Tubemogul says this is “contrary to its stereotype as platform for ephemeral thoughts, Twitter is referring some of the most engaged video viewers out there.”  That may be one stereotype, but others see Twitter as a distribution tool similar to RSS – a list of links of interest.  From that perspective, this does make sense (and makes beating Digg, another link centric resource, even more interesting).

From what I’ve seen in the past, Digg users seem to skew younger and Twitter users older. Can that demographic difference explain the difference?

See the post here.

http://www.tubemogul.com/research/report/21

A TubeMogul found that more than half of video views are driven by blogs.

To the point, here, in this blog, is a video interview about the study.

And if this strikes anyone as crazy, and some will scream about it, just think of Netflix, ESPN360 and cable.  Netflix started with a subscription video offering (rolled into their DVD rental subscription), and now offers streaming video on demand to the large screen through Tivo, XBox 360 and other TV connected devices (and expect to see it built into broadband connected TVs this year).  Basic cable is a package of video channels with commercials.  And ESPN360 is only offered through broadband providers with which it has an agreement.

The cable executives continue to communicate the general business message that this is a workable. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts supports the "TV Everywhere" authentication approach (Comcast calls is OnDemand Online) put out by Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes.   And Jon Miller, head of digital at News Corp was reported by AOL’s Daily Finance blog as saying Hulu could be placed behind a pay wall.   Will Richmond at VideoNuze makes some good points as to why Hulu may one day go subscription (or at least, freemium and premium).

Will it work?  Content producers, like any business, need a certain amount of revenue to survive and thrive.  As we’ve seen with TV and print (radio, until satellite, didn’t have many good options), the best content can command subscription revenues with higher profits, even at the cost of traffic, should owners choose.

If the model moves in a direction of premium content arriving via subscription models, we may also see more mass marketing of these premium broadband “channels.”  This could change the nature of Web properties resulting in top properties being those cable companies decide to push (similar to TV today).   While this is all just theory today, the talk of executives and the need for the Hulu’s of the world to prove themselves as solid financial models mean that the future may be just around the corner.

(disclosure: the author does work with Web video companies)

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=106873

The Hulu vs. Cable argument centers on traffic and videos watched.  But important number is the minutes spent per video – are people spending the time to watch long form on the web?  In minutes per video, viewers watching Hulu content spent an average of 6.7 minutes on each video they watched.  This is a far cry from the shortest TV content (the 20 minute sitcom).

There are certainly many people watching many long form video, but the numbers indicate that short form video still dominates web viewing habits (the overall web average is 2.5 minutes per video, according to comScore.  At the same time, Nielsen’s three screens report shows TV watching at an all time high.  True, people surf when in front of the TV, but that behavior indicates surfing to short form content while long form broadcasts through the TV.

This is of critical importance to marketing and PR professionals as we must execute programs that fit today’s audience.  And what we are seeing is that the PC based web continues to be a short form video medium with TV alive and well when it comes to long form video. 

Sources:

comScore – http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=2756

Nielsen Three Screens report – M2 Three Screen Report

(disclosure: the author works with Web video company Dailymotion)

According to Parks Associates, 33% of US households with broadband are interested in  connected set top boxes.  Later this year, awareness and interest may continue growing as connected TVs, no set top box needed, are launched (connect the TV to the router and start using those widgets, streaming video etc).

What’s interesting is that Gen Y, the up and coming generation of information consumers, are interested in the social media features – chat and recommendations both faired well in their interest.  This may go up if, as the new connected TVs are rolled out, these types of widgets are well executed. 

What this all means is that instead of Web video and social media killing TV, TV stands to continue to be major means of communicating with major audiences.  As often happens, changes in the media ecosystem tend to be an evolution and not a revolution.  Communicate with people through TV will not die away but will evolve.

• Casual games through Accedo Broadband (www.accedobroadband.com) — Accedo’s popular casual gaming service, Funspot(R), allows viewers to play a variety of fun games from the comfort of their favorite armchair. Games include Texas Hold ‘Em Poker, Sudoku, and QuizzMaster.
• Video through Blockbuster OnDemand (www.blockbuster.com), Amazon Video on Demand (www.amazon.com/vod), and Neflix streaming services (www.netflix.com).
• Pictures from Flickr (www.flickr.com)
• Music from Pandora (www.pandora.com) and  Rhapsody (www.rhapsody.com)
• Web widges from Yahoo!’s Widget Engine with well-known content providers already developing TV Widgets for deployment include CBS, Showtime(R), TwitterTM, The New York Times(R) and MySpace(R).

We’ve been waiting for this to happen, it’s just good to see Vizio bring it all together.

But the most pleasant surprise was in the remote control – a full qwerty keyboard.  After a year of seeing the ability to browse the web and message with friends on a TV (mainly via video game consoles), we’re finally seeing a remote that will make it practical.  We can tell people about messaging capabilities all we want, but until we put the capability in the consumers hand, literally, it will be difficult for people to adapt.  Similar to how cell phones designed for music spurred music usage, remote controls designed for web and communications apps will spur more usage.  I just hope this becomes standard.

For years, I’ve been talking about a day when you bring home your TV, plug it in to an electrical and broadband outlet, and start getting a range of content and applications – no boxes or cable needed…cable companies would become bandwidth utility companies.  

According to The New York Times, LG is launching a line of, what they are calling, Broadband HDTVs,  which will stream Netflix’s instant library directly to the TV – no PC, set top box, online DVD player or other device needed. 

The implications are enormous both in how this impacts both other industries as well as at how it may accelerate the changes in consumer behavior.

Three Major Industry Impacts

There are many potential changes coming but here are my favorites.

Cable companies – People are shifting their habit to watching TV when they want, not when programmers want.  Cable providers will have to create whole new content and programming strategies that include applications, dynamic on-demand programming, community building and other Web like programming services.  Failing this, they won’t go out of business but may be relegated to bandwidth utility providers.

Application developers – The is on it’s way TV to becoming come the new development platform for consumer, communications and other platforms.  Consumers have flocked to sites like Hulu because they weren’t available on TV.  Now that the day is in site where consumers can play games and watch Hulu on demand on a big screen, they’ll flock back to the couch…and developers will follow.

Video game industry – Assuming that TV manufacturers are thinking of one day licensing video game platforms, then video games have two huge opportunities.  The first is more gaming on demand.  Already, downloading to console stores from XBox, Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii allow more demos and sales of video games.  Allowing people to download straight to the TV means more game sales (the real money…those consoles are money losers) as you don’t need to have people invest in a console first.  The second impact is more explosive growth in casual games.  TV watching is a community activity as are casual games.  Now you can play a quick game of checkers or run a virtual football play with a remote friend during breaks in the real game.  So when do I get my new XBox Broadband HDTV?

The marketing and advertising industry – Broadcast commercial, meet the Dodo bird.  Everyone’s been talking about the demise of the traditional TV commercial but, to date, there has not been enough brand-safe (UGC and illegal video is not) online video inventory.  In addition, Americans are watching more TV than ever.  But if that TV watching becomes watching streaming on demand through a broadband HDTV, then the marketing industry can see some serious, and very lucrative, changes.  Ads and branded shows can be delivered on a more targeted and personalized basis with follow through actions…such as ordering a pizza mid-movie.

Video content will be created specifically for the Wii with cartoons being cited as the first example.  There will be a mix of paid and free content.

There are a few interesting points to note:

1. I’ve been waiting.  The Wii has the most intuitive channel (as in TV channel) interface.  It’s easy enough that my kids would probably prefer watching video through the Wii than flipping through the cable remote.
2. Is this a partial story?  I’m assuming a December 25th story means either it’s bad news (not the case) or it was leaked the Reuters rushed by print it (my bet)
3. The are launching with a cable like model of paid  premium and free entertainment.
4. The article implies that Nintendo and Dentsu are matching the content to the demographic.   They are producing for the Wii so that, like the video game strategy, they are not being all things to all people, but offering a specific type of content to the Wii demographic (just as casual and easy games are specific to the Wii demographic).
5. A video distribution service by an ad agency?  Does this show a new era of monetization where you don’t create and pray for money, but create with the money?

And what are the implications?

Bandwidth providers have to change their models.  I’m betting them get out of the entertainment game and end up providing tiered bandwidth along with partner devices…similar to where wireless carriers have been heading.  So, the next generation may decide they want AT&T bandwidth with the entertainment that comes along in a Wii set top box just as today we choose AT&T Wireless with the content and services that come with an iPhone or Blackberry.

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.