ENDAVO BLOG

The New World Order of Live Events

By Jason Anderson

From a sea of flickering flames swaying to Dylan’s “Blowin’ In the Wind” to thousands of iPhone lighter apps bouncing to the tunes of Lady Gaga, there’s no doubt that live concerts (and live events, in general) have changed dramatically. But you haven’t seen anything yet.

Live streaming events are a booming industry—with concerts and music fests leading the way. Just look at the Foo Fighters, who drew in 440,000 live streams to a Web-only show. Or take the live stream of a U2 concert last fall watched by nearly seven million people.

Soon fans will be able to watch concerts anywhere, anytime and on multiple devices. And for content producers, broadcasters and telcos, opportunity (and audience) awaits. Live events can generate revenue and offer greater audience interaction and user flexibility. Consider the following:

The TV, Internet and Mobile Collide. Concerts are no longer limited to stadiums, arenas and auditoriums. Performers are now reaching larger audiences through live streaming and on-demand video (via TVs, PCs, and smart phones).

Local to Global. Local concerts now service their nearby market and go global through live streaming—creating new opportunities for monetization. Take Endavo-powered TheCoolTV, which broadcasts live localized events and offers a vast library of classic concerts on demand. Through a partnership with Sinclair Television Group, TheCoolTV is expanding to 34 new markets to reach 23 million new homes. Those markets will be able to view killer content on TV with folks around the world tuning in online. The plus side: more audience almost always means more ad dollars.;

Social Media Integration. Live streaming events also open the door to big-time audience engagement. Case in point: at this year’s Grammy Awards more than 135,000 Grammy-related tweets were generated--that night! Live streaming events combined with social media greatly boosts brand awareness leading to higher revenues.

While times are a changin’, content producers haven’t yet missed the global audience train. Give us a call to learn more about how hosting live streaming events can build your brand online and beyond.

Takeaways From Streaming Media West & Online Video Platform Summit ’09: Part 2

By Brent Grablachoff

Last week I shared a few key insights gleaned from attending the recent Streaming Media West and Online Video Platform Summit ’09. I wrote on 3-Screen Delivery and Mobile Video Delivery. Today, I will be concluding with Paid/Premium Content, Detailed Video Analytics and Live Streaming.

Live Streaming

Most visitors to our Endavo booth were overwhelmingly interested in streaming live video. I'm watching as live streaming gradually becomes a higher priority. These days, we live in a world where people want to see real events, right NOW. The demand and need for Video on Demand (VOD) cannot be ignored.

Paid/Premium Content

Because businesses are in the business of making money, many are starting to notice ways to monetize their online video content, too. This question is on everyone's mind, "Why create a Web site offering high-quality and premium video content, if we're just going to give it away for free?" That’s why conference attendees were asking us about video monetization models, and if Pay-Per-View offers a better ROI over Subscription or Membership models.

While there is no universally accepted single “best” online video monetization model, there are multiple ways available that will offer an effective combination of revenue generating tools for your business. We feel it’s crucial that each businesses assess and decide what’s important to their audiences – then apply a monetization model that best achieves their specific business objectives.

Detailed Video Analytics

Without a goal or plan, your business is like a ship without a sail. Because it’s important to track and measure results, I was especially interested in the conference’s discussion on ‘Analytics & Measurements’. At Endavo, we believe creating deeper analytics will become more of a development priority in the digital media revolution. Metrics such as total videos views, most watched videos, and what’s generating buzz are helpful, but you should demand more. The Streaming Media West panel predicted in 2010 we’ll see more detailed analytics, such as: How long did the user view the video? Did they skip through the ads? Did they watch the video in its entirety? Where did they drop off?

Also, as discussed, we’ll see more proven tracking methods for geographical drill-downs and metrics showing video viewership on a global, country, state and city-wide radius. While overall online video technology continues to evolve, we believe the capability to dive deeper into online video viewership dynamics will help companies realize better ROI, monitor and track marketing and sales goals, and appreciate the contribution of online video to their business mix.

Conclusion

Online video has come a long way the past 5 years – but we have an even longer way to go in the next two. Technology continues to evolve, new companies are launching every day ... and best practices continue to be implemented.

I admit that I can get wrapped up in the capabilities of online video, and the myriad of services offered ... and why our platform is so great. But it’s important to not get too focused on the array of technical services available throughout digital media. You should instead do your research, stay up to date as best as you can and ultimately find solutions that solve problems and make sense for your business.

And most importantly, develop a solution that provides your audience an opportunity to engage, interact and consume ... and keep giving them reasons to come back for more.

Lessons from Internet Summit ’09: Live Streaming, VOD, and Ad Placement

Yeah, the Internet turned 40-years-old this year, prompting a birthday article by the Guardian, but it’s far from being “over the hill” – at least, not at this summit.

More than 75 industry experts and Internet thought leaders from companies such as Technorati, Pandora, ESPN and Google, convened at the second annual Internet Summit earlier this month in Raleigh, N.C. And this year, it was streamed live—thanks to Endavo Media.

One hot topic discussed at the conference was online video solutions for businesses, especially live streaming versus on-demand.

Here's a quick look at the main discussions at the summit:

Live Streaming: Live streaming allows content producers to engage an audience with an interactive environment. This includes chatting, commenting and social media opportunities that allow the audience to really feel like they’re a part of the event. It also creates a feeling of exclusivity. The audience feels as though they’re the “first to see” or that they’re part of the “in-crowd” with live streaming events. The key take-away for businesses: It’s important to focus on gaining a large amount of content and then up-selling to a paid platform.

On-Demand: Content providers looking at on-demand video need to focus on monetization of their content (especially longer form content). Analyze and measure the value of the content. Plus, focus on premium content, higher-end media/broadcasting companies. 

Mix It Up: Luckily, businesses don’t have to choose between the two. Endavo Media provides a platform that allows both live streaming and on-demand video. The next Internet Summit lesson, however, is making money from all your work.

Monetization: Content providers don’t necessarily need to choose ad networks. This allows businesses to 1) have a personal relationship with the advertisers, 2) only include relevant ads to their sites, and 3) have greater control over the where/when of ad displays in order to keep customers from being blasted by unnecessary advertisements. Also, consider playing video ads on the same media player that viewers are watching VOD. This keeps the viewers on the company’s site (and NOT the advertiser’s site).

A strong Internet video strategy starts with research, followed by some trial and error to find the best overall solution for your content and audience. We look forward to covering future events and conferences to gather the latest opinions and trends in online video. Until then, Happy Birthday, Internet! 40 years and still going strong.

Been There, Streamed That: 3 Lessons Learned

By Jason Anderson

Well, I'm back! I returned from the 2009 Lifelight Music Festival in Sioux Falls, S.D. a couple weeks ago, and I'm already looking forward to next year's event. To say the least, I had an amazing trip. The bands were great, the crowd was full of energy and the experience was unforgettable. But even more exciting than being out there with 300,000 fans was knowing that I was a part of something bigger.

For the first time in their 12-year history, LifeLight wanted to offer live streaming concert coverage to fans across the nation during the 3-day festival. So, you better believe that we were there to make it happen. So while live events are fresh on my mind, I wanted to share a few tips to help make your next online video live event a success. Sure, every live broadcast is going to be different in terms of venue, content, audience, production, budget, schedule, etc. But there are a few fundamental things that it’s always good to remind yourself of when preparing for your event.

1) Internet Connection is King

When planning a major online event, be sure to repeatedly test your live online connection strength prior to your event. This can easily be accomplished by connecting a DVD player or other video source to your streaming computer and to check out the quality of your broadcast. Don't take your internet provider's word on your upload speed -- inspect it personally.

2) Cameras, Computers and Coding, Oh My!

Prior to a live online event, be sure to test the quality of your input and output devices (cameras, encoders, etc.) to guarantee a flawless end-user experience.  Remember, the live stream can only ever be as good as your original source.  Also, try to dedicate a computer solely to the live online broadcast, and have a back-up. 

3) Ready, Set, Subscribe!

Be sure to set up an automatic subscription process through your live broadcast/video on-demand platform. This will streamline the user registration and log-in process, and simplify the way you manage registrations. By keep it simple, you’ll not only increase the number of people who subscribe but also increase the quality of the experience. Then, your audience can enjoy the event, without getting hung up during the registration process.

More live event tips to come. In the meantime, thanks to the incredible folks at Lifelight Festival. See you next year!

LifeLight Music Festival 2009 Teams Up with Endavo Media to Stream Live Concert Footage Online

By Jason Anderson

These days, live online streaming is hotter than ever. Take the LifeLight Festival, the largest free Christian music festival in the U.S. happening this Labor Day weekend. Last year, over 320,000 fans gathered on a grassy plain in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the free outdoor concert. This year, the event will extend far beyond the Mount Rushmore state-- it's going online to a live global audience.

LifeLight will broadcast nearly 30 hours of live music to paid subscribers over three days in stunning audio and video quality. During the live broadcast, fans will see interactive banner advertisements for the on-stage artists' latest CDs, future concert tickets and more. Between acts, LifeLight fans will also have the opportunity to enjoy music videos from their favorite bands or cruise back to the LifeLight main website to find out more about their non-profit ministry.

So what does this have to do with your brand or, for that matter, your band?

Now is the best time to consider new ways to reach your audience. Think about it -- how do you to connect with clients, fans and others in real-time? Live online broadcasting within a custom-branded environment will build a lasting relationship with your audience, especially if you're featuring niche events for dedicated fans and followers.

While some of the video sharing sites do offer to host your live broadcasts, you better be prepared to give up control over your revenue and your brand. So if you’re serious, stop reaching for their “carrot on a stick” and begin fully capitalizing on live event opportunities to connect with your fans with your own platform. Learn from LifeLight's cost-effective, custom-branded efforts and capture your own dedicated fan base using live online broadcasting.

3 Reasons Now is the Time for Broadcasters to Become “Broadband-casters” – Part 3

By Paul D Hamm

By now you know that your targeted consumers are online and the infrastructure is there for you to reach them with your video content. However, where is the money? How do you monetize your online video, audience or an online community you have created?

Multiple monetization models are now proving out to make Internet TV a viable business alternative. Great article from Bloomberg – "The Simpsons" is getting $60 CPM; IGN‘s gaming site is getting $45 CPM. This is great news for quality niche content, because it proves that sponsors and advertisers are looking to reach targeted audiences. 

If you think the best way to build a business around professionally-produced online video is to “follow the eyeballs,” um, YouTube, I encourage you to reconsider your business plan. A viewer engages best with the content that relates to his or her interests. And when the environment around the video reflects these interests, engagement deepens. This represents a wonderful opportunity for the relevant advertiser.  Quick Challenge: Go to YouTube, spend a few minutes there and tell me what viewers there are actually interested in. Then go to Puppy Channel, American Powerboat TV or USA Rugby and tell me what people there are interested in.

However, one of the biggest mistakes a content producer or broadcaster can actually make is to get caught up in the debate over one video monetization model vs. another (especially ads vs. paid content). First of all, most of what you hear out there relates to “big media,” which is certainly a noteworthy data about the industry trends.  But this data doesn’t represent the majority of video content producers and distributors. So, the rest of us need to build our businesses on leveraging as many video monetization models as possible.

What does this mean? Well, first, you need to be regularly producing high-quality content relevant to specific audiences. This content has to be worthy of being paid for either by the audience (via subscription or pay-per-view) or by advertisers and sponsors looking to reach your audience… Or both, which is my second point here.

Why limit your business plan to a one-size-fits-all strategy? We’re seeing content owners – producers, broadcasters, organizations, etc – find multiple video monetization models that work for their services and communities. For best results, you can offer a combination of free ad-supported/sponsored videos, premium content (subscription or pay-per-view), live events and paid syndication. 

Take a chapter out of the book of cable TV broadcasting – offer free channels with ads, premium channels (think HBO) by subscription and PPV content, all through the same “network.” We’re seeing real-world examples of this approach working online. Call us and we’ll show you. Broadband supports a great number of distribution models. So, the possibilities to monetize are virtually endless. Do the math, and you may find that you are sitting on a cash cow just waiting to be turned loose. Let him run! Oh yeah, I can think of at least one platform to help you break the chains :).

3 Reasons Now is the Time for Broadcasters to Become “Broadband-casters” – Part 2

By Paul D Hamm

I my previous post, I wrote about Consumer adoption of Internet TV and how it has contributed to the development of online communities around video. Today, I want to discuss how new technologies make it easy and affordable for content owners to reach their audiences online and build social communities around their web video.

Technology is now readily available – and affordable – to manage, distribute and monetize broadband-delivered content. And because so many people are watching video online, content producers and broadcasters alike can easily reach wider audiences and then use available tools to engage people and promote interaction, both of which means more money for your content.  
Yes, the technology to deliver a high-quality experience to PCs, mobile phones and TVs through broadband (IPTV) has been a reality for a few years now.  However, the means to do so haven’t been readily available and affordable for all content producers.

If you want to launch an online video, social media, mobile video and/or IPTV service, your choices are generally limited to a few strategies. You can build it yourself. However, such an initiative will require a significant investment of capital, time and IT resources – and the pay-off is not always positive. You can distribute your content through existing social networks, video sharing sites and content aggregators and hope to get some shared ad revenue (raise your hand if you’re actually generating a profitable business plan this way… anyone?). You can have your webmaster piece together a content delivery strategy using open-source, free or cheap applications (But then, what happens when you are faced with a real challenge or needprofessional help?). Or, you can use a hosted platform-as-a-service model, which has traditionally been pretty expensive or inadequate. 

However, times they are a changin’!.. There are now a good handful of companies that provide very robust content delivery platforms at affordable prices. These online video platforms can truly enable end-to-end delivery of live and on-demand content to multiple destinations. They can provide you with various video management, distribution and monetization options. Some of them will even allow you to build interactive communities around your content by integrating your online video portal with a branded social network and viral video (I can think of one I would recommend). These platforms provide content owners with all the necessary tools to build profitable businesses around professionally-produced online video leaving no excuse to why you shouldn’t be streaming video online if you have commercial-ready content, brand and audience.

Look out for my next blog post on online video Monetization Models available to content producers today!

Sports Programs Need Social Media Marketing Interns

By Shaun Pope

With the exception of top tier universities, college athletic and sports marketing departments are notoriously lean operations with everyone wearing many hats. But they have access to help. Universities have a stable of willing and able resources right at their fingertips: the student intern. But like any other business bringing on an intern, the question becomes how best to use their time; not only to benefit the school, but the student as well.

Social media marketing, including blogging, user generated video, Twitter, Facebook and other online awareness techniques, has become a key consideration for marketing and promotional campaigns both small and large. It can drive online awareness, build brand/team advocates, spike ticket sales, create fan engagement and more. However, the challenge in executing these programs is creating the content required to sustain relevancy in the crowded social media space.

Interns are nothing new for college athletic departments. But how they should be used is changing. While attending the NACDA conference recently, the social media marketing and technology tracks were packed with assistant athletic directors eager to learn social media tricks-of-the-trade. And that's part of the problem: there are no "tricks" or magical shortcuts to social media. If anything, it's just the opposite. It is a time consuming commitment that requires dedicated resources and planning. Specifically, a content strategy and a resource to produce/gather/organize the content. It may be cheap, but it's by no means free.

Here's an example of a current Internship description for Auburn University. Not to pick on Auburn, but I'm a Gator, so it's understandable. You can see it has no mention of social media. This is typical of what I found with most other universities.

Comparing the overwhelming interest in social media I found at the NACDA conference with the fact that very few university athletic department internships are focused on social media, I discovered a gap. University athletic departments want to use social media, but don't fully understand how to do it themselves, much less teach a student intern how to do it.

The reality, however, is many students today are very media savvy. They understand the technology; the content creation process; the conversational marketing style. What they need is someone to channel that activity towards established branding goals and defined marketing objectives -- something assistant athletic directors are especially good at.

So here are a few suggestions to all you college athletic department internship description writers out there. Start including these activities:

Title: Social Media Marketing Intern

Description:

• Grab your digital video camera and laptop, bring your passion for your school, and start building an online audience for your content.
• Plan and schedule interviews with coaches, alumni, students, student athletes, local community businesses.
• Create a content deliverables schedule including blog posts, twitter updates, Facebook updates and video posts.
• Comment and engage with existing fans online, bring them into conversations, promotions and niche content on the university's web properties.
• Coordinate with ticket sales and events group to drive core business goals through the use of social media techniques.
• Establish method for measuring social media campaign effectiveness.

They great thing about this kind of internship is the department will learn as much from the intern as the intern does from the department.

Small Sports Teams/Leagues: Huge Opportunity to Use Online Video

By Shaun Pope

The great thing about sports is that people get so passionate about it. So, if you’re a sports marketer, team/league promoter or just a hardcore fan, building an online community around sports is a no-brainer.

The first step is to create a place where fans, players and supporters can meet online. You can always start with a blog. But sport is about action and nothing does this better than video. So, using online video is a great way to attract fans to your site. Not to mention the sponsors that want to reach them.

The good news is that you don’t even have to worry about production. Most fans, parents and coaches are already capturing video and pictures. What you need is a centralized place where community members can share their user-gen content and interact with one another. The most cost- and time-efficient way to get your video community up and running is to select a fully-hosted online video platform that lets you create a branded video community and gives you total control over your media, audience and monetization options. As your community expands, you may decide to stream live video from key athletic events or to invest into additional video production like interviews with players and weekly team reports.  Your Internet TV platform should have the capability to supports your community’s changing needs.

You can then monetize you online video community by attracting sponsors and advertisers who want to reach your audience.  Advertisers will be able to become active community members by supporting team segments, including their own videos, sponsoring live events or displaying ads on your website and within your online video player. Need an example? Take a look at what American Powerboat TV has done with its sponsors. You can also monetize your community through fee-based subscriptions or by selling access to live streaming events.

What’s great about online video is that it’s a great equalizer. It’s now possible for USA Water Ski to have the same powerful marketing and promotion tools as the National Football League. And if you’re wondering, yes, Endavo Media can help.

Bringing Concert DVDs Online - Broadcasting Live Video From the Stage

By Jason Anderson
A few weeks ago I trekked to Pagosa Springs, Colorado for our annual "man trip" featuring paintball, Texas Hold 'Em and plenty of Wii. Concert DVDs by Matchbox 20, Eric Clapton and Rush provided the soundtrack for our extravaganza.

If you're a music lover or just a big fan of a special group of bands, you've no doubt plunked down $35 or more for these concert DVDs, which according to our trip DJ--whom himself is a killer percussionist--is the next best thing to being at the show. This from a guy who's seen literally hundreds of concerts including U2, Elton John, Tim McGraw, Rush, Billy Joel and many more.

Frankly, it amazes me that such a solid musician and huge audiophile would want to see his favorite bands on the small screen. But my friend's love for concert DVDs got the gerbel in my head back on its wheel...

Why don't bands stream live from the stage and sell online season passes to all of their shows? Unless fans are utter Dead Heads, Parrot Heads and/or perpetually unemployed, they won't be able to make it to every show. Broadcasting live video from concerts can solve this problem. With the advent of synching your computer with your TV, killer home audio and unbelievably fast broadband access, any true fan should be able to see every show.

Imagine a concert DVD that features every tour stop! How much would you spend on that? $49.95? $99.95? More?

And what about music festivals? Imagine Alive Fest, Lilith Fair and the thousands of other music fests--either with several stops or one multi-day show--offering live online concert packages! Add to that user-gen contests leading up to the show and fan video uploads after the show(s) and you've got a recipe for huge fan response and big revenue! Did I mention online title, video advertising and banner sponsorships by existing sponsors?!?

The concert DVD was just the beginning. Now it's time for bands, promoters and fans to bring the show online.