Advertising and Internet TV
Big-hitting and ever-popular shows such as The Simpsons and CSI now carry a higher advertising rate on the Web than they do on television. Is this the moment we have been waiting for - when the digital revolution starts to pay for itself?
I Have A Dream
It seems as though everyone, with the exception of the cable companies who need the status quo to continue in order to make money, is keen for online video to fulfill its potential and herald a new revolution in this digital age. There are just a couple of problems, huge problems at that, to overcome before this dream becomes reality.
One is for content creators and copyright owners to realize the world is one place connected by the Internet, rather than a fragmented jigsaw puzzle. Which means making Hulu viewable outside the States and the BBC iPlayer viewable outside the U.K. The other, even larger, problem, is how to make Web video profitable without scaring viewers away by charging the earth for streaming content.

Everyone knows YouTube is losing lots more money to run than it’s bringing in, right? Wrong. Sure, a Credit Suisse report suggested as much earlier this year but the figures may not actually stack up. In fact, new research suggests YouTube may actually be close to breaking even.
Google is continuing to struggle to make YouTube profitable. All those eyes watching the site should be worth a mint, but turning viewers into revenue isn’t as easy as it sounds. Maybe giving users the choice of which adverts to watch is the solution?
Each month, several companies release viewing figures for online video. This month was no exception, although the huge difference in figures for Hulu over the last quarter shows there is still much work to be done in the field of online video metrics.
Product placement has been a mainstay of movies and television shows for years now. But with some content creators utilizing the method to make money from sponsorship deals, YouTube isn’t too happy at being left out of the money-making loop.