Digital Interactif

All U C - The new 'TV-Links'

It's been a few months since UK authorities shut down the website TV-Links.co.uk for hosting pirated content via embedded video players from websites such as Chinese Todou.  I, along with many others, was a big fan of TV-Links and I have never found a suitable replacement.  I tried finding content myself on Todou a couple times but it proved problematic. The trouble with Todou, as you'll quickly notice, is that it's in Chinese and very difficult to navigate. 

That's where alluc.org steps in! (Thanks for the tip Tom)

'All U C' is a German website hosted just north of Hamburg.  Though not as pretty as TV-Links, 'All U C' provides interesting functionality such as voting on which versions of a movie are the best quality.  You can also comment on the specific versions, which users appear to be doing quite often. 

Essentially, 'All U C' trolls Chinese websites, such as Todou, and directs users off of the 'All U C' site and onto the Todou site to watch the videos.  I am not 100% on the legal issues that brought down TV-Links, but I suspect that 'All U C' may be playing by the rules since it directs the users completely off of it's site.  Also, 'All U C' provides the following disclaimer before you watch the video:

Disclaimer

The author is not responsible for any contents linked or referred to from his pages - If any damage occurs by the use of information presented there, only the author of the respective pages might be liable, not the one who has linked to these pages.
Allfg.org and Alluc.org doesn't host any content

All Allfg.org/Alluc.org does is linking to content that was uploaded to popular Online Video hosting sites like dailymmotion.com/Youtube. All youtube/dailymotion users signed a contract with the sites when they set up their accounts wich forces them not to upload illegal content. By clicking on any Links to videos while surfing on Allfg.org you leave Allfg.org, Allfg.org cant take the responsibility for any content hosted on other sites.

If in the past couple of months you've found other suitable alternatives to TV-Links, drop a line in the comments section below.

When Writers Attack

Some of the writers on strike are blogging!  Blogging is a good first step for the writers because it allows them to bypass the traditional media and speak to the general public.  While this is an effective and proactive measure, I would like to see more writers using their time and energy to produce video content and post it online (ex. Clark and Michael and Funny or Die).  Now, I know this is no simple task (I certainly couldn't write/produce a show)...but I am expecting very talented and capable professional writers to pull it off, not the average person on the street. 

Check out this News Cast written and preformed by writers from The Daily Show (tip of the cap to Tom).  Aside from picketing, blogging, and drinking, this is exactly what writers need to be doing while they are on strike. 

For more info on the strike, I suggest going direct to the source: the strikers' blogs!

*Ironically these blog don't have advertisements

• Strike Points
• United Hollywood
• The Artful Writer
• Animation Writers
• Wannabe TV Writers
• News From Me
• others? (Post 'em if you got 'em)

Hulu let the dogs out!

Pardon the pun but I couldn't help myself. 

I received my invitation to Hulu's website last night and I am very impressed. Hulu is a video site that has signed content deals with major studios(MGM, Sony), television networks(NBC, Fox), and 15 Cable Channels(such as FX, SciFi, USA). 

Unlike Joost, Hulu actually has shows that I want to watch!  Hulu features full length episodes of TV series such as The Office, Arrested Development, Family Guy, 30 Rock, The Simpsons, SNL, Chuck, The A-Team, Airwolf, Scrubs, and the movies Blue Brothers and Conan the Barbarian among others.

Hulu creates new channels of distribution for TV Shows.  The best feature I have come across so far is that the site allows you to embed the videos on your own site.  Not only can you embed full episodes, but you can also create customized clips from shows and embed them as well.  It is very easy to create a clip. 

FAMILY GUY CLIP: This joke from Family Guy about Ringo Star is hilarious:

FULL OFFICE EPISODE: And it you have the time, watch the most recent episode of The Office (word has it that until the writers strike is over, there will be no more new episodes of The Office):

Advertising revenue generated from this content will strengthen the arguments underlying the Writers Strike.  It blows my mind that the studios would open up this site while negotiating with the Writers Union over online advertising profit made from television content posted online.  Though the ads in these shows are minimal, they go wherever the clips go.  eCRM for each video likely runs $40 - $120 for sponsorship.  Therefore, if a given video receives 100,000 views, Hulu stands to generate, at a minimum, $4,000 in ad revenue from sponsorship deals.  Considering that these videos can now go anywhere on the web, this estimate may be too low.  Regardless, this revenue source will grow at a near exponential rate in the next couple of years and this definitely supports the Writers on strike in Hollywood right now. 

5 Ways to Monetize Your Web Content

I went to a few of the Podcamp Boston 2007 sessions on Saturday afternoon and I was surprised to see how much of the crowd was not into Podcasting.  When asked for a show of hands, it seemed the majority of folks there were active bloggers but did not actually post original audio or video on their blogs.  Though the economics of blogging is not one-to-one with podcasting, the conference offered up some insights into monetizing online content. 

Paul Kontonis, CEO/Founder of For Your Imagination, gave an interesting presentation entitled Monetizing Your Web Series/Podcast.  For Your Imagination (FYI) is a video production company that creates original and professional quality content.  Since it's founding in November 2006, FYI has spent $700,000 and earned $400,000 from its various means of monetization.  Though FYI is currently losing money, the IPTV market is looking at considerable growth over the next several years as consumers have begun to adapt to the idea of watching TV shows online. 

Paul's presentation addressed the ways in which his company has attempted to monetize its video content/audience and I have summarized the findings below:

1. Advertising
   • Banner Ads
     • Average CTR (Click-thru-Rate) for a flash banner ad located at the top of a webpage is only .25-.3%  Very much due to the Banner Blindness affect.
     • Interestingly, Feedburner ads on an RSS feed have an average of 3-4% CTR and therefore, banner ads could be leveraged better if placed primarily within feeds. 
     • Banner ads yield an average of $1 - $2 eCRM (Ad revenue generated by 1000 actual click-thrus on an ad) for a general web audience.  Niche markets can fetch higher eCRM (ex. $23 for the Business School audience: 26-33 year old, college educated, finance background).
   • Video Ads
     • Stand alone video ads yield an average eCRM of $2 - $3   
2. Sponsorship
   • To make money on sponsorship, a web property must either have a massive audience(200,000+ unique visitors/month) or a good size niche audience (50,000+ for potential Business School candidates).   
   • Product/Company sponsorship typically pays $40 - $120 eCRM. 
3. Merchandise
   • .1% of For Your Information visitors actually buy the site's branded merchandise.  For instance, Patrice O'neals Web Show has sold 70 pairs of branded panties! The average customer purchases $4 worth of merchandise off the site.
   • Resources for creating Branded merchandise: Cafepress, zazzle, and CreateSpace.
     • Ideas for Products: DVD's, Tshirts, Posters, Buttons, Thongs, Buttons, Coffee, Mugs, ect...
   • Set up an Amazon affiliate program.  Visitors will be more likely to buy your merchandise if they associate your brand with a reputable online merchant.
4. Licensing
   • Since FYI is a video production company, the figures they provided do not correlate to blogging.
   • $2k - $5k per episode should a web show be picked up by Showtime, HBO, or another major cable channel. 
5. Franchising
   • Deals for a cable channel buying the right to your video content can range from $250k - $5 million.

For more information on the Monetizing Your Web Series/Podcast presentation, check out Lori Magno's write up.   

Live Sports Streamed on the Internet

Thanks to my friend Bohgie in Poland, I present to you Myp2p.eu

After downloading an application (I downloaded Sopcast because it works for the majority of the baseball games) you simply click a feed and you are watching a live streaming game.  The quality depends on the stream, but since it is free, it really can't be beat! 

Myp2p.eu will no doubt give rise to rival websites in the future, most likely based outside of North America and as far away as possible from American Corporate lawyers.  This website has been in operation since 2005 but with MLB.com's rapid revenue growth, there will definitely be lawsuits in the next couple of years aimed at Myp2p.eu and similar websites. 

TV on the Internets

Need to get caught up on The Office, Arrested Development, or The Simpsons Movie*? Then check out TV Links

I've been using this site for a while now and it offers an incredible selection of Tv Shows, Movies, Documentaries, Anime, and Cartoons. 

They have recently added RSS feeds to the site so that you can be informed via your feedreader when new shows have been added. 

*I recommend watching the Tudou version of the Simpsons Movie.  Even though it is split into two parts, the Tudou version is high quality and isn't recorded on a hand-held camcorder

 

The Age of the Twitter Conversation

The WSJ reports that TV Shows are going to be launching Ad Campaigns based on Twitter.   In the article though, all of the ideas put forward are extremely Web 1.0, they are just communicating them in Web 2.0 fashion.  Example:

The title character in the new NBC show "Chuck," about a computer geek who becomes a secret agent, will twitter to fans of the show. The campaign launches next Monday and NBC hopes Twitter will send users to other platforms like MySpace, where Chuck will also have a profile.

Seriously? I don't give a damn about "Chuck", nor will anyone.  Utilizing Twitter is a good idea as long as the idea is good.  Getting a twitter from "Chuck" is pointless.  At most it will be 140 characters, and I don't need to hear about fictional "Chuck"'s daily activities. 

But there are some great promotions that can be achieved through the combination of TV and Twitter.  For instance, there could be a weekly give away based on Twitter.  Half-way through the TV show, a plot question could be asked via Twitter.  If you twitter back the correct response, you win.  For this to happen, people would have to add Chuck's profile on twitter as a Friend.  That way, the user will receive any messages sent from Chuck's account and vice versa.  Additionally, these Twitter messages can be sent directing to and from your cellphone via text message.  Therefore, if you are watching the show on TV and have taken the necessary steps, you will be notified of the Twitter question via text and you can actually respond back via text in order to win the contest.

Another idea for twittering is to send out a tweet whenever the show is coming back from commercial break.  I like flipping channels and not watching commercials (so don't most people) but I hate it when my flipping-instincts cause me to miss parts of a show.  So a reminder that the show is coming back on in 't-minus seconds' would draw back in crowds and keep them from getting sucked into another program.  Of course, TV shows operate in different time zones, so I definitly don't want a text message coming into my phone when the show is airing in California.  Therefore, this should be unrolled as an East Coast idea first and see where it goes.

I think this would be a great way to converse with the people watching your show.  Obviously, the people Twittering "Chuck" are going to be the most avid fans.  But these are also the fans that marketers are trying to reach within that particular 30 minute block of time.  There could be many different conversations taking place via this medium and many of these conversations will be valuable to the marketer.