You are here: Home / Blog / Archives for veoh

Cable 2.0 Is (Finally) Upon Us

November 20, 2008 by @smokejumper · Leave a Comment 

Interesting coverage out the SJ Mercury News today about web video developing into a viable alternative to cable tv.    This is very much in line with my post early last month “Why I’ll leave cable t.v. behind . . . .”

With the entry of Sling, joining other sites such as Hulu, Joost, Veoh and others, most of what is available on cable is now available on the web.  Now I can watch my favorite shows:  The Office, Prison Break, Law & Order, Brothers & Sisters, ER, House, The Daily Show and Colbert Report . . . when I want.  
The only major hurdle is that I can’t easily watch them on my TV.  And watching on the 13″ screen of my MacBook after I’ve been on it all day is not joyful.  Worse is attempting to watch on my iPhone.  That will change and when it does I won’t miss cable.

Filed under TV | Video · Tagged with , , , ,

Online Viewers More Engaged

October 10, 2008 by @smokejumper · Leave a Comment 

Friday media coverage round-up related to my recent post on Forrester Research report on How Online Video Engages Consumers:

Filed under TV | Video · Tagged with , , , , ,

Eisner Takes Shots @ Hulu & MySpace

October 10, 2008 by @smokejumper · Leave a Comment 

I previously posted about a Veoh Networks event where Forrester unveiled research on How Online Video Engages Consumers.  At that same event, Michael Eisner “headlined” in an interview.  Yes, the Michael Eisner, former head of Disney, and current head of The Tornante Company which owns digital studio Vuguru – producer of web originals Prom Queen and Foreign Body.

Here’s some of what he had to say and my response (in italics):

  • Hulu may not represent the future of online video.  (Agreed but they have staked a rapid and growing claim around studio-produced TV content online.  Their ownership structure sure helps.  But more than than they have an attractive and very usable site).
  • MySpace is blowing a golden opportunity to dominate the space.  (I wonder if they know that?  Wonder how Facebook feels about the issue?”
  • Pre-roll ads are not the answer.  (Hallelujah!  But reality is that short (up to 15 seconds) pre-rolls are part of the answer – longer than that is annoying.)
  • And the Internet may eventually produce a hit series that reaches bigger audiences than TV ever has.  (Provocative upon initial read but basic logic would lead one to that conclusion.  If the Internet produces an audience that is larger than TV ever was and can spend marking $’s promoting a quality title in the manner that TV has, then it will happen).
While Eisner hasn’t produced that monster web original hit yet, he is able to keep costs low for his shows by “hiring more waiters than anybody.”  Those waiters are affordable because they are “non-union.” Good to know there may be job security for waiters in this economy, albeit at non-unionized, low wages.
Additional coverage of Eisner’s interview:

Filed under Marketing, TV | Video · Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

How Online Video Engages Audiences

October 8, 2008 by @smokejumper · 2 Comments 

Much has been written about YouTube and there is ample hype about where online video is going. I don’t get too excited about the latest dog on skateboard or Japanese student in dorm room dance sensation. Forrester Research (commissioned by Veoh Networks) recently took a systemic and fundamental look at online video and the impact it is having on consumer behavior and attitudes.

James McQuivey presented a summary of this today at an event in NYC “Watching the Web: Engaging Consumers in Online Video. See James’ blog for his personal take on the subject.  The full research will be available via Veoh. It answers questions such as . . .
  1. What it means to be an engaged online video viewer
  2. Why engaged viewers watch online video
  3. How online video holds viewers attention
  4. Which types of online video are more likely to engage consumers
  5. Whether online video present advertisers with a unique medium with which to reach consumers
  6. How viewers feel toward online video advertising
  7. Which advertising experiences are more likely to be be accepted by viewers
Online Video is Hot
  • Nearly 2/3rds of those online in the U.S. watch video in a typical month (117M)
  • The average online video viewer watches 56 minutes a week (>100m of total viewing hours each week)
  • Moving beyond strictly a YouTube phenomenon – people are watching everything from animation to TV re-runs to news clips
“Our kids will take a look at us sideways when we talk about schedules for TV.”

Engaged Viewers are Most Attractive
Online video is creating a market of users who are more engaged and involved with the content being viewed (pay more attention – as I check email, switch between baseball playoffs, Monday night football and a “classic” Sharks hockey game, draft a blog entry, twitter, talk to my son and listen to voice mail) and are more receptive to ads. Marketers need to understand this audience and then leverage video content to connect to their core/target audiences.
Who are Engaged Video Viewers
Forrester defined Engaged Viewers as those who watch more than an hour of online video per week.
  • Though they are just 36% of online viewers, they watch 74% of all video
  • A third of them – 36% – are between 13 and 24 years old
  • They spend 2.5 hours with online video a week (on average), watching 6.1 different types of video content
  • They pay close attention to what they are watching (vs. when watching TV)
Forrester breaks these Engaged Viewers down into more detailed groups of consumers worth understanding.
Long-Form Video Engages More
Long-form content sites not only attract desirable viewers, but also they cultivate an environment that garners more viewer attention and engagement with advertising. Some unique attributes of those who watch long-form content online:
  • more likely to pay full attention to the videos they watch
  • interact and rate the videos they watch more often
  • 2x as likely to recall in-video ads
  • agree more readily that advertising helps pays for their free experience
  • try to replicate the TV experience by looking for things “they wish were on TV”
Implications for Content Providers
Online video growth will continue and will result in more engaged viewers. Content providers need to prepare given:
  • Engaged Viewers want even more content
  • They want it to be even easier to watch
  • They enjoy the convenience of watching many kinds of video on the same site
Implications for Advertisers
Advertisers need to rethink their approaches in order reach the Engaged Viewer
  • Think “Advertainment“, not Advertisement – be creative and don’t repeat the same ad over and over in the same piece of content
  • Use all the ad units on a page in concert to activate viewers
  • Use content (and sites) to target video ads
More details, including details on the make-up and composition of engaged video viewers, available Veoh Networks.
See NY Times (GigaOM) coverage, including recent research from Heavy.

Filed under TV | Video · Tagged with , , , ,

Watching the Web . . . How Online Video Engages

October 7, 2008 by @smokejumper · Leave a Comment 

Tomorrow in NYC, Veoh Networks will host the first in their Insight Series, “Watching the Web:  Engaging Consumers in Online Video.”  In addition to discussions with Michael Eisner (Founder, The Tornante Company) and Dimitry Shapiro (Founder, Veoh Networks), there will be an expert panel with Albert Cheng (EVP Digital Media, Disney-ABC Television), Patrick Keane (EVP/CMO, CBS Interactive), Greg Clayman (EVP, MTV Networks), Amanda Richman (SVP, MediaVest) and Tom Morgan, (Chief Strategy Officer, Move Networks).

Joining this impressive group (with their lofty titles), will be James McQuivey of Forrester Research.  Forrester was commissioned by Veoh Networks to conduct some in-depth and independent research on how online video, including long-form (TV and movies) engages audiences differently than short-form video and television.
I was fortunate enough to work on this research on behalf of Veoh – thanks to Mike Henry, Annie Morita, Edwin Wong and the rest of the team at Veoh.  I will provide some summary level insights in this blog once James has had a chance to unveil Forrester’s work tomorrow.  

Filed under TV | Video · Tagged with , , ,