I've been attending all the major events in our space this year - starting with the CES, followed by the CTIA (yes, we do wireless too!) and then the NAB - all of which were in Las Vegas. So, it is a welcome relief to be attending the Cable Show in Los Angeles! At least there are no distractions to doing business (and fewer risks to the health of our wallets)...
But seriously, Los Angeles is a great location for the Cable Show, focused as it is on content and it's delivery as it pertains to the Cable industry. The proximity to Hollywood should ensure a significantly increased content presence at the show, and must be welcomed.
This being the second year of the Cable industry changing the format of its events, it will be particularly interesting to see how the new format is working out.
For those not familiar with this bit of history - the Cable industry used to have four major events a year:
- the Emerging Technologies conference
- Cabletec - or the SCTE's Expo
- the Cable show - or the NCTA Expo
- CTAM and the CTAM research conference (two separate events, actually)
Due to an inordinately heavy travel schedule for all concerned, these are now consolidated into two events annually, one in spring and one in the fall.
For someone interested in the future of technology, there is one thing I sorely miss - and it has totally disappeared this year - the Emerging Technologies summit. Last year, the ET happened in parallel with the Cable show, but attendance was way down.
ET used to be the place where technologists in the Cable space could get together and listen to, discuss and debate technologies that were coming down the pipeline, not just a few months away, but two, maybe three years away.
I've presented at ET several times, and received great feedback. I found it to be a very useful event from a "CTO" perspective. Well, ET, RIP dear friend...
Meanwhile, the excitement level in the industry is palpable. From the CES to CTIA to NAB, I have sensed an increasing level of participation, the noise level in the expo halls has been increasing, people are becoming more excited, animated, as though the damp economy of the last few years has been shrugged off, and people are ready to do business again!
Bring it on - let's have some fun at the Cable show 2010!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Thursday, August 6, 2009
There's nothing to watch on TV!
Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink...
The situation on the Television today, reminds me of that popular saying I used to hear growing up in India, many moons ago. There is so much content out there - my DVR and TV are full of stuff that I don't really want to watch. And when I go to the Television to watch something, the things I want to watch don't seem to be there!
And the pundits are wrong. They have been saying that TV's holy grail is - any content, anywhere, anytime. They are wrong.
Why is this so?
I classify Television content into two types:
- Happening stuff (breaking news, weather, etc.)
- Canned stuff (things someone made for viewing - those that are not happening now)
The Happening stuff is what needs to be watched on typical Broadcast (linear) Television.
The Canned stuff should all be available on-demand.
This is the future - Broadcast and on-demand living together. Not everything everywhere.
Instead, Broadcast allowing viewers to "discover" content, and On-Demand allowing viewers to choose what they want.
The situation on the Television today, reminds me of that popular saying I used to hear growing up in India, many moons ago. There is so much content out there - my DVR and TV are full of stuff that I don't really want to watch. And when I go to the Television to watch something, the things I want to watch don't seem to be there!
And the pundits are wrong. They have been saying that TV's holy grail is - any content, anywhere, anytime. They are wrong.
Why is this so?
I classify Television content into two types:
- Happening stuff (breaking news, weather, etc.)
- Canned stuff (things someone made for viewing - those that are not happening now)
The Happening stuff is what needs to be watched on typical Broadcast (linear) Television.
The Canned stuff should all be available on-demand.
This is the future - Broadcast and on-demand living together. Not everything everywhere.
Instead, Broadcast allowing viewers to "discover" content, and On-Demand allowing viewers to choose what they want.
Friday, July 31, 2009
How can online video generate more revenue?
Online producers rely on sites such as Youtube to pay them a part of their advertising revenue in order to earn something for their efforts. That amounts to:
1. A revenue share on advertising (very low if it is Youtube!)
2. Which is a percentage of what the site earns for the advertisement - this is, the more the site earns, hopefully the more the producer earns!
In order for online video producers to make good revenues, they need to understand how advertisers decide where to put their advertising money.
Advertisers want to put their money on safe bets - they want to advertise where they expect their potential customers to lurk. Which means that web video producers are already at a disadvantage - web video is perceived to be unpredictable, with unpredictable audience demographics and views. Why would advertisers put their scarce resources on anything other than a sure bet?
Therefore, an online video producer wanting to maximize their returns must:
- work with a site like www.i2TV.tv that maximizes the percentage revenue share (i2TV shares 20% to 33.33% of the revenues).
- Or another site with a similar revenue share percentage (frankly, there aren't that many!)
- Find a venue that has a high CPM (Cost Per thousand iMpressions of video)
The latter point - finding a high CPM - is a tough one, due to point number 2 above - a site that doesn't earn large CPMs is not interesting to online video producers.
That is, unless the site brings something else - for instance, i2TV. i2TV brings you to on to TV - and lets face it, there aren't that many venues for being on TV! It's an exclusive audience.
And what better than if it can offer high CPMs as well as putting you onto Television? That's the promise of i2TV - high CPMs and the exclusivity of TV.
For online video producers, this is a bonanza of sorts - and an answer to the age-old-online-video-question - how can online video producers make more?
The answer is simple - i2TV! Be on TV, and make more while doing it!
1. A revenue share on advertising (very low if it is Youtube!)
2. Which is a percentage of what the site earns for the advertisement - this is, the more the site earns, hopefully the more the producer earns!
In order for online video producers to make good revenues, they need to understand how advertisers decide where to put their advertising money.
Advertisers want to put their money on safe bets - they want to advertise where they expect their potential customers to lurk. Which means that web video producers are already at a disadvantage - web video is perceived to be unpredictable, with unpredictable audience demographics and views. Why would advertisers put their scarce resources on anything other than a sure bet?
Therefore, an online video producer wanting to maximize their returns must:
- work with a site like www.i2TV.tv that maximizes the percentage revenue share (i2TV shares 20% to 33.33% of the revenues).
- Or another site with a similar revenue share percentage (frankly, there aren't that many!)
- Find a venue that has a high CPM (Cost Per thousand iMpressions of video)
The latter point - finding a high CPM - is a tough one, due to point number 2 above - a site that doesn't earn large CPMs is not interesting to online video producers.
That is, unless the site brings something else - for instance, i2TV. i2TV brings you to on to TV - and lets face it, there aren't that many venues for being on TV! It's an exclusive audience.
And what better than if it can offer high CPMs as well as putting you onto Television? That's the promise of i2TV - high CPMs and the exclusivity of TV.
For online video producers, this is a bonanza of sorts - and an answer to the age-old-online-video-question - how can online video producers make more?
The answer is simple - i2TV! Be on TV, and make more while doing it!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
i2TV - beyond the vision
i2TV stands for Internet to Television.
The i2TV name describes the vision of TellyTopia in a nutshell - bringing the Internet to the Television. Bringing the strengths of the Internet to the Television.
We have learnt a lot from the Internet - a lot on the technology front, and a lot more on how best to use that technology for use by people - these lessons are easily transferred to other areas, such as Television. What if we could do some of the things that we do on the Internet using a computer and keyboard - directly on the Television?
And yet, the Television has some very different characteristics from the Internet. The TV is usually watched in a "lean-back" environment, and viewers are used to watching high-resolution, high-quality video on it.
Put the two together, and what do you get? You get i2TV!
A world where you can watch what you want, on TV, on your PC, on your portable device - or any other conceivable display device. In high resolution. When you want. Preferably without having to pay for it!
That is Youtopia - what You want, for Your viewing pleasure.
TellyTopia is building Television Youtopia. And i2TV is the first embodiment of this Internet to Television Youtopia!
The i2TV name describes the vision of TellyTopia in a nutshell - bringing the Internet to the Television. Bringing the strengths of the Internet to the Television.
We have learnt a lot from the Internet - a lot on the technology front, and a lot more on how best to use that technology for use by people - these lessons are easily transferred to other areas, such as Television. What if we could do some of the things that we do on the Internet using a computer and keyboard - directly on the Television?
And yet, the Television has some very different characteristics from the Internet. The TV is usually watched in a "lean-back" environment, and viewers are used to watching high-resolution, high-quality video on it.
Put the two together, and what do you get? You get i2TV!
A world where you can watch what you want, on TV, on your PC, on your portable device - or any other conceivable display device. In high resolution. When you want. Preferably without having to pay for it!
That is Youtopia - what You want, for Your viewing pleasure.
TellyTopia is building Television Youtopia. And i2TV is the first embodiment of this Internet to Television Youtopia!
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