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The use of the Internet to watch full television episodes has tripled since 2006 among those aged 13-to-54, according to a new report from Knowledge Networks.
Among Internet users 13-to-54 viewing complete TV show episodes via streaming or downloaded video has grown from 8 percent to 22 percent. For Internet users 18-to-34 viewing of complete TV show episodes via streaming or downloading has climbed from 12 percent to 30 percent.
"The small but notable level of people watching TV programs via the Internet on regular TV sets suggests that the convergence of the two screens for mainstream audiences may finally be on the horizon," said David Tice, Vice President and Group Account Director at Knowledge Networks.
"Growing numbers of 'connected TVs' - those that access the Internet - are making this option increasingly user-friendly. The fact that over one-third of TV homes now have a bundled TV/Internet service package is no doubt accelerating this blurring of boundaries."
Other highlights from the report include:
*7 percent in the 13-to-54 age group, and 11 percent of those 18 to 34, have used a TV to watch streamed or downloaded video
*6 percent of those 13 to 54, and 9 percent of 18-to-34 have cut back or cancelled their TV service in the past year due to their online viewing of network programming, or plan to do so in the next year
Demand Media CEO Richard Rosenblatt doesn't understand much of the criticism geared toward his company, which Time Magazine columnist Dan Fletcher refers to as "the Web's least understood and most vilified juggernaut." I attended a panel at SXSW this week in which Fletcher and Rosenblatt discussed Demand's content strategy that has become the basis of so much controversy (Read here for more background).
Rosenblatt thinks it's just a case of a new business model getting picked on because it's not understood yet. He compared it to the early days of other successful companies like Amazon and Netflix.
Is Demand Media's strategy just misunderstood? Share your thoughts.
Demand Media evidently gets more traffic than the digital properties of ESPN, Time, or Disney. They claim to have more videos on YouTube than anybody. This isn't spammy content though. It's content created based on what people are looking for, or what a combination of Demand's algorithms and staff determine people are looking for based on extensive data analysis.
An audience member referred to a video she came across that was simply not the type of quality Demand Media wants its content to be known for. Rosenblatt acknowledges that there may be some of this out there, simply because the company began with a different model, but they are working to eliminate this, and only implement content that has gone through the company's exhaustive editorial process.
One huge misconception that Rosenblatt went out of his way to clear up is that of Demand Media's content being taken as news. He doesn't see what Demand Media is doing as journalism. Journalism is news, and this isn't news, he says. It's stuff that makes you laugh, solves your problems, etc. "Only the journalists call us journalists."
A great deal of the criticism that has been aimed at Demand Media is based around the notion that the company is somehow taking advantage of Google's algorithms, to get its content placed higher than other sources (isn't this what SEO/SEM is all about anyway?). Rosenblatt basically made the point that if Google doesn't think it's good enough content to be there, than it won't be there. To change an algorithm to not give an answer just doesn't make sense, he says.
"If people aren't looking for it on search, we're not there," he added. Demand properties like eHow often appear in search results for queries about how to do things. Well, that's exactly the kind of content that appears on eHow, and the mantra of the industry has always been "content is king" right? Demand simply wants to wear that crown, and make money doing it.
"We are driven by an economic model," Rosenblatt said. The company is focused on "evergreen, longtail, commercial content." They're focused on stuff they will make money from.
Rosenblatt says a lot of people think their content is auto-generated. "That's just wrong," he says. One criticism that Rosenblatt does think is fair, is that some of the company's content "could feel mechanical." In other words, some may lack creativity. "We need to learn, and we're trying to," he says. A lack of creativity does not necessarily mean a lack of accuracy, though, and through Demand's editorial process, there is a lot of fact checking going on. At least that is the impression Rosenblatt gave.
He says they have different models for different categories. With something especially important to the world, like health, he says they make sure professionals are writing the articles. With health, fact checking would also go to doctors.
If you are searching for information on Google about effects of chemotherapy, and you are met with an article written by an expert on the subject, with facts checked by doctors, is there really anything wrong with that? Would you rather get a Wikipedia entry? Remember, we're not talking "news" here. We're talking information, and in other cases entertainment.
Demand media does use some Google ads, as iEntry CEO and WebProNews publisher Rich Ord pointed out in an article a while back. He wrote:
The problem as I see it is that while Google is highly ranking the content of these mass production publishers it also has a financial incentive to do so. Almost all content farms use Google Adwords for their revenue. So while Google on the one hand encourages publishers to make content for their readers and not just for search ranking, it is in partnership with sites that do just that.
This should make publishers wonder about their business models. Should they spend thousands paying reporters and editors to create quality content for their users or should they simply create a content farm that pays little for bulk quantities of articles and videos but gets lots of Google love?
I guess if you can make content for the purpose of ranking in searches ... but make it targeted, unique and not horrible, then you might find that Google well reward you quite well.
The issue of Google's own practices with regards to this are really a separate issue from Demand Media's practices. As far as Rosenblatt is concerned, they're just producing the content that people want, and will find that through either search or discovery. And they're making a killing doing it.
Tell us what you think about it.
Real estate website Zillow.com told WebProNews today it has launched a free Zillow Android application.
The Zillow Android app uses GPS technology to find and follow users on an aerial map, and displays "Zestimate" values, homes for sale, homes for rent and recently-sold data on the homes around them.
Users can also search for homes, even they are not in the vicinity, by tapping the Android platform's voice search capabilities. By saying an address, neighborhood, ZIP code or city the app will automatically take the user there on the map.
Key features of the Zillow Android app include:
*Home details and historical data on 95 million homes in the U.S.
*Curbside images of homes using Google StreetView
*Multiple photos, home details, and contact information on homes for sale and rent
*Users can filter their home searches by sale price, rental price, number of bedrooms, bathrooms and listing types
"Since the launch of our highly successful successful Zillow iPhone App, which has been downloaded nearly one million times since April 2009, home shoppers have been asking us to build an app for the Android," said Spencer Rascoff, Zillow chief operating officer.
"It's clear that people want access to all of Zillow's data and information like Zestimates, listing information, and prior sale price while they are out looking at homes or exploring neighborhoods. We saw this as a great opportunity to be on a platform with enormous potential for real estate and home shopping."
Here are a few facts about Telefonica: it's a huge telecommunications company. It's based in Spain. And it's a good friend of Yahoo's, considering that Telefonica has named Yahoo the exclusive search and search advertising provider on its mobile portal in Spain.
The Telefonica-Yahoo relationship actually goes back a couple of years, since in late 2007, Telefonica made Yahoo oneSearch the main search service on 15 other mobile portals. This is just a big step forward in terms of people affected and money at stake.
Scott Ellison, IDC's Vice President of Mobile and Wireless, explained in a statement, "The expansion of Yahoo!'s mobile search partnership with Telefonica into Spain continues to demonstrate Yahoo!'s ability to provide highly personalized and localized mobile search experiences and further establishes its position as a leading mobile customer experience provider. Building a significant European market presence is essential toward executing a successful mobile strategy."
Strengthening its relationship with Telefonica might be essential to keeping Yahoo out of court, too. Telefonica's CEO has expressed an interest in getting money from Google - "search engines use our network, without paying anything for it," he said about a month ago - but the expansion of this partnership increases the odds that he'll leave Yahoo alone.
Unfortunately, the terms of this deal haven't been disclosed.
Amazon.com has released its free Kindle for Mac application that allows users to read books from the Kindle Store on their Mac computers.
Kindle for Mac is Amazon's latest application aimed at expanding Kindle content to a wider range of devices. Kindle books can now be read on the iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry, PC and Mac. Amazon said it also plans a Kindle app for Apple's upcoming iPad tablet. Also look for Amazon to possibly release a Kindle app for Android somewhere down the road.
"Kindle for Mac is the perfect companion application for customers who own a Kindle or Kindle DX," said Jay Marine, director, Amazon Kindle.
"For those customers around the world who don't yet have a Kindle, Kindle for Mac is a great way to instantly access and read the most popular new releases as well as their old favorites."
Kindle for Mac features Amazon's Whispersync technology that automatically saves and synchronizes bookmarks and last page read across devices. Kindle for Mac allows users to read some on their Mac and some on a Kindle, while saving their place.
Amazon says several new features will be added to the Kindle for Map app in the near future, including full text search and the ability to create and edit notes and highlights.
FTC Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour will leave the agency next month, but that's almost surely not soon enough for Google. Today, Harbour criticized Eric Schmidt and the rollout of Buzz, and also asked her colleagues to adopt a tougher stance on some privacy-related offenses.
In fairness to both Google and Harbour, other companies and products, including Facebook, Flickr, and Hotmail, were identified as problematic. Plus, the commissioner could have been much harsher. A speech she gave during a privacy roundtable didn't go at all well for Google, though.
In reference to Schmidt's infamous "if you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place" remark, Harbour stated, "Speaking for the last time as a regulator, let me be very clear: I could not disagree more with that assertion. Privacy is a fundamental right that people do care about."
She later added, "The recent launch of Google Buzz was, quite frankly, irresponsible conduct by a company like Google. . . . Google consistently tells the public to 'just trust us,' and has adopted as a company motto, 'Do no evil.' We have high expectations for Google as a corporate citizen. But for me, based on my observations, I do not believe that consumer privacy played any significant role in the release of Buzz."
Then here's the last quote we promised: Harbour said, "I would like to see the Commission take the position of intolerance toward companies that push the privacy envelope, then backtrack and modify their offerings after facing consumer and regulator backlash."
Google could be in a fair amount of trouble if the FTC chooses to adopt all these viewpoints as its own.
People who are Facebook fans and Twitter followers of a brand are more likely to buy the brand's product or recommend it to a friend, according to a new study by Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies.
The study of 1,500 consumers found that 60 percent of Facebook fans and 79 percent of Twitter followers are more likely to recommend those brands since becoming a fan or follower.
More than half (51%) of Facebook fans and 67 percent of Twitter followers are more likely to buy the brands they follow or are a fan of.
"While social media is not the silver bullet that some pundits claim it to be, it is an extremely important and relatively low cost touch point that has a direct impact on sales and positive word of mouth," said Josh Mendelsohn a vice president at Chadwick Martin Bailey.
"Companies not actively engaging are missing a huge opportunity and are saying something to consumers - intentionally or unintentionally- about how willing they are to engage on consumers' terms."
The study also found that people view brands not engaging in social media as out of touch.
When asked the question "What does it say about a brand if they are not involved with sites like Facebook or Twitter?" they said the following:
* "It's EXPECTED that a company have some digital face - whether it's on FB or Twitter I don't know - but they need a strong electronic presence or you doubt their relevance in today's marketplace." Female 50-54
* "Either they are not interested in the demographic that frequents Facebook and Twitter or they are unaware of the opportunity to get more exposure in a more interactive method." Male 35-39
* "It shows they are not really with it or in tune with the new ways to communicate with customers." Female 18-24.
* "If they're not on Facebook or Twitter, then they aren't in touch with the "electronic" people." Female 55-59
Legend has it that St. Patrick performed a miracle by driving all the snakes out of Ireland. Now, it seems that YouTube's accomplishing an amazing feat of its own just by functioning. A director of product management revealed this afternoon that a whopping 24 hours of video are now uploaded to the site every minute.
Hunter Walk (who, we must note, once worked for Conan O'Brien) wrote on the YouTube Blog, "Today, we're announcing that you've done it! In just 60 quick ticks of the second hand, more than a full, action-packed day in Jack Bauer's life is now uploaded to YouTube."
Walk then put this fact into perspective by listing a number of other things that occur in 24 hours: "The earth rotates 360 degrees as it orbits the sun," "[t]he second hand on your bedside clock ticks 86,400 times," "[t]he earth's fastest rocket can reach Saturn," "[t]he most skilled climber reaches Mount Everest's summit," and "2.5 days go by on Jupiter."
Impressed? Well, here's something else to think about: the last time we heard about the rate at which videos are uploaded to YouTube was May of 2009, and at that point, the pace was 20 hours per minute. So an increase of 20 percent has taken place in less than a year.
At that rate, we might be hearing how 30 hours' worth of video is uploaded every minute by St. Patrick's Day 2011.
Yahoo said today it is acquiring social sports site Citizen Sports in an effort to strengthen its strategy of aggregating and distributing social content online. Terms of the acquisition were not released.
"Yahoo! is in a unique position to combine our deep expertise in content and aggregation technology to offer a highly personalized social experience," said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president, Consumer Products Group, Yahoo!.
"Sports has been among the earliest online categories to experience rapid social proliferation, and the combination of Citizen Sports leading products with our world-class sports experience on Yahoo! Sports is a win-win for sports fans globally."
Citizens Sports offers users social and mobile applications to play fantasy sports, fill out brackets, check live scores and read news on sports including football, hockey, soccer, baseball, racing, ruby, hockey and cricket.
Yahoo Sports content will be integrated into Citizen Sports, creating a consistent experience for sports fans. On Yahoo Sports, users will be able to create or join a conversation with other fans and root for their teams via Citizen Sports' applications.
Yahoo Sports is the most popular online sports destination with more than 39 million monthly unique visitors in the U.S. according to comScore. Citizen Sports' network of popular applications for Facebook, MySpace, hi5, iPhone and Android, includes professional, college and high sports.
Citizen Sports was founded by Mike Kerns and Jeff Ma in 2004. Yahoo said its set to close the deal in the second quarter of 2010.
YouTube has expanded its partner program and has introduced "Musicians Wanted" aimed at getting independent bands or artists to submit music videos to the site.
Interested independent bands or artist can apply for Musicians Wanted through YouTube's Partner Program. Those who are accepted will have their own page where they can add details about where they will be playing, provide links to buying music and showcase their music videos.
Independent artists will also share YouTube's advertising revenue generated by their music video plays as well as when videos are embedded on other websites, such as music blogs.
The YouTube Blog offers more details. "So whether you make hip-hop, folk, noise-rock, jazz or a genre of your own invention, we are looking for all types of original music video content."
"One thing to keep in mind is that right now this program only supports video content by U.S.-based artists, though there are plans to roll out the program more widely in the future."
Newsfeed display by CaRP
