The Recession Proof Video Game Industry
November 26, 2008
Are video games recession proof? The evidence seems to be piling up the favor of the video industry. It makes sense. People will still want to be entertained and video games are a cost effective way of entertaining even small crowds in the digital living room.
Consumers and media shift from Web to mobile applications
November 7, 2008
The last few years were a flurry of Web 2.0, Web video, Web casual gaming and other Web application topics. At the same time, there was much industry discussion about mobile devices moving beyond voice (and email for businesses) and becoming true portable entertainment and Web devices. While the iPhone made people realize a cell phone was now a mobile entertainment device, it was the iPhone 2.0 App store that spurred broader discussion, and demand, for mobile applications.
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PlayOn puts Web TV back on the TV
September 29, 2008
What do people really want? Not TV on the Web, but TV on demand. The Web is just the only place to get it. Sure, Hulu’s grown in popularity. But ask the average person why they watch it so much versus television and you’ll likely get the answer “because I can only find that content on demand on Hulu.”
One day it’s quite likely you’ll hook a set top box to your TV (or just plug the cable card in) and be able to watch a Hulu-like ranges of shows on demand (with similar advertising). That day can now be tested with PlayOn.
Reverse Syndication - New Jersey Innovates
September 11, 2008
OK, maybe not the whole state but it’s interesting to see what the NJ Start-Ledger is doing to fill the newspaper. It’s the first edition without any AP stories.
At the same time, Politico announced they will give stories to papers for free and share ad revenue - and Political and Addify will share the ads. In other words, they are taking the Web video model to print. Creating content, integrating in advertisements, and then pushing that content out as much as possible to increase viewership of the content and ads. I’ve always favored Web video as it carries brand messages and advertisements wherever it goes. But, as Politico is showing, text content can do the same thing.
Read more at http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/09/10/the-start-of-reverse-syndication-and-end-of-the-ap/
With Netflix Deal, XBox Prepares to Own Your TV
July 15, 2008
This week’s announcement that XBox would stream movies from Netflix was a significant step in Microsoft’s bid to own the digital living subscription and, potentially, marketing dollars. In the Netflix deal, Microsoft got more than a movie partner, they got a brand. For consumers that have trouble seeing the XBox as a movie box, the Netflix association should help quite a bit.
What are Families Looking for Online? A Compete.com Pro Review and Example
July 4, 2008
We’ve been testing Compete.com’s new pro search analytics. Among the more interesting functions is the ability to see the top search words for behavioral interests. We took a look at family interest and were surprised at the results. While they may not represent all family interests, as the topics lean toward online activities for children, they do show a solid trend in the popularity of children’s online entertainment brands.
Plink Brings Social Media into Media
July 2, 2008
Imagine there was a way to know what people are thinking while they’re looking at online media like pictures and videos. Think about how useful that information could be for data mining, or even for creating highly-targeted advertising campaigns. While a tool with that kind of power may be difficult to conceive of, Entertainment Media Works (EMW) Plink is a step in that direction.
Sony PS3 to deliver video…get ready to create your own channel
June 27, 2008
Sony has confirmed that the Playstation 3 will deliver downloaded movies and TV. This is probably no surprise to PS3 owners who have had an empty video store sitting on their consoles. But while everyone can assume the best (DVDs die) or worst (the store stays limited to Sony movies), the implication of this store may be much broader. If users do start seeing the store as a video download machine, then the PS3 Web browser may be the next stop for streaming videos. Read more
Verizon Wireless Offers Loopt Social Mapping Service
June 25, 2008
Verizon announced they will offer Loopt social mapping to their wireless subscribers. Loopt’s location based service lets people share their location using mobile maps, tag content (such as photos) with location information and send information to blogs and other online properties. As we are seeing with other serivces, Loopt has privacy features to allow users to maintain control over their location data. The service, which will only be available on specific handsets (presumably GPS enabled ones), will cost $3.99 per month.
As with the other services, we’ll be watching to see if Loopt provides any opportunities for marketers. This isn’t about bombarding consumers with messages about MacDonald’s around the corner but providing information people want. For example, you may want to sign up for a Starbuck’s service that let’s you know when a friend is in a nearby Starbuck’s.
The Video Pie will Grow 25% by 2013
June 18, 2008
Forrester Research’s Jame McQuivey published a report confirming the video pie continues to grow with consumers going from 4 to 5 hours per day of video consumption. How can we possibly have more time to watch video? Simple, says McQuivey, OmniVideo.
