The Israeli Metacafe.com, a real threat for the YouTube leadership
YouTube has 19.6 million visitors, but Metacafe.com, an Israel-based video site that presents itself as the most advanced video sharing video community on the Internet, has 2.7 million, according to Nielsen Media Research. With $23 million in venture capital, Metacafe hopes to gain on San Mateo-based YouTube, which has become a cultural force with 100 million videos viewed very day. (YouTube is backed by $11.5 million from Sequoia Capital.)
Last month, Metacafe moved to the Bay Area. Founder and chief executive Arik Czerniak, 31, a former fighter pilot with the Israeli air force, has set up a 70-employee office in San Francisco, while his staff of 15 engineers will remain in Tel Avid.
Unlike YouTube, which deletes porn or other potentially offensive video, Metacafe uses volunteer editors to pick only the best clips for viewing. In addition it has what they call a family filter button that can be easily deactivated. The result is that they feature nude girls and more explicit adult content than YouTube. It has another advantage over its U.S. rival: a player that organizes and screens your videos offline.
Iran's presidential blog in a country with Internet censorhip
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has started his own blog, www.ahmadinejad.ir, written mostly in Arabic. His first posting told of his childhood, Iran's Islamic revolution, and the country's war with Iraq. The weblog includes a picture gallery of the President itselft, an RSS feed, and a poll asking if users think the US and Israel are trying to trigger a new world war. The US is described as "Great Satan".
The blog comes in a country where the Internet censorship is openly applied and the media is strictly controlled. Some suggest this blog is part of the search for a wider international audience, and intends to pose all the doubts about American policy.
People like killing time watching 20-30 minute shows on mobile
We have often assumed that people watching video on cellphones and other mobile devices only want very short clips, no more than 4 minutes. We were wrong. Global research studies found an appetite for 20-30 minute viewing of sitcoms, dramas and news. Think for example in commuters or lunchtime viewers.
So wireless carriers, broadcasters, handset manufacturers and content producers are betting that TV and video will become the next great mobile hotbed. The IDC research firm says that by 2010, about 24 million consumers representing 9.2% of U.S. cellular subscribers will watch TV or video on mobile handsets, up from about 7 million this year. Revenue will roughly quadruple and exceed $1.5 billion.
Mobile TV is still in its infancy
Technology is changing rapidly. In 2003 Sprint launched MobiTV, the video played at one or two frames a second. Now, 3G networks lets mobile operators bolster the quality of video available. Some programming is streamed live, though most consists of on-demand video clips.
Pricing is a question. Sprint charges $15 to $25 a month for a data plan that includes video. But for carriers to keep monthly fees reasonable, it's expected that consumers will have to tolerate advertising. Another big problem is battery life. It is expected that manufacturers launch phones that remind you to stop watching TV when the battery reaches 25 % of capacity.
After all, Mobile TV is still in its infancy. "We absolutely understand we're in the early days and are maintaining a lot of irons in the fire around new things to see what people will do," says Jim Ryan, Cingular's vice president of consumer data.
CBS Evening News with Katie Couric live on your computer
CBS announced this week it will offer a live webcast on CBSNews.com of its evening news, beginning on September 5th with Katie Couric debut. CBS will become the first network to stream a daily news show. "This is a groundbreaking development in making the program available to the largest possible audience," said Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports.
Users will be required to register. The newscast will also be made available on demand. Both will be free and advertised-supported. The network also announced a number of other new broadcast features that will be available online and on other platforms, including: "Couric & Company" daily blog; "Eye to Eye" daily video of extended newsmaker interviews; "First Look with Katie Couric" web-exclusive rundown of selected stories; and "Katie Couric's Notebook" podcast of one-minute look at a top story or issue.
People are choosing Flash Video. Another lost battle for Windows?
Adobe's latest stats show the high penetration of the Flash player. Windows Media is in the 95 % penetration range, but it comes pre-loaded on Windows computers. Meantime, Flash Player 7 shows over 95 % penetration.
Critics note that Flash 8 is not available on Linux, and Adobe is cutting the access to a growing future market. Also, same say the process is being driven by web developers, not consumers. If the content they want to view is in Flash, then they download the software. Adobe is using these penetration statistics as proof that the Flash Player really is as prevalent as everyone says it is.
