Is Google Old News? XBox, PS3 and Others Prepare to Leapfrog Search
July 8, 2008
Google dominates search on the PC screen, is making a play to dominate no the mobile screen but so far has shown little momentum on the screen that delivers, and will probably continue to deliver, big advertising revenue - the television screen.
Why?
- Ads still look best on television and they will become as interactive as online advertising. IPTV and interactive TV platforms will allow increased targeted and clicks and purchases right from the couch (couch potato purchases).
- People want TV. Remote clicking couch potatoes don’t want to become desk potatoes but they do watch Hulu when that’s the only way to get TV on demand (and we are in a when-we-want-it era). As online video become increasingly accessible through the TV (fast, high quality, TV interface etc), many web video hours will revert to TV watching hours.
- Your set top box will increase it’s share of Web features and technology while retaining that couch potato optimized TV interface and remote control controllability.
For an example of where we are heading, just plug in an XBox and you can download a variety of HD content for television watching using a remote control. Plug in a Sony Playstation 3 (or Nintendo Wii) and you can watch video through Web video sites using your remote control for the console. I particularly like the PS3 video in a Web browser experience as it shows the equivalent of unlimited TV on demand. From a media perspective, it’s the equivalent of being able to launch unlimited video channels just as you would as Web page (since it’s all Web technology designed for the bigger screen).
Now, in addition to the XBox 360’s and PS3’s (to be launched) video download stores, there are rumors of Netflix (and a few wishful rumors about Hulu) being made available through these consoles.
Now add in a video advertising network to these platforms and you have a whole new world of television media. Instead of watching a Netflix movie on a pay per view basis, you can watch a free one with commercials or in-video ads (which you can click on to purchase goods or get more information.
In the end, consumers, entertainers (would you rather be a TV star on a 17 inch screen or a 62 inch screen), media companies, brands and advertisers all are big fans of television. When they can combine TV screen size with Web type interactivity, choice and features, the hype momentum and dollars will likely swing back to focusing on the large screen. Set top box makers, cable and IPTV companies and the video game console makers are planning for that day.
Web to be #2 ad medium. So what.
June 11, 2008
IDC reported a few weeks ago on the growth of web ads. Just another day. But then MediaPosts Center for Media Research headlines it as “Web #2 Ad Medium in Five Years” comparing the Web, as IDC did, to TV and newspapers. Only direct marketing would stay ahead of Web advertising. But this is a false metric.
The Web Video Distribution: Know Your Communities
January 27, 2008
I drew this chart up for a company wanting to better understand the different types of video and community sites for building video viewer communities. I thought this be of use if you need to explain (or better understand) how there are not just video sharing sites, but multiple categories of community sites where companies may post and build communities of viewers. Read more
