Big Data Essential to Success of Connected TVs, MediaCom’s Jeff Hinz

Big Data Essential to Success of Connected TVs, MediaCom’s Jeff Hinz
"They want to know that what we're doing with video is accountable," Hinz says.More videos from the session and interviews with the speakers to come.
AUSTIN — The next frontier for digital video is the connected TV, says Jeff Hinz, Managing Partner and U.S. Digital Director at MediaCom, during an interview with Beet.TV. Beet.TV's coverage of this event at SXSW is sponsored by Videology. About 10% of all households have an Internet-connected TV, but the majority are accessing connected apps through a device like a Blu-ray or a gaming system, and 60% of all people who have this connectivity are going through these apps to watch video and that is going to continue to explode," he predicts.As video grows across devices, data will take on a larger role. Ultimately, clients want accountability across platforms and with pricing. We spoke with him at SXSW where he was a panelist at a private session about digital video organized and hosted by Videology."We have 50% of consumers already watching video on their tablets and 30% on their phones. Already, marketers are leaning on "big data" both on the front end and back end of campaigns.

Video Platform MyPod Studios to Triple Revenue in 2013

Video Platform MyPod Studios to Triple Revenue in 2013

Nascent online video platform MyPod Studios generated nearly $7 million in revenue in 2012 and is projecting to triple that in 2013, as it grows its audience and branches into new ad formats, says Jay Miletsky, CEO of MyPod Studios during an interview with Beet.TV. In addition to the branded content push, MyPod Studios is building a new video player and aiming to move into syndication, Miletsky tell us. In this interview he shares more insight into the company's approach to ads and content. The company has grown from two full-time employees to twelve, and is also aiming to expand into branded content in the coming months, he says. For instance, MyPod Studios is spinning off some of its most popular categories into their own sites, such as the food and drink category becoming Simpledish.com.

YouTube Live Powers Upside for Shira Lazar and “What’s Trending”

YouTube Live Powers Upside for Shira Lazar and “What’s Trending”
And, she speaks about the upcoming Digital New Fronts.Note: Many thanks to Shira and Damon and the crew for welcoming Beet.TV to their space at SXSW and for their help in facilitating some great interviews.
AUSTIN What's Trending is one of very A few producer YouTube partners to have a daily live show, and the move to YT has been extremely valuable in building an online community and franchise, explains EVP and host Shira Lazar in this interview with Beet.TVWe spoke with her yesterday at the Samsung Blogger Lounge at SXSW where Lazar and her Los Angeles-based crew were producing three days of live programming.In the conversation, Shira addresses the value of live as a programming opportunity for video clips on demand. Much appreciated.

KIT Digital Analyst Alan Wolk: The State Of TV Everywhere Is At An Impasse

KIT Digital Analyst Alan Wolk: The State Of TV Everywhere Is At An Impasse
He also talks about the idea of video on demand on a paid basis for advertiser-free content.
As more consumers are beginning to view television content on tablets and other mobile devices, the concept of TV Everywhere is getting more play than ever. At the Beet.TV executive retreat earlier this month, Beet.TV’s Andy Plesser sat down with KIT Digital Global Lead Analyst Alan Wolk to discuss where the TV Everywhere evolution stands, where it’s headed and some of the roadblocks that stand in its way. Wolk says that, in the United States, networks are making it difficult for multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) to embrace a TV Everywhere format. In the video, Wolk also discusses the possibilities of networks doing TV Everywhere on their own, without MVPDs as middle men, and why some networks, like HBO, have neglected to do this. He explains that, "The networks are worried that they’re losing ad revenue, because Nielsen can’t measure views on an iPad on the train or outside the home." As a result, the networks want the MVPDs to pay them more money—something which the MVPDs don’t want to do, "so they’re at an impasse." However, within recent weeks, Dish’s launch of a Sling-enabled Hopper, which will allow Dish subscribers to watch TV from anywhere in the world, has opened up new possibilities for MVPDs, who previously were denied the ability to bring TV viewing outside of the home by large networks. Megan O’Neill

Videology’s Collider Unit Touts “Confirmed vs. Inferred” Mobile Advertising Targeting

Videology’s Collider Unit Touts “Confirmed vs. Inferred” Mobile Advertising Targeting
He explains that Collider's strategy is to use its technology to precisely reach consumers in market for different products.
PHOENIX — Most mobile targeting strategies are inferred, rather than confirmed, but the latter is much more precise, says Peter Hagerty, Senior VP of Strategic Partnerships at Collider Media, a mobile data management platform owned by online video technology company Videology, during an interview with Beet.TV at IAB Leadership Meeting. For more insight on mobile targeting, check out this video interview.Disclosure: Beet.TV’s coverage of the IAB Leadership Meeting is sponsored by Videology "Our goal is to make the impressions they see on a daily basis more valuable and to connect those impressions with brand advertisers who want to reach those users when they are about to make a decision." Hilton, for instance, might want to target a Westin user to try to draw them to Hilton Hotels based on confirmed data to target those users, Hagerty explains. "We are enabling brands to deliver messages to users and enable them to interact with or respond to that message and track the effectiveness of it," he says. As an example, confirmed targeting could help a car maker reach an individual whose car lease is expiring at a specific time with a pitch for a different car. "We are layering data on top of the publishers' inventory that tells a demand source a little bit more about that end user."Most mobile marketing now is direct response focused, by contrast.

Gannett, Innovid, Jun Group Execs on Leveraging Creative for Around Digital Video

Gannett, Innovid, Jun Group Execs on Leveraging Creative for Around Digital Video
He points to Lamborghini. As an example, a film trailer might have a "click to buy" option localized so a viewer could buy tickets in advance at a nearby theater, he explains to Swartz. "We have a team of HTML developers and designers who look to see what our clients have on their existing site and they just built a beautiful HTML 5 full-screen browser from assets taken from the Lamborghini site. "If that [person] is opting in, there is something in it for the viewers and they aren't being interrupted so the reach and frequency argument is now out," he says.For more insight on scale and simplicity in creative and digital video, check out this video.
Adapting creative for digital formats can be daunting, but there are ways that publishers can make the process easier for marketers. He adds that in the fourth quarter Innovid ran nearly 1000 campaigns, each with interactive components.Effective creative has to do with how the ads are displayed and distributed as well, says Mitchell Reichgut, CEO of video platform Jun Group. During a session at the Beet.TV executive retreat earlier this month, Ashley Swartz, Founder and CEO of Furious Minds, discussed digital creative with executives at Gannett, Innovid and Jun Group. Oftentimes, the tech team at a publisher can find ways to leverage existing assets, says David Payne, Senior VP and Chief Digital Officer with the Gannett Company. We didn't have to go to an agency to put that together," he explains.Brands can also boost the effectiveness of their creative by making an ad addressable, clickable or more dynamic, says Tal Chalozin, co-founder and CTO of Innovid, an online video advertising technology firm.

Video Platform MyPod Studios to Triple Revenue in 2013

Video Platform MyPod Studios to Triple Revenue in 2013
In this interview he shares more insight into the company's approach to ads and content. The company has grown from two full-time employees to twelve, and is also aiming to expand into branded content in the coming months, he says. In addition to the branded content push, MyPod Studios is building a new video player and aiming to move into syndication, Miletsky tell us. For instance, MyPod Studios is spinning off some of its most popular categories into their own sites, such as the food and drink category becoming Simpledish.com.
Nascent online video platform MyPod Studios generated nearly $7 million in revenue in 2012 and is projecting to triple that in 2013, as it grows its audience and branches into new ad formats, says Jay Miletsky, CEO of MyPod Studios during an interview with Beet.TV.

Annoying Orange Manages Successful Jump from Web to TV

Annoying Orange Manages Successful Jump from Web to TV
Beet.TV caught up with Dane Boedigheimer and Kevin Brueck, the founder and producer, at the recent SXSW show in Austin to discuss the transition from the Web to TV.
AUSTIN — One of the keys to success in migrating a Web show to TV is to stay true to its roots, but also to grow from them, according to the creators of Annoying Orange. "Once we started doing the TV show we didn't want to alienate the online audience because the Annoying Orange has a global audience so the Collective helped," he tells us. The creators worked with The Collective, an entertainment management and production company, in creating the pilot and inking the deal with Cartoon Network, explains Brueck. Annoying Orange is in its second season on Cartoon Network. Annoying Orange launched as a YouTube show and after becoming hugely popular, cable network Cartoon Network picked up the show for its lineup, in one of the most notable examples of a Web phenomenon becoming a regular on-air program. As a Web show, Annoying Orange had landed celebrity guest voices from James Caan and John Leguizamo, and on cable has snagged Billy Dee Williams, Michael Clarke Duncan and more. Also smoothing the transition was the focus on sticking to the show's roots.