Weekly Online Video News Round Up - Football Edition!

Heck yeah! The leaves aren't falling but baseball is wrapping up (come on Brew Crew!) and now football has begun! So while you're drinking that early morning bloody mary, preparing for the big game, here's some news to keep you up to speed with the online video industry. (GO PACK GO!)

Tablet Video Viewing on the Rise

We already know that tablets are being used more and more for video viewing, but LongTail took it a step further and broke down the statistics on what they've seen with JWPlayer and Bits on the Run.

Tablet usage (in addition to smartphone usage) seems to be increasing over time. In our analysis of the overall growth of smartphone and tablet usage, we found that smartphones and tablets together account for over 10% of video consumption usage, and that their usage has been growing steadily over the past two years.

Ten percent! Read all their cool stats, like tablet use rises at night and on weekend, on their blog.

Zeebox looking to make Second Screen more Engaging

Chyron announced the integration of its ENGAGE second screen and social TV platform with the zeebox companion app and website that makes watching TV better. With seamless access to zeebox from within their existing Chyron graphics systems, broadcasters can cost-effectively leverage the leading second screen app to complement their live programming.

"The second screen applications running on tablets and other devices serve as an exciting new platform for publishing synchronized content that enhances the viewer's experience," said Jim Martinolich, vice president of integration technology at Chyron. "zeebox is the leading second screen app and its integration with our ENGAGE platform aids broadcasters in creating and managing second screen content without introducing significant new production costs. We are very excited to be adding zeebox to our list of ENGAGE charter partners."

Source: Press Release

 M-Go Signs Major Studio Deals

M-Go, the new pay-per-view app/service, seems on the verge of exploding the market. Since it's not subscription-based, but pay per view rental and purchase of TV and film content it seems the major studios like it.

It has signed licensing deals with five of the six major Hollywood studios, the company is expected to announce Wednesday. The deals with NBCUniversal, Paramount, Sony Pictures,Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros. help fill out the library of movie and television titles M-Go will offer when it launches in the fourth quarter.

M-Go has an advantage over Apple, though, at least for the moment. Today, using iTunes on a TV screen requires the purchase of a special set-top box or connecting a computer to one's television. When M-Go launches, Batter said, it will be pre-loaded on all Samsung and Vizio Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray disc players in the U.S. And Vizio will add a dedicated M-Go button to its remote controls.

Granted, the installed base of those TVs and Blu-ray players is zero today. But those two brands are a good place to start; according to Batter, they've captured about half of the market.

M-Go will also be pre-loaded on selected WiFi-enabled tablet computers and ultrabook laptops, and will be available as an app for mobile devices. Users will also be able to access M-Go through a Web browser. And in early 2013, the company plans to make a version available for last year's Samsung and Vizio models.

Source: LA Times

BrightRoll Exchange Introduces Mobile Video Real-time Bidding

BrightRoll announced the availability of mobile video real-time bidding (RTB) on the BrightRoll Exchange (BRX). Media buyers can bid on mobile video inventory and access online and mobile content using a single, streamlined RTB platform.

Before the launch of this new BrightRoll offering, access to true mobile video inventory was limited to fixed bid buying industry-wide, preventing media buyers from making decisions about mobile video impressions in real time. Integrating mobile video into the BRX RTB platform enables buyers to bid at the impression level on in-app and mobile web inventory, in addition to the online video inventory previously available to RTB buyers. Now buyers can bid on BRX video inventory through their own interface to connect with relevant audiences across multiple screens.

Source: Press Release

Ties directly into my ultimate video advertising campaign of the future...

Warner Doing Original Series for Online Distribution

You'd know this is big news, if you had followed Warner Bros loathing of online video services in the past... now it seems they're seeing ways that they can profit from it, i.e. they see value in online video on demand services.

The studio is in license discussions with Amazon Instant Video, Amazon-owned LoveFilm, Comcast’s Streampix, Netflix and QuickFlix in Australia, among others.

Source: Home Media Magazine

Vid.ly Threesome!

Vid.ly Locks Down Security Features

Secure delivery of premium video content to any device or browser is simple as making a Vid.ly. Now you can protect any video using the following three options:

Token: Use token-based authentication to restrict Vid.lys to a specific domain or set of domain names.

Time: Set specific start and expiration dates to restrict viewing to specific time periods.

Location: Use IP-based access rights to restrict viewing to a specific IP or range of IP addresses (geographies).

Learn more

Vid.ly Gets Insightful With Analytics

Would you like to know more about who’s watching your videos?  Vid.ly Analytics, available via our API, provides a detailed analysis of your audience including viewership data on over 6,000 mobile devices and browsers. Customize this real-time data which easily integrates with your existing systems and media workflow.

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Vid.ly vs. YouTube for Branded Video

Steve Smith, our Head of Sales, explains why your business should use Vid.ly instead of YouTube for branded video.

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Source: Vid.ly newsletter

Nintendo Wii U Gets Loads of Video Streaming

It's no shock that Nintendo is integrating streaming-video services like Netflix, Amazon Instant, Hulu Plus, and YouTube into the Wii U, but TVii is a far more ambitious platform, capable of cross-platform search through both streaming-video services and live TV listings, providing complementary second-screen information on the GamePad screen, and controlling your DVR and other home theater components like a universal remote.

Source: CNET