Online video viewed on TV sets will lead to an explosion of consumer spending: $6 billion by 2013, says a report by Park Associates.
“Consumption of premium Internet video content to date has been low,” said Parks Associates. “Services have been available only on less-than-optimal screens – PCs and portable multimedia players. But new connected products that link to premium Internet video services are emerging at a rapid pace, moving the Internet video viewing experience into the living room. This shift will help grow revenues considerably.”
This report finds that greater ownership of connected game consoles, networked TVs and alternative video-on-demand set-top receivers is generating significant growth in user-paid revenues (Apple TV is, in our view, one of those best examples).
This consultancy says that the Internet video market is maturing as portals, aggregators, broadcasters, and other content creators and publishers are developing go-to-TV approaches and ad-supported premium video services.
“Future areas to watch include ad-supported movie streams, new targeted advertising approaches, and Hollywood’s efforts to offer more electronically distributed content through download-to-burn kiosks and other manufacturing-on-demand outlets.”
Online ad networks are growing
More web publishers are using online ad networks to sell their inventory. In 2006 publishers sold 5 percent of their inventory via ad networks; a year later, that number has shot up to 30 percent. That is according to a new report issued by The Interactive Advertising Bureau and the consulting firm Bain & Company.
Experts consider that if your business model is advertising driven, you can’t outsource a significant percentage and expect to stay in business. However, if you don’t have an ad department, they say that there is a lot of value in ad networks to grow businesses.
The report also found that ad networks are growing in prominence in part because brands see them as a low cost alternative to premium sites, and in part because ad networks’ pricing and inventory management technology needs improvement. (Premium publishers often command CPMs the $10 to $20 range for their top selling inventory).
Apple’s iPhone App Store spark creativity among developers and money dreams among VCs
The iPhone and other smartphones like the new T-Mobile Dream, powered by Google’s new Android operating system, and the BlackBerry, are sparking creativity among software developers, and some venture capitalists are taking advantage of this phenomenon. The popularity of iPhone is clear: users have already downloaded 60 million applications from Apple’s App Store.
Last week the New York Times featured iFund, a $100 million investment fund created earlier this year to invest in start-ups specializing in iPhone applications. So far, they have received 2,500 business plans, and they have invested –over $5 million- in four: Whrll, a mobile location-based service where users can be tracked on their iPhone by friends; iControl, which makes it easier to monitor homes while away; Gogii, dedicated to interactive gaming and social networking; Ngmoco, a game maker; and a soon-to-be-announced company that creates virtual world that one enters through the phone.
First time a newspaper video site goes live via cell phone
The Washington Post has begun streaming live video via mobile phones. The first implementation came from a reporter streaming from the floor of the DNC in Denver during Obama’s nomination. A WashingtonPost.com representative explained: “This is one of the first times a newspaper organization has had the ability to bring this level of live video coverage to viewers”. The reporter used a cell phone and software from Comet Technologies.
In the last year, there has been quite a lot of experimentation with bloggers and mainstream media streaming live using smart phones. Some other services are Qik, Kyte, and Flixwagon.
Get videos from YouTube without downloading any software
Trying to rip flash video files from YouTube without downloading any software? Sometimes knowing to cut and paste is enough. How is that? Select the full URL, type file2hd.com, and paste that address on the URL field. Then, select movie, agree to the Terms and Conditions, and hit Get files either in .flv format or .mp4.
A free all-in-one freeware downloader
And talking about managing downloads, here is another tip. There is a free application that quickly downloads streaming videos and songs from four browsers. It is called Orbit Downloader. To get a media file, simply right-click a video or photo and choose download from your context menu.
