Online Video Growth Spurt Marked By New Programs & Distribution Opportunities

As discussed in my New Media / New Marketing segment on the Tuesday, August 10th edition of the TheTVNews.tv (see VIDEO embedded below), the convergence of TV and Internet forms of online video are jelling into a significant reality extremely quickly after years of promises.

Evidence of this growth spurt include rapid growth trends such as the year-over-year doubling of streaming movies and TV via NetFlix, a new “digital locker” platform from major entertainment players designed to combat the iTunes dominance, and the increasing viability of “branded entertainment” including an Ikea-sponsored Web-only video series that is garnering 1.5 million views month after month.

I will post or embed my video commentary as soon as it’s available, but meanwhile here are links to what I think is some worthwhile reading. These three links include additional insights and details on the “milestones” mentioned above and more:

• In Hollywood, Everybody’s a Digital Revolutionary (NYTimes)
  Excellent “Scene Stealer” column by Brooks Barnes updates important stats on TV & video’s online growth while also giving a useful perspective on how LA is viewing the online video biz

• After Drought, Hope for Shows Made for Web (NYTimes)
  Brian Stelter provides insights not only into the making of the Web-only TV-style Ikea-sponsored hit, “Easy to Assemble” but also illuminates the increasing interest in advertiser-sponsored Web video programming.

  Addendum re branded video programming: Schmear This: Web Video Series for Kraft Helped Boost Cream Cheese Sales by 6%, Ad Age (Beet.tv, includes video interview with branded campaign’s creator.)

• Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem Unveils UltraViolet™ Brand (press release)
  Major players from Best Buy to Sony to Comcast to Intel and quite a few others are aligning on a new kind of “digital locker” to help you watch whatever you want, whenever you want, on whatever kind of device you want… as long as you’ve paid for it! While this press release is just an announcement, I think this is both a needed kind of technology and an attempt to answer Apple’s dominance in digital media distribution. Expect to hear more, much more from the UltraViolet, UVVU brand.

As always, your thoughts, perspectives and comments are extremely welcome. Thanks.