Good for advertisers: Time Warner scraps bandwidth metering
Time Warner's recently scrapped plans to bill consumers for bandwidth consumption based on effectively metering their usage isn't just the victory for subscribers touted by the media, it's also a coup for advertisers.
The company had planned to roll out metered bandwidth pricing in Rochester, NY; Greensboro, NC; San Antonio and Austin, TX. Customers who exceeded the monthly usage cap could, under the plan, be subject to steep overage charges -- not unlike mobile phone owners who exceed their monthly voice or text message allotments.
Politicians, as well as consumers, raised their voices in opposition to the plan, which TW finally abandoned -- at least for now.
This comes at a time when bandwidth consumption is steadily increasing, particularly with the rise of online video. But it's not just consumers who stand to lose in the face of bandwidth caps. Advertisers and publishers have a horse in this race, too.
Showtime premieres new ITV tech
Interactive TV is about to get a boost. Showtime Networks will unveil a new (ITV) application next week that uses remote control ordering to give consumers access to long form video, and free full-length episodes of Showtime programming. The technology will bring television commerce (tcommerce) and advertising that allows watchers to become customers a little closer.
Showtime and its two other channels, The Movie Channel and Flix, do not currently accept advertising. According to the company, which is pitching the technology as a Showtime Marketing Application, "the most valuable component is the ease with which a viewer can now order Showtime, and the upgrade can be processed and authorized within seconds." If that ease of ordering can be applied to other networks, and ad units within those networks, ITV is tied to the remote control.
Digital distribution might pay your phone bill: filmmaker
The future of media may be the internet, but that doesn't mean that digital distribution's present financial reality is stealing the show.
The recent rift between YouTube and the PRS in the UK highlights an uncomfortable fact: online distribution doesn't quite rake it in like the offline distribution. Services like YouTube simply aren't willing to pay as much for distribution rights as rights holders are accustomed to because these services aren't generating a whole lot of revenue themselves.
Tim Berners-Lee to lose web privacy fight?
Tim Berners-Lee has today been rightly defending the internet as a platform that should be kept free from snooping, but I fear he is swimming against a rising tide.
The creator of the web (and scourge of print media barons) is fighting against those who want to track and monetise user behaviour.
Report: Virgin Media looks to sell content division
Rumors are circulating that UK cable group Virgin Media is looking to sell off its content division.
The talk of an asset sale come on the heels of the announcement that the division's chief, Malcom Wall, would be leaving in April to pursue his own interests.
New York City gets targeted cable tv ads
You know that iTV saying about how, in an ideal TV advertising world, ads for dog food would only be broadcast to households with dogs? Well, that may soon be the case in 500,000 homes in the New York City area.
Cablevision Systems is poised to announce the largest experiment to date in targeted television advertising, reports the New York Times. Homes in Brooklyn, the Bronx and parts of New Jersey are about to get ads based on data concerning their income, ethnicity, gender, or whether the household harbors children or pets.
Television still the screen of choice for US viewers
From YouTube to Hulu and everything in between, there's no questioning that online video is big. So big that one might assume it's threatening the role of television.
Not so according to two new reports indicating that online video has a long way to go before it eclipses the television.
CES 2009: the 3 biggest news items
CES, the world's largest consumer technology trade show, started yesterday.
Despite the economy and speculation about the economy's impact on CES this year, CES seems to be doing alright this year and is still one of the most important technology trade shows in the world; the place where hot new consumer gadgets are launched and big announcements made.
Is Microsoft's Xbox strategy paying off?
Microsoft announced yesterday that it enjoyed its most successful year ever for the Xbox in 2008, with the number of users growing to 28m worldwide, increasing its lead over Sony's rival PS3 console to 8m units.
More significantly perhaps, is the 84% year on year increase in sales via Xbox Live, which suggests that, despite lagging behind the Wii in terms of the number of consoles sold, its online strategy is paying dividends.
ITV Player finally catching up to iPlayer?
ITV has been busy promoting its newly rebranded video player lately, as it attempts to improve take up of its online catch up service.
While video views on ITV.com have risen over the past year, it still lags behind the iPlayer. It has updated again though, and now the ITV Player looks more of a match for the BBC's online video offering.
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
