Rethinking the Television Experience | UX Magazine

Rethinking the Television Experience | UX Magazine.

Have you ever felt it’s harder to find something to watch on television now than it was when there were fewer choices? This can partly be attributed to the dilution of content quality, but a greater problem is that operating a television and discovering content is much more complicated than it used to be.

Television, Evolved

For fifty years, watching television was as simple as turning on the set and flipping through limited, regularly scheduled programs. Technological improvements have made this experience easier by eliminating the need to adjust your antenna, introducing remote controls, and adding geographically and topically diverse channels, among other advances.

The introduction of the VCR likely represented the first technological advance for television that also introduced significant user confusion. The advantages of recording a show and watching it at your own convenience are obvious, but the “TV/VCR” button that switched back and forth between scheduled and recorded programming baffled some users to the point of abandoning VCR technology altogether.

More recently, TiVo and other digital video recorders (DVRs) attempted to integrate the television viewing and recording experience more tightly. They introduced many now-common features such as instant replay, pausing of live TV, and time shifting. If you own a DVR, you no longer need to know or care when your favorite shows are on; your DVR will record them for you automatically, and you can watch them at your convenience. In some cases, your DVR can even record shows for you that it algorithmically guesses you might also like, based on your viewing habits. And—perhaps most importantly—you can operate it all from one remote control.

But what if you add a DVD player, a surround-sound audio receiver, and a game console? How many remotes are on your coffee table now? Now add Netflix, Hulu, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube, podcasts, and cable providers’ on-demand services.

Consumers have many more video options available to them now. Consumer electronics manufacturers are scrambling to bundle as many services as possible into their television and set-top boxes, and the services themselves are all fighting for mindshare, competing to paint their logos on your screen, in menus, and even on your remote. Televisions are no longer just portals to free, ad-supported programming; they’re now digital media services shopping centers.

New Patterns

Just as VCRs introduced new usage patterns and experiences for television viewers, so do all of these new devices and services. But they add more than just a few new features that require an extra button or two; these new types of content depend on new methods of discovery and consumption. The traditional, temporal program guide still makes sense for scheduled content, but on-demand content doesn’t fit into that model. How do you integrate paid or on-demand video, amateur and independent content, and scheduled programming into one seamless experience? Is it even possible?

This problem is easier to solve on a computer, and many consumers are watching video content on laptops or mobile devices. But television as a device is still alive and well in most consumers’ homes; it’s just getting more capable, and more complicated.

As electronics manufacturers struggle with content integration challenges, one thing seems certain: it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Service providers and manufacturers alike are trying to devise their own proprietary, branded solutions. This means a different user experience for every service on practically every device. And with everyone rushing new products out to customers, the living room is becoming cluttered with keyboards, controllers, and touch pads.

Some Good First Steps

With all of these products on the market, no one has yet designed a good, simplified television experience that seamlessly integrates all available content sources. But there are some interesting products that can change the home viewing experience for the better. The ideal solution will likely require a combination of hardware and software innovations. These are some examples of the better ones.

Aggregated Search

Most of today’s consumer video products “integrate” content services by introducing independently designed and developed widgets or apps. Apps are the big new thing; everybody likes apps, right? Content and service providers typically like apps because they can control the experience and throw their brand all over the screen. And users often like apps because they offer modular access to the content that interests them. But apps also create a fragmented viewing experience by locking media into content silos. Each app is designed to look and behave differently. And how do users know which app contains which content?

One popular DVR, TiVo, attempts to address this problem with its aggregated search feature. Start typing the name of a program or performer, and TiVo Search finds content across a handful of sources, including multiple online sources and traditional scheduled programming. If the content you’re seeking is on now, you can watch it immediately or record it. If the content is available through a streaming partner, you can purchase it, rent it, or watch it for free, depending on the service. The idea is that one search finds all content, regardless of its source. TiVo’s service is far from perfect, as it doesn’t yet include all of TiVo’s partner service providers, but it’s a good step in the right direction.

The Hybrid Remote/Keyboard

Search requires some form of text entry, so the simple direction controls on most remotes don’t cut it anymore for robust content discovery and selection. Some device manufacturers support multi-tap or T9 text entry on a remote control’s number keys. This is a clever workaround, but it’s cumbersome and time-consuming to use. TiVo may have designed the best overall solution, recently integrating a slide-out keyboard into its award-winning peanut-shaped remote control. Other manufacturers are also experimenting with integrating a keyboard into the remote. This gives users the flexibility of a keyboard when it’s needed but keeps it hidden when it’s not. Who wants a keyboard sitting out on the coffee table all the time? It’s likely that consumers will see more remote controls with integrated keyboard components as content search and discovery becomes an increasingly important part of the television viewing experience.

Tablet as a TV Accessory

If content discovery is difficult with a television remote, why not take it off the TV and move it to something that more and more people have with them while watching TV—a tablet device? Comcast, TiVo, and other set-top-box providers have released tablet apps that let users explore content in ways never possible on the larger screen. Quickly scanning through categories, searching for keywords, and filtering by interests with swipes and taps gives television users unprecedented access to previously undiscovered content, all without disturbing the on-screen viewing experience.

While most of these solutions operate just one device (a set-top box), one product, Peel, tries to solve that problem by rethinking the approach to answering the question, “What’s on now?” It lets users control multiple devices from one interface. Peel acts as a universal remote that controls your entertainment center devices based on interactions with your touch device. Unfortunately, Peel doesn’t integrate content from popular online content providers, and it doesn’t yet integrate your own recorded shows or other DVR functions. But with a mission derived from the question, “Why is TV so hard?” they seem to be on the right track.

These interactive accessory solutions introduce a new approach to content discovery by abstracting traditional program listings into a rich, visual experience. You’re browsing colorful show tiles and movie posters in your hand rather than wading through screen after screen of channel numbers and text, and you’re doing it without interrupting what you or the family are already watching.

Is This As Good As It Gets?

Two of television’s biggest, new usability problems are that finding and accessing content is difficult, and traditional remote controls are no longer sufficient for the job. Today’s best products acknowledge and address both of these factors by offering new ways of discovering content and by introducing new human interface devices for the television. But these particular examples seem more like patches than solutions, and it’s unclear whether we can expect anything better in the near term.

Aggregated search and discovery is likely the best way to remedy today’s fragmented video services ecosystem. Making this happen, however, is a technology challenge, a UX challenge, and a business challenge. With ever-growing libraries of content covering a highly diversified taxonomy of interests, there’s a lot of video content to index and a lot to sift through. The biggest issue, however, may be that the fragmentation will grow as content providers continue to rely on product distinction, brand recognition, and exclusive content deals as part of their business models. While this may be good for business in the near term, it makes content aggregation and integration more difficult.

And what’s next? Today’s solutions will ultimately be replaced by newer, better ones, and the best products will be those that match consumers’ lifestyles. Ultimately, great consumer experiences will prevail in the marketplace. That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for a keyboard on the coffee table.

As technology advances, so do the possibilities. Gesture control à la Minority Report? Microsoft is experimenting with this on Xbox, but it has a long way to go to feel natural. Or maybe voice control: “TV, play the extended pilot episode of Arrested Development.” Some companies are making great strides to define a simple, seamless experience for users, but we still have a long way to go. Our challenge—our opportunity—as UX professionals is to steer electronics device product managers in the right direction, to challenge the industry’s dependence on discovery models that just don’t work anymore, and to encourage often competing services to support seamless customer experiences. It’s time to rethink the television experience. It’s time to make it easier.

TV Partout la Web TV de Belgacom – Astel.be

TV Partout la Web TV de Belgacom – Astel.be.

Belgacom lance TV Partout, une innovation qui permet de regarder la TV, en streaming, via les réseaux Wi-Fi et 3G, sur tous les supports (PC, tablettes & smartphones). Services interactifs et VOD sont aussi au programme.

• TV Partout / TV Overal, qu’est-ce que c’est ?
• A tester gratuitement pour les clients Belgacom TV existants

TV Partout / TV Overal, qu’est-ce que c’est ?

Un drôle de nom …

La première chose qu’on se dit en découvrant le nouveau produit de Belgacom, c’est : « Quelle mouche a bien pu piquer Belgacom pour sortir un nom comme ça ! ». Jusqu’à présent, pour satisfaire l’ensemble du Royaume, Belgacom avait pris l’habitude de donner à ses produits des noms à consonance anglophone (Comfort, Favorite, Intense,…).

Pour ce produit, le terme “Everywhere” étant déjà pris par Mobistar pour ses offres Internet mobiles, Belgacom a dû se creuser les méninges. D’autant que son grand rival au sud du pays, VOO, nomme la plupart de ses produits en français. Le nouveau produit de Belgacom dispose de deux noms : il s’appelle “TV Overal” au Nord du pays, et “TV Partout” au Sud du pays. Une première dans l’histoire de Belgacom.

“TV Partout” : il faudra donc s’habituer à ce nom étrange, pas vraiment joli, et éviter les mauvais jeux de mots.

… pour une innovation à la pointe

Le principe de la Web TV n’est pas nouveau chez les opérateurs belges. En novembre 2010, l’opérateur Billi avait été le premier à lancer sa propre Web TV : 10 chaînes TV visionables en direct sur Internet, via le réseau Wi-Fi (de n’importe quel opérateur), sur PC, mais également sur iPhone et sur iPad. Découvrez notre test vidéo de la Web TV de Billi.

Un mois plus tard, en décembre 2010, le câblo-opérateur Telenet annonçait Yelo TV, une Web TV composée d’une petite dizaine de chaînes également disponibles en direct sur PC, iPhone et iPad.

A côté de cela, ça fait plusieurs années que Mobistar propose sa TV Mobile avec une dizaine de chaînes disponibles en direct sur les smartphones (Orange World), mais uniquement via le réseau 3G. Et avec l’arrivée de Mobistar TV, l’opérateur a lancé une application sur l’Appstore, mais aussi sur l’Android Market, qui permet une réelle interactivité, à distance, entre le smartphone et la décodeur TV (programmer un enregistrement, consulter le Guide TV,…).

Avec quelques mois de retard par rapport à ses concurrents (Telenet, Mobistar et Billi), mais en avance par rapport à son rival VOO, Belgacom lance “TV Partout” : un mix de ce qui se fait de mieux chez les autres opérateurs.

Au niveau du contenu

Belgacom TV Partout, c’est avant tout une offre de 14 chaînes TV disponibles partout et en direct : RTL TVI, Club RTL, Plug RTL, AB3, AB4, Trace, Canal F, MCM, Tiji, Nick Jr., Belgacom Zoom, EEN, Canvas/Ketnet & Acht. Cette offre est amenée à s’étoffer.

Au programme de TV Partout de Belgacom :

• de la Web TV “classique”, avec une offre de 14 chaînes TV disponible en direct via n’importe quel réseau Wi-Fi (à la maison ou en déplacement), et sur plusieurs supports (PC, tablettes, smartphones via un application à la fois sur l’AppStore et sur l’Android Market).

• de la Web TV disponible via le réseau 3G, avec la possibilité de regarder la TV … partout en Belgique.

• du streaming adaptatif avec la qualité du flux vidéo qui s’adapte automatique à la qualité du réseau Wi-Fi ou 3G qui est capté.

• du contenu exclusif avec les retransmissions de concerts, du multilive des 5 matchs du samedi soir de la Jupiler League, des 2 matches de la Primeira Liga Portugaise par journée de championnat,…

• de la Vidéo a la Demande (VOD), avec dans un premier temps un catalogue de 34 films disponibles à la location (21FR et 13 NL). Notez que la location de films n’est pas possible via le réseau 3G, uniquement en Wi-Fi.

• un Guide TV complet pour consulter tout le programme TV actuel et à venir

• une réelle interactivité à distance entre le support (PC, tablette ou smartphone) et le décodeur TV avec la possibilité de programmer des enregistrements à distance via le Guide TV.

A tester gratuitement pour les clients Belgacom TV existants

Avant la commercialisation de la version finale de TV Partout en octobre 2011, Belgacom propose à tous les clients Belgacom TV existants de tester gratuitement ce nouveau produit. Belgacom précise que même les films à la demande actuellement repris dans l’offre seront gratuits durant toute la phase de test.

Évidemment, regarder la TV ou des films en 3G, cela consomme beaucoup de data. Belgacom annonce que les clients ayant souscrit une option Internet On GSM ou Mobile Internet comprenant un forfait de plus de 50 MB/mois peuvent regarder la télévision gratuitement une heure par mois sur le réseau 3G. Cette offre n’est pas valable sur les formules Mobile Internet Free Weekend, Mobile Internet Evening&Weekend, Mobile Internet 15h, Mobile Internet Daily, Internet On GSM 15h, et tout autre abonnement avec un volume inférieur à 50MB. Attention aux mauvaises surprises donc et à l’explosion de vos forfaits data au delà de l’heure gratuite.

Belgacom annonce qu’une heure de TV Partout consomme environ 200 MB/heure en 3G et 1 GB/heure en Wi-Fi (meilleure qualité d’image).

Téléchargez la version smartphone de TV Partout sur Android Market

Téléchargez la version tablette de TV Partout sur Android Market

La version pour iPhone et iPad ne devrait pas tarder puisqu’elle est en cours de validation par Apple.

Regarder la télé et écouter la radio AnyTV

Regarder la télé et écouter la radio AnyTV.

Saturday, 04 June 2011 16:22

Internet nous a fourni des possibilités infinies, depuis sa création, et chaque jour est plus facile à utiliser l’Internet pour résoudre tous les problèmes de la vie, et que grâce à ce réseau que nous recherchons tous, comme nous l’avons démontré anyTV.

AnyTV est une application gratuite qui permet de transformer notre ordinateur en un puissant radio ou de télévision, avec seulement une connexion Internet.

Cette application nous donne accès à plus de 2500 chaînes et stations de radio du monde entier à partir de votre ordinateur, ce qui bien sûr sont inclus chaînes et des programmes en langue espagnole.

Il vous suffit de télécharger l’application sur son site officiel et l’installer afin de commencer à recevoir des contenus en streaming sans problèmes.

Ni l’expérience nécessaire ou quoi que ce soit d’utiliser l’application, parce que son interface intuitive grandement faciliter ce travail et tous ceux qui veulent faire passer le temps de le faire.

Lien: anyTV

Xobni lance une boutique d’applications pour son plugin Outlook

Xobni lance une boutique d’applications pour son plugin Outlook.

CommentCaMarche le jeudi 5 mai 2011 à 10:10:41

L’éditeur du célèbre gestionnaire de contacts pour Outlook vient de lancer un magasin d’applications permettant aux utilisateurs d’ajouter des services « à la carte » à leur plugin Xobni. Parmi les services séparés qui s’intègrent et se synchronisent avec le gestionnaire de contacts : des connecteurs LinkedIn, Yammer, Chatter (Salesforce) et des outils de productivité comme Dropbox ou Evernote.

Le lancement du « Xobni Gadget Store » s’accompagne de la sortie de la plateforme de développement Xobni (Xobni Gadget Platform), basée sur l’interface de programmation de Google « Open Social », et qui est donc ouverte aux développeurs tiers. En clair, la start-up californienne se lance à la course aux applications pour enrichir les fonctionnalités de Xobni, son gestionnaire de contacts pour Outlook.

Pour rappel, cet add-on compatible avec le client de messagerie de Microsoft est utilisé pour faciliter la gestion de contacts, l’indexation et la recherche d’informations dans ses e-mails, il est également intégrable avec BlackBerry (voir ici le retour d’expérience d’un utilisateur interviewé par CCM).

Outils de productivité et connecteurs sociaux « à la carte »
Le Xobni Gadget Store permet donc d’ajouter différentes applications tierces à Outlook, qui communiquent avec le plug-in Xobni. Une vingtaine d’entre elles sont proposées gratuitement. On trouve notamment : une série de connecteurs sociaux/services de messagerie (Yammer, Chatter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Xing, Webex), des outils de connections à des plateformes de contenus (Youtube, Flickr), ainsi que différents outils de productivité (Evernote, Dropbox, Klout, Google Translate).

La boutique propose également quelques outils payants, comme par exemple une application Salesforce.com, permettant de créer des leads à partir de contacts sur le carnet d’adresses Outlook.

Enfin, pour les entreprises utilisant la version Business de Xobni, Xobni Gadget Store propose des passerelles avec Microsoft Sharepoint, Active Directory, ou encore les solutions CRM et de business intelligence de SAP et Oracle.

En savoir plus
Xobni
Xobni Gadget Store
Xobni Gadget Platform

Web-Enabled TV A Bigger Draw than 3-D

The TV industry has gotten behind 3-D in a big way this year. The electronics trade shows are brimming with high priced sets and goofy goggles. And in an otherwise dismal year for b2b press, my offhand conversations with trade publishers in the CE world suggests that the hardware manufacturers are pumping huge promotional budgets into 3-D. Their hope is that the promise of next gen technology will spark interest in the category and kickstart them out of the recession.

But consumers may have a different idea and may be aiming at a less expensive and more appealing next step for TV — namely connectivity. According to iSuppli Corp global shipments of Internet Enabled TVs (IETV) will reach 27.7 million units in 2010 while only 4.2 million 3-D units will ship this year. iSuppli admits that in coming years 3-D will grow quickly but the hard sell among manufacturers and retailers for now addresses a very limited market of early adopters. But IETV makes sense to more people. 3-D is costly and suffers from very limited content. “IETV provides immediate benefits by allowing TV viewers to access a range of content readily available on the Internet,” says Riddhi Patel, iSuppli Director and Principal Analyst for Television.

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As someone who has more media streamers and connected devices plugged into my HDTV than an octopus has arms, I can attest to the simple appeal of IETV. The Roku box, Apple TV (yeah, I may be the last guy who still loves this thing), the Xbox, PS3 and Boxee (via Apple TV) are all attached to my uber-Sony, and it all seems a bit ridiculous.

But who cuts what content and interface deal to make sense of all of this? The fragmentation of sources beneath my HDTV now provides a wide range of options, much of which I will sacrifice if I opt instead for LG, Samsung, Sony and whichever content partners they get in bed with. Will I have my Netflix everywhere? Could I pull in Amazon media? I know I won’t get the Apple TV iTunes library on anything but an Apple-made product.

And for video producers out there: Who will they cut their deals with? A layer of aggregators is already forming to service the needs of these TV companies so they don’t have to touch the talent directly, but it still begs the question of which content will and won’t be available on which sets? Will there be an open standard of Web widgets we can just use to drag and drop the Web video channels we want onto our TV menu? I hope so. But then what consistent ad technology might there be to network and monetize all of this inventory?

They are all questions that remain to be answered by a new market of connected TVs. Curiously, the IETV may be popular with the less-than-early adopters who just want connectivity but aren’t necessarily spoiled by many Web-to-TV bridges many of us have been playing with for years. But in the next y

Cloud vs Internet (Source: Monde Informatique)

Le cloud computing risquerait en effet de dépasser Internet en importance alors que le web continue de se développer au niveau de ses usages.

Les développeurs du réseau Internet avaient une vision relativement claire et des outils pour parvenir à la forme actuelle du web. Cependant, Mike Nelson, professeur à l’université de Georgetown, s’est demandé, durant la conférence World Future Society de Boston, si les chercheurs d’aujourd’hui avaient une perspective suffisante pour qu’Internet continue son expansion. « Dans les années 90, on savait ce qu’Internet allait devenir. Mais aujourd’hui, il est très difficile d’appréhender le futur avec le développement technologique et les modifications des comportements des Internautes (réseaux pervasifs, créateur de contenus,etc.) » a-t-il affirmé.

L’argument économique du cloud

Pour lui, le cloud computing va devenir un élément central, « encore plus important que le web ». Le cloud rendra possible l’accès, pour les pays émergents, à des logiciels autrefois réservés aux pays riches. Les PME-PMI économiseront une partie de leur capital en utilisant des services tels qu’Amazon EC2 ou Windows Azure pour stocker et calculer leurs données au lieu d’acheter des serveurs dédiés. Des capteurs devraient par ailleurs commencer à apparaître dans les éclairages, les appareils portatifs et les outils agricoles par exemple, afin de transmettre les données par le web et vers le cloud.

Si les résultats de l’étude « Internet and American Life Project » du centre de recherche Pew reflètent effectivement l’attitude des États-Unis envers Internet, les prédictions de Mike Nelson pourraient au final s’avérer exactes. Le sondage effectué en 2000 sur l’utilisation des services cloud avait récolté moins de 10% de réponses positives, alors que celui de mai 2010 a atteint 66% d’utilisateurs, selon Lee Rainie, directeur du projet d’étude qui s’est aussi exprimé à la conférence. Ce sondage a aussi révélé un usage plus intensif des dispositifs mobiles se connectant à ces données stockées sur le cloud.

Des obstacles menacent le nuage

Pour autant, Mike Nelson, réaliste, a mis en garde contre les éventuels obstacles dus aux instances de régulations et aux éventuelles limites de développement. « De nombreuses forces pourraient nous pousser hors des nuages » a-t-il indiqué. D’après lui, les entreprises devraient développer des services sur le cloud qui autoriseraient le transfert de données d’une plateforme à l’autre, plutôt que de bloquer les clients chez un seul fournisseur attitré à travers des technologies qui pourraient devenir intégralement propriétaires.

http://www.lemondeinformatique.fr/actualites/lire-le-cloud-bientot-plus-important-qu-internet-31162.html

The future of TV – rethinking linear TV (source: mason analysis)

08/06 – Media Session ‘Non-Linear TV-planning : how ?’

Au GRP le 8/6/2010: Comment les TV et digital planners envisagent-ils le media-planning “non-linéaire” des campagnes TV ?

Les nouvelles technologies digitales (DVRs, VOD, vidéo mobile, internet,…) sont en train de changer les habitudes de consommation de la télévision. Que ce soit en différé ou en simultané sur plusieurs supports, les programmes sont et seront diffusés et regardés de plus en plus de manière non-linéaire.

Où en est l’offre actuelle en Belgique ? Quelles sont les opportunités à développer ? Plus d’info

Sources et Pistes de Réflexion:

http://www.analysysmason.com/About-Us/News/Newsletter/The-future-of-TV–rethinking-linear-TV/

Traditional linear TV broadcasters are suffering under the combined pressures of falling advertising revenues, shrinking audience share and declining numbers of viewers per channel. Broadcasters are therefore having to substantially rethink many aspects of their strategies in order to survive. In this, the third of our articles on the future of TV, we explore how those market changes are affecting linear TV broadcasters’ strategies.

The global financial crisis and the fragmentation of audiences have meant that revenues from advertising have fallen by 10–15%  in most markets, with some falling by 25–30%. Individual TV channels are attracting a smaller share of the audience than ever before and actual viewing figures per channel are also decreasing. Large generalist broadcasters are under great pressure, but even more so are smaller generalist broadcasters who are finding it extremely difficult to achieve sufficient scale to survive. In this context, thematic channels are proliferating, mainly as part of a wider group but some positioning themselves as niche providers. For example, in France the 8–10 niche DTT thematic channels have grown their collective revenues from EUR73 million in 2005 to EUR924 million in 2009, with around 100% annual growth over the period. However, this seems to be an exception, with many niche DTT channels in other countries struggling to reach a critical mass and break even in a market flooded with content.

But there is some good news. Despite the exponential growth of non-linear TV and new distribution platforms, there are still signs that absolute average linear TV consumption in minutes is growing. In this environment, generalist broadcasters, producers, sales houses, aggregators and platforms are all trying to identify the best ways to adapt. TV channels are already trying a number of strategies: expanding their thematic channels and range of services, optimising their revenue from existing sources, diversifying sources of revenue, lowering costs, enhancing measurement systems, and branding and cross promotions.

1. Thematic channels expansion: New thematic TV channels are designed for particular audiences and offer niche programming, commercialised with targeted advertising. Many are part of larger broadcasters’ family of channels and help to compensate for losses on the main TV channel.

2. Service expansion: Broadcasters are focused on multi-platform delivery, which is essential to maximise reach. Streaming is becoming feasible: 58% of broadcasters in Europe claim to have already launched a streamed service, and over 80% have already launched online catch-up services.

3. Optimising advertising: Players are focused on their advertising sales processes, including how to better aggregate and sell inventory. Top advertisers seem to be more carefully considering TV spending, focusing on finding the right context, content and performance indicators compared to alternative distribution mechanisms (e.g. Internet, DTT).

4. Enhanced measuring systems: Both traditional and new broadcasters are trying to develop new measuring tools and systems that will assist them in attracting top advertisers. However, this is costly and it is not clear yet who will bear the additional cost of measuring performance with a growing number of platforms and channels.

5. Diversifying revenue streams: Falling revenues from advertising and the likely slow recovery (e.g. advertising 2007 levels could be attained in 2012 or 2013) means that most broadcasters are trying to diversify their revenue streams. For example, in Italy 15–20% of Mediaset’s total revenues are from pay-TV and traditional TV channels, and in Germany commercial broadcasters have announced that they are likely to introduce pay-TV options.

6. Lowering costs: Traditional broadcasters are reviewing programming strategies (and structures) to adjust costs, focus on live programmes (e.g. news or live sports) to maximise audience share whilst lowering the break-even point for audiences, and examining costs for other programmes. This is already having a knock-effect for producers too, who need to adapt their strategies accordingly.

7. Branding and cross promotion: For traditional broadcasters, cross-promotion between their core TV channels, new channels and between distribution platforms is essential. New broadcasters are looking for brands or alternative mechanisms that allow them to cross-promote channels.

Despite the advent of non-linear TV  and TV content via the Internet, traditional linear TV still has a major role to play. But in order to take full advantage of the opportunities available, broadcasters need to adapt their strategies intelligently.

Driving Online Sales with Video (Source: E-Marketeer)

Retailers are responding to the growing consumer appetite for online videos by adding them to their Websites both to differentiate themselves from competitors and to keep up with what consumers expect from their online shopping experience.

“Consumers rank other purchase decision-making tools, such as customer reviews, ahead of videos in importance,” said Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Video E-Commerce: Innovative Models Drive Sales. “But that has not discouraged retailers from quickly adding videos to their sites. They find that videos boost sales conversion rates and reduce abandoned shopping cart and product return rates.”

The proportion of the top 50 US online retailers offering videos jumped 378% in 2009 over the year before, according to a Forrester Research study, “Online Retailers’ Adoption of Online Video Content Is Ahead of Consumers’ Preferences,” published in November 2009. Last year over two-thirds of the biggest online retailers hosted videos.

The adoption rate is poised to climb further, as revealed by a February 2010 Multichannel Merchant survey. Among the two-thirds of respondents who indicated they were planning a site redesign in the next 12 months, some 42.3% said they would add video to their site. That makes it the second-highest priority, well behind social media tools but ahead of other popular Website enhancements including customer reviews and personalized recommendations.

“Retailers are making the case that videos boost their sales conversion rate, a measure of the increase in the percentage of shoppers who make a purchase after viewing a product video,” said Mr. Grau. “Retailers also claim videos reduce shopping cart abandonment rates and lower product return rates.”

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007709

Promouvoir des événements via des médias sociaux (www.liasabau.com)

Il n’y a pas question que Twitter est devenu un outil marketing très puissant.

Les 140 caractères ont déjà plus d’impact qu’une pub de 30 secondes à la télé, si c’est bien utilise, bien sûr.

Cette année les grandes cérémonies telles que le Grammy et les Oscars ont connu un revirement en termes d’audience qui est incroyable. 26 millions d’utilisateurs ont écouté la cérémonie des Grammys, 34% de plus par rapport à l’année précédente. Les Oscars qui viennent de se dérouler en fin de semaine ont enregistré les plus grands chiffres des 5 dernières années, et 14% de croissance en terme d’audience par rapport à l’année passée.

Les experts attribuent l’effet en grande partie aux médias sociaux.

Twitter, Facebook, Myspace ont le pouvoir de créer une espèce de communauté autour de l’événement, ou les gens aiment suivre les commentaires des autres, interagir et échanger des opinions. Le pouvoir viral des médias sociaux pendant des événements comme ça est impressionnant.

L’effet est tellement grand que parfois le média social en question devient plus important que l’événement en soi. L’événement sert d’excuse pour permettre aux gens d’interagir et de se connaître. Lors de la cérémonie de Grammys en janvier, le hip-hoper américain Questlove, détenteur d’un prix Grammy, qui se trouvait dans la salle pour suivre la cérémonie, déclarait que « suivre les tweets sur l’événement est encore mieux que suivre l’événement lui-même ». C’est ça le pouvoir de Twitter.

On dit toujours au niveau des entreprises, des chaines de télévision ou des personnages publics, avoir compris l’impact de Twitter et Facebook. Mais la réalité montre le contraire. On vient de voir l’impact énorme que ces deux médias sociaux peuvent avoir sur l’audience d’un événement. L’important est savoir les utiliser. Jusqu’il y a quelques semaines, CBS n’affichait pas une icône Twitter sur son site. Ils ne font même pas des « calls to action » pour essayer de mobiliser le monde et de le diriger vers leurs comptes twitter et facebook.

Ce que Twitter et Facebook apportent au monde de la télévision, que ça soit traditionnel ou en ligne, c’est l’esprit de communauté. Les gens aiment interagir autour des séries et émissions qu’ils aiment écouter régulièrement. L’interaction galvanise et maintient l’attention, augmente l’intérêt et peut même arriver a fidéliser plus les téléspectateurs.
Sur Facebook les chaines de télévision commencent à encourager les débats. Parfois elles engagent des fans pour créer et gérer un compte au nom de certains personnages des séries ou des émissions afin de faciliter la communication avec d’autres fans.

http://www.liasabau.com/2010/03/09/lutilisation-des-medias-sociaux-pour-la-promotion-des-evenements-televises/

eBay agrees to sell Skype to focus on e-marketplace and PayPal | InternetRetailer.com – Daily News

Four years after it acquired the Skype Internet telephone communications platform to support communications between its online buyers and sellers, eBay has agreed to sell a 65% stake in Skype Technologies S.A. for just over $2 billion to an investment group that will operate Skype as a standalone company. Analysts said the deal was a positive move for eBay, which will be able to better concentrate on its eBay.com marketplace and PayPal payments system while still sharing in the expected growth of Skype as a global communications platform.

"Skype is a strong standalone business, but it does not have synergies with our e-commerce and online payments businesses," says eBay CEO John Donahoe. "As a separate company, we believe that Skype will have the focus required to compete effectively in online voice and video communications and accelerate its growth momentum."

The investment group, headed by Silver Lake, a Menlo Park, CA-based technology investment firm, has agreed to pay eBay $1.9 million in cash plus $125 million in a promissory note in a transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. In addition to the 35% stake retained by eBay, the acquisition price places a total value on Skype of $2.75 billion, close to the $3.1 billion eBay paid for Skype in 2005, says Colin Sebastian, who covers e-commerce stocks as senior vice president of equity research at Lazard Capital Markets.

Although Skype has produced strong revenue growth—up 25% year over year in the second quarter ended June 30, to $170 million, after rising 44% year over year to $551 million in 2008—Skype never took off as a tool widely used by eBay.com buyers and sellers and produced relatively low profit margins compared to the rest of eBay, Sebastian says. "Skype was growing faster than eBay overall, but also at lower margins, so it was a mixed bag for eBay`s financial impact," he says.

Skype had 405 million users as of the end of 2008, mostly outside of the U.S., with revenue per-user for the year of less than $1.50.

Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor Corp., which helps retailers connect to eBay.com and other e-marketplaces, notes most users of eBay in the U.S. are more likely to use a conventional phone to call an eBay seller`s 800 number than click a Skype button and talk via their computer.

"Many times eBay sellers don`t want to be contacted," he adds. "Especially for items in the less-than $100 range, one phone call can destroy an eBay seller`s already very thin margins. Most eBay sellers tend to avoid the addition of customer service reps whenever possible."

EBay, meantime, is under pressure to improve its core e-marketplace business and continue the growth of PayPal amid a highly competitive payments market, says Sucharita Mulpuru, principal analyst for retail e-business at research and advisory firm Forrester Research Inc. "There`s so much competition encroaching on PayPal, eBay`s crown jewel, that eBay needs to have all hands on deck," she says.

Sebastian adds that focusing more on its e-marketplace and payments businesses will help eBay score better on Wall Street. "As part of our justification for upgrading shares of eBay earlier this year, we anticipated that a spin-off of Skype would position eBay more clearly with investors as a leading Internet platform for e-commerce and payments, along with a fast growing classified advertising business," he says.

In April of this year, eBay announced plans to separate Skype from the company and considered filing for an initial public offering of Skype stock next year, but chose to sell a majority stake instead, Donahoe says. "This deal achieves our goal of delivering short- and long-term value to eBay and its stockholders, without the possible delays and market risk of an IPO," he says. "Selling Skype now at this great valuation, while retaining an equity stake, makes sense for the company. And it allows us to focus all of our energies on the opportunities in front of PayPal and eBay."

eBay agrees to sell Skype to focus on e-marketplace and PayPal | InternetRetailer.com – Daily News