Author: Philip

Categories
Item of Interest Monetizing

What can we learn from YouTubers making “big money”?

What can we learn from YouTube stars making “big money”? http://bit.ly/bcqBxU

Yet another story based on the TubeMogul data I reported last week when it was news. These 10 YouTube “stars” make between $100K and $315K – certainly nothing to be ashamed of and definitely above the goal of “a middle class income for all in production”.

It was the summary that almost made me laugh with its obviousness:

  • Good Content => $$$
  • if you can get enough traffic, you can make money
  • It takes time to build an audience and get to this level.

Despite the fairly obvious remarks above there are some good points in the analysis:

It’s probably not a coincidence that so many of these content creators are teenagers (or were when they started out), as teenagers tend to have less responsibility and more free time than full-time working adults like you and me.  Their common age bracket also tells you something about how many young viewers there are on YouTube, and just how loyal that audience can be.

and

While we may traditionally think of YouTube as a way to market our preexisting business, it might be time to start thinking of it as a possible new revenue stream as well.  The big lesson for us to learn here is this:  you can earn money on YouTube.  Maybe not $315,000 a year like Shane Dawson.  Maybe not quit-your-job-and-buy-a-mansion money… but good content will get views.  And views will provide advertising potential.  And advertising potential will eventually turn into dollars.

Categories
Item of Interest

TV advertising skipped by 86% of Viewers

TV advertising skipped by 86% of viewers http://bit.ly/cGLHEE

People speed through the ads and yet, TV advertising is the “most memorable”. Shows the power of a well-made ad reaching an appropriately targeted audience. Pity that rarely happens and most of the time it’s trashy ads with no targeting or relevance.

“Questions over the relevance of the traditional television advert have been raised for years, yet when asked about their most favoured video format, respondents voted for the standard 30-second commercial,” said James Bates, media partner at Deloitte.

“Online advertising’s poor showing relative to television may surprise, given that the former has often been portrayed as television’s nemesis.

“What television does best – display and brand building – is what online struggles with. Online advertising is best at search, which previously newspapers, particularly for classified, had excelled at.”

Brand building supposedly does not require “targeting” but while ever the bate-and-swith model of advertising rules, Television, I avoid TV.

Categories
Interesting Technology Item of Interest Metadata Studio 2.0 The Technology of Production Video Technology

‘Interoperable Master Format’ for file-based workflow

‘Interoperable Master Format’ Aims to Take Industry Into a File-based World http://bit.ly/bvF6Vk

A group working under the guidance of the Entertainment Technology Center at USC is trying to create specifications for an interoperable set of master files and associated metadata. This will help interchange and automate downstream distribution based on metadata carried in the file. The first draft of the specification is now done based on (no surprises) the MXF wrapper. (Not good for FCP fans, as Apple has no native support for MXF, without third party help).

Main new items: dynamic metadata for hinting pan-scan downstream and “Output Profile List”:

“The IMF is the source if you will, and the OPL would be an XML script that would tell a transcoder or any other downstream device how to set up for what an output is on the other side,” Lukk explained.

The intention is to bring this draft spec to SMPTE, but first, ETC@ USC is urging the industry to get involved. “We need industry feedback and input on the work that the group has done thus far,” said ETC CEO and executive director David Wertheimer. “Anyone who has interest in this topic should download the draft specification and provide feedback to the group.”

Categories
Distribution Item of Interest

Red Princess Blues distributes via iTunes App

Red Princess Blues distibutes movie via iTunes App http://bit.ly/a7jzvJ

A long time ago I started a post titled “The future of distribution is an out-of-browser experience” thinking something like apps. This was before iTunes apps were even available. More recently I postulated on how a production could use an App as its central home in a post facetiously titled How do you get Disney to fund your next production that used a combination of iAds for funding and app for video (both pre- and production content) with in-App commerce.

Well, Red Prince Blues have done the distribution side already – see the iTunes App link above. But making an app is challenging for creative filmmakers or TV producers, so maybe we need an Xcode project template like Chris Mayer has provided for publishing a book as an iDevices App.

Categories
Item of Interest

The insanity of music licensing!

The insanity of music licensing in a single graphic http://flic.kr/p/8s5PG1 No wonder new services have trouble innovating.

This is what happens when you keep duct-taping new regulations or laws on a framework that was designed to *encorage new works” NOT “give certain creators or their agents unlimited control of the work”.

And so we get this insanity.

Categories
Item of Interest

Today’s Entertainment Drivers are watching Online Video.

Today’s Entertainment Drivers Are Watching Online Video http://bit.ly/adi0GJ

The audience Erick Hachenburg is referring to as “Entertainment Drivers” are the 18-34 year olds who adopt technology early, become enthusiasts and influencers.

Their tastes and preferences typically have a dramatic impact on entertainment choices, media consumption patterns and consumer purchasing trends across demographic groups. They define pop culture and determine breakout hits. Their consumption of online video today has immediate and long-range implications for brand advertisers.

They’re not watching traditional network or cable channels. They have no cable service generally and watch TV on their computers or portable devices. A good summary of what today’s influencer are doing and why:

WHY: Short professional online videos rival TV shows in entertainment value, with 31% of respondents finding them equally or more entertaining than watching full-length TV shows on a television.

Categories
Apple Item of Interest

An In-Depth Look at the Google TV Interface [Updated]

An In-Depth Look at the Google TV Interface http://bit.ly/chYF7B

I still think it ‘s a mistake to try and put interface on the same screen as the display.  Put the controls on a second touch device! Works great with an iPhone.

UPDATE: Kevin Rose, founder of Digg, agrees with me. Check out his last point.

Categories
Item of Interest

Episode 5 of The Terence and Philip Show

Episode 5 of The Terence and Philip Show http://bit.ly/dkkAdT

Terry and I talk about “What to do if you’re starting out now” in production or post, and why Advertising is a “bad deal for everyone” and what the alternatives are. The growth of Internet broadband and what’s happening in Australia coming full circle back to what to do if you’re starting out now. Around 20 minutes this week.

Categories
HTML5 Item of Interest

Flash Video On Android Is Terrible.

Flash Video On Android Is Terrible http://bit.ly/bjjoZg or http://bit.ly/aUGBpZ

I know, I’m a Flash hater and always posting just how bad it is. And you’re right, I’m no fan of Flash on OS X – it’s been a dog for years and even with hardware H.264 acceleration it’s only marginally better. I also don’t like Flash because it is still controlled by one company and not an open standard.

That said, there’s a lot of value still in Flash, but seriously Adobe, you’ve been promising Flash on a smartphone for a long time now and complaining that Apple won’t let it on their iPhone, except you haven’t actually delivered something worth putting on an iPhone yet.

Above I’ve quoted two different reports of the current state of Flash on Android. It will get better before final release, but from the reports that needs to be a quantum leap.

Categories
Item of Interest

Meet The YouTube Stars Making $100K per year.

Meet The YouTube Stars Making $100,000 Plus Per Year http://bit.ly/avmIpe

It’s hard to make a decent living off YouTube but there are those who do it successfully and this list of 10 individuals making over $100,000 a year explains how they achieved it.

Here’s how they got their estimates:

  • Revenue only comes from banner ads served near content (we ignored pre-roll or overlay since we can’t easily isolate by publisher).
  • Since YouTube banner ads have a two-second load delay, we estimate 2.59% of viewers click away before an ad loads based on separate research.
  • Ads were served near all videos that loaded (since there are partners, this is generally true).
  • CPM for the banner ads was $1.50 (Google auctions a lot of this inventory off; we rounded this 2009 estimate down to be conversative).
  • YouTube is splitting ad revenue with partners 50-50.