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Nielsen's online television meter won't be useful until 2011

This week, Nielsen announced its new "Internet Meter" will be available by the end of the year. But it won't actually be useful until 2011. And the cable companies' plans for TV Everywhere are likely to be put off until 2014. While television companies are talking a lot about putting their premium content online, it could be awhile before this becomes serious business.

by Meghan Keane 09 September 2009 22:49pm 0 comments

Murdoch's new monetization plan: Somebody had to do it.

Rupert Murdoch is going all in on paid content. The News Corp. head anounced yesterday during an earnings call that all of his publications will be charging for access within this fiscal year.

The announcement has been met with both derision and excitement. Charging for news content has the potential to shrink audience numbers and choke ad revenue. But as publications struggle to find the right revenue model, Murdoch's decision could pave the way for other organizations that have been talking a lot about charging online but doing little about it.

So will News Corp. sink or swim with its plans to charge for content? The answer, as with anything: it depends on execution.

by Meghan Keane 06 August 2009 18:42pm 1 comment

Online video audiences can't grow fast enough

Online video viewing is set to reach a milestone next year according to eMarketer. Numbers released this week show that half of Americans will watch online video next year.

But there needs to be a categorical shift of viewers online if the web video hopes to make the kinds of revenue that are seen offline.

by Meghan Keane 04 August 2009 22:56pm 1 comment

ABC partners with Netflix to stream its backlog of shows

Netflix has been hard at work getting its content on as many platforms as possible. This week, they're starting to stream early seasons of ABC shows like "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives." There are also rumors of a Netflix app that will soon stream video content to the iPhone.

This is all great news for Netflix. But is it a winning situation for the networks? Yes.

by Meghan Keane 03 August 2009 22:31pm 3 comments

Comcast brings its advertising everywhere

Television networks are desperately trying to bring their ad dollars from television onto the web. And Comcast's new strategy to earn ad dollars online is to simply shift put all of its content there.

A new partnership with Time Warner, called TV Everywhere, is bringing Comcast content online for their television subscribers. But while TV viewers might be glad to see that content on the web, they will be less enthusiastic about the fact that it comes with all of the network's television commercials.

by Meghan Keane 16 July 2009 21:16pm 3 comments

People are willing to pay for online video

The free online ad supported video segment may be growing, but new research shows that people are willing to pay for their online video.

According to a report by Boston-based Strategy Analytics, paid-for video is expected to grow faster than free ad-supported video over the next several years, at a rate of 39% annually, compared to 37% for free video.

That's good money if you can get it. But it will be a hard sell to get people to pay for things they get now for free.

by Meghan Keane 14 July 2009 17:28pm 0 comments

Why Hulu works. For now.

Video portal Hulu has come a long way since it was colloquially known as "Clown Co.” The website has since gotten a real name, design raves and 10% of the online video ad market.

And as video sites like YouTube struggle to bring in ad revenue and portals like Joost shutter, Hulu's network supported business model seems even stronger.

Today The New York Times discusses the reasons why Hulu works. Mostly, it's because they just throw network content up on the Internet unscathed.

by Meghan Keane 08 July 2009 22:16pm 1 comment

Michael Jackson's memorial service will test the limits of online video

News of Michael Jackson's death last month nearly shut down the Internets with interest and confusion as people went online to check and discuss the news. Today is the pop singer's memorial service in Los Angeles and online news channels and video hubs are preparing for similar levels of traffic.

Everyone - from the BBC to USA Today and MySpace - is planning to live stream the service, which is today at 10:00 PST at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. If viewer interest comes anywhere near the level expected by these sites, the whole Internet might shut down. Alternately, it could illustrate the potential of online video left untouched by profit motives.

by Meghan Keane 07 July 2009 15:18pm 3 comments

Longer online videos pave the way for increased ad dollars

Online video began as a short form medium, but as creators and audiences become more comfortable with longer videos online, advertising dollars will surely follow suit.

Sites like Hulu and YouTube have been focused on branding partnerships for professional video content online. And consumers are proving that they have the attention span for longer content.

by Meghan Keane 06 July 2009 17:56pm 1 comment

Office Depot tries to supplement the Sunday circular with an online show

It's no secret that despite the recession and shrinking overall budgets, major advertisers continue to shift ad dollars to online.

Earlier this month, Nielsen reported that in Q1, spending on local Sunday supplements fell 37.7% in the United States. A perfect example of how some of that spend is making its way online can be found with Office Depot.

by Patricio Robles 01 July 2009 09:27am 0 comments