ReelSEO ► Online Video Industry News ► Weekly Online Video News Round Up - December Blues Edition

Weekly Online Video News Round Up - December Blues Edition

Christophor Rick | 5 months ago |

It's December and I haven't seen any proper snow yet so I might have a blue Christmas, because I'll be missing the snow that I am so used to. Of course, if you're not in a part of the world where snow is abundant, you haven't a clue why I'm so fond of it. Either way, we have all got the need for the news and here's what was hot this week in the online video realm.

Google + Apple = Kodak Patents

Google and Apple have partnered on a bid of more than $500 million to buy the bankrupt Eastman Kodak's digital patents, a not-uncommon practice among rivals who want to prevent litigation. "They have decided to come together in this process to reduce the cost of purchasing the Kodak patents, while meeting their business needs," said Richard Ehrlickman, president of IP Offerings, a patent brokerage and consulting firm. In other patent news, the U.S. Patent Office has issued a preliminary ruling invalidating all of Apple's 20 claims to a group of multitouch patents.

Source: CEA SmartBrief

Ensequence and Audible Magic Team to Deliver Interactive Advertising and TV Across Multiple Devices

Ensequence, the leading supplier of advanced interactive television (iTV) products, and Audible Magic, the leading provider of automated content recognition (ACR) solutions, today announced an integrated platform that will create new opportunities for brands to engage and win loyalty among TV viewers. Combining Audible Magic's SmartID and Ensequence's award-winning iTV Manager® solutions, the platform offers viewers unique, immersive experiences with their favorite shows, and enables advertisers to connect one-on-one with audiences across devices including TV sets, tablets, laptops, and smart phones.

Offering a unique opportunity for service operators, the integrated platform also has the ability to monitor hundreds of broadcast streams that then trigger events across set-top boxes. This, in turn, activates programming and TV commercial enhancements that further engage viewers.

Source: Press Release

Netflix November ISP Rankings for the USA

Our 30 million members view over 1 billion hours of Netflix per month, so we have very reliable data for consumers to compare ISPs in terms of real world performance. Google Fiber is now the most consistently fast ISP in America, according to actual user experience on Netflix streams in November.

Broadly, cable shows better than DSL. AT&T U-verse, which is a hybrid fiber-DSL service, shows quite poorly compared to Verizon Fios, which is pure fiber. Charter moved down two positions since October. Verizon mobile has 40% higher performance than AT&T mobile.

Top 5:

Google Fiber
Verizon -FiOS
Comcast
Charter
Cablevision

TWC was 7th, AT&T U-Verse 11th.

New Zeitgeist 2012 video from Google

Google this morning released its annual “Zeitgeist 2012: Year in Review” list and accompanying video that looks back at the most popular and fastest rising search terms of the year. To create the video, for the third year in a row, Google tapped LA-based creative agency, Whirled.

Coinstar, Verizon Doing Redbox Instant Test This Month

Coinstar and Verizon Communications have announced Redbox Instant by Verizon will launch a beta test to consumers, including free 30 days of service, this month.

Priced at $8 per month, Redbox Instant will offer unlimited streaming of movies, including titles from pay-TV service Epix, with four one-night credits per month for new releases on DVD at Redbox kiosks. For $1 more, or $9 per month, customers can opt to redeem their four credits for rentals on Blu-ray Disc at the kiosk.

Unlike other subscription video-on-demand services, Redbox Instant will offer electronic sellthrough and transactional VOD options for new releases on street date from Lionsgate, NBC Universal, Paramount, Relativity, and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Source: Home Media Mag

Samsung Smart TVs Vulnerable to Hackers

Malta-based security start-up ReVuln claims to have discovered a zero-day vulnerability affecting Smart TV, in particularly a Samsung TV LED 3D.

Smart TV can be used to browse the internet, use social networks, purchase movies and perform many other functions. A demo video produced by ReVuln shows how a "vulnerability for such devices can be used to retrieve sensitive information, monitor and root the device," according to Luigi Auriemma of ReVuln. Exploits developed by ReVuln appear to allow it to access remote files and information (including viewing history) as well as the ability to siphon off data on USB drives attached to a compromised TV.

Source: The Register

Yahoo, NBC Sports Forge A Web Content Partnership

NBC Sports and Yahoo are taking on the crowded sports media landscape with a partnership that fills in gaps for both companies.

NBC brings video and big-name broadcasters and Yahoo adds college coverage and fantasy games in the agreement announced Sunday. They hope their strengths will complement each other and attract more eyes to both as they vie with ESPN and other outlets for multimedia sports supremacy.

Source: AP

Second-Screen Super Bowl Spots Near Sellout

Ad sales for what is just the second live-streaming of the Super Bowl are nearly complete, with CBSSports.com nearly sold out as advertisers seek to dangle their promotions in front of consumers whose familiarity with streaming video and "second screen" experiences has grown exponentially since the 2012 event.

"The online inventory is nearly sold out at this point," said David Morris, chief client officer of CBS Interactive, which is overseeing sales of the digital inventory surrounding the game. "We only have a few packages remaining."

Source: Advertising Age

Time Warner Cable Adds On-Demand Video To iOS App

Time Warner Cable subscribers with an iPad or iPhone have gotten a nice update: the streaming app now includes the option to watch selected on-demand content. TWC says the catalog currently includes about 4,000 titles in a mix of HD and standard definition, depending on the provider, and more should be added in the future — though it'll likely still be much smaller than the TV catalog. A similar update is coming at the start of 2013 for Android and PC users.
Source:The Verge

Posted in Web Video Industry News

About the Author - Christophor Rick

Christophor Rick is a freelance writer specializing in technology, new media, video games, IPTV, online video advertising and consumer electronics. His past work has included press releases, copy-writing, travel writing and journalism. He also writes novel-length and short fiction as part of Three-Faced Media and is working on Not So Super, an original web series. You can contact Chris here. View All Posts By - Christophor Rick

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