Monthly Archives: September 2012
Apples To Oranges
As someone who is frequently driving to unfamiliar locations and who relies on an iPhone based GPS to get himself there, I have to say that the new Apple maps program is quite an improvement, particularly in terms of the graphics, which make navigating while driving a lot simpler. The problem, for Apple, is that the program it’s quite an improvement on isn’t Google Maps, which it replaced, but rather TomTom USA, which is the company the app is based on. While Google maps on iOS is a wonderful thing, it didn’t work like a GPS. If you wanted step-by-step directions, you needed a co-pilot: you had to both read and advance the app yourself. That’s why so many iPhone users went out and bought GPS apps like Tom Tom and Wayz: they allowed you to use your phone instead of a unique GPS device to access a program where a robotic voice read you directions as you drove. That … Continue reading
IBC Retrospective: KIT’s Double Whammy
KIT digital walked away from IBC with an unbeaten record, winning both the IBC Innovation Award and the CSI (Cable and Satellite International) Award. The XBox app that KIT created for Channel 4’s 4oD video-on-demand service received the prestigious IBC Innovation Award on Sunday night. The app app extends 4oD to the Microsoft Xbox 360 game console and leverages the Xbox Kinect’s Voice andNatural User Interfaces, allowing users to browse and choose video content using intuitive gesture and voice control. On Friday, our white label Social Program Guide product beat out three other finalists to garner the CSI Award for Best Social TV Technology, Service or Application. The Social Program Guide or SPG is a second screen app that is a mash-up of an EPG and a remote control with an overlay of social functionality. Because the product is owned by the network operator, the SPG provides the unique ability to change the channel directly from the app, so that users can … Continue reading
Video Interviews From IBC: The Next Web and Beet.TV
I was interviewed on camera twice last week during IBC- you can see the results below. The first is a conversation with Beet.TV’s Andy Plesser about the KIT Social Program Guide, which won the CSI (Cable and Satellite International) Award for Best Social TV App, beating out never.no and three other competitors. We also touch on the Second Screen Society, a very worthwhile organization KIT has played a lead role in helping to get off the ground. The second interview, with TheNextWeb’s Martin Bryant, takes a deeper dive into the current and future state of television and where we see the industry headed next. (And yes, I need to learn to look directly at camera.) Enjoy.
Do We Really Need Another Movie Channel?
The latest from Laura Frankel of KIT digital Content Solutions Someone once said to me that there is not enough revenue to support all the content that exists today; not to mention what is coming tomorrow. A statistic that I tend to believe is that we have over 15,000 channels world-wide (including local). And, what is crazy is new cable channels keep popping up. Epix launched several years ago as Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate believed that we need another movie channel. Sony launched Sony Movie Channel in 2010 because Sony also believes that we don’t have enough movie channels. Well of course what is really driving this is the desire to have a channel to monetize their content further. But as I have said many times, what will drive subscriptions are strong originals…HBO has “True Blood” and “Game of Thrones” and many others ; Starz has “Boss” and a few new originals; and Showtime has “Homeland” and “Dexter” among others. … Continue reading
IBC 2012
IBC 2012 is on this weekend in Amsterdam and I will be there representing KIT at two different sessions. On Saturday night, I’ll be delivering the keynote at the 2nd Screen Summit Amsterdam with the first live version of the viral “10 Things You Need To Know About The Future of Television” (I’ll be providing a more Eurocentric spin for the IBC audience.) There are a lot of really big name speakers as 2nd Screen, so if you are in Amsterdam for IBC, please check it out. Then, on Sunday, I will be on stage at the IBC Rising Stars event, along with Naomi Climer from Sony Entertainment and Tony Churnside from the BBC. We’ll be discussing what our paths were into the industry and how it’s changed over the years. I’ve pointed out to my kids (several times) that the program refers to me as an “inspirational industry figure” but they seem rather nonplussed. Check me out on Twitter for updates and other news from the show.