Corporate Broadband Channels - The Channel is the Ad

With all the hoo-ha about the traditional Broadcast Networks moving to the online, ad supported video distribution space -- this following item might seem inconsequential -- But, we believe it carries deeper ramifications for Producers...and, in fact, more opportunities...


From StreamingMedia.com

"Land Rover ‘Goes Beyond’ With New Broadband TV Channel...

First Broadband TV Channel Launched by Major Automotive Brand

London/New York (April 12, 2006) - ...Land Rover launched a new 24/7 broadband TV channel ... The ‘Land Rover Go Beyond’ channel will be dedicated to the spirit of adventure..."

Go Beyond TV reflects a distinctive, premium, glossy, ‘magazine style’ form of programming which reflects the community of people who live the Land Rover brand. New content will be added every month, and in addition there will be live broadcasts (from, for example, motor shows) and updates from special events. This will include the Land Rover G4 Challenge, which begins in Thailand on April 23rd.

The Go Beyond channel will be on show at Land Rover dealerships and major motor shows, though anyone can access it online via a Go Beyond link at www.landrover.com."

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While the delivery format is yet another Site-based, Flash Video viewing experience (which is fine, just limited; and, we think it would have been clever of them to have delivered their content for Mobile, including in-vehicle interface, viewing...

...the point here is that, interesting, niche content channels are popping up from the Corporate Sector, as an inherent ad format at the Channel level. This is an area our Producer affiliates (and, BlastPodcast) need to nurture -- because it will provide an alternative to the mega-Network model, and, we hope, will provide opportunities for some great storytelling...

...The analogy here might go to those "Hallmark Hall of Fame" MOWs on a Network -- where now, "Hallmark" just runs the show on their own online channel (and, if they're really clever, they do it with BlastPodcast's delivery format, to reach broader, off-site Audiences).

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UPDATE 17 APRIL

A trend?

Bacardi Spending $40 Million on Online/Mobile Radio Station [by Rafat]

Yes, that’s the number Billboard is quoting: Bacardi is launching an online/mobile radio station called Bacardi B Live Radio.


From PAIDCONTENT.ORG

Ad Supported Video On Demand -- EVERYWHERE?

It's about the Distribution Rights, yes?

From PaidContent.Org

"Jeff Bewkes, [Time Warner]president and COO, may have added one more at Tuesday’s closing session when he urged programmers to offer full slates of ad-supported VOD, not just cherry-picked programs. Think HBO on Demand with ads."

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For Producers (Content Partners, Distributors, etc.), what's really important here?

It is that the Networks (broadcast, cable or otherwise) are now going to tie up the internet, mobile and wireless Rights to any and all Content -- so, if you have a traditional "network" deal, you will not be able to retain any internet/mobile/wireless Rights whatsoever, in perpetuity, throughout the Universe, 'til death do you part. Even two years ago, there was room for negotiation with Networks on this front; we were even seeing deals where interactive game Rights were withheld. No more.

So, this potentially lucrative revenue stream will now be managed and co-mingled into whatever Adjusted Gross, Net or Contingent Compensation deal you (the Producer) can negotiate upfront. Unfortunately, there's not enough history to this market to determine what would amount to a reasonable deal structure...

So, it's likely that in grabbing the Golden Ring of the traditional network deal, you will be signing away your internet/mobile/wireless Rights at some low-ball level (best guess: it will appear as a fixed contingent compensation feature; akin to syndication).

Our suggestion? Fight to provide for a recision or reversion of internet/mobile/wireless Rights in the event of cancellation or "temporary Hiatus" that extends more than 6-months. Your show may have a great niche audience online/mobile/wireless, but, you won't be able to reach them without a provision of this nature.

How Quickly the Paid Content Model Evolves...

There was a very short reference in an AP News Report picked up by Salon
From SLATE MAGAZINE HERE headlined: about Disney's move to ad-supported content for what is currently Paid content in iTunes.

"The Wall Street Journal says shows like "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" would be available on a revamped Web site the morning after they air. The report says shows would be archived so viewers can eventually watch an entire season of shows from outlets including ABC and Disney Channel."

Here's the technology kicker:

"New technology would be aimed at preventing viewers from fast-forwarding through commercials, in an effort to keep advertisers happy."

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Now, will they also include some tech-glue that will keep the Audience's eyeballs on the Screen while the Fast Forward button is disabled? Perhaps stronger Creative and better targeting on the Ad side would keep "Audience's happy."

Regardless, the issue here is how the Paid Video model @ iTunes Store seems to already be abandoned in favor of an Ad Model on the Site level. Now, with BlastPodcast, we're focused on the Ad Model within iTunes (concurrent with the Site Level experience) -- and, we're aiming for non-intrusive and value-added ad experiences that make both the Audience and Advertiser "happy."

OK, now, let's all get back to a "happy" work week...

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UPDATE: Seeing the posting on this over in PaidContent.Org re: – "ABC.com will set up online meeting rooms for people to watch shows “together.” -- Well, if you copy/paste a BlastPlayer into your Blog Page (we can even help with some Custom CSS for insertion to a TypePad Pro account); you can have community/comment interaction right alongside your Viewing -- And, as a Content Partner, you've achieved exactly what ABC.com is promising; except, your content can also be aggregated within iTunes, iTunes Store and be popped in your pocket to carry around on an iPod or PSP device.

The only difference is, well, we don't really consider this being "together." For that, we recommend sitting on a couch together, or side-by-side in a room or theatre; then, laugh, cry, share outrage or whatever, together...really, together..."virtual" can be carried too far, when it becomes no more than a gimmick or line in a Press Release.

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UPDATE 13 APRIL /

The above announcement is getting alot of ripple-press and the ramifications are starting to sink in...this is a concise summary:

From C-NET NEWS.com

"ABC broke the TV/Web barrier when it put its prime-time shows on iTunes. But most consumers won't pay for shows they can get for free."

"Portals should race to aggregate video traffic. With major networks' video locked away in their own sites, portals must romance other video sources..."

"Google needs to move quickly to add ad-supported video to its paid and free service..." (Of course, BlastPodcast already does this!)

"Advertisers should embrace online video...All future branding campaigns should include online video alongside television..."

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Sounds like a business plan?

The only item we take issue with on the ABC model is this notion of "unskipable ads." Ummm, really, have these folks not moved over to tabbed browsing? It's about making interesting ads, targeted at your Audience and delivering some value within the Ad..."unskipable ads" is just spin, and we don't think Advertisers will fall for it (not in the long run)...

Daytime Broadband Viewing

In looking at online video metrics for a few years, we're usually struck by the number of downloads that occur in the middle of the night -- that 1:00am-3:00am period (even accounting for Time Zones, this speaks to general North American viewing).

That said, we've been seeing the trend shifting -- and, are now looking at how "rolling lunchtime spikes" are likely to become more common.

Speaking to that point, was an interesting article today:


From MediaPost Communication's Newsletter:

Prime Time In Broadband: Why 10-2 Is The Sweet Spot
by Bryon Evje, Monday, April 3, 2006

"People are stealing away 10, 15, or 20 minutes of their day to watch a few snippets of streaming video, and this is happening most frequently between the daytime hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m."

"Among the more than 100 million unique broadband users, the majority spring up from the office T1. So broadband video can be as essential to the 9-to-5er as the office coffee machine."

"Advertisers have caught onto this and are putting considerable financial muscle into the daytime-prime-time concept. One advertiser, a large sandwich chain, is planning a national campaign in which a 15-second pre-roll ad will be blasted across the broadband landscape in the early afternoon hours in an attempt to reach viewers before lunch. In the adjacent banner position, a coupon will be displayed that can be printed and redeemed at any of the chain's locations. Another advertiser, in the automotive sector, has opted for a daytime-prime-time "roadblock," buying up as much 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. pre-roll inventory that it can find in order to promote a new model.

The audience is there, even to the chagrin of upper management."

Newspapers & Podcasting...More...

Interesting observations from SLATE in weighing North American newspaper's online podcasting presence v. European counterparts. BlastPodcast is working to provide turnkey solutions for Newspaper's Online Ad Departments to monetize this space -- On both sides of the Pond...


From SLATE MAGAZINE headlined:

The British (Podcast) Invasion
Why the U.K.'s newspapers are worth listening to

With items of note:

"...a couple years into the podcasting era, I've noticed an interesting trend: Print companies seem more willing to take chances and produce original programming for the Internet than broadcasters do..."

"...But so far, I haven't found a newspaper or magazine on this side of the Atlantic that's really exploited the promise of launching a podcast (which is, in effect, launching your own micro network)...Across the pond, however, they're all over it..."

Evolved Podcasting

While ad-supported audio podcasting has barely emerged as a commercial market, the entire concept and notion of what "podcasting" is, and will be, have expanded well beyond the initial, now seemingly primitive, common-use definition.

What is the evolutionary path of podcasting?

These two articles start to show how a single digital distribution platform will have the broadest prospective reach to audiences:


From Reuters and MSNBC

End near for MP3 players, video cams?
Nokia produced 100 million camera phones in 2005.
Updated: 8:46 a.m. ET March 21, 2006

HELSINKI - Mobile phones will deal a final blow to makers of music devices and video camcorders, having already hit the photo industry, a senior executive at handset maker Nokia told the Financial Times newspaper.

AND:


From PAIDCONTENT.ORG

NPR Podcasts Go Mobile With Melodeo's Mobilcast [by staci] : NPR continues its aggressive podcasting push with an agreement to distribute 45 podcasts via Melodeo's Mobilcast, which streams or delivers downloads. NPR will have a branded channel; KCRW in Santa Monica is the only member station participating so far. NPR says it has delivered nearly 18 million downloads since it began podcasting last August.

Video Podcast Ad Formats

We're mulling over a DVR Ad format used by Kentucky Fried Chicken and considering its application in ad-supported video (or even audio) podcasting -- On an opt-in basis, it's intriguing...


CLICK FOR FULL ENGADGET.COM article

"Take a new ad from the restaurant formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken that premiers this week, in which a "secret" message is encoded such that it is only visible while the commercial is being viewed in slo-mo....KFC is stepping it up a notch and actually providing an incentive for people to seek out the ad, offering a free sandwich to those who can regurgitate the hidden phrase."

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On a CPC campaign, this would work -- and, if the single frame were off-loaded and saved to the mobile device, it could be a Point of Purchase digital coupon.

Is this a terrible idea? Carry it out to a multi-part "puzzle" format...

Instead of fast-forwarding through ads, you are encouraged to go through them frame-by-frame? Maybe a :05 second ad (150-frames) is a viable format?

iTunes = Sustained Viewing

While there are some structural problems with the article found here:


Web Site Optimization One item that stands out and is meaningful is:

"People are tuning in over twice as long with iTunes than with RealPlayer or Windows Media Player."

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Structurally, the Quicktime and iTunes platforms should be combined; and, Flash needs to be included to make the overall Picture more complete -- However, the item noted above speaks to: iTunes and iTunes Store as a "content consumption center," as eyeball-grabbingly important as any television network...i.e. Audiences hang here...for long periods of time...

Networks and Independents...Online it's a level playing field

We are pleased to see that NBC is going to "original" content creation for online -- not just sifting through the archives.


CLICK HERE for the full MEDIA POST article.


NBC To Offer Original 'Office' Webisodes

NBC ON THURSDAY SAID THAT it has quietly filmed 10 Webisodes of "The Office" for release this summer on its Web site, NBC.com. While NBC has made other TV shows available online, the network has never before created video programs exclusively for the Web.

Tied together, the two-minute episodes focus on the accounting department of Dunder Mifflin--a paper-supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania--as it feebly investigates the disappearance of $3000. The network will post one new Webisode a week.

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As we're working with independent Producers who are going with this same distribution route -- rather than knocking at the door of the Networks and begging for a "deal," they will be side-by-side with the NBC content (and others), and it will be up to the Audience to determine what succeeds -- not Network Programming Executives -- and, within iTunes, each "Channel" creates a level playing field to compete for eyeballs.

For Independent Producers who move into this space directly, with the BlastPodcast solution, they are zero-degrees of separation away from the gross revenue share; without a Network in the middle to run the monies through an accounting department and then apply toward 40-page profit participation definitions.

Who Invited "Welcome Back"

OK, maybe we'll watch, maybe we won't...

...But, in general, we've got to wonder about what the Audience wants?


From Warner/AOL's own Press Release:


AOL and Warner Bros. Launch In2TV - The First Broadband Television Network

Thousands of Classic TV Shows To Be Available Free and On Demand on AOL.com

Dulles, VA (March 15, 2006) - AOL and Warner Bros. are saying "Welcome Back" to thousands of classic TV shows with the launch of In2TV, the first broadband television network, on AOL.com. The network offers the largest collection of free on-demand TV shows on the Web, including full episodes of favorite Warner Bros. programs from the past 40 years such as Welcome Back, Kotter, Chico & The Man, Alice, Growing Pains, Sisters, Kung Fu, Lois & Clark, and many others, along with interactive features and viral videos that enable audiences to experience and interact with television programming in an entirely new way.

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We went in and had a peek through:

http://television.aol.com/in2tv

Somehow, faux-wood panelling, electric-green shag carpets, 8-track Tapes (Deep Purple, MachineHead) and the stale scent of a warm Pabst all came flooding back...

How many folks want to go there?

Interact in a whole new way with a TV Show? Perhaps, no one wanted to "interact" with those characters -- they enjoyed being on a different side of the screen...something sounds forced here...

So, what does today's broadband audience/community really want?

Will they either demand -- or roll their own -- original, unique, often-niche, and Now-For-Something-Completely-Different entertainment? Or, will they be pleased as Punch to interact with Vinnie and the guys?


Normally, we wouldn't really comment on this -- but, since it is the same day as today's earlier Post re: "Slivercasting," it seemed worth noting.

Scott Donovan's Viewpoint article in
Ad Age of 23 Jan. '06 had a nice line...

"Radio wasn't vaudeville. TV wasn't radio. A Cellphone isn't a TV. We know what the answer isn't. Let's figure out what it is."

Which was a nice piece on "Creating Third-Screen Content? TV should not be your template" -- And, he was referring to BOTH content providers and advertisers.