From the Screen Digest presentation:
56m videos served on Virgin +250m streams on PC's since launch
Now 1m+ unique users on a single day
85% windows, 10% mac, 3% iphone, 1% Wii, 1% linux
37% users 15-34
43% 36-54
21% 55+
I think these are pretty interesting results, not least that the older generation are completely on top of this new technology... all I can say is it must be a damn sight easier than programming the Video player!
The question is: Is it the ease of application, or the content that is driving the older users?
Friday, 7 November 2008
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
There are 3 types of online video
I read with interest today some research conducted by Simply Media (www.simplymedia.tv) and Work Research which is obviously pertinent to our common goals. It states that there are only really 3 types of online broadcast media, Snippets (5 secs to 5 minutes), Boutique (2mins to 5mins) and Catch-up (longer form from 5mins to feature length).
It talks about the differences in content requirements for each audience (snippets being throw-away or entertainment, boutique being subject-focused and therefore 'important' and catch-up being pure entertainment by choice). It is good to see this documented, although this is something in the industry we all know, it is basically saying, 'make content which is relevant to your audience and their needs' - o.k. then!
I refer to this as we are working on a cross-platform strategy for a potential client and they have programming content already. The knee-jerk reaction for most brands is to change the format of this (quicktime. H.264, mobile ready resolution etc etc...) and deploy. This is easy, but it doesn't get the most out of the opportunity. To really activate the audience (something we talk about a lot here at etv) we must determine where and when the user will be accessing this content.
In the digital world I come from this also holds true, giving a different 'pace' to users in terms of accessing content is important - that is, for an audience that is browsing for a quick entertainment fix then make it easy for them to find this, for an audience who wants to be educated and has the time to do this, make the access to the content logical, and make the content comprehensive. It is important to note that the differing pace of access to content can exist on the same site, but we should also ensure that the end content is matched to the route in which it is accessed.
I guess this is where this research falls short, it is great in talking about broadcast content, but we need to go deeper into UI and platform to really ensure the user is getting what they want.
please see the whole research article at: http://www.ignoreatyourperil.tv/index.php
It talks about the differences in content requirements for each audience (snippets being throw-away or entertainment, boutique being subject-focused and therefore 'important' and catch-up being pure entertainment by choice). It is good to see this documented, although this is something in the industry we all know, it is basically saying, 'make content which is relevant to your audience and their needs' - o.k. then!
I refer to this as we are working on a cross-platform strategy for a potential client and they have programming content already. The knee-jerk reaction for most brands is to change the format of this (quicktime. H.264, mobile ready resolution etc etc...) and deploy. This is easy, but it doesn't get the most out of the opportunity. To really activate the audience (something we talk about a lot here at etv) we must determine where and when the user will be accessing this content.
In the digital world I come from this also holds true, giving a different 'pace' to users in terms of accessing content is important - that is, for an audience that is browsing for a quick entertainment fix then make it easy for them to find this, for an audience who wants to be educated and has the time to do this, make the access to the content logical, and make the content comprehensive. It is important to note that the differing pace of access to content can exist on the same site, but we should also ensure that the end content is matched to the route in which it is accessed.
I guess this is where this research falls short, it is great in talking about broadcast content, but we need to go deeper into UI and platform to really ensure the user is getting what they want.
please see the whole research article at: http://www.ignoreatyourperil.tv/index.php
Monday, 13 October 2008
Blogs within blogs!
Usually I would spend some time reviewing the new Brightcove player for you all, but the chaps at Techcrunch (www.techcrunch.com) have done such a nice job you might as well go there:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/12/brightcove-3-leaked-screenshots/
Brightcove is only one of a number of 'player' solutions; indeed here at etv we have our own, but obviously we are not looking to compete with the SAAS companies who do this for a living. In fact our player is designed to provide a nice, simple solution where these other systems are overkill.
Other ones I have been looking at recently include:
Mio, by Nativ (http://nativ.tv/)
Miomni by Ether Digital (http://www.miomni.com)
Narrowstep (http://www.narrowstep.com/)
these are all 'kind of' the same, but interestingly they all stop with the link between the web TV world (which they cope with quite well) and the traditional broadcast platforms (which they don't service at all). I have been having a chat to the guys here and we can't actually see a platform which provides TV for both the web and broadcast platforms (Sky and iTV for example)... you can do it, but you need a number of different pieces of software and this obviously adds complexity and risk. If anyone knows of one I would be happy to hear about it!
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/12/brightcove-3-leaked-screenshots/
Brightcove is only one of a number of 'player' solutions; indeed here at etv we have our own, but obviously we are not looking to compete with the SAAS companies who do this for a living. In fact our player is designed to provide a nice, simple solution where these other systems are overkill.
Other ones I have been looking at recently include:
Mio, by Nativ (http://nativ.tv/)
Miomni by Ether Digital (http://www.miomni.com)
Narrowstep (http://www.narrowstep.com/)
these are all 'kind of' the same, but interestingly they all stop with the link between the web TV world (which they cope with quite well) and the traditional broadcast platforms (which they don't service at all). I have been having a chat to the guys here and we can't actually see a platform which provides TV for both the web and broadcast platforms (Sky and iTV for example)... you can do it, but you need a number of different pieces of software and this obviously adds complexity and risk. If anyone knows of one I would be happy to hear about it!
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
New facts and figures for your enjoyment!
Apologies for the tardy updating of this blog, I have been off having another baby (well supporting my wife while she does!). Things are hectic in the Rogers household, but as I live to give I thought I would give you some updated facts and figures from our recent research here at etv:
I hope all is going well wherever you are and I will be back to you soon.
Cheers
Andy
- Using TV and online combined delivers up to 50% increase in positive brand perception
- The number of Britons viewing TV online has more than doubled in the last 12 months, according to Ofcom.
- The number of UK internet users who watched YouTube hit 9m in April 2008
- Take-up of broadband through a landline grew from 52% of households to 58% in 12 months
- More than one in ten mobile phone users have accessed the internet on their phone and 3G mobile connections
- The amount of time people across Europe spend watching online video has grown by 50% in the past 12 months, according to Jupiter Research
- Nine out of 10 UK web users watched video online in December 2007, according to comScore
I hope all is going well wherever you are and I will be back to you soon.
Cheers
Andy
Friday, 22 August 2008
Yahoo invents a new kind of TV (or does it?)
I read with interest this week about Yahoo (http://www.yahoo.co.uk/) and chip-maker Titan are re-defining the TV experience by developing widget-based interaction within the TV experience... at first glance I like the idea of this, it saves us here at etv (http://www.etv.tv/) from creating multi-platform interaction, which currently requires the user to engage with one or more platforms (something which many people are now doing) and gives us the opportunity to really add value to broadcast-type content with the calls to action being backed up by the opportunity for direct response.
Then I considered that red-button essentially does this, so what are they offering over and above? I am speculating that this will be an in-picture online/tv/other screen play essentially consigning red-button activity to the history books... but then again, I am sure there is someone sitting at Yahoo who is paid much more than I am to tell me this is just the tip of the possibility-iceberg!
I am currently trying to track down Marco Boerries (Yahoo's executive vice president of Connect Life) to see whether I can get some low-down.
See the full article here: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080821/ttc-lifestyle-us-it-internet-television-e0bba4a.html
Have a good bank holiday weekend!
Then I considered that red-button essentially does this, so what are they offering over and above? I am speculating that this will be an in-picture online/tv/other screen play essentially consigning red-button activity to the history books... but then again, I am sure there is someone sitting at Yahoo who is paid much more than I am to tell me this is just the tip of the possibility-iceberg!
I am currently trying to track down Marco Boerries (Yahoo's executive vice president of Connect Life) to see whether I can get some low-down.
See the full article here: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080821/ttc-lifestyle-us-it-internet-television-e0bba4a.html
Have a good bank holiday weekend!
Friday, 15 August 2008
why AKQA can't leave me alone...
Having spent a long time in the traditional (how weird is that) digital industry, making websites, creating online games, developing portals and winning quite a few awards, I have been used to the Elephant in the room that was AKQA (www.akqa.com). I respect them for their creativity and I like the fact that, despite their size, I hear very few complaints from clients about their 'corporation-like-attitude'. There is also no denying that it has been one of the genuine success stories of the web-development market.
However... now I have moved over to the broadcast side they seem to be following me around. I read an article yesterday defining pretty much my thinking on the broadcast market over the next 3 years, well written, insightful and pithy; really good work, but who appears at the bottom of the page as their opening reference to this new age in broadcast commissioning and 360 degree multi-platform approach - none other than AKQA. what!?! do me a favour... their new broadcast team is 12 people, if it came down to it we would have those guys out-numbered 10-1 in a dark street in soho (and it may come to this). In addition they have developed small pieces of viral and 1 film from what I can see, a shoe-in for the 360 degree commissioning model this does not make.
Now, I appreciate them giving a voice to the emerging market, but to be honest they don't meet the citeria in my eyes, they are a digital agency and not set-up to produce the kind of on-going online broadcast material that should appeal to brands over the coming months and years (it has to be said, something I didn't appreciate myself until 4 weeks ago). A company like etv (www.etv.tv) is much better placed for 3 reasons, we have contacts throughout the industry, something you just can't buy, we know how to deliver within the fast-paced broadcast environment to provide proper ROI and we have great in-house design and build talent to ensure this content is pushed out in the right way.
Someone wiser than me once said "you can't teach experience", never has this been more true.
However... now I have moved over to the broadcast side they seem to be following me around. I read an article yesterday defining pretty much my thinking on the broadcast market over the next 3 years, well written, insightful and pithy; really good work, but who appears at the bottom of the page as their opening reference to this new age in broadcast commissioning and 360 degree multi-platform approach - none other than AKQA. what!?! do me a favour... their new broadcast team is 12 people, if it came down to it we would have those guys out-numbered 10-1 in a dark street in soho (and it may come to this). In addition they have developed small pieces of viral and 1 film from what I can see, a shoe-in for the 360 degree commissioning model this does not make.
Now, I appreciate them giving a voice to the emerging market, but to be honest they don't meet the citeria in my eyes, they are a digital agency and not set-up to produce the kind of on-going online broadcast material that should appeal to brands over the coming months and years (it has to be said, something I didn't appreciate myself until 4 weeks ago). A company like etv (www.etv.tv) is much better placed for 3 reasons, we have contacts throughout the industry, something you just can't buy, we know how to deliver within the fast-paced broadcast environment to provide proper ROI and we have great in-house design and build talent to ensure this content is pushed out in the right way.
Someone wiser than me once said "you can't teach experience", never has this been more true.
Thursday, 14 August 2008
82.5% of statistics are made up on the spot...
o.k. 'obviously' we should take the following with a pinch of salt, but the figures below are pretty compelling from a brand perspective:
- Branded content sites are 24% more effective than overall MarketNorms at impacting purchase intent among those with household incomes of $75,000 or greater.
- Video advertising on branded sites provides an 82% brand awareness boost over MarketNorms’ overall online video advertising averages, and a 67% boost for improving brand favourability.
- Sponsorships on branded content sites are 42% more effective than the overall MarketNorms average and 36% more effective than on portals.
This does indicate that brands need to take the end content seriously, and I am certain (having gambled my career somewhat on these market research bods being able to do their job!) that the gap between this type of research and active ubiquitous brand involvement is just round the corner.
Next blog: 'price point - why brands are ignorning research becuase they think it is expensive but it's not really'
Friday, 8 August 2008
Video is the most popular online activity!
It was nice to read today (the in the NMA 31.07.08 www.nma.co.uk) that video is the most popular online activity... around 28% of Europeans now regularly watch video online which is more than double the % in 2006. That should make my job a little easier over the coming months and years.
This says to me 2 things: 1) the technology is now here to deliver on the requirement of the market and b) as with the social networking (web 2.0) bubble, the general public are now willing to engage in this way with this content online.
happily this is not at the expense of TV, which still has more broadcast viewers than the internet, and means these two mediums are serving different, but equally important markets.
bring on 2010!
This says to me 2 things: 1) the technology is now here to deliver on the requirement of the market and b) as with the social networking (web 2.0) bubble, the general public are now willing to engage in this way with this content online.
happily this is not at the expense of TV, which still has more broadcast viewers than the internet, and means these two mediums are serving different, but equally important markets.
bring on 2010!
Wednesday, 30 July 2008
the wonders of television
It has been a frantic week since I started at etv; the opportunity here is fantastic, and it is really nice to believe in a cause again. I have had a crash course in TV commissioning, production and ongoing programming, and it is certainly a different world to the one I have come from (pure digital design and build).
I guess the biggest difference is in the size of the contracts and the way they are commissioned, in my online days (even at one of the biggest agencies in the world) we would get excited by a £1M deal, in the world of TV that is considered deeply average - in commercial terms it takes a LOT of web development to match one good TV commission.
The rub here is that it seems that the old commissioning model for TV is, if not coming to an end, certainly slowing down, as advertising budgets move from TV to online, and while all of the research is pointing to the positive effects of video content online, it seems that broadcast-type content is yet to be 'fully' embraced by Brands - leaving somewhat of a gap.
I guess this is where etv come in; I am starting to formulate the pitch in my head at the moment, but the more research I do and the more people I speak to, the more I am convienced I have made the right choice to come here...
I will update this blog as much as possible over the coming weeks and months, as it would be good to share with you all I have learned (and will continue to learn) about this emerging market. I am also really interested in your thoughts and happy to take direction, criticism, idealistic ramblings etc... from anyone who wanst to air their thoughts.
I suspect we are really at the tip of the iceberg, so it should be good fun!
I guess the biggest difference is in the size of the contracts and the way they are commissioned, in my online days (even at one of the biggest agencies in the world) we would get excited by a £1M deal, in the world of TV that is considered deeply average - in commercial terms it takes a LOT of web development to match one good TV commission.
The rub here is that it seems that the old commissioning model for TV is, if not coming to an end, certainly slowing down, as advertising budgets move from TV to online, and while all of the research is pointing to the positive effects of video content online, it seems that broadcast-type content is yet to be 'fully' embraced by Brands - leaving somewhat of a gap.
I guess this is where etv come in; I am starting to formulate the pitch in my head at the moment, but the more research I do and the more people I speak to, the more I am convienced I have made the right choice to come here...
I will update this blog as much as possible over the coming weeks and months, as it would be good to share with you all I have learned (and will continue to learn) about this emerging market. I am also really interested in your thoughts and happy to take direction, criticism, idealistic ramblings etc... from anyone who wanst to air their thoughts.
I suspect we are really at the tip of the iceberg, so it should be good fun!
Introductions...
Hello all, it's nice to be up and running with the Blog, after a long 3 months preparing my rants about video online, broadcasting online and generally taking whatever we call video online to the next obvious level.
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