the service and is in touch with other social networks such as Facebook about expanding its experience.

One potential issue is how to keep children safe from predatory adults. MySpace has faced lawsuits and negotiated guidelines with legal authorities over protecting its teen members from convicted sex offenders posing as youngsters online.

"That certainly is a priority," said Sprite global brand director Denis Sison when asked how the mobile social network, Sprite Yard, would protect its members.

Sison said the site would be monitored to make sure inappropriate photos and video were not posted, while conversations would also be screened."

From Mobile Insider:

"On one level, Sprite is simply following the advice of many interactive marketers who tell brands to offer real value — not just messaging. In a user-generated media world, the best policy is to give users the assets they like to mash up and share, and build spaces for them to interact with one another. So in some sense, if Sprite Yard seems a bit silly to us, we have only ourselves to blame. We put them up to this.

We are testing the edges of brand credibility as marketers try to create user-generated platforms. If Sprite Yard is more about free content distribution than social interaction, then it has a chance of success — but it depends entirely on how much of a media platform it wants to be.

Unless the company really does partner with interesting media figures and assets apart from the Coke brands, then it is just another corporate WAP site giving crap away. But Coke is no MTV. Unless it really is willing and able to offer and promote a wide range of recognizable media, then I don’t see a compelling case for the idea. Trying to create a mobile social universe where users interact with one another on a regular basis seems like the weakest part of this plan. Aligning a corporate manufacturer with personal communications on the most intimate device we have feels like a very hard sell."

From Media Post:

"Coca-Cola saw several specific advantages in "going mobile" with the Sprite Yard community, including the chance to leverage mobile's potential for viral distribution, and fulfillment of Sprite's core consumers' desires for constant connectivity and instant gratification. "It's the perfect match for teens and young adults because we can develop content quickly and keep it fresh," said Shelley de Villiers, Coca-Cola's director of global brand management for Sprite. "But it's designed not to be overbranded. We don't want to alienate our teen advocates."

"The Sprite Yard is not an in and out promotion," Greatrex added. "It's a campaign that we will build and enhance over time. Coca-Cola is pioneering the mobile marketing landscape with Sprite, and ultimately through other efforts with our entire suite of brands."

From the IHT:

"Advertising executives said that Coca-Cola could have a hard time creating a popular site even in the new mobile world. Facebook, for example, will be a competitor with a cellphone version of its site.

"Nobody wants to go hang out with Sprite," said Chad Stoller, executive director of emerging platforms for Organic, a digital advertising agency in the Omnicom Group.

"It takes a lot for a brand to ask that of a customer. You really have to be getting something compelling in return," Stoller said."

From ClickZ:

"Awareness will be driven not through media buys, but from PIN codes contained in the bottle caps and viral activity. Coke representatives said the company sells 10 billion single-serve bottles globally each year, providing a hefty activation mechanism for its promotional initiatives.

Coca-Cola made a significant investment in building a proprietary infrastructure to run the mobile platform. It plans to add more features as new technologies develop. The community will also benefit from partnerships with carriers, technology providers, and brands like the MBA and McDonalds in China. The mobile foundation could serve to benefit other Coca-Cola brands over time."

Lin and Hearst launch social networking tools

2007-06-07T09:30:00.001-05:00

Today both Lin and Hearst are launching social networking tools like user blogs, comments polls and recommendations.

From Lost Remote:

"Lin Television’s 29 websites are rolling out user-generated videos, photos, audio, blogs, ratings, polls, and other community-driven content powered by VMIX. “This is a significant milestone for our company and further advances our strategic vision of leading the industry in the convergence of local broadcast television and digital innovations,” said Vincent Sadusky, president and chief executive officer of LIN TV."

From Lost Remote:

"Hearst-Argyle’s WXII12.com is the first Internet Broadcasting site to debut comments, ratings, recommendations, user blogs and profiles powered by Pluck’s SiteLife Social Media Suite. Other sites will launch the technology soon. “Content becomes more relevant when the audience has a voice in creating it,” said IB EVP Clayton Rose. “Pluck’s SiteLife will go a long way in allowing visitors to share and discuss local news and topics that matter–in a way that complements a TV station’s news coverage."

Joost, Volpi and...AppleTV?

2007-06-05T12:44:00.000-05:00

Mike Volpi is the new CEO of Joost. He talks with GigOM about the new gig.

From GigaOM:

"OM: Why do you think the time is right for Joost?

MV: I think there are three things that have come together. Content owners have realized what happened to the music industry and have embraced the Internet. I think that combined with broadband, and the P2P technology platform.

OM: Is there a chance we will see Joost on AppleTV?

MV: We would love to put Joost on the Apple TV platform. We know we can make it run on any operating system."

From NewTeeVee:

"This vortex of funding, anticipation, and beta launches in the Internet TV space is getting intense. The latest signal is competitors telling us tales about advertisers grumbling about the performance of their ads on Joost. But it’s super early — the software has only recently been available in stable form — so we’re waiting for time to tell."

Hearst partners with Youtube

2007-06-04T09:41:00.000-05:00

Hearst partnered with Youtube to create Youtube channels for five of their local TV sites.

From WSJ: (subscription required)

"Hearst-Argyle Television Inc., one of the nation's largest operators of local TV stations, will distribute news, weather and entertainment video to Google Inc.'s YouTube in a revenue-sharing agreement.

The deal marks the first time TV stations will get paid when people view their content on the video-sharing site. Hearst will receive an undisclosed portion of the revenue generated from advertising sold against the video clips it makes available to YouTube."

From Lost Remote:

"In a first for a local broadcaster, Hearst-Argyle stations will share in the revenue generated by video clips they post to YouTube. Starting today, five stations have launched channels on YouTube: KCRA, WCVB, WBAL, WTAE and WMUR. Other stations will follow soon. Each channel features a variety of notable clips, from news stories to promos to bloopers. Revenue details were not disclosed.

A WCVB investigative piece plays on YouTube. One of the big upsides for Hearst-Argyle stations, besides the increased distribution and searchability, is their videos are now embeddable on local blogs."

Generate's business plan

2007-05-24T08:40:00.000-05:00

Generate, a management and production company founded in LA by Jordan Levin, Pete Aronson, Mike Karz, Kara Walker and Dave Rath, has a really great business plan. And as Miles Davis said, if anyone wants to keep creating they have to be about change.

Head dude, Jordan Levin, recently said, "We're in a transformative media age. We're seeing the vanishing of mass media. Mass media is being replaced by customized, targeted media...The old adage 'adapt or die' has never been more pressing."

Couldn't agree more - and thanks for all of those groovy charts!

CNN, IBS and free Pipeline

2007-05-23T10:14:00.001-05:00

In a major series of moves CNN announced a ownership interest in IBS, a content sharing deal with 70 TV station and the end of Pipeline as a paid service.

From Lost Remote:

"The site is expanding into local news with a deal with Internet Broadcasting to post stories from 70 of IB’s local TV websites, reports the WSJ. In exchange, CNN is taking a minority position in the company, and IB affiliates can post CNN stories. NBC-owned sites are not included in the deal, as they’re pursuing a similar track with MSNBC.com (see our earlier story).

CNN says the arrangement is designed to drive up traffic for both partners. Also, this summer CNN.com is planning on rolling out a redesigned site with all of its video available for free — a fundamental shift away from CNN Pipeline’s subscription model — and local video could be included."

From the comments:

"CNN.com: Big win..tons more content, bigger footprint for sales. Pulled a fast one on the little guys here, aided and abetted by IBS (my guess how this came together).

IBS: Winner…mainly due to bigger footprint for sales/chance to participate in larger network packages.

IBS’ Stations: Short-term…boost to traffic and revenue (albeit low-CPM). Long term, dumb…dumb, dumb, dumb. Feeding the beast - partnering/banding together for scale is not a bad idea, but CNN is the wrong partner. Access to CNN.com national content for stations isn’t a bad thing, but national content is available from lots of sources to put on local sites, and in any event not really what local audiences are looking for on local TV sites. And if they can’t ultimately generate more money via local sales, they aren’t trying hard enough."

"Locals need to focus on creating local content, not on bringing in more content people can get elsewhere, especially from a big-name news site."

"Update: I just spoke to someone who knows the details of this deal. It is indeed a link-back-and-forth arrangement. Sort of a preferred aggregation approach.

This suddenly became a much better deal for the station sites."

From Lost Remote:

"Pipeline will be free beginning next month, and CNN.com plans to repackage all of its video offerings (likely dumping the Pipeline brand) by July 1st.

To clarify the CNN-IB deal — which was the source of a lot of discussion earlier — a source tells Lost Remote that CNN.com will link directly to IB local stories and vice-versa. In effect, it’s a preferred aggregation approach that’s designed to boost unique users for both partners. IB stories will be linked on CNN.com on their merits, which will appear on CNN.com’s home page and U.S. and weather sections.

IB will sell banner ad packages in select CNN.com inventory and IB inventory, according to Joe Dugan, SVP CNN Digital Ad Sales. “Both companies will continue to work with our respective clients and we will work closely with IB to avoid sales conflicts when contacting new clients. We see this relationship as an extension of our sales team,” Dugan said."

Bud.tv down the drain

2007-05-23T09:49:00.000-05:00

The WSJ is reporting (to subscribers only) that the writing is on the wall for Bud.tv.

From NewTeeVee:

"During an investor conference call yesterday, Chief Executive August Busch IV said Bud.TV will “probably fade.” Data show the number of unique visitors to the site in March dropped 40% to 152,000 from the month earlier, according to comScore. Traffic to the site in April was so low it didn’t meet the threshold for measurability, the tracking service said.

NewTeeVeesters Jackson and Steve had previously issued only slightly premature eulogies for Bud.TV, saying the site was doomed by its age-verification registration process, poor design, and lack of embeds. They differed in their opinions of the site’s videos, with Jackson calling them “forcibly viral by committee” and Steve saying “some of the content is pretty good.”

Karina took a special interest in the original Bud.TV drama Afterworld, which has since changed its distribution strategy to be more around its own site and YouTube.

Bud.TV had debuted with a gigantic write-up in the New York Times Magazine, which called it “the most ambitious and costly effort to date of a marketer creating Web content tailored to its own specifications.” That was less than four months ago."

Coke on Admob

2007-05-23T09:17:00.000-05:00

Coke is working with Admob to promote its Bottle Films.

From the press release:

"As noted in study recently released by Tribilis, having an effective mobile “landing page” is a critical link in any mobile advertising campaign. (Note: the “landing page” is the page of a site that a customer is directed to after they have clicked on a text or banner ad. For more about mobile landing pages, read the MobiAD article).

The new web- based tools from Admob will assist their clients to build an effective landing page where they can direct the responses to the ads that are shown. This project with Coke is a beta test of the tools, prior to a full scale launch scheduled for later this spring.

A consumer who responds by clicking on the ad is brought to a Coca Cola landing page (see example at left).

On the landing page they are offered the chance to view one of the “Bottle Film” short videos. These videos have been used previously in Coke’s online ads, and this is the first time they are available on mobile (some examples of “Bottle Films” can be seen below).

There is also have the possibility to download the video to their phone so they can watch it again later or show it to a friend without additional download time or charges.

Finally, the truly “viral” part is that they can also directly share the video with their friends by sending it via MMS."

From Mobile Entertainment:

"Coca-Cola Inc is using AdMob’s click-to-video mobile ad technology to reach subscribers in more than 160 countries.

The ads direct mobile web browsers to a Coke landing page where they can view a ‘Bottle Films’ short film. They include both graphical and text elements and use AdMob’s technology to target specific handsets with video capabilities.

“Coke is eager to reach its customers on the mobile phone as it is a highly personal device,” said Tom Daly, group manager of strategy and planning for Coca-Cola. “The AdMob Marketplace made it easy for us to engage our customers on carriers and handsets worldwide, using rich content from Coke’s Bottle Films.”

From Promo:

"Throughout Coke's history, we have seen people use the brand, its icons and heritage as a creative source," said Marc Mathieu, senior VP-global core brands, The Coca-Cola Co., in a statement. "In the 60's, it was Andy Warhol, today it's people all over the world on the internet developing their own interpretations of the brand. We believe the independent creative process is a vital part of our heritage. With this site we want to give a further opportunity for these imaginative minds to be part of our creative process."

"The site will differentiate Coca-Cola from traditional company sites in that it will consist primarily of user-generated content," said Tim Kopp, VP-global interactive marketing for the Coca-Cola Co. "The company plans to populate the site by users rather than by agencies."

From TGAS:

"The brief for these animated spots was 'Romance the product - show that Coke is happiness in a bottle.'"

TGAS also has links to the spots and the agencies that created them.

IBM staffs Second Life

2007-05-22T09:23:00.000-05:00

IBM is set to staff a sales center in Second Life.

From eightbar:

"Virtual worlds are about connecting people. Kevin has just posted a video about the IBM branch office in Second Life.

The key to this is that it is staffed. When customers need something they get patched into a member of the IBM team. More details to come, but for now this video is great (IMHO)"

From IT Business CA:

"The new virtual business centre would function as a gathering place, according to Lee Dierdorff, IBM's vice-president of Web strategy and enablement. “IBM salespeople, clients, and partners can meet, learn, and collaborate, and conduct business,” he said. “It would be staffed by real salespeople -- not kiosks or robots.”

The virtual business centre would feature some of these Second Life denizens. It will be managed and staffed by 30 to 40 on-call IBM.com workers from within the sales and distribution unit, along with client reps, sales specialists, and business and technology support personnel. All would be volunteering in the centre on top of their day jobs; the centre would be fully staffed during North American, Latin American, and European time-zones.

Merely duplicating corporate headquarters in Second Life is insufficient, according to Dierdorff, who said that IBM thinks the “inherently social” aspect of Second Life is the key to a successful implementation of this new business centre."

Anshe Chung launches inter-world financial market

2007-05-21T10:43:00.000-05:00

Lot's of financial news in the metaverses lately. And now, predictably, here comes a new service by virtual baroness, Anshe Chung.

From 3pointd:

"Virtual entrepreneur Anshe Chung will launch a virtual world-spanning financial market in early June, according to a news release on the Anshe Chung Studios site. The service will “allow direct capital flow and investment across virtual world boundaries,” and will link the markets of Second Life, Entropia Universe and IMVU. Anshe Chung Studios — which is run by German citizens Ailin and Guntram Graef — will provide “a virtual financial market, financial products and a set of services” linking the three worlds.

“We believe that allowing residents in a virtual world, no matter which one they have chosen to live in, to easily diversify their portfolio of virtual investments into other virtual worlds is going to lead to a paradigm shift,” the press release reads. “At ACS we are convinced that once capital is flowing freely, people, goods and services will follow and eventually we will see incentive and pressure for the emergence of open tools and standards. It is our vision that one day even traveling across virtual worlds and taking your belongings with you should become as easy as a mouseclick.”

Citysearch local video

2007-05-10T10:23:00.000-05:00

More trouble for local broadcasters.

From the press release:

"Video on Citysearch is the first of many enhancements that our audience can expect to see from us this year," said Jay Herratti, President of Citysearch. "Leveraging our trusted content, we will continue to introduce new features designed to provide consumers with the best local experience on the web."

Video on Citysearch gives users the opportunity to experience the ambiance and meet the owners of businesses before visiting. Citysearch tapped Internet video company, TurnHere to create the videos.

"A great local experience is about providing consumers with the most relevant information," said Scott Morrow, Executive Vice President, Product and Marketing, Citysearch. "Whether they're searching for a restaurant, spa or boutique shop, Video on Citysearch, coupled with our trusted information, arms users with the ability to make more informed, confident decisions about where to spend their time and money."

From MediaPost:

"According to a study by Borrell Associates, video is expected to dominate almost 35% of local online ad spending within five years.

With Video on Citysearch, a reported 13.9 million users will now find short clips featuring business owners, employees, and customer reviews alongside the traditional text-based listings."

From Lost Remote:

"CitySearch has unveiled a new set of designs across its network of city sites, and one of the new features should be of grave concern for local TV stations. In a deal with TurnHere, CitySearch will start posting video of local restaurants, spas, boutiques and other local businesses.

“Video on Citysearch, coupled with our trusted information, arms users with the ability to make more informed, confident decisions about where to spend their time and money,” said Scott Morrow, EVP at Citysearch.

Truthfully folks, local broadcasters should’ve already owned this space. Now we’re going to get beat."

From Terry Heaton:

"While we're busy arguing for the value of our news content, internet pureplays like Citysearch are growing revenue (at our expense), because they understand the local web better than we do.

This, for example, is why I've written for years that local media companies would be better off banding together to create local information portals (that each could monetize) rather than letting outsiders come in through the back door. We'll never do this, of course, but the point is that this is a very real threat to our business wellbeing.

In the end, it's all about money, local money."

Joost raises $45M

2007-05-10T10:14:00.000-05:00

Joost raised $45m from a select group of investors.

From MSNBC:

"We've got the product out there. Now it's all about accelerating and expanding the business," he said. "This funding round is all about accelerating everything."

Until now, Joost has been funded personally by its founders, who invested part of their proceeds from selling Skype to Ebay for $2.6bn in 2005. By the time of last week's launch, it had signed up "a few hundred thousand" people to test a beta version of the service, which was originally codenamed the Venice Project.

"The premise and the promise of Joost are very intriguing," said Roelof Botha, general partner at Sequoia. "It is rare to come across a business that has the potential to transform an industry in quite the way Joost has."

From GigaOM:

"While Index’s Danny Rimer and Joost co-founders go back a long way, aka Skype, CBS and Viacom are just ensuring that they get their pay-off both ways - from eventual sale of Joost and advertising on their content - for helping Joost get some traction. Ka-shing, is also an old friend - his Tom Online got Skype into China, helped grow the traffic and subscribers by millions, that led to eventual payoff pitch - sale to eBay.

What is even more interesting, Sequoia - the house that funded legendary companies like Cisco Systems, Yahoo and Google - being part of the syndicate that was “selected.” Did anyone else feel the earth move?"

From Index:

Danny Rimer, general partner of Index Ventures said, "We are excited to be working with Niklas and Janus once again as we see the same ground-breaking potential in Joost that we saw in Skype. By leveraging proven P2P architecture and assembling a world class management team, they have made a powerful idea simple and brought new services to market in record time. Our investment in Joost signals Index Ventures continued commitment to investing in impactful technologies."

digphilly

2007-05-04T08:59:00.000-05:00

Lost Remote points to the soft launch of digphilly.com by WCAU.

From Lost Remote:

"Kudos to NBCU for taking a fresh approach to attracting younger users who increasingly don’t watch local TV news or visit local TV websites. Also, kudos for burying the NBC brand on the site — you have to drill down into the terms of service or click on the weather link at the top of the site to figure out the WCAU association."

How's this for a non-TV station stuck in the late nineties design?

Check out this non-TV website navigation:

Mobile applications will generate $66B in revenue

2007-05-04T08:53:00.000-05:00

And you thought online games were on fire. Mobile applications will generate $66B in carrier revenue over the next five years.

From Daily Wireless:

"Mobile enterprise applications will generate more than $66 billion in carrier revenue over the next five years, according to the latest report of Insight Research Group titled “The Mobile Workforce and Enterprise Applications 2007-2012“.

By the end of 2007, service revenues generated by mobile applications traversing wired and wireless networks in the US will reach just over $9 billion; by 2012, the value of services revenue supporting those applications is forecast to grow to nearly $13 billion, according to the study."

Online game market $13B by 2011

2007-05-03T10:45:00.000-05:00

DFC Intelligence has release a report stating that the online game market will reach $13B by 2011.

From the press release:

"According to a new report from DFC Intelligence the worldwide online game market is forecasted to grow from $3.4 billion in 2005 to over $13 billion in 2011. This increase is being driven by the increase in broadband households, higher PC penetration and more connected console video game systems.

This is leading to a growing number of consumer subscription services, the emergence of online digital distribution and increasing acceptance of games as an advertising mechanism. During this time period North America is expected to challenge current market leader Asia as the leading region for online games.

The report forecasts that digital distribution will become a very big part of online connectivity. This is more of a retail model with a focus on paying for, not necessarily playing, games online. Furthermore, it can work with the existing retail structure via such mechanisms as consumers buying retail cards that allow for online digital distribution.

“Digital distribution and virtual item sales have started to do very well in certain Asian markets and these distribution models are expected to start having increased success on an international basis,” says DFC analyst Alexis Madrigal."

NBA in Second Life

2007-05-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

From the press release:

"Bringing the NBA to the virtual world provides us with a new and innovative platform to reach our fans and the millions of residents in Second Life,” said Stern. “The NBA Headquarters creates an interactive worldwide community where fans can come together, engage with our game, and most importantly, share in their passion for the NBA.”

"The NBA is a sports innovator, being the first professional sports league to unveil a comprehensive headquarters in a virtual world,” said Sibley Verbeck, CEO, The Electric Sheep Company. “The NBA is engaging its fan community at a whole new level, and bringing fans together from around the world.”

The NBA Headquarters will feature branding by existing NBA partners T-Mobile, Toyota and Cisco, along with commercials highlighted in the broadband content from television partners ABC, ESPN and TNT."

From MediaWeek:

"The NBA has launched an elaborate series of interactive milieus in the popular online virtual world Second Life, including a 3D NBA store, a mock NBA arena and even a press center where Web users can roam and play using video-game-like avatars.

In addition, fans can visit the T-Mobile Arena, where they can watch highlights of classic NBA playoff games and receive up to the minute stats on this year’s contests. They can also visit a secondary virtual court to play games like horse and the Toyota Crash the Boards challenge – a dunking contest.

NBA Commissioner David Stern acknowledged that the NBA’s Second Life presence was but a early attempt to tap into a medium is still new for mainstream brands. “We’d like to really have a place that people can have a little fun,” he said. “We plan to look to our users and fans to tell us what they would like this to be. We’ll be listening very carefully.”

Prom Queen numbers

2007-05-02T10:23:00.000-05:00

From Reel Pop:

" About halfway through its 80-day run, Eisner's Prom Queen, which is showing on MySpace, is getting about 200,000 views per day, and more than 5.2 million views overall.

That's about the equivalent of a low-rated cable show."

From Media Week:

"Veoh, which hosts a Prom Queen channel, has generated the second largest number of views (854,653), followed by YouTube (232,382) and PromQueen.tv. Other sites streaming the soap are StarStyle.com and Ellegirl.com, as well as Verizon’s V Cast platform. (Mobile streaming figures are not included in these numbers.)"

Joost adds Turner

2007-05-02T10:18:00.000-05:00

Building up to the full commercial launch, Joost adds Turner to its content mix.

From the AP business wire:

"Joost, a company attempting to broadcast television via the Internet, said Tuesday it had signed several new content distribution agreements, including one with Turner Broadcasting System Inc. to show CNN news and interview programs.

In Tuesday's deal, Joost said it will air episodes of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Robot Chicken" from Turner's Adult Swim network, while it would air "Larry King Live," among other news and interview programs from Turner's CNN, which is owned by Time Warner Inc.

Joost also announced several other content deals Tuesday: Sony will run episodes of several old TV series including "Charlie's Angels" and "Starsky & Hutch" on Joost; Sports Illustrated will run photo shoots and programs about its swimsuit issue; the National Hockey League will broadcast vintage games and game highlights; and Hasbro will run old episodes of "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe."

From the press release (via Lost Remote):

"Dennis Quinn, executive vice president of business development for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. said, “With Joost, we have the unique opportunity to reach and engage new and existing fans of Turner programming through an innovative platform. Online distribution is extremely important to Turner, and with Joost we are confident that our programming is secure and distributed in the high-quality format that is true to our brands.”

Janus Friis, co-founder of Joost, said, “The ability to make Joost a viable business, versus just a cool technology or viewer experience lies in our ability to bring together advertisers, content owners and viewers. Our business model was developed with the interests of our viewers and partners at the core. It’s exciting for us to enter this phase and truly begin executing on our vision.”

Joost goes live (with Ad model updates)

2007-05-01T12:33:00.000-05:00

Joost is live: as seen on Digg. Beta testers have unlimited peer invites.

More on the ad model from Adverblog:

"One of the Leiden crew's top priorities is a backend ad engine that can pinpoint viewers by location, time of day, viewing habits, and opt-in profile information to serve up a perfect ad. Developed by open source geeks in privacy-centric Europe, the central database doesn't store any identifying data. Personal information is stored only on the user's own PC. Clark, the ad sales chief, is happy to blue-sky the possibilities: "Buy all the Desperate Housewives viewers in a zip code. Or the first thing a given viewer watches on a given day."

In theory, that kind of control will make the network much more valuable to advertisers. "We offer targeting they've never dreamed about in the TV world," says Werdelin. "And a deeper relationship with customers. Not just deeper than TV, but deeper than most of what you get on the Net. I don't think anyone really knows what those things are worth."

Clear Channel's social networks

2007-05-01T12:29:00.000-05:00

From Billboard:

"Radio giant Clear Channel is getting into the social networking business. The company's online music and radio division is introducing a dozen station-branded social networks in the coming months. Each social network will function essentially as mini-MySpace, but will be focused on the local community served by the station running it.

The initiative starts today with the launch of social networks for seven contemporary hit radio stations across the country. KYLD-FM (WILD) San Francisco bows The Wild Space, WKSC-FM (Kiss) Chicago introduces The Mob, WHTZ-FM (Z100) New York has the Z-Zone, WIHT-FM (Hot 99.5) Washington D.C. has the Hot Spot, KDWB-FM (103.1 KDWB) Minneapolis is launching Connect, KHKS-FM (Kiss) Dallas bows Kiss Nation and WLDI-FM (WILD) West Palm Beach also is introducing a network called The Wild Space."

CBs to use Silverlight for user submitteed video

2007-05-01T12:19:00.000-05:00

CBS partners with Microsoft for that "Always on" goodness.

From the press release:

“Central to our ‘Always On’ strategy has been the desire to create an interactive environment where our audiences can participate in the local broadcast process,” said Jonathan Leess, President and General Manager of CBS Television Stations Digital Media Group. “This project, using Microsoft Silverlight technology, allows us to empower the massive long tail of untapped local media content which is waiting to converge with the broadband and broadcast mediums.”

The new local initiative will allow users of the CBS-owned stations’ sites to view, upload, share, rate, comment, sort and search video, images, audio and text submissions. A key component of the application is its full integration into the existing content publishing workflow of the CBS
Television Stations’ digital media groups. It allows the community-generated content to be managed alongside the station’s professional content in a single workflow.

“We are excited about working with an industry leader such as CBS Television Stations,” said S. Somasegar, Corporate Vice President of the Developer Division at Microsoft Corporation. “CBS has demonstrated a commitment to unique digital media experiences and a drive to develop
platforms that incorporate the voice of the community, while also delivering the highest quality experiences.”

“Broadcasting is no longer a one-way directional medium,” Leess said. “Audiences and advertisers are looking for compelling local content that speaks to them, to their families, to their neighbors. This project allows us to help foster that connection.”

Silverlight

2007-05-01T12:14:00.000-05:00

Techcrunch has an in-depth review of Silverlight.

From the post:

"Silverlight is excellent technology and those asking why developers and application providers won’t just stick to flash only need to look at XAML, the runtime speed and size and the flexible options with programming languages combined with very strong multimedia support to start to see the answer.

My personal opinion is that Silverlight is great and that Microsoft have done very well to bring .NET to the browser (almost all browsers). What will be interesting to follow will be designer adoption of Expression Studio (as Adobe is heavily entrenched here) and then consumer adoption of Silverlight."

Joost's advertising wins

2007-04-27T13:11:00.000-05:00

Its just a three month trial but still pretty cool.

From Clickz:

"Online video platform Joost has signed three-month contracts with a group of 31 big brand advertisers, including Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Nike, General Motors and Visa. It will offer these marketers traditional units such as :30 mid-roll spots as well as unique formats, including a small digital overlay ad.

Ad units include still images, video spots, overlays and widgets, in addition to branded entertainment and channel sponsorships. Joost has also created an ad unit called Ad Bug, consisting of an advertiser's animated logo in a corner of the screen, similar to station ID components in cable and broadcast TV. Ad bugs will appear at various times during a given show and disappear again after a matter of seconds.

Joost is working with research firm Frank N. Magid Associates (no way!) to test new ad formats, measure user consumption habits, and assess ad effectiveness. It also has a year-long strategic partnership with Interpublic Group's Emerging Media Lab to develop and sell advertising on its platform."

IBM's mainframe for virtual worlds

2007-04-27T12:55:00.000-05:00

IBM will build mainframes to support virtual worlds.

From 3pointD:

In concert with Brazilian game developer Hoplon, IBM will use the PlayStation3’s ultra-high-powered Cell processor to create a mainframe architecture that will provide the security, scalability and speed that are currently lacking in 3D environments — a lack that is one of the factors keeping them from becoming widely adopted.

While it probably won’t have much impact on the state of virtual worlds right off, IBM’s new infrastructure could make a big difference in the long run, by enabling much greater numbers of concurrent users in next-gen virtual worlds, and by creating more secure possibilities for commerce.

From ITH:

"It's a new era. It's the era of application-specific computing," said Bernard Meyerson, chief technologist of IBM's Systems and Technology Group.

There are already massively multiplayer games that support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous players, but the IBM system will add an unparalleled level of realism to visual interactions, Meyerson said.

From 3pointD:

"I had the chance to talk to David Gelardi, IBM’s vice president of industry solutions, who is heading up the effort.

“I would argue that the world doesn’t yet understand the promise of [virtual world] technology,” Gelardi said. “We see this technology moving into banking and retail and anything where the consumer is involved in a transaction of commerce that they would today do over the Web, online shopping, online banking. The problem is that rendering is kind of weak. We haven’t figured out how to accelerate that yet, and how to marry that to transactions.”

From a press release I can't find but is at the above 3pointd post:

"IBM intends to create an environment that can seamlessly run demanding simulations — such as massive online virtual reality environments, 3D applications for mapping, enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management, 3D virtual stores and meeting rooms, collaboration environments and new types of data repositories. It plans to achieve this goal by parceling the workload between the mainframe and the Cell processor"

From eWeek:

"The way to think about it is just look at the way the Web has evolved over time," Gelardi said. "More banking is done online. More shopping and people's hobbies are online. In that context, the next step is to offer 3-D capabilities, and what we are doing is starting with online gaming and then moving into a Web-based commercial world."

SAP in Second Life

2007-04-27T12:49:00.000-05:00

From 3pointD:

SAP, the German software giant, is about to open its doors officially in Second Life. Rather than going for an out-and-out island build, they have opted for a more conservative approach, opening a relatively small office on the Second Life developer island of »Silicon City«, owned by The V3 Group, who are sponsoring the ITE’07 event, that starts tomorrow (Friday, 20th April).

The work is largely that of company Second Life evangelist, Craigster Hax. Initially, he wants to provide education and information for the SAP Developer Network, a global community of It professionals. “Many can’t make conferences and meetings and this could be the bridge for that. I [also] plan to start a movie a week here showing video blogs and things like that, then start to bring the folks in to have conversations. South America seems to be hot for VoIP but we’ve not got a large amount of conferences going on there, so this could be an alternative.”

The Street reports on NAB

2007-04-27T12:34:00.000-05:00

From The Street, the big things that came out of this years NAB.

From the post:

1) "Apple will polish low-budget content

The new version creates fabulous-looking content and comes chock full of first-rate Hollywood effects, including smart image compositing, automated music editing, advanced sound effects and more. Effectively, Apple is offering a full-fledged HD production studio for $1,299 -- or about one-hundredth the cost of what FoxSports pays for one it is new HD sports trucks.

2) Local broadcast TV will come to your cell phone

What is new is that your local TV -- the exact feed your local broadcaster emits -- will be coming to cell phones sometime next year. Expect some neat new riffs on traditional broadcast TV with the service: Real-time traffic information for exactly where you want to go is probably my favorite.

3) HD Radio will get real

Just like cell-phone networks that made the transition from analog to digital in decades past, new digital broadcast networks will provide a full range of new services. Conditional access will allow for highly targeted radio feeds to groups as little as a few hundred. Forget KROK. You'll get YourROK."