App Market TV

US Cable Cutting Conjecture Now a Certainty? Pay TV Loses 80,000 Over Four Quarter Period For First Time

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:54:58 GMT

A recent report from Leichtman Research Group found that major multi-channel video providers had a net loss of about 80,000 subscribers over the past year, compared to a net gain of about 380,000 over the prior year. This marks the first time there has been a net industry-wide subscriber loss over a four-quarter period (since LRG began tracking the industry over a decade ago).

"First-time ever annual industry-wide losses reflect a combination of a saturated market, an increased focus from providers on acquiring higher-value subscribers, and some consumers opting for a lower-cost mixture of over-the-air TV, Netflix and other over-the-top viewing options," said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, Inc. "The traditionally weak second quarter is sure to show additional net subscriber losses, but it is unlikely that these current modest industry losses are a harbinger of a more dramatic near-term market decline."

Talking Transmedia

simon.staffans@gmail.com (Simon Staffans) — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:24:06 GMT

Transmedia. It's like that word that you know should fit perfectly to describe what you're trying to convey, and you know what letter it starts with, but there's just no way that you can remember it right now. So you let it slide, confident that "it'll come back to you" at some point. Right now, it's come back to at least parts of the transmedia community.

This past week, Andrea Phillips has argued that a taxonomy of transmedia forms would be necessary. Instead of transmedia – which still could be valuable as an umbrella term – we should talk about Web Series++, Expanded Documentaries or Franchise Storyworlds and so on. In this way, we can more precisely talk about what we actually want to talk about, get funding for what we want to get funding for and produce what we want to produce, without any misunderstandings or valuable time spent discussing terminology.

Dijit Media Introduces NextGuide Web, a Next Generation Social TV Discovery and Sharing Web Experience

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:30:02 GMT

Dijit Media, Inc., makers of the popular NextGuide, Miso, and Dijit Remote social TV discovery and control applications, today introduced NextGuide Web. NextGuide Web is a new site that helps people find and explore TV shows and movies and see what their friends recommend and watch. The site lets users discover and watch shows on live TV and popular streaming services including Amazon Prime, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, Hulu Plus, and Netflix.

"Last year we launched the NextGuide iPad app and revolutionized the TV guide. Now we're extending that great platform to the Web," said Jeremy Toeman, CEO of Dijit Media. "NextGuide.TV is the easiest way for people to keep track of great shows they want to watch, easily get reminders for new airings on live or streaming services, and share their recommendations and social TV profile with their friends."

Key features of NextGuide Web include:

— Single Search - No more need to browse site after site to find your favorite show on a streaming service search once on NextGuide for combined live and streaming results.
— Universal Watchlist and Queue - No need to maintain unique queues on all

Is Network TV in the USA Tanking? Some American TV Analysts Think So

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:38:28 GMT

Reading Brian Stelter in The New York Times certainly indicates that numbers are falling and brands are seeking solace with Big Cable over Networks. Broadcast ratings in the key 18-49 demographic tumbled by 17% during the winter months when compared with a year earlier, according to Goldman Sachs, which called the decline: "the sharpest pace on record." NBC and ABC are lucky to get five million to tune in to anything.

"At ABC, the lowest-rated of the four broadcasters, first-quarter profit fell 40 percent compared with the same quarter last year, but the network still made $138 million," Stelter wrote. "NBC, on the other hand, lost $35 million in the quarter, because of lower advertising revenues. NBC's parent, Comcast, said the network would have fared better if its biggest hit, 'The Voice,' had been on in the quarter."

The Artform of Machinima

info@pookymedia.com (Pooky Amsterdam) — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:53:26 GMT

Machinima, it's a lovely four syllable word that rolls off the tongue beautifully. And it's a word which has crept into the public's mental zipper by virtue of some huge numbers and stats.

The most popular network on Youtube today is the Machinima channel – and with over 40 billion views and over 200 million subscribers, the numbers are simply staggering. Numbers that are comparable if not beyond the most popular TV in the world – the Superbowl conjured up just a shade over 100 million viewers in 2013 and the World Cup final was watched by half a billion and reached 2.4 billion in 2010.

Look's amazing no? These are numbers that make broadcasters, production companies, and anyone else in the traditional TV value chain salivate and seem almost absurd.

The Numbers - Machinima Channel on Youtube (culled in May 2013)

Network Channels:7,638
Network Videos:1,775,185
Network Video Views:40,712,139,810
Network Subscribers:215,871,403

Report: Two Billion Mobile TV & Video Viewers by 2017

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:37:06 GMT

A new report from Juniper Research claims that by 2017, 2 billion mobile and tablet users will watch TV and video on their devices. Due to the growing popularity of short and easily shared video clips, and the increased global uptake of connected devices with faster processors and better displays, Jupiter has made this bold claim.

Users ‘Cut the Cord’

The Mobile/Tablet TV & Video: Content, Broadcast & OTT Strategies 2013-2017 report examines how mobile is increasingly being used as the primary screen for consuming TV and video content among younger demographics, and the seamless integration of streaming services with social networks. Sharing content via handsets or tablets has become an intuitive experience for many. The success that many streaming providers such as Netflix, have achieved online has led them to offer truly multi-screen experiences via smartphones and tablets and this move has begun to affect the Pay TV business, with the threat of consumers ‘cutting the cord’ and ending their pay-TV services in favour of internet streaming services. However, many Pay-TV providers, such as Sky in the UK are fighting back with multi-platform strategies of their own.

SimulTV - Claims Social TV Belongs on One Screen, not Second Screen

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:46:48 GMT

Say goodbye to the second screen? A bold claim from Simultv.

They say the new way to stay socially connected while watching live TV or video on demand is SimulTV, the first service that claim combines live cable television, interactive video, text and voice chat, popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and online search on a single screen.

What they call the 'social TV Everywhere' experience — now in beta with general release slated for June — can be viewed on any web-enabled device with friends and family anywhere in the world. People can watch, scream, cheer, joke and otherwise bond over favorite shows and movies in real time within a virtual living room, without requiring one device for viewing and another for socializing.

PayWizard to monetize ITV's Content Everywhere Solution

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:53:04 GMT

ITV, the largest commercial broadcaster in the UK, plans to transform its free ITV Player catch-up and on demand service into a revenue generating operation. As part of its 5-year Transformation Plan, ITV's strategy includes significantly increasing Pay TV revenues to balance against the more traditional advertising revenues. PayWizard is a key partner in this process, supporting ITV in monetizing its Content Everywhere solution.

ITV is the largest commercial television network in the UK. It operates a family of channels and delivers content across multiple platforms such as itv.com and ITV Player, and ITV Studios produces and sells programmes and formats across the UK and worldwide. ITV's digital channels are broadcast free-to-air on DTT, DSAT and cable, and are funded by advertising and sponsorship. ITV.com has around 10m average monthly unique users. ITV has increased distribution online in UK and on other IP platforms such as YouView.

Monterosa and MediaCom team up for second screen ads for Cancer Research's Race For Life

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:09:50 GMT

Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life together with MediaCom Beyond Advertising and Monterosa are launching two TV spots during Saturday May 18th‘s Britain’s Got Talent show to rally more participants for Race for Life 2013.

Part of Race for Life’s “Cancer, We’re Coming To Get You” campaign, the upbeat “Oi Cancer” ads will broadcast viewers’ messages to cancer in real-time, promoting the idea we can all help beat the disease.

Rumour: Samsung Splash Page to Take Over TV in Next Firmware Update?

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:01:16 GMT

A reliable birdy told me that Samsung's next firmware update will remix the TV to launch Samsung's Smart Hub page as the default page when you turn on your TV as opposed to the last channel your were on, watching linear TV.

So if it's true, when you turn on your Samsung TV in the near future you will, by default, see this:

Canada's Shaw Media to unveil New Technique for Advertisers and Sponsors to Engage Viewers on 2nd Screen

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:54:20 GMT

In a recent report from Mediacaster Magazine Online in Canada, Shaw Media will unveil a new technique for advertisers and sponsors to engage viewers, as it runs live on-screen integration as a new part of its commercial breaks.

“We have a special opportunity to help Warner Bros get the word out about the new movie, and help build some social chatter around the upcoming release,” Spur said. The special ad content created for the ad opportunity comes from a voice-over narrator, she explained, and it reflects the fun and entertaining tone of the movie itself. “The viewer is watching the movie without interruption, but they will see some special content delivered in a quite seamless way,” she said. “It’s like the Director’s cut, entertaining in its own right. We’ll show the poster for the new movie, and so there is a slight adjustment in the length and of course some remix of the audio.”

Youtube Will Generate $4 Billion Dollars in Ad Revenue in 2013

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:46:53 GMT

According to a video report from Beet.tv analyst Ian Maude of Enders Analysis told a crowd at a recent London Video Ad Strategy Summit that estimate YouTube will generate about $4 billion in advertising revenue.

“Overall TV viewing is growing, but that’s largely being driven by older people,” Maude added. “We’re seeing a divergence between what the under-35s and over-35s are doing.”

In comparison, the UK's largest commercial broadcaster ITV expects to do less than a quarter of that in 2013. In Q1 of 2013, NBCU did $1.5 million, down from $1.9 million in 2012 during the same period.

Apple, Netflix Suck up Half of US Internet Download Capacity

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:46:59 GMT

In a recent Internet traffic trends report from Sandvine, a leading provider of intelligent broadband network solutions for fixed and mobile operators called "Global Internet Phenomena Report 1H2013", YouTube accounts for over 20% of mobile downstream traffic in North America, Europe and Latin America. Couple that with their reports last year of Netflix sucking up over 30 per cent, it's clear that video is now dominating the internet capacity of the US at least.

Based on data from a selection of Sandvine's 200-plus service provider customers spanning North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Caribbean and Latin America and Asia-Pacific, Sandvine's Global Internet Phenomena report is published twice a year.

Report: Nearly 80% of Smart-TV Owners Are Regular App Users

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:54:51 GMT

New industry research from Parks Associates shows app developers are targeting the smart TV platform as the next significant growth area as nearly 80 per cent of smart-TV owners regularly use apps. App Development and Distribution Models details the app development process and monetization strategies for multiple platforms, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and connected cars.

"Smartphones have the highest penetration rate of app platforms at 60 per cent of U.S. broadband households, but smart TV adoption will reach nearly 25 per cent of all U.S. households in 2013," said Heather Way, Senior Research Analyst, Parks Associates. "App developers are focusing on the smart TV platform for new apps, and TV manufacturers such as Samsung and LG already have their own app developer programs, which control app distribution and monetization."

Samsung launched a new line of smart TVs at CES 2013, including a smart screen featuring apps from Netflix, Twitter, YouTube, Fox, and Spotify. Panasonic showed a smart TV controlled by a tablet-based app.

Netflix Cuts Deal with Disney for UK and Ireland for 2016

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:47:24 GMT

Netflix, the world’s largest Video on Demand IP-based TV network, is bringing a wide range of great live-action and animated films from The Walt Disney Company to its members in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

“We are delighted to be able to offer our members an incredible variety of fantastic family films, from recent hits like Marvel’s Avengers Assemble to beloved classics like Mary Poppins,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos. “We aim to make Netflix better all the time and hope members enjoy the rich offering of films we are making available from the Disney studios.”

Optimedia Releases Content TV Everywhere, TV Ratings System, Power Ratings 6.0

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:41:06 GMT

Optimedia has just released Content Power Ratings 6.0 today, the agency’s proprietary research report measuring cross-platform audience delivery, social engagement, and advocacy of television programs.

“The addition of CPRoi takes the value of CPR one step further, identifying opportunities for our clients to partner with the best content relative to the required financial investment.”

First released in 2008, Content Power Ratings is the most comprehensive study of its time, offering advertisers and networks an independent assessment of a TV show’s commercial value. Factoring in total cross-platform audience size, involvement, and advocacy, the report is the only of its kind providing the industry’s sole TV ranking system across four screens including TV, web, smartphone, and tablet.

In order to provide clear insights into new ways audiences are interacting with and advocating for their favorite programs, Optimedia incorporated several television-related social metrics. Utilizing data from Twitter’s Bluefin Labs Signals and GetGlue check-ins, among other sources, Optimedia is better able to capture the impact of Social TV on viewer engagement.

AMC’s The Walking Dead climbed to the top of this year’s list (up from #19 in 2012) due to its high advocacy and engagement levels. In

Europe's HbbTV Standard to Hit Australian Shores

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Mon, 13 May 2013 05:34:46 GMT

Seven Network is working on plans to deliver an ad-free subscription TV service via the Internet using HbbTV according to recent press in Australia.

And it's not just the Seven Network, Australia's Freeview has officially selected HbbTV and it's already written in its technical specifications - which is a major win for HbbTV and it's aspirations to go global.

Freeview is the free digital television service in Australia. It comprises all the channels from Australia's free-to-view broadcasters, including the ABC, SBS, Seven Network, Nine Network, Network ten, PRIME7, WIN and Southern Cross.

Facebook to Revive Facebook Live - Second Screen?

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Sun, 12 May 2013 16:42:18 GMT

Interesting article by Josh Constine at Techcrunch on Facebook's plan to revive Facebook Live:

A Facebook spokesperson for the project tells me “Facebook Live is something we’ll be utilizing more.” While more shoots haven’t been lined up, they should come at a brisker pace.

Why invest in original programming? “The purpose of Facebook Live is to give fans an opportunity to interact with public figures and give the public figures a global platform to present how they are using Facebook [or are engaged in conversations happening on Facebook] in an authentic way,” is the rather dry answer I got from the spokesperson.

But digging a bit deeper, Facebook Live accomplishes several strategic goals for the team at 1 Hacker Way. First, it can turn fans of the stars that Live brings on air into more frequent Facebook users. On the flip side, it can turn celebrities into more hard-core Facebook content creators. Facebook wants to be the place where people follow their favorite public figures, but it needs them posting frequently.

Most importantly, though, it demonstrates Facebook’s potential as

Youtube Opens VOD Programming - Paid Subscriptions

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Sat, 11 May 2013 10:09:46 GMT

YouTube has released a blog post confirming rumours that it will be offering paid VOD channels with subscription fees starting at US$ 0.99 per month.

The new programme was launched with 53 channels on May 9th in ten countries with a number of kids properties aw well as sports.

All channels are try before you buy with a 14-day free trial, and will be available on a range of connected devices including computers, phones, tablets and TVs(TV Everywhere out of the box).

From the blog.

UK Ofcom Survey UK Audience Attitudes to the Broadcast Media Released: 41% of All Viewers Second Screening Daily While Watching TV, 30% Using VOD services

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Sat, 11 May 2013 09:12:21 GMT

Ofcom has recently released a tome of a report called UK audience attitudes to the broadcast media - which is available as both a summary and in a whopping 111 page slide pack.

Some of the more interesting findings include:

Over half of viewers who use TV 'on demand' services say they watch them when there is nothing to watch on 'normal TV'.
Around three in ten respondents said that they used TV video-on-demand services (from Virgin on Demand, Sky Anytime or BT Vision The top three reasons for use were: because they 'missed the programme/file when on TV' (76%), 'use it when there is nothing on 'normal' TV to watch' (54%) and 'wanted to watch programme/film at a time that suits me' (46%).
A third (35%) of internet users said they used the internet to watch TV programmes online or download from TV broadcasters' websites, and a third (36%) said they watched TV clips online or downloaded from other websites.
Fifty-nine per cent of respondents who said they watched TV/films/video clips via the internet said they did so at least several times a week, rising to 67% of 16-34s.
Among those
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Report: Second Screen Industry on The Rise

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:17:17 GMT

A recent report from BI Intelligence, claims that second screen industry will ultimately succeed due to:

Usage is growing rapidly: 85% of smartphone users reported second screen-linked behavior at least once a month, over 60% reported doing it on a weekly basis, and 39% did so daily. Over 80% of 18- to 24-year-olds told Pew they used their phone while watching TV, and 60% of Americans with annual incomes above $50,000 use their phones while watching TV.

And mass acceptance isn't even necessary: All that matters is that a significant minority of viewers develop this habit (especially if they are highly engaged viewers). In the U.S. alone, TV ad spending was $18.4 billion in the third quarter of last year, a $74 billion annual run rate. If mobile can carve out even a small share of that pile of dollars via second screen channels, it would boost the mobile industry tremendously.

Second screen isn't really a new activity: It's a natural update to the old ways of engaging with TV, like the old office water cooler conversations about last night's football game or popular TV drama. Moreover, second screen-type behaviors were already popular on desktops and laptops, before mobile came along
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bSkyb Pumps Another $1.9m into Roku

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Fri, 10 May 2013 08:55:24 GMT

UK Pay TV company BSkyB has just announced, via an SEC filing, it has made a follow-up $1.9m equity investment in TV-streaming platform Roku, almost a year after it joined a consortium of investors in a €40m round which included News Corporation, British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), Menlo Ventures and Globespan Capital Partners.

Roku, based in Saratoga, California, is an American, privately held, consumer electronics company that sells home digital media products. The company manufactures a variety of digital media receivers that allow customers to access internet streamed video or audio services through televisions. This includes subscription-based services as well as services that are available through the receiver free of charge.

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zeebox to Open Up Ecosystem for 3rd Party Developers

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Fri, 10 May 2013 08:31:04 GMT

Talking toTechnology Spectator this week, zeebox co-founder and CTO Anthony Rose said that soon anyone with the know-how and an idea on how to improve a show’s second-screen experience will be soon be able to create their own multimedia for Zeebox.

“Over the coming weeks, we’ll be launching out Zeebox developer platform that is going to let initially industry developers create a lot more content themselves around shows and place that inside Zeebox,” Mr Rose said.

“We already provide tools to broadcasters… but we want to go further and make this a lot more of an open platform.”

“If you create a crazy game that you can play around a particular TV show, you should be able to wire that up through Zeebox through HTML5.”

“It should be a great publishing platform that brings the context of TV to particular experiences for particular shows,” Mr Rose said.

Rose also spoke to TV App Market on the development last week, off the record, and added that they are very close to being ready with their new developer portal.

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Civolution and Vetrya Cut Deal with Italian Social TV channel La3 for Synchronized TV App

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:16:00 GMT

Civolution and Vetrya have teamed up and cut a deal with La3, the social media channel broadcast on Sky (channel 143) and FTA DTT (channel 134), tablets, smartphones and the internet who have selected both companies to enhance its HyperSync application.

The Civolution-Vetrya partnership enables La3 to drive user engagement and loyalty through the delivery of a customized app which presents viewers with synchronized content on a wide array of connected devices. The SyncNow technology enhances Hypersync's most popular features such as behind-the-scenes extra information on the programs or characters by ensuring that the app is synced with the TV programming. SyncNow will also ensure that Vetrya's upgraded platform structure for the app, which supports exciting new features such as gamification, will also be synchronized with La3's content.

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Magic Ruby Launches "Quasar" Production Platform for Second Screen and Mobile Applications

richard@agoramedia.co.uk (Richard Kastelein) — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:02:40 GMT

Magic Ruby, a leading provider for developing monetizable technology and applications for the second screen, today announced the debut of its Quasar Production Platform, a unified, cloud-based toolset that helps television and film studios and other media and entertainment companies create, customize and monetize content through immersive second screen applications. The first tools released in the Production Platform include a content authoring tool, a secure Content Management System (CMS) and a rich set of software development kits (SDKs), content owners can maximize their return on companion content that was until now a significant challenge to monetize.

"Studios, broadcasters and other content owners can now use a flexible content authoring tool and CMS to smoothly create companion content to further immerse viewers in their brands, without disrupting the content production cycle," stated Winifred Chang, vice president of product development and innovation at Magic Ruby. "Our Quasar Production Platform makes it easy to quickly develop immersive and cost-effective applications for any program genre."

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