The company is also expected to release a new iPod touch with a higher res screen, not to be confused with a smaller iPad which may or may not be coming in time for Christmas. Oh Mac rumors, you never cease to bore me.
Rokuannounced today that it is lowering prices on its Set-Top-Box from $79.99 to $59.99 for its SD version and from $99.99 to $69.99 for their HD-XR model which will soon be capable of 1080P HD. These reductions are to make it even more competitive with forthcoming STBs from Google, Apple and others, but it begs the question when will we start to see them be offered for free?
Bundle a device with several subscription products offered on the service like MLB.TV and UFC channel, and it’s probably worth Roku’s while to offer it at a further discounted rate or even for free a-la the subsidized rates offered for cell phones by mobile carriers.
When it comes down to it the content is the most valuable part and the platform and software doing the work encoding/decoding and delivering the video is second. Hardware is inconsequential, over-the-top device manufacturers are only a middle game. TV manufacturers are already beginning to turn their devices into powerful computers which can run this software – VUDU has already ceased manufacturing devices for this reason, focusing on software which can be bundled with TVs and they’re a major player thanks to their acquisition by Wal-Mart.
So Roku, AppleTV and GoogleTV can duke it out in the hardware market for a bit, but selling set-tops is a losing proposition. They should give them away for free, build a paying subscriber base, focus on content first and foremost and the underlying technology to provide the best user experience – this is where the battle will be won.
What young athlete doesn’t dream of being on SportsCenter? Now amateur and high school athletes around the country will have their shot. Through a new partnership with YouTube, ESPN is looking to crowdsource highlights. The best may wind up on ESPN’s flagship program.
Broadcasting & Cable calls it a stunt, but it’s more than that. This is a partnership that makes a lot of sense for ESPN which is looking to generate more engagement from fans on digital platforms. From time to time the broadcaster has featured local footage of high school and college highlights, and they have dabbled in live chats through Facebook and other social mediums. And when ESPN dabbles in local sports coverage themselves they bring a often unwelcome circus, so it makes a lot of sense that they would take advantage of the YouTube platform to solicit top plays.
Last year for example a buzzer beating 3-point shot by Walsh University’s Jeremy Shardo to take the team to the NAIA championship was featured as the number two in ESPN’s top 10 plays. The game which had no TV audience was livestreamed by CollegeFanz. More content is better for everyone, hopefully we can look forward to more local sports being showcased on a national level.
Branded entertainment has long been one of the few profitable business models for online video content – the chicken and egg problem of selling content to marketers without a guaranteed audience has kept advertising CPMs lower for independent web content compared to mainstream TV, but we’re beginning to reach TV-size audiences for some of this content. Mediaweek reports that Yahoo!’s Who Knew? series produced by Reveille has delivered more than 38 million streams since its April 14th debut.
“We think this kind of signals that the medium has arrived, says Yahoo! VP of News and Information Mark Walker.
Above: Who Knew? Emmy Awards
It’s a big win for branded entertainment as a whole, in addition to proving the viability of the business model for Yahoo!, it’s great for Toyota, and cheap to produce meaning the margins can be that much higher, and it showcases the power of search as a mass media.
We’ve been fans of XLNt Ads for a while, and their Poptent platform has been matching increasingly larger brands with independent commercial producers to great success. And we love featuring good work, like this one which was just bought by Amazon for $10,000.
In addition to giving big dollar agencies a run for their money, XLNT Ads has built a social network with a small number of staff that rewards independent producers way outside the traditional media box, a win win for advertisers, producers and viewers.
This isn’t the first time Amazon has used “amateurs” to create their ads, and there’s still time for you to get in on the game. The company is again running their Your Kindle Commercial Contest with a first place prize of $15,000 in Amazon.com gift cards for the best 30-second spot. Last year they awarded $20,000 in Amazon.com gift cards to winners Angela Kohler and Ithyle Griffiths.