As LR reader Joel said when he sent us the story, “Don’t shoot the messenger.” But the NFL has come out with official language now summing up its new restrictive policies regardling online video and audio. This includes press conferences, practice video and player interviews. Ready? You get :45 seconds a day TOTAL. No archiving. No live streaming. Everything must have a link back to the NFL. Nothing can be highlighted in video sections (only allowed in story sidebars). No integrated ads. Ads that appear alongside the video must not specifically relate to the NFL video (such as sponsorships.) Oh! But you can post video of your own reporters doing a straight standup (yes, it actually says that!) Ladies and gentlemen, the NFL media mafia continues its blind quest to own every scrap of its material, regardless of promotional value.
To help promote CBS’ upcoming shows, CBS.com has set up a Blogger toolkit that allows people like us to grab a player from a given show and embed it online. Cool idea. The promo for The Big Bang Theory is embedded below (it’s actually rather funny):
While the embedding is working (you have to manually set the player size in the code), the video links are not. They link to Innertube and for me, nothing plays. LR reader Adm had the same problem and sent us an email. “After a couple more tries, I gave up, wrote this complaint, and moved on. If anyone can get this to work, let me know. If not, send this one back to the labs, CBS.”
Update: The embedded player isn’t is sort of working in Firefox.
Lots of good stories coming our way from LR readers, and I’ve been very busy recently at work, so I’m a little behind. But here are the highlights:
- CBS cancels Jericho, fans hit the ceiling and rip the network on CBS.com’s own message board. (Thanks, Rob!)
- KGO-TV News Director Kevin Keeshan blogs from a Google media briefing at the company’s HQ. (Thanks, Sara!)
- How do you measure ratings in a DVR world? (Thanks, Alyssa!)
There are plenty more, which I’ll post later. And send us a tip here.
There are other issues on both sides but here are the webby ones…
1) The Baltimore Sun wants the union to okay combined reporter-photographer positions at the paper media organization.
2) The Sun’s union wants, “to combine operations of baltimoresun.com, whose employees are not Guild members, into The Sun’s unionized newsroom,” said a guild spokesman.
As I was sitting with Keith Norman from Waterman Broadcasting (Ft. Myers, Florida, the winter home of the best-in-baseball Boston Red Sox), he offered me some good advice about my earlier presentation. Keith suggested that I needed to add some best practices and action items into the presentation. Keith’s right. I tend to get a little worked up in these presentations, and it’s good to list some takeaways on items you can start to implement today. So thanks for the feedback, Keith. (As he self-effacingly apologized for offering up the advice, I told him it beat the standard “Hey, Safran, you have no idea what you’re talking about” I often get.) Your action items from Streaming Media East 2007, after the jump…
There are some genuine friends I have made through the years at Streaming Media conferences, and I really look forward to meeting up with them every year. I admire their work, and I admire them as people. So if you’ll forgive me, I want to recommend you check out their excellent year-in, year-out work. Jose Castillo, whose ThinkJose site has become a source for great podcasting information. Jose’s also a cool dude. More link love to Andy Plesser at Beet TV. Not just because he interviewed me live on his site (OK, partially because of that), but because he completely gets the idea of using a blog as a marketing tool to promote one’s line of work. Steve Bryant, who has far too many writing gigs for me to count, is worth checking out at his Google Watch blog and Hollywood Reporter blog, Reel Pop. Bryant has a great sense of humor and an even better BS detector. Jarvis, of course, always comes in, makes a kerfuffle, and leaves a windstorm. Alisa Fiksdal from WorldNow has spent more “floor time” than anyone I know at these things, and is unfailingly polite as she gives demos for what must be the billionth time. The FeedRoom’s Bart Feder always has great insight into the industry, and is a former Boston guy. My new colleague Andrew Deal of Cellecast came all the way in from Vancouver, Washington for this - we met at Streaming Media West. Good to see Paul Ragland and Cory Factor from Dayport as well - they’re good guys to talk “state of the industry” with. And, of course, conference organizer and overall madman Dan Rayburn who pulled it off again. I appreciate the indulgence, folks - these are people I just wanted to thank.
We want our content, and we want it all over the place. We want it to be original and specific to each platform as well as multiplatform. We, the consumers define, our own entertainment experience. But media companies still aren’t redeploying resources into new media to keep up with demand. The Streaming Media East 2007 panel, “The Streaming Disconnect Between Consumers & Major Media” looked at this issue and talked about why the problem still exists. Your correspondent’s hastily-typed notes, after the jump.
The message could not be more clear: the networks expect the locals to start flying on their own. At Streaming Media East 2007, I asked Ron Berryman, Senior VP, GM Television Stations, Fox Interactive Media where local affiliates fit in the distribution chain as the network sends it content out directly to the consumer. Here, paraphrased, is his candid answer:
Local television stations have a lot of work to do. They’re used to packaging programs. Our challenge is having these people become creative. They need to generate content at the local level that brings people back. If I go to weather.com, I get the forecast and then get out. People go to local news sites, get information and get out. There’s a challenge for the local television stations – we’ve been working very hard at that for the last 18 months. Stations that have been working very hard at that are succeeding. That’s what they’re going to have to do. Look at the advertising value surrounding the (local) automotive industry – how do we keep that customer online? We’ve got to be innovative to keep that customer online and keep the advertising money.
We hear this consistently now from the networks. Affiliates can no longer rely on network programming to generate numbers and lead-in ratings. They need to generate original programming and online content tailored to their audience and ad revenue expectations.
Met up with Jeff Jarvis after the keynote this morning. Jeff asked me what I liked most about the conference. I have to say the thing that’s best about Streaming Media East (and West) is that there is no arguing. There is good debate, to be sure. But there is no “us vs. them,” no “blogs are death,” no “that’s not real media,” no “that’s not our core competency” arguments. The open-mindedness of companies here is terrific. Broadcasters need to learn from the entrepreneurial spirit of these folks. They look at emerging tech and see the possibilities, not the limitations.
In a post below, I wondered if the quality of presentation software is passing by the local TV stations. You asked for some examples. There are products here I definitely like. Some are presentation layers, others encode. Others are just plain cool. Check ‘em out and tell me what you think: Vividas (which looks gorgeous), Maven (intuitive, great looking), PermissionTV (why don’t video sites look like this?), Silverlight (Yes, the Microsoft product - the ease of production is impressive) and VectorMax (multiplatform, makes you wonder why locals don’t stream live more). I note Cory’s comment that locals need to create better content first. I completely agree. But if you start with high-quality video, why not put it out in high quality? And yes - I realize I am violating the first rule of blogging here: never praise anything. I haven’t tested any of these products - I just know they look great.
Think primetime TV isn’t what it used to be? You’re not alone. A Publicis study found that 38 percent of respondents said they’re less satisfied with primetime television than in past years. Almost 75 percent report that programming is either less compelling or no more compelling than years past. Only 9 percent said they are enjoying it “a lot more.”
The keynote speaker at Streaming Media East 2007 on Tuesday was the NY Times Sr. Vice President of Digital Operations, Martin Nisenholtz. Of special interest to the LR Faithful were a couple of his points: the Times intends to grow its video audience by four to five times by allowing blogs to embed its video. “To reach a broader audience, the Times must distribute its video outside of NYTimes.com, ” said Nisenholtz. “We believe we need to go outside the walls to make this work.” My notes after the jump.
It’s billed as “the first broadcast-caliber online sci-fi series,” and if you’re into sci fi, Sanctuary certainly looks promising by the looks of the trailer. The production and effects are broadcast caliber, indeed. But here’s the catch: each 18-minute or so webisode will cost you $1.99 each. “This is the next evolution of series-based entertainment,” says Damian Kindler, the show’s writer/creator and executive producer. “Sanctuary is the first series developed exclusively for an online audience that offers both standard and high-definition resolutions, plus direct communication between the fans and the Sanctuary creative team.” Sanctuary is the product of Stage 3 Media, a Vancouver B.C. company. (Thanks, Mike!) Screen grab of the player…
Walter Hussman Jr., publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, argues the best way to sink a newspaper is by offering its content online for free. Sigh. Haven’t we been through this already? Read his analysis here and then tell us what you think below…
Adds Jake in comments: “Did you guys cry when you read the article? Seriously man, give it 5 years. His slim margins will be gone and he’ll be forced to rethink the generation that has already ignored him.”
Adds Matt: “While the numbers documented in this editorial support his decision to force people in Little Rock to pay for content either through a paid subscription or a purchase of a single copy, I realize that this publisher doesn’t get how ‘free content’ could support his news staff. And, the trend towards the use of Internet news sources has grown so much that eventually reading a newspaper is something that will become obsolete.”
Prior to the latest Republican debate last night, MSNBC.com rolled out a new interactive called “Rate the Candidates” that allowed you to watch video clips of the Republicans and vote whether you had a positive or negative response. Then after the debate, you can vote again, this time with the clips from the Fox News debate. After submitting your results, you can compare the before and after votes. Very slick.
Microsoft and Bungie promise the release of Halo 3 will “shatter day-one entertainment sales records” and “set a new standard for interactive storytelling and social gaming” when it’s released on September 25th. And given Halo’s history, it probably will. Release…
The network has picked up a comedy called “Cavemen” based on those Geico commercials. The show will feature three modern cavemen who battle racism to find their place in the world. So… hit or miss?
There are some very impressive video solutions here at Streaming Media East. There are streaming products that are HD quality or darn near it. There is such a range of high-quality presentation software here that it’s a revelation to anyone who spends time on local TV news sites: This is what our online video could look like? What are we waiting for? In response to the inevitable “It will cost too much” reply, I’ve even inquired about pricing. High quality is more affordable than ever. Cost is no longer the barrier: the willingness to change is.
I agree with TechCrunch’s Marshall Kirkpatrick, how can the news area get traffic if there’s no link to it anywhere on MySpace?
While some people diss MySpace users as kids who don’t care about news, this isn’t the problem. MySpace’s has to improve their design in order to lead existing users to auxiliary features. Why not drop a few “top headlines” onto everyone’s profile page? If one of those headlines was about Britney Spears, you’d bet MySpace News would get plenty of clicks.
We’re on the ground at Streaming Media East today. Rich Warner and I are presenting at 4pm, and I’ve been walking the floor. No official numbers, but my observation is that things are busier than in years past. Spoke with Andy Plesser from Beet.TV, Bart Feder from FeedRoom, and longtime LR pal Jose Castillo from ThinkJose. LR Freebie Index is up this year: more squeeze balls and giveaways than in previous years. Oddest freebie: permissionTV’s lip balm sticks. Still - as a lip balm addict, I approve, and have even broken my usual high-horse ethic against taking freebies in this case.
The programming announcements are coming fast and furious in New York as the networks put on a song and dance for media buyers and critics. The LATimes.com is blogging it here.
Thomson Corporation and Reuters have agreed to a $17.2 billion merger which will create one of the world’s largest financial providers. Thomson will control about 70 percent of the new company, and Reuters chief executive Tom Glocer will be CEO. “For Thomson this deal puts them into a different league,” Justin Urquhart Stewart, a money manager in London. “Combining with Reuters gives them an international brand name and global strength.” Thomson offers a range of products including Westlaw, a legal information service, and MedStat, a health care information company.
As I was sitting with Keith Norman from Waterman Broadcasting (Ft. Myers, Florida, the winter home of the best-in-baseball Boston Red Sox), he offered me some good advice about my earlier presentation. Keith suggested that I needed to add some best practices and action items into the presentation. Keith’s right. I tend to get a little worked up in these presentations, and it’s good to list some takeaways on items you can start to implement today. So thanks for the feedback, Keith. (As he self-effacingly apologized for offering up the advice, I told him it beat the standard “Hey, Safran, you have no idea what you’re talking about” I often get.) Your action items from Streaming Media East 2007, after the jump…
The keynote speaker at Streaming Media East 2007 on Tuesday was the NY Times Sr. Vice President of Digital Operations, 
The network has 
