At least several online media sources of information sounded the trumpet regarding TV ads. They consider this kind of ads has become less impactful than two years ago. According to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and Forrester Research, about 78% of marketers feel that traditional TV advertising is exhausted.

According to survey:

· advertisers are eager to try new ad formats, including ads in online TV shows (65%), inVideo ads (55%), interactive television ads (43%), and ads within the set top box menu (32%)
· almost 70% of advertisers think DVRs and VOD will reduce or destroy the effectiveness of traditional 30-second commercials
· 85 % of advertisers believe branded entertainment will play a stronger role in TV advertising over the next year

Marketers and advertisers offer their goods and services wherever we are! What shall we do now? It’s just another sign for all of us (viewers, bloggers, common people, gamers, shopkeepers, caretakers, etc.) to put up with this tendency and treat accordingly. The web made all its best that even wild horses couldn’t drag us away from participating in online forums, chats, social life, watching (uploading, downloading) videos as well as playing video games.

I believe the task for traditional TV owners is to properly create and realize advertising campaign for attaining the targeted audience, and entice both the young and the old from online consuming activities. Sure thing viewers will never be the same, because people show preference exactly to online digital media and TV networks. Why? Being on the go and for lack of time…

The TV & Technology research was conducted in January 2008 and is based on a survey of 133 leading advertisers (Charles Schwab, Colgate, Dunkin’ Donuts, Johnson & Johnson, Mattel, Pfizer, and Verizon), across all major industries and categories.

The complete survey results will be revealed during the ANA’s TV & Everything Video Forum on Feb. 28 in New York.

Technorati Tags: tv ads, television, web, video, online, Charles Schwab, Colgate, Dunkin’ Donuts, Johnson & Johnson, Mattel, Pfizer, Verizon, formats, VOD, DVD, entertainment, research, inVideo ads, DVRs, media, digital, consuming activities

It’s already a new year and I hope it’ll bring some more weird and wonderful innovations. There’s been loads of peculiar and quirky news in online video, game and web TV sphere over the last few weeks.

• Mozilla’s New CEO Talks DataPortability and the Future of Firefox. Sean Ammirati posted a 20 minute podcast interview and transcript with new Mozilla CEO John Lilly tonight. John Lilly asserts that Firefox is the killer browser that is used even by his grandmother.
• Lifestreaming: a ReadWriteWeb Primer. RWW offers some lifestreaming apps (Tumblr, Onaswarm, Lifestrea.ms, etc.) at your consideration.
• Virtual Worlds Poised to Become Valuable Work Tools. According to Forrester’s research regarding Virtual Worlds, “within five years, the 3-D Internet will be as important for work as the Web is today”.

• DailyMotion Offering New Video Advertising Methods. First off, Toaster Ads gives advertisers the the ability to inject an animated flash mini-commercial overlay into Dailymotion’s library of professional videos. Second point is Home Theater ads, a hotlinked skin for the player. And the last one is the ‘companion logo’ ad that creates 3D logo that appears in the left corner for 10 seconds.
• VideoEgg Partners With imeem, Metacafe, Buzznet.
• Netflix To Lift Limits For Online Viewing.

• New Data Confirms Growing Influence of Internet on Politics, But Not Quite Yet the Deciding Factor.
• Thanks Striking Writers, Online Video Going Up, Up, Up, Up. According to new figures from Nielsen Online some online video sites have doubled their audience since the strike began.

• ExerciseTV Pumps Up Online Fitness. ExerciseTV has partnered with thePlatform to grow and expand the video offerings on its fitness destination site.
• Panasonic VIERA HDTV’s Enable IPTV and YouTube Features.
• Google Expands Lead in Online Video Market Share. Americans viewed nearly 9.5 billion online videos in November, with Google Sites once again ranking as the top U.S. video property with 3 billion videos viewed (31.3 percent share of all videos viewed), 2.9 billion of which occurred at YouTube.com (30.6 percent).

• Simultaneous Media Use Making TV Interactive. Online media is being consumed parallel to television and is often turning television into a richer interactive experience. Nearly 70% of users consume other media while watching TV.
• Rumor Mill: Revver All Revved Out. Live Universe is interested in stepping in and saving them from their impending demise. This rumor first appeared late last week on Contentinople. Live Universe runs the lesser known LiveVideo.com, and was founded by MySpace founder Brad Greenspan.

• NBC Universal One Of Many Broadband Video Companies At CES 2008 - Missing From iTunes.
• Apple & 20th Century Fox Deal Allows iTunes Users To Rent Films By The Studio.
• Apple TV Now Compatible With iTunes Movie Rentals | New Competitor For Netflix?

• Bloomberg News Launches CEO Show as New Video Strategy Emerges. Bloomberg News has launched CEO Spotlight, a new Web video series of CEO interviews produced in Bloomberg bureaus around the globe.
• Vodpod: Free Widget Makes Commercial and Personal Web Sites Video-Rich….Big Political Blog Talking Points Memo Has Video Via Vodpod
• “Google is Like a Gigantic Parasite,” Technology Review’s Jason Pontin. He says that Google and Yahoo! “create nothing” and says that’s bad in the longterm for media businesses - and for the portals themselves.

• 6 must-know Services to make FREE Group Calls.

• Blu-ray vs. HD DVD: What’s Next?
• TiVo to Add Indie Movies In HD.

• Writers Guild may block the Grammy Awards.
• So…who still has TV deals and who doesn’t? The Futon Critic has the scoop on which people still have deals at the networks, along with updates on which contracts have been canceled.
• Jericho shoots two endings (just in case). Producer Carol Barbee tells Sci-Fi Wire that this second season, which is seven episodes long, is actually a contained story with a definite ending. However, since they don’t know yet if CBS will give the show a third season, they’ve actually filmed two endings.

Technorati Tags: video, tv show, web television, news, media, digital, jericho, google, grammy awards, hd dvd, hdtv, vod, iptv, directtv, vodpod, bloomberg, season, episode

Everything becomes pointless if you can’t find just a little interest in your deeds. However, some useful information and benefits you can draw being an addicted gamer. You are not a drug abuser or alcoholic. Bear in mind, gamers smoke some times less than those who don’t play video games at all. You know why? Games make players feel highest possible satisfaction and pleasure.

Getting hooked on video games folks surely believe in virtual worlds and live in them. Gamers never loose control over themselves in such places, because they are a part of the whole. With hardly any trouble gamers can answer the question “What’s Your Most Anticipated Game of 2008?” It doesn’t matter whether they are well-informed or not. This game can be everything you like.

Being an integral part of one or another side we are coming to a conclusion that games’ designers and creators do their best to make astounding thingumajigs. Games’ product engineers’ information is based on sales, preferences and supply-and-demand.

And what about educational and developmental elements of life games have a good influence on us?

• Latest research revealed that Playing Video Games Reduces Sex Differences In Spatial Skills. It’s great! According to research, action video games can be used to improve spatial skills that are essential for everyday activities such as reading a map, driving a car, assembling a barbeque or learning advanced math.

• What else? Computer games (including Xbox, PS3) could become part of the school curriculum after researchers found they had significant educational value. In what way video games ’stimulate learning’? Children and teenagers build social communities and learn to act like grown-ups. Sim City and RollerCoaster Tycoon are appropriate helpers.

• This year, February 18-22, will take place the Game Developers Conference, the world’s largest professionals-only game industry event. Presented every year in San Francisco, it is the essential forum for learning, inspiration, and networking for the creators of computer, console, handheld, mobile, and online games. The conference will touch upon the issue of video games and their impact on people.

In session description they ask “Can video games positively impact players through their inherent abilities to teach, model, simulate and inspire? Will they eventually equal and perhaps surpass books, art and cinema as a true art form that reaches us not only through entertainment, but through their ability to inspire their audiences to think, learn, reflect and consider the many elements that make us human?”

Now you see what’s really relevant to give consideration and what could be missed. Video games are still waiting for you to show an example of a great performing. You’ll miss nothing if you just try it! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Technorati Tags: video games, impact, influence, positive, media research, xbox, computers, ps3, virtual worlds, digital media, teach, learn, show

Festive mood and Xmas holydays are left behind. It’s high time to ponder over 2008 year. What will be popular and profitable the next year? What predictions and prognostication will come true?! I gathered some interesting posts and researches on the future of web apps, sites, blogs, online video and web TV, including my own 2008 predictions.

I’m deeply interested in trends that could cause one or another event developing on the web. Folks exchange and express their opinions all time, that’s why we see so many essentially different views on likewise events. What apps will survive, and why the others won’t? What should we make use of the next year? What technologies will take off this year? What new technologies will appear?

Richard MacManus made up a list of Top Web Apps & Sites of 2007, the most used and preferred this year, which are at his top. Among them are Google brand, last.fm, YouTube, Flickr, MyBlogLog. Surely, I occasionally opt for these apps taking into consideration its character. The author wants to emphasize a substantial contribution these websites do. Read also ReadWriteWeb’s 2008 Web Predictions

Drama20show made quite a reasonable assumption regarding internet development and consumption. Among naked truths in the list an author suggests that:

- People will continue to consume online porn regularly. Hopefully they will do so on one more of the properties in my extensive network of niche adult entertainment websites. If you’re looking for classy nude photographs and videos of some of Silicon Valley’s finest, get in touch and I’ll give you 10% off a subscription to Sand Hill Snatches, Palo Alto Pussy, Techie Tits or Google Girls Gone Wild.

- Organized online crime will continue to be more profitable than starting a Web 2.0 company by the tune of at least several billion dollars, but all the Mark Zuckerburgs will continue to think that they’re money.

Meanwhile, following drama 2.0, Mashable made up their own list of WON’Ts:

- The majority of web 2.0 startups won’t develop long-term business models. Web 2.0 services such as social networks face substantial challenges in delivering for advertisers.

- Most of the Hottest Web 2.0 Startups Won’t Get Acquired for Big Bucks. Many of the startups that have raised money at $100+ million valuations may leave shit out of luck.

- Silicon Valley Won’t Take Over Hollywood. Silicon Valley is not likely to take over Hollywood and it certainly isn’t going to happen in 2008. As I’ve discussed before, Silicon Valley is capable of finding new ways to distribute content but is ill-equipped to create content.

Adam Ostrow also made a list of predictions offering his own guesses on “how trends we saw in ‘07 will translate into big deals, new technologies, and emerging themes we will see in the new year.” Should we believe that News Corp will monetize MySpace, Email won’t die and Blogs Become Hot Acquisition Targets? They are partially possible to be realized, and too optimistic.

Net-Security offers Web security predictions for 2008

I singled out some relevant Jeff Pulver’s Internet Communications and Social Media Predictions for 2008:

- If the writer’s strike is not resolved by February, look for the major networks to start importing successful TV series from abroad and presenting them as “new” for the remainder of the 2008 television season.

- Broadband penetration will continue to snowball in the US, but not at a pace fast enough to raise America’s mediocre global standing in broadband penetration.

- Users will also recognize the value of the Internet as a better means to access content than traditional broadcast and cable delivery systems, thereby greatly reducing the impact of the 2009 DTV mandate.

Top Five Technology Predictions for 2008 by Jamie.

- Ultra Cheap Laptops

- Offline Mode for Online Applications

- Social networks will see an increase adoption

- A better year for Microsoft

- Apple Marches On

Among VideoNuze’s Predictions for 2008 I found interesting ‘Beijing Summer Olympics is a broadband blowout’ and ‘2008 is the “Year of the broadband presidential election.”

Online Video Insider offers its own Online Video Predictions for 2008 (some of them are getting arising these days):

- Video goes vertical. Video content will find well-branded homes for vertical video.

- Professionally produced content online surpasses amateur content

- TV is a box–one of many

- More political advertising online than TV

- Video search will make sense

- Video blogging will cross the chasm. The differences between video blogs and video communities will blur, as social networking sites like MySpace will be increasingly dominated by video versions of teen-angst rants and boyfriend bashing

- Video communities. Communities will be redefined, and hopefully, bring the “personal” back into personal computing.

And my own predictions:

• Speaking about blogs in general, vlogs are getting more and more popular on the web
• The web will become densely populated with Asian people (e.g. Chinese are everywhere, including the .asia domain appearing)
• Email on a par with traditional mail has its own pros and cons, therefore neither will die
• Vlogs, video startups are highly popular, they’re springing up all over the web
• In spite of the fact that advertisers don’t use online ads in full, InVideo and InGame advertising start to become extensible
• Virtual worlds will become a part of our lives… immoderately. We play video games online, we play our lives on the web in real time spending too much time online
• User-generated content won’t disappear, but high quality videos are gaining rotation
• Social communities will turn into social video communities

To sum up, it should be said that all of these predictions have a right to be well-grounded and sound. It’s up to you to adhere or disclaim one or another prognosis. The only thing you should pay attention is think over them.

Technorati Tags: 2008, xmas, predictions, web tv, television, videos, online videos, media, digital, movies, tv shows, social communities, virtual worlds, video games, startups, blogs, vlogs, video sites, advertisement, invideo ad

There’s been lots of drastic and breathtaking news in the online video, game and web television sphere over the last few weeks. And if you really want to learn a lot of new things you are in the right way.

Webware: VoiceThread adds video doodling. Group conversation service VoiceThread (review) has a great new feature called Video Doodling, which as you can guess, lets users draw on top of video clips on the fly. The technology, formally called a Telestrator, is best known for its usage in football games by John Madden.

Profy

• SyncTV Has A New Subscription Plan For Unlimited Premium TV Episode Downloads. SyncTV is a new TV download service running in private beta, that will offer users access to premium television channels on a per-channel subscription basis rather than the per-episode or per-season methods currently in use among popular video services such as iTunes and Amazon Unbox.

• Internet Television Series ‘Quarterlife’.

Lightspeed

• Online video advertising takeaways. The four panelists were all CEOs of video ad networks. Jayant Kadambi of YuMe, Tod Sacerdoti of Brightroll, Matt Sanchez of VideoEgg and Matt Wasserlauf of Broadband Enterprises did a great job of discussing some of the challenges and opportunities in the industry.

• How bad is web video for TV?

Readwriteweb

• Study: Web Will Slow by 2010. If you have a fast broadband Internet connection, enjoy it while it’s still fast. According to a study by Nemertes Research, video and interactive web sites will begin to overwhelm Internet service providers as early as 2010.

• Moola Opens “Massively Multiplayer Rewards Game” to Public. Moola has been operating an invite-only beta for a little over 18 months and will on Friday open their site to the public (they’ll be officially launching at the TechCrunch Meetup in Boston). Moola has created a multiplayer online game network in which people compete head-to-head for real money. That’s nothing new, but Moola’s hook is that the site is completely free.

Nalts

• Controvery on Promotional Online Videos.

Marketingpilgrim

• Could Pioneer’s SyncTV Service Hit All the Right Buttons? SyncTV won’t be ready until January and hasn’t yet disclosed which content partners it has lined up. The biggest question is what video content will SyncTV offer?

• Online Video Ads: Relatively Less Annoying. At OMMA Video, Dynamic Logic’s Research Director, Kara Manatt, released the results of a study on consumers’ responses to various online advertising, MediaPost reports. In a survey of a representative cross-section of 950 Americans, participants were asked about their views of various online advertising media.

Beet.tv

• Women Command Higher Ad Dollars Around Online Video. Women viewers, from ages 18-34, are highly desirable to marketers and get higher advertising rates then men in the same age group.

• VideoEgg Hatches Ad Platform for Publishers. VideoEgg, the pioneering video sharing site which has raised $30 million including the most recent round of $15 million, has signed agreements with major publishers to power online video advertising operations and sales, Beet.TV has learned.

Techcrunch

NeoEdge: For Casual Gaming, Ads Are Better Than A Price Tag. Casual gaming is a big business. A video games analyst at IDC, Schelley Olhava, estimated 2.6 million casual games were purchased ($52.7 million) last year. But in game advertising firm NeoEdge says they can triple the revenue of these games by serving ads instead of charging. Their rich media ads are served as pre-roll, post-roll, or interstitial advertisements in games. Today they’ve taken the system, Neo ARM, out of private beta and opened it to all developers.

Masternewmedia

• Online Video Advertising Made Easy - Create, Buy And Sell Video Ads Online With Aditall. Aditall provides an online marketplace for creating and selling, or buying and customizing inexpensive video advertising for the web. Video advertising is one way of making your message stand out on the web, and has now even been included within the ad units offered by the popular Google Adsense service.

• Social Networking Meets Video Microblogging On Seesmic Upcoming Platform. Seesmic, the new video communication platform being setup right now in San Francisco by Loic LeMeur, (presently open only to a limited group of invited beta users) is the first one that hints at pushing the envelope of video publishing and microblogging by creating a social networking system where video is the main route to get in touch with each other.

Tvover

• SyncTV Launches Private Beta of its TV Show Download Service.

• Sony BMG Music and Yahoo Extend VoD Relationship. Yahoo has signed an agreement with Sony BMG to extend its video-on-demand license. In addition to expanding the existing relationship into additional territories around the world, the new worldwide deal adds a broad array of additional Sony BMG music videos to the Yahoo! Music catalog.

MakeUseOf

• TriviaOnNet: Online Mutli-player Trivia Games. Trivia questions/quizzes come from variety of categories, so you can either enter games in your own subject, or challenge your skills on unknown grounds.

Dmwmedia

• Russian Site ZML.com Offering $2.99 Movie Downloads. A Russian website called ZML.com has begun offering unprotected downloads of Hollywood movies for about $2.99 each, The Register reported.

• NBC Acquires “Quarterlife” Web Series; TV Series in Works. “Quarterlife,” an online series airing on MySpace that has its own social network, and plans to turn it into an hourlong TV drama that will likely premiere in February, The New York Times reported.

And it should be mentioned some articles concerning HDTV (High Definition Television) that plays a special part in digital television broadcasting system development.

Allison Moore writes about The Holiday’s 50 Hottest Shows in HDTV!

Jan Harris informs that BBC Trust approves HD channel plans

Hdtvmagazine says that DIRECTV Offers to Install HD in the New International Space Station Module

buyinghdtv reports DTV Not a Concern for 22% of Analog TV Owners

hdtvpage raises the issue What’s Next for HDTV?

hdtvorigin informs about XstreamHD Full HDTV

bloghdtv tells us that HDTV technology improves surgery

CNET reports deplorable statistical data HDTV’s turning Americans into couch potatoes

gadgets.qj.net says that Verizon FiOS TV to increase channel count, new HD DVR features

Technorati Tags: news, media, research, online video, web, TV, networks, channels, hdtv, dvr, gadgets, video sharing, bbc, vod, internet television, movies downloads, synctv, ads, quarterlife