MaxxoMedia Digital Media and Entertainment Trends

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The term multi-screen is being used just about everywhere these days. But what does multi-screen actually mean? For years, network equipment suppliers and operators have been espousing the benefits of a converged intelligent network that offers integrated multi-screen services. Converged network services will, for example, permit a voice call session to be upgraded to a video call session on the fly. The term multi-screen can also imply bundled network services, such as TV Everywhere, with a common authorization mechanism linking pay TV subscriptions to the PC and mobile handset. Since Netflix is accessible from just about any web-enabled device, it must be a multi-screen service. And last month at CES, Samsung (and others) demonstrated the ability to share video between a tablet and a big screen TV, provided both are running the same proprietary multi-screen application platform.

Home video retail revenue has fallen precipitously over the past five years. Worse yet, double-digit declines in annual retail sales of physical discs are expected, resulting in a drop of $4.6 billion from 2009 to 2014. To replace retail DVD revenue losses, the online digital paid video download and streaming segment, (which includes both purchase and rental) is expected to show high revenue growth. Annual revenue is forecast to grow from $2.3 billion to $6.3 billion within five years, says In-Stat (www.in-stat.com).

The battle lines for online offerings are continuing to be drawn and are intensely competitive. Online à la carte rental of TV episodes will directly compete with online subscription TV services, such as Hulu Plus and Netflix, and may detrimentally impact the use of TV Everywhere services. Further competition will come from paid online video stores, such as Apple iTunes, Amazon, Vudu and CinemaNow.

Right in line with this new report, I just added an old laptop into my living room media mix. The laptop is pared down to basically a browser with preset bookmarks for Hulu, Netflix, Last.FM, Vevo, Amazon VOD and YouTube.  Seriously considering reducing my cable service to the lowest level and saving some money.

More than ever before Internet users in the United States want to be able to connect their TV to the Internet. Research firm Deloitte says 65 percent of Internet users want online content available on their televisions, with Millennials (14-26 year olds) leading the way; some 74 percent said they want to connect their TVs. But they weren't alone in their desires, said Deloitte in its “State of the Media Democracy (4th edition).” Gen Xers (71 percent), Boomers (59 percent) and Matures (46 percent) also contributed to the 7-percentage point uptick from a year ago.

The economic downturn that has plagued the nation may have contributed to an increase in TV viewing by Internet users as well, with viewing topping 18 hours per week in 2009. Deloitte said about 4 percent of respondents said they watched some of their favorite shows on sites like Hulu, with another 3 percent saying they watched post-broadcast episodes of their favorite shows on the show’s website.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Walt Disney Company is close to unveiling new technology to allow entertainment companies to distribute media to consumers using computers and cell phones, rather than on DVD and television.

The technology is code-named Keychest and sounds like its the for-pay web service that Disney CEO Bob Iger announced back in July. The service would basically let consumers pay one price for permanent access to content from a number of different devices — like set-top boxes and mobile phones.

Indie Filmmaker in Copyright Spat With Viacom Over YouTube Clips

Submitted by Mark Hefflinger on August 31, 2007 – 6:28am.

San Francisco - An independent filmmaker who posted some of his work on YouTube, which was then used without permission by Viacom on a TV show, has seen his posting of Viacom’s use of his work removed from YouTube by the media conglomerate, CNET News.com reported.

From Kenradio.com

TV advertising spending is growing, and analysts expect that to continue through 2010. Online video usage is increasing, online advertising spending is taking a larger proportion of the overall advertising pie and digital video recorders (DVRs) and video-on-demand (VOD) capabilities are becoming widespread, according to a new study by eMarketer. Talk of TV’s short-term demise is unfounded. Yet it is equally shortsighted to think that the traditional TV model will not change significantly over the next decade.