YouTube to Offer TV Shows With Ads Strewn Through
After months of experimenting with long-form video, YouTube said on Friday it would start offering full-length episodes of some television shows on its sprawling Web site. The staggering growth of YouTube — five billion videos were viewed there in July — has come primarily from short videos that last only a few minutes. But Internet users are gradually becoming more comfortable watching longer videos online, prompting YouTube’s commitment to the format.
YouTube and CBS partner to offer full-length shows online
YouTube, the video sharing web site owned by Google, has started to offer full-length television shows from the CBS archive in a bid to boost advertising revenues. Programmes will be limited to a few shows, already available on the CBS web site, including old episodes of Star Trek and Beverly Hills 902010, accessible only within the United States. YouTube says it is talking to other networks to offer their programmes online.
FCC Likely to Recommend Unlicensed Spectrum Use
A battle between tech companies like Google Inc and broadcasters over use of soon-to-be vacant airwaves will heat up soon as U.S. regulators release an anticipated report on the issue.
The Federal Communications Commission's report will weigh in as early as Friday on the feasibility of opening up "white spaces"—unused pockets of the spectrum to become available when broadcasters move completely to digital television next year—for unlicensed use.
Verizon, NCTA in tru2way Tussle
In a July 31st letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), US incumbent telco, Verizon, complained that the US cable industry’s tru2way standard “is not compatible with other video providers’ networks, including Verizon’s all-fiber FiOS network” over which it offers its interactive TV-enabled FiOS TV service; and encouraged the FCC to take a “platform-agnostic” approach to fostering the implementation of two-way interactive TV. The letter called on the FCC to “encourage the industry to take steps now–such as the inclusion of the low-cost and ubiquitously used Ethernet interface (RJ45) in CE devices–to ensure that a cable-centric approach to interactive connectivity does not inhibit technological innovation…or disadvantage other segments of the video marketplace.
Cable Digital News - Video - Verizon Tests Internet Video on FiOS - Telecom News Analysis
If you subscribe to Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ - message board)'s FiOS TV, you may someday soon be able to enjoy the best Internet videos ever made without requiring a laptop in the living room. Click the image below to see a slideshow of some new FiOS features and beta:
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A noteworthy beta-test using Verizon's FiOS Interactive Media Guide includes the ability to watch videos from YouTube Inc. , Blip.tv , and other Internet properties, by simply searching and selecting them from the TV. No new set-top box is needed for the Internet video feature. No Apple TV, no TiVo, and no other hardware or media adapters are required, either.
Sling Media Releases $299 SlingCatcher Set-top
Sling Media this week shipped its SlingCatcher set-top box to retailers, a universal media player that can deliver broadcast TV, Internet video and personal content to a television. The $299 device will enable owners to watch Web videos from sites like YouTube and Hulu on their televisions, as well as most video formats stored on a portable hard drive or USB drive connected directly to the set-top.
NFL Live-Streaming Pulls in 500K Uniques
Over the course of the first four live-streamed NFL games (which kicked off Sept. 4), the league says it attracted an audience of more than 500,000 unique visitors, each of whom spent an average of 40 minutes online. The NFL also found that the live-streaming is not cannibalizing the TV audience; in fact, most people are looking at the games on the web in addition to watching them on television.
Qwest Tuning Out ChoiceTV
It's DirecTV from now on, as Qwest has to shut down the IPTV service formerly supported by Next Level gear
Netflix May Dominate The Online Video World, But With What Business Model?
Yesterday, the New York Times Bits blog had a post that rationalizes how Netflix could become the leader in online video content. While I agree that Netflix has made huge strides due to their deals with XBOX, Starz and of course the Roku player, the real question is how they plan to make money from this new distribution strategy?
Each time Netflix streams a movie to your PC, XBOX or Roku, they pay a fee to deliver the bits and pay another fee to the content owner for the rights to distribute the content. Right now, the streaming movie services offered by Netflix costs them money but helps them retain Netflix customers. But over time, as subscriptions to their DVD service slows, how will Netflix translate their online video offering into revenue? Can Netflix convert those who use the DVD service over to a streaming only service? And more importantly, will Netflix offer a streaming only service for those who want to stream movies to the XBOX 360 and Roku but don't want physical DVDs?
TMC Video Launches
Well it isn't like we just started to do video or anything but we have started to have daily broadcasts which are quite good. of course I am biased, so take a look at the TMC Video Newsroom page yourself and let me know what you think.
