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Internet video traffic is doubling every 3 to 4 months
From October 2005 to March 2006, the number of Internet users watching video online increased 18 %, while the average viewing time per user rose 18%, according to ComScore. And we mentioned the last week, Internet video traffic is doubling every 3 to 4 months.
Michael Gordon, co-founder and CEO of Limelight Networks, Inc. explains that "this change in user behavior is being driven by a simple fact: unlike in 1999, Internet delivery of digital media content in 2006 works".
Emerging from its infancy
“The trends we’re witnessing indicate that online video is emerging from its infancy and entering the mainstream,” said Jack Flanagan, EVP of Comscore Media Metrix. (By the way, look at ComScore stats for July)
Cory Bergman, an industry expert, notes that "the implication is clear if it wasn’t obvious before: media organizations must 1) pursue user created video as quickly as possible and 2) install YouTube-like functionality in traditional video presentations."
Still huge room for the TV networks
We are transitioning from Network to Networked TV, as Shelly Palmer technologist and visionary says. And certainly most of the new Television features disrupt traditional models. The impact will be significant but stay calm.
As Mr. Palmer points out there is still room, huge room I would say, for traditional TV: "Photography did not put an end to painting, recordings did not replace concerts, web sites did not render newspapers obsolete, home videos did not destroy the movie business and networked television will not destroy network television."
President Bush to suffer a digitally manipulated assassination
The UK's Channel 4 has produced a movie that opens with the assassination of President Bush by a anti-war sniper in front of a Chicago hotel. They have used special effects to use Bush's actual face. It seems to be a shockingly real film, and it is already causing outrage among many Americans.
Death of a President uses digital trickery, archive footage and actors. This drama, which recreates the national paranoia following the murder, will be screened this month at the Toronto Film Festival. Channel 4 hopes to sell the film to US broadcasters but same say that is impossible. So wait until it hits YouTube. For the moment, just we have is the picture of the scene.
CBS launches a channel which will stream games on a subscription basis
Football and other sporting events from dozens of colleges and universities are available live over the Internet through a service launched this Friday. Notre Dame games are free, while other schools will charge $5 to $10 a month for a complete access. This broadband site is called CSTVXXL.com and it is run by CBS's CSTV Networks. It contains over 100 channels of college sports live and on-demand, and includes audio and video feeds of games, news conferences, highlights and other features.
Chief executive of CSTV says: "Fans of large schools no longer have to wait for that single game on broadcast or cable. Millions of fans of smaller schools will have access to live sports for the first time no matter where they live". The schools often produce material already for broadcast, video scoreboards and other purposes, so getting footage online likely won't require a heavy investment by either the schools or CSTV.
CSTVXXL.com will have channels for each of the schools it covers, and those schools will stream games that aren't being shown on TV. By the way, Mac users forget about using it. CSTVXXL is only PC-compatible.
Start Up uses military tech to fix low resolution video
Cell phones with video capture capability are increasingly popular, but the image quality is pathetic. Check out this business idea: technology to enhance low resolution video by comparing multiple frames to replace lost pixels. MotionDSP is the creator, and It started off in 1998 as a U.S. military funded project at UC Santa Cruz.
"Our software re-constructs a high-resolution from low-resolution video nabling mobile phones, webcams, and security cameras to deliver higher-quality video, and enable a viewing experience that is far more satisfying. Take a look at the video demo at the company's site. That idea could help broadcaster to transport video files from the field via Internet. Now they are looking for 1 minute in length videos captured by mobile phones or digital cameras for a consumer test.
Video ads segment is the fastest growing online media
A report by research firm eMarketer predicts video advertising will grow 71% this year to $640 million. By 2010, the number is expected to hit $2.3 billion, that is 8 % of the $29.4 billion. Online video is the fastest growing segment of the $16.7 billion Internet advertising market.
According to experts, "the rapid rise is due to the quick pace at which television networks, traditional marketers and new participants such as YouTube have introduced video onto the Web in past year."
