Archive for September 26th, 2007
I was wondering when I was putting the new MSN Video through its paces why I saw so few pre-roll ads, and it turns out that MSN is limiting pre-rolls to one per three minutes users spend on the site. “It’s definitely a long term bet,” said Rob Bennett, MSN’s general manager, explaining he hopes the new limits will ultimately drive more usage. “The feedback on pre-roll is pretty mixed. We’ve definitely heard from our users that they’d prefer longer interval between ads. The general thought in the industry is that we need to evolve. This should be less intrusive and more organic.” It’s also worth noting that MSN is one of the few sites that still allow 30-second pre-rolls. The new MSN Video has now launched out of beta, and they’ve added a spotlighted video section across the top.
Placing pre-rolls on the basis of time instead of number of clips played is a very interesting proposition. What does everyone think? And how hard will it be for TV sites to wean themselves of wall-to-wall pre-rolls especially as the ads are getting more popular with clients?
September 26th, 2007
Cox Communications subscribers will be able to watch five NBC fall shows for free, including 30 Rock and Bionic Woman, a day after they air on the network. But here’s the catch: fast-forward will be disabled throughout the shows so you can’t skip through the ads. So, it’s on demand — until you play it.
September 26th, 2007
Blip.tv is starting to get some traction among videobloggers, signing a deal to host and distribute Rocketboom this week. Blip.tv can now dynamically insert overlay ads into Quicktime files, which is believed to be a first, reports Beet.tv.
September 26th, 2007
If you can believe it, Anheuser-Busch has decided to stick with Bud.tv through 2008.
September 26th, 2007
Maven Networks’ technology will power video on FoxNews.com and the upcoming Fox Business Network site. Video will be in embedded players instead of pop-ups, and users will be able to rate and recommend clips. Also, bloggers will be able to embed players on their own sites. “If you go to FOXNews.com, it is mostly text and pictures and some video,” said Maven CEO Hilmi Ozguc. “In the future, my expectation is that you will see something that is more like interactive TV — very, very video-centric. Obviously there will be text articles and pictures and so forth, but video will be front and center, much more searchable, much faster, with more social-media capabilities built in.” The technology may also allow Fox affiliates to embed video players from Fox News and Fox Business with their own local ads.
September 26th, 2007
