Live Streaming Video

Live streaming video services allow anyone to stream what they want over the Internet to anyone who is interested in watching. The only real rules are regarding the content, with no copyright-infringements or criminal offenses allowed.

There are already a number of well-established companies offering ordinary people the chance to host their own online television show, with Stickam, Ustream, Livestream, and Justin.tv all popular and all user-friendly to varying degrees.

TinyChat

However, TinyChat hopes to compete alongside these established companies with its new TinyChat.tv service.

TinyChat is a startup which has managed to gain a foothold in the live video chat sector over recent months. It’s popular even at this early stage of its life, mainly because it’s ultra-simple to use, with no sign in or technical knowhow required.

TinyChat.tv is, however, a different proposition.

TinyChat.tv

The basic interface of TinyChat.tv is very similar to that of the regular TinyChat. But room owners can customize their rooms and decide whether to force users to sign in using a Twitter or Facebook login.

The main advantage TinyChat.tv has over its competitors is the multi-participant shows. The main disadvantage is how long (relatively speaking) it takes to set up a room and start broadcasting.

Pro members paying the $9.95 asking price can set passwords for private rooms and stream in higher quality video. The service could and should be improved immensely by developers using the free API (Application Programming Interface).

Conclusions

I’m not sure we actually need another live steaming service but then TinyChat.tv is offering something slightly different than the rest. At this moment in time it cannot hope to compete with its long-established competitors but I wouldn’t bet against it managing to do so in a short space of time.

[Via ReadWriteWeb]

Torrent Sites

What are torrent sites used for? Many of you would have answered that it’s pretty much all pirated content being shared via torrents. And while there is a lot of copyrighted material being shared illegally on them, there is also much that is legal and copyright-free.

There are very few companies and organizations who have taken advantage of the technology as a way to distribute content thus far. But VODO is one of these, allowing and encouraging filmmakers to use torrent sites to seed their features and get them out there being watched.

NRK and Blank

In January 2008 we looked at how the Norwegian broadcaster NRK was utilizing torrent sites to distribute a show called Nordkalotten 365. The experiment worked, with multi-platform distribution making the show a success outside of its native Norway.

Earlier this year we saw filmmaker Rick L. Winters and his company Annodam Productions choose to distribute Blank via torrent sites at the same time as releasing it on DVD. Donations were asked for but not mandatory.

VODO

VODO, a British organization which endeavors to help budding content creators find an audience, is taking a similar approach. It releases features on torrent sites such as Mininova, The Pirate Bay, isoHunt, Miro, and Vuze and lets the rest fall into place.

VODO requests a donation (VODO stands or VOluntary DOnations) if you download a feature from a torrent site. There’s also the option to subscribe to the site itself in order to gain access to more films and fund new projects which will end up being made available for free on torrent sites.

VODO’s founder is Jamie King, who enjoys a certain amount of notoriety for his pro-piracy Steal This Film documentaries. Us Now and In Guantanamo are the two features currently being promoted via torrent sites.

Conclusions

This kind of effort isn’t going to either interest or affect Hollywood but independent filmmakers are a whole other kettle of fish. And VODO, along with NRK, Annodam, and the like are proving that torrent sites aren’t the bid, bad wolves they’ve been painted as.

Tech Dirt said it best with its reason for why VODO is such a good idea, suggesting it’s because it helps “filmmakers who recognize that obscurity is a much bigger threat to their efforts than piracy.”

[Via NewTeeVee]

ZillionTV or ZeroTV?

ZillionTV was announced back in March to some very positive comments and feedback. I myself stated that “good backers, a man in charge who knows the business, and a couple of innovations which could drive the sector forward” meant it had a chance of succeeding, despite entering a crowded market.

However, in September a delay in launching the service was announced. It was originally thought to be due for a launch in late 2009 but that slipped to the second half of 2010, which is nigh on a year later than first expected.

Critical Web Coverage

This led many journalists and bloggers to wonder what the hell is actually happening at the company. One of these bloggers is Brandon Wirtz, who just happens to be a former employee of the company.

Wirtz recently received a Cease & Desist letter from ShawValenza, a law firm acting on behalf of ZillionTV. Unfortunately for the company, rather than heed the warning in the letter, Wirtz used his own personal blog and XYHD.tv to respond to the threats.

Wirtz’ Words

On XYHD, Wirtz discusses how he considers the C&D not to have any basis in law. Rather than sharing confidential information as the letter implies, he believes he’s been very careful in only reporting things which have been reported elsewhere on the Web.

He also discusses his lack of respect for the management of ZillionTV, ponders how the company has kept studios such as Disney and Lionsgate interested, and asks what the actual delay with launching the service is all about.

On BlackWaterOps, Wirtz basically pokes fun at the content of the C&D and how much of a bad idea it is to send one to someone who was only ever going to post the letter on his blog and discuss it in less than complimentary terms.

As Wirtz put it:

Know your enemy. Don’t send a C&D letter to someone who has a bigger hammer than you. The general rule is don’t send a C&D to anyone with a better Alexa rank than you, or someone with more press mentions in the past year than you.

Update: Drugs, Sex & Zillion TV

Brandon has hit ZillionTV again reporting Meth abuse, masturbation and apparent lies from some prominent members of the Zillion team. Certainly doesn’t sound like a healthy internet TV start-up.

Epix Coming Soon

June saw a new venture announced by the name of Epix. It’s a premium movie channel from Lionsgate, MGM, and Paramount which will be available to watch on cable and, if you are a Verizon FiOS subscriber, on the Web as well.

At the time I described it as a Hulu for movies but that was slightly over the top. It is only available to U.S. residents, the same as Hulu, but it’s a different animal altogether by virtue of being inextricably linked in with a cable subscription. Something which Hulu is not, although even Hulu could soon start charging for selected content.

What Epix Isn’t

Epix is the TV and movies industries trying to move with the times a little. Just a few years ago, the idea of offering streaming movies over the Web would have been anathema to the studios, but they are at least now experimenting with the format.

However, as previously reported, Epix is just one small cog in a very large wheel, and on it’s own won’t achieve anything. What’s really needed is an integrated online movie store with content from all available sources, and that’s the only way the movie industry will avoid going the way of the music industry.

What Epix Is

However, we are left with Epix in its current format, and it’s not a bad start to the move to offering Hollywood content over the Web. Epix has launched today, and a limited number of free three-day weekend passes are being handed out from now until Thanksgiving at EpixHD.com/invite.

While Epix on the Web is currently limited to FiOS subscribers, other Internet and cable providers are in talks.

According to ReadWriteWeb, EpixHD is totally Flash-based to avoid the need for any downloads or plug-ins being installed. Video quality is reported as exceptional, with fast connections receiving video at 720p HD.

There are currently 300 movies available on the site, including recent releases such as Iron Man, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Indiana Jones and The Temple of The Crystal Skull.

Conclusions

It’ll be interesting to see how many people take up the free weekend pass offer and then how many of those choose to use the service in the long term. To truly succeed, Pix needs to sign up more Internet and cable providers but for now I’m certainly jealous of FiOS subscribers.

Kangaroo To Arqiva

When Project Kangaroo was killed at birth, there was little that the BBC and its partners could do but sell off the assets. This included the technology, infrastructure, and branding.

A buyer was found in the shape of Arqiva, a company which owns and operates the network for terrestrial TV and radio, as well as licenses for two of the six digital TV multiplexes. It hasn’t any experience in delivering online video however.

Bennie Talks SeeSaw

Arqiva has confirmed the name for its VOD service is to be SeeSaw. And not Kangaroo 2.0 as some commentators had snarkily suggested. The company hopes to launch SeeSaw in the next few months and is hopeful it will be a resounding success.

Tom Bennie, the CEO of Arqiva, recently told The Guardian:

“I think it’ll be a really missed opportunity for Arqiva if this doesn’t work. But it won’t break the company.”

He also spoke about where SeeSaw would be positioned and how it will cope under pressure from the likes of Hulu, which is expecting (and expected) to launch a UK-based service in the near future. He said:

“We certainly think that having a UK-centric proposition is an important piece in the market, and actually enhances competition rather than reduces it because we want to be inclusive not exclusive. We clearly want to get US and other content on to the platform as well as UK content.”

“We certainly don’t think we’ll be the only proposition launching. I don’t think half a dozen will survive in the long term, but I think there’s room for two or three.”

Content Is King

Bennie talks a good fight but the reality is that the UK is rapidly becoming a hotbed for online video services, all competing for the same content partners and viewers. Whether the untested Arqiva can overcome the might of the experienced Hulu isn’t clear.

As always, the fight will come down to content.

SeeSaw is already thought to have agreements in place to carry content from BBC Worldwide and Channel 4. But the BBC already has the iPlayer and provides archive content on MSN Video. While Channel 4 has recently signed a deal with YouTube.

Hulu has all but given up on this year, pushing the launch of Hulu UK back until 2010. Again, content seems to be the issue, with deals with ITV, Channel 4 (which gets everywhere) and BBC Worldwide imminent but not confirmed.

Conclusions

There are too many services competing for too little content right now. And that means some are clearly going to fall by the wayside. SeeSaw actually looks to be a good position right now, with at least some content promised for launch, and the infrastructure already in place.

It should make for an interesting launch but the longterm chances of success will depend on more content from both sides of the pond that, crucially, people actually want to watch. And that’s not yet guaranteed.

Three Years Ago Today

It seems like just yesterday that the co-founders of YouTube sold the site to Google. In fact, it was a full three years ago that Google decided to ante up $1.65 billion for the fledgling online video site.

We found out just yesterday that Google CEO Eric Schmidt thought that price tag was around $1 billion out, with the site actually worth more like $600 million. But Google wanted the site so badly it was willing to pay a premium for it.

We’ve Been Acquired

Chad Hurley, now CEO of YouTube under Google’s reign, took time out today to celebrate the three year anniversary. In a blog post which referenced the video above (which shows Hurley and Chen minutes after agreeing the acquisition) he spoke of the past, present, and future of YouTube.

One Billion Views A Day

He also announced that YouTube now serves up “well over a billion views a day,” a quite astounding figure that even outdoes most estimates. There are few sites on the Web with these sorts of numbers, and it’s amazing that YouTube is now one of them.

YouTube now carries a new logo (as above) celebrating the one billion views a day. As Mashable points out, that figure equates to “at least 11,574 views per second, 694,444 views per minute, and 41,666,667 views per hour.”

Which shows why Google needed to get involved in the first place because it’s one of the few companies that could handle delivering that amount of data.

Revenue Vs. Viewers

There is, of course, one thing left out of these celebratory announcements, and that is any talk of revenue. Hurley and Chen are now focused on making YouTube as good a site as it possibly can be. But Google has to be more focused on turning it into a moneymaking business.

And that still isn’t yet the case, although Google has been making progress in clawing back some of its investment. Whether it’ll ever actually make its $1.65 billion back is another matter.

Music Videos Online

In terms of online video, music videos are big business. They are a guaranteed draw for viewers and the most popular music videos are more in demand than the other big draws of movie trailers and one-off viral hits.

And it’s for these reasons that there is so much aggravation surrounding music videos, with YouTube desperate to keep them on the site and record labels pushing their luck to grab a heftier slice of the revenue pie to make it so.

Complications

This has lead to disagreements between the major record labels and YouTube in particular. The Warner Music Group even removed all its videos from the site for nine months, a situation that has only recently been resolved, with WMG demanding better terms to concede an inch.

It has also lead to the development of Vevo, a YouTube-backed site which will be made up entirely of music videos. The major record labels are either on board or negotiating to be so, but the launch of Vevo is still a few months away.

Muzu Beats Vevo To Launch

While Vevo is still getting its act together, a lesser-known competitor called Muzu has launched. All four major record labels, Universal, Sony BMG, Warner, and EMI are on board, as well as more than 7,000 smaller independent labels.

All the music videos on the site are officially licensed, with a 50/50 revenue share between Muzu and the content owner. Live footage and archive interviews are also available to watch on the site, all of which can be embedded and shared on social networking sites and the like.

Conclusions

Muzu has come from nowhere to offer everything, and possibly more, that Vevo is promising. Muzu is certainly a rival to both YouTube and Vevo, and looks to have all the right elements in place to offer a good service. And all for free to viewers.

I’ve only been using Muzu.tv for a few hours but hope to review the site in-depth in a day or two’s time. Until then, sign up, have a play around, and let us know what you think in the comments.

Can Vevo be monetized successfully enough to please both YouTube and the major record labels? And will the viewers willingly move over with the music videos?

Online Music Videos

Music videos make up a large percentage of the most viewed videos on YouTube and other online video sites. Along with movie trailers and the very best viral videos, music videos are the biggest hitters by far, as Visible Measures’ viral video chart consistently shows.

This makes the decision to move music videos off YouTube and to their own domain both justified and a strange one. While Vevo has the opportunity to become a premium portal for music videos of all kinds, it’s going to leave a gaping hole on YouTube.

Vevo Forever

Vevo was first rumored in March, with unnamed sources claiming a YouTube spin-off for music videos was on its way. April saw the site officially announced as a joint venture between YouTube and Universal Music. It was then described as Hulu for music videos and that moniker has since stuck, accurate or not.

By May, progress had already been made on the venture, with Vevo naming Rio Caraeff as CEO. And now comes a further progress report, and with it, more questions being asked as to whether Vevo can actually succeed or not.

Progress Report

AdAge has compiled a progress report on where Vevo is now. Sony Music Entertainment is now on board and Warner Music Group is in talks to also join. Big news considering it was only a year ago that WMG removed all its videos from YouTube in a huff over new licensing terms.

Whoever is involved, Vevo is planning a December launch. And it’s looking at ad rates of between $20 and $40 per thousand page views. Which is a much larger CPM than can currently be commanded on YouTube. Which is why all parties are so keen to forge ahead with the venture.

Conclusions

YouTube is going to experience a major hit to its viewing figures come December. And it will undoubtedly take time for page views on Vevo to match those on YouTube for music videos, purely because YouTube is so well-known and so prevalent on the Web.

However, when the inevitable transitional period ends, everyone looks set to gain from Vevo. YouTube will be making more revenue from the music videos, the major record labels have another string to their increasingly important digital revenue streams, and viewers will have a new MTV for the YouTube generation. Fingers crossed.

Epix

When Epix was first announced back in June, I described it as a ‘Hulu for movies’ and an indication that Hollywood and the movie industry was finally waking up to the need for free or cheap, easily-accessible Web destinations to consume content legally.

After all, the music industry failed to do this for years and it lead to the situation we are in now where despite Apple iTunes and a wealth of other places to stream or buy music (my favorite being Spotify), piracy is still a huge problem.

Half-Baked

While piracy is also obviously also a problem for Hollywood, I don’t feel it’s too late for the movie studios to stop the rot. And ventures like EpixHD are the way to go about this.

However, a TechCrunch article by MG Siegler got me thinking. He argues that while EpixHD is looking great, it’s still just another half-baked service offering a small sampling of the thousands of movies available.

Integrated Online Movie Store

What Hollywood really needs is an integrated online movie store with content from all the major studios and a range of the smaller or independent ones.

Even if it cost slightly more to consume the content, a one-stop shop coupled with a user-friendly interface could make it a winning strategy.

Options Galore

As Siegler makes clear, most of us have at least one option for streaming movies already in our houses, be it a computer, a games console, or a set-top box such as Apple TV or Roku. But the problem is they all offer a segmented service, with some studios aligned to some, some aligned to others.

For as long as I can remember, we’ve been able to rent a new movie on the day of release from a Blockbuster or other video store. But online it’s a different story, with the movie studios putting restrictions in place to prevent that level of user-friendliness.

Promoting Piracy

Hollywood is scared of piracy and scared of a wholehearted move to the Internet for fear of curtailing its other revenue streams. But taking this path is only going to have one effect – make piracy the big winner. And with piracy, the studios don’t see a cent of revenue.

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Still Emerging From The Gloom

For what is still considered an emerging market which isn’t likely to reach its full potential for many years to come online video is certainly offering consumers a range of options. The number of ways of watching video and television content over the Internet is numerous and growing all the time.

While online video sites on the Web are a niche unto themselves (although just as crowded), there are also a number of options for people who want to consumer video and television in their living rooms using an Broadband connection and either a set-top box or other Internet-enabled device.

ZillionTV Revealed

ZillionTV first came to everyone’s attention back in March of this year. A big write-up in The L.A. Times ended with the newspaper describing it as “the next generation of video on demand.”

ZillionTV was heralded as a new set-top box service with some high-profile backers and a industry veteran in charge in the shape of Mitch Berman.

Something Different?

What differentiated ZillionTV from the rest was a more measured approach to the marketplace.

This came from deals with ISPs that will see bandwidth set aside for the service and a novel approach to revenue with a basic free, ad-supported service, limited time rentals, or purchases giving permanent streaming options.

Delayed & Changing

Now, although the plan to launch with ISPs and have multiple options for viewing options is still in place, The L.A. Times reports that the launch has been delayed. What’s more, ZillionTV will be available directly to consumers in areas where no ISP deals have been secured.

The full service now won’t be available until the second half of 2010, although trials are said to be happening in thousands of homes already.

Conclusions

I had high hopes for ZillionTV on first hearing about it. But a huge delay, possibly amounting to a year or more, and the loss of at least some of what made the service different from the rest, has me starting to doubt whether ZillionTV will be able to fare any better than the many other competitors already vying for control of the sector.