ENDAVO BLOG

MIPTV: The Content Producer’s Road Map

MIPTV is wrapping up here in Cannes, France, and the outlook is optimistic for content producers. According to stats from Cisco, video will make up almost 50 percent of all online traffic and 64 percent of mobile traffic by 2013. That’s a lot of video, and the opportunities for success are mounting. The main takeaways from this year’s MIPTV:

Global & Niche Markets. Niche markets continue to be huge, but think globally. Content is no longer limited to territories or local areas.

Social. Interactivity will continue to play a dominate role in digital media. Twitter is the best for live settings. In fact, one example during the show proved that live Tweeting by fans significantly increased viewership in later time zones. Also worth noting: Content producers will see an increased importance in apps and social media via mobile phones.

User Data. A strong MIPTV emphasis was placed on capturing user data. This will be critical to content producer success both in pre-production and distribution.

Money talks. Monetization of web video will continue to grow. Look for top ways to make money, including mobile, social, casual gaming, ads and digital publishing.

Up and coming. Some additional items to look out for: Touch Web (including the iPad), enhanced location awareness, faster Bluetooth, 4G coverage across the world and micro-payments.

The industry is going full-speed ahead. Already, Americans spend $260 more a month on entertainment and communications when compared to a generation ago. The trick is to utilize these new trends in order reach more people, in more places and gain more revenue.

NAB Day 2: War on the Floor (and a little 3D)

By Pete Contardo

Endavo was asked to participate in NAB/BEA’s War on the Floor, an Amazing Race-type scavenger hunt where two teams explore the NAB exhibit hall to learn all the major steps in the content life cycle. CEO Paul Hamm shared information with one of the teams on Endavo’s role in content management, distribution and monetization, highlighting the key features of our OTT Video Services Platform and the opportunity to syndicate content to global telco tv partners. 

Check out the War on the Floor video clip:

Quick Observations on 3D:

After attending a special event showcasing the latest 3D offerings, there certainly seems to be momentum building on the content production and distribution technologies available to accelerate the adoption of 3D displays (and the commercial success of Avatar certainly doesn’t hurt the business case either). Hearing that Best Buy sold out of their initial Panasonic 3D bundle also shows that there is sufficient demand from early adopters. And who knows, maybe the best indication that the market may just may be ready to take off: We picked up a catalog at the event filled with multiple pages of “designer” 3D glasses now available to consumers. Guess folks want to be stylish even when sitting in their own living room.  Now all this still doesn’t necessarily mean that the typical consumer is ready, willing or able to go out and purchase a new 3D TV, but at least the tools for driving 3D content creation and viewing are in place.

Endavo in Cannes for MIPTV

by Jason Anderson

Ahhh…the French Riviera. Who knew syndicating the planet came with a tan? While some of the Endavo team is in Vegas at the 2010 NAB Show, I’m spreading the word about our Platform at MIPTV in Cannes, France. Not a bad gig, huh?

 

This show is all about the TV, film, digital and audiovisual industries—from production to distribution. And it gives the industry a glimpse of the future on a global scale. I mean, we’re talking 13,000 entertainment professionals here from more than 100 countries.

 

So what does the future look like?

 

Pay-as-you-go productions are up and coming, while the glory days of paying big upfront costs are fading. Syndication seems to be a big plus here—as the relationship among producers, distributors and their fans evolves at lightning speed.

 

Getting to know your audience is going to take on a greater role. This will enable you to quickly determine your revenue base and thus production budgets and distribution models.

 

QoS is still big...but pay bigger. At these shows we used to hear: Will new Internet TV platforms deliver TV-quality viewing experiences? Answer: They can. Now, the questions seem to revolve around how to get paid and who’s going to pay for it. Luckily, 2010 will be the year that the terms of trade between producers and distributors will be worked out, and that means adding up more dollar signs.

 

More people will have access to broadband Internet on mobile phones than any other kind of device. Translation: Endavo’s fully-integrated mobile offerings will be huge for telcos and broadcasters.

 

I’m here for another few days…soaking up all the information (and a few rays). So far, it looks like a money-maker future for content producer.

Day 1: Exhibiting at the 2010 NAB Show

Wow. What a difference a year makes. Last year, we spent some time educating those who stopped by our booth, but this year’s 2010 National Association of Broadcasters Show is all business. Content producers, aggregators, and broadcasters talking with us have certainly embraced OTT video and are now in “solution” mode. “How does your platform support my business model? How scalable is your service? How can I leverage your global telco tv partners?” Clearly, they have done their homework and we are excited about the opportunity to help them take their business to the next level by offering enhanced video services to their customers.

And to further help promote our OTT video services capabilities, we’ve taken our website to the next level. So if you don’t get a chance to stop by our Broadband Innovations Booth SU9506U, (check out the photo below), you can always catch up on the latest from Endavo at our newly renovated site: http://endavomedia.com/. And stay tuned for more; we have a feeling this is going to be an exciting show for the industry.

Will You Watch Me Now? Where Content Producers Can Find Their Audience

These days, being a content producer certainly has its opportunities and challenges. On the up side, viewers are now able to access hours and hours of video content, whenever and wherever they want. But, with all that content out there, it's tough work getting your audience to notice you. Video consumption is way, way up, and the competition is fierce. Cisco forecasts that U.S. bandwidth consumption is headed for 15 Terabytes per user each month. That’s around 3,750 DVDs-worth of data associated with video viewing (for one user, for just one month). As consumption soars, content producers must try harder to reach target viewers.

One way to gain an advantage is to stay ahead of audience demands. According to a recent Pew Internet study, an overwhelming majority of Americans (92%) use multiple formats for getting news. Here are the key findings:

• Multiple Formats: 46% of Americans say they get news information from four to six media platforms on a typical day. Just 7% get their news from a single media platform.
• Mobile: A third of cell phone owners now access news via their phone
• Interactive: More than a third (37%) of Internet users have contributed to the creation of news, commented about it or disseminated it through postings on social media sites. And about 75% of online news consumers say they get news forwarded through email or posts on social networking sites.
• Personalized: 28% of Internet users have customized their home page

And it’s moving in the same direction for video. Viewers want to watch content whenever they want and delivery to multiple screens is expected. So, you need to be thinking not just about producing great content, but also about putting it in the form and format that your audience wants. This is how you can rise above the noise and find (and connect) with your audience.