ENDAVO BLOG

Savvy Content Providers Generating New Cash with Over-the-Top Offerings

By Jason Anderson

My recent trips to industry trade shows and events have revealed a trend. Looks like most content distributors and broadcasters are still reluctant to start syndicating their content beyond the TV. In entertainment biz lingo, producers are afraid they’re stepping over broadcast dollars to grab digital dimes. However, a few content providers aren’t just dipping their toes in the cross-platform waters. These smart folks are diving head-over-heels into a sea of new revenue by pushing content “over the top” to paying viewers on any screen. The Weather Channel and Dori Media are two examples that come to mind.

This week, The Weather Channel settled its long-running dispute with Dish Network over carriage fees and revealed plans to deliver a bevy of new offerings for subscribers online and though mobile devices.  Dish Network Programming VP Dave Shull stated, “This agreement recognizes the importance of cross-platform video delivery, ensuring that our subscribers will have the most detailed local weather information available at their fingertips anytime, anywhere.”

On the distributor front, Dori Media is well on its way to bringing in digital cash to supplement its broadcast success.  On the heels of digital telenovela Amanda O, Dori will soon launch a subscription-based video on demand platform aimed at U.S. Hispanic audiences and viewers throughout Latin America. By branching out and distributing their content to more screens, Dori is able to generate new revenue and build distributor brand identity. Ah, the joys of multi-screen syndication!

I understand how difficult it can be to step out of a comfort zone, but TV-only syndication is quickly becoming a thing of the past. And, as more viewers start turning off their TVs and turning on their mobile devices and PCs, they expect the content to follow. It’s time to embrace change and offer cross-platform, over-the-top syndication directly to viewers, on all screens.

Lights, Cameras, OTT Action: A Look Back at Digital Hollywood 2010

By Brent Grablachoff

If OTT were a movie in the making, then Digital Hollywood 2010 in Santa Monica was an all-out cast party. Key players assembled from all over the digital media, entertainment and film spectrum—representing everything from software, hardware and services to actors, freelancers and industry professionals. This was definitely the place to be this week. Friendships were formed, partnerships were made, and businesses learned from each other.  

A group of us attended the event as an exhibitor, and our own CEO Paul D Hamm spoke on a panel about the “Models for Change.” Throughout the conference, change seemed to be a common theme. Almost everyone we spoke to wanted to know what will be next in the digital media space, and how they can capitalize from it.

Some main takeaways from Digital Hollywood:

The fourth screen. We’ve all been talking three screens, and now with the immersion of the iPad, we’ve got another. The iPad has sold 1 million devices in a faster timeframe than Apple’s original iPhone offering. This could pose new opportunities for advertisers and everyone in digital media to find new ways to monetize. 

Mobile still key. As with the last few shows we’ve attended—Streaming Media West, OMMA Video and NAB—speakers emphasized the importance of mobile for businesses. Whether it’s offering content designed for mobile devices, offering mobile-specific advertising campaigns, or developing software or ‘apps,’ the sure thing is that a mobile strategy can be key to growth.

Over-The-Top. People are now embracing the importance of OTT. We’ve been talking OTT for the past 6 months. Now, it seems like most in the market understand the way we consume content, the way content producers make money and the way networks deliver content continues to evolve. Many of the event’s speakers shared our projections for OTT being a commonality among telcos and cable companies in the next 2 to 3 years. This will ultimately give consumers more control over how they view content and where they view it.

Overall, the spotlight was on OTT this week as Digital Hollywood rolled out the red carpet for all things Over-the-Top and multiple screens. So based on the “box office numbers” from this conference, OTT is headed for blockbuster status - coming soon to three (or four) screens near you.

Content Shopping – Making the Digital Leap

By Jason Anderson

With MIPTV in Cannes (and a cloud of Icelandic volcanic ash) behind me, I’ve become fully aware of the need for savvy distributors and broadcasters to do more with their content sales and delivery strategy. 

The fact is -- online video viewing continues to rise. Google alone saw 13 billion video views in March, according to comScore, but it’s up to the content producers, broadcasters and distributors to make the most of this growing popularity.

While many distributors and networks offer easy online access to their shows, most are still mailing content screeners on DVD . That method makes it difficult to obtain the most basic feedback from the potential audience. Did the recipients watch the content? How many times? How long did they watch?

There is a much better way.

Consider the cost-savings and strategic value of managing and tracking all of your digital media, including trailers and full episodes through a single media management system.  No reason to overnight 30 DVDs to a prospects, or to waste any more time uploading trailers for not-so-easy access via FTP and otherwise. 

Just upload your content once into a secure library. Next, let buyers watch content online or download it for later viewing. Then, track what they view or download, how long they watch it and much more. 

Not only will you save money, but you will gather real-time data to help increase sales and fine-tune production budgets.

Consumers are clamoring for a seamless, cross-platform viewing experience, and content buyers are increasingly demanding access to your programming anywhere and on any screen.  Be sure to meet buyers’ needs in a way that fuels immediate sales and provides invaluable data for the future. It’s your content. Why not simultaneously maximize the return on your investment and minimize the effort required, by using a media management system?

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.

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.