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Beet.tv Interview with COO Alex Blum
Global COO Alex Blum was interviewed by Beet TV’s Andy Plesser about our new Social Program Guide and other initiatives during this year’s NAB. It’s a great overview of everything we’ve been up to in the drive towards productization
“I’m Not Really Watching:” Passive vs Active Viewing and Their Affect on the Social TV Experience
Quick question: when you’re watching TV, do you talk during the entire show? When the commercials come on (provided you’re not skipping through them) do you only think and talk about the show you’ve been watching?I’m guessing the answer is no. So then why does so much of the activity in the social TV space assume the opposite? Yes, a lot of people watch TV with a second screen device in hand. But there’s no logical path that says they are using that device solely to interact with whatever is on the screen. Chances are high that if they’ve whipped out the iPhone, they are checking email, looking at a friend’s Facebook photos, checking the score of the game they’re not watching or some other activity completely unrelated to the what’s on TV. That’s because people often turn on the TV just to have some sort of background distraction. Call that “passive viewing.” Reading email and half-watching American Idol aren’t … Continue reading
Aereo: First Takes
Aereo is a controversial new service that allows users to watch live broadcast television over the internet on iPhones and iPads and stream those same broadcasts to their television sets via a Roku or Apple TV device. Users can also record programs to a cloud-based DVR for future viewing. Beta users get a free 90-day trial, after which they’ll pay just $12/month. Lawsuits have been filed in both directions, as broadcasters bridle at the notion of someone charging for what they broadcast for free. (The service uses HD antennas to capture the digital broadcast signals and send them to the user’s device, via WiFi.) Aereo has the same basic game plan as recent KIT acquisition Sezmi, though since Aereo is backed by a group of high-profile investors lead by Barry Diller, it’s been getting a lot of press. Aereo claims the $12 charge is for the DVR service, not the broadcast signal, though industry observers have doubts about Aereo’s prospects … Continue reading
The Lilyhammer Effect
One of the most significant developments in the TV landscape went virtually unreported earlier this month. There had been much speculation around how Netflix would handle the release of their new original series, given the non-linear nature of the service. They surprised most observers, however, when they announced that in launching their new series Lilyhammer, a crime drama starring Steve Van Zandt, they would be releasing all 8 episodes at once. Now research has shown this to be an excellent tactic for short-form content: viewers get hooked on a series by watching 3 or 4 episodes at once and don’t have to remember to return to the site on a weekly basis. So-called “binge TV” – where viewers use services like Netflix or iTunes to catch up on entire seasons has become popular enough to warrant its own nickname. For many people it’s their preferred way of watching. Which is why Netflix play is at once brilliant and revolutionary. Because … Continue reading
Samsung Challenge Finalists: Breaking Multimedia Ground
We are tipping that the buzz around Connected TV’s will reach fever-pitch at CES this year, with media companies and device manufacturers scrambling to offer TV services directly on these ever-popular new TV’s. Samsung has put it’s money where it’s mouth is and has expanded their focus to multimedia apps, with the Samsung Free The TV Challenge. The company is awarding $225,000 in cash and prizes to winning developers for innovative multimedia apps. The challenge is now in its second year, and the finalists are truly breaking multimedia ground! The winner will be announced at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The press release states that the finalists, in alphabetical order, are: FREQSHO – music fans can create their own music channel to stream music from any artist using a smartphone, tablet or TV. An easy-to-use search engine helps users quickly find their favorite artists and social connectivity allows them to follow the latest artist information and tweets in real-time. … Continue reading
KIT digital Reports Record Earnings in Q3 2011
It’s an exciting day at KIT digital, as we released our quarterly earnings report this morning. From the press release: Revenue in the third quarter of 2011 increased 29% sequentially to a record $62.3 million from $48.2 million in the previous quarter, and increased 124% from $27.7 million in the same quarter a year ago. Excluding the effect of acquired companies during the comparable periods, the company estimates organic growth in Q3 was 11% sequentially and over 35% versus the same year-ago quarter Read the full press release → For those that are interested, a video of our earnings call will be streamed online this morning at 10:30 am EST. Click here to register and watch it online →
Watch our Investor Day presentation from Prague
As we’ve mentioned in this space before, KIT digital’s senior executive team recently hosted a two-day open house at our new Prague HQ for investors, customers and key members of the media. We’ve made a recording of a presentation from that event’s agenda viewable on our website – it offers a full view into KIT digital’s view on the market moving forward, and the progress we’ve made over the last few months in integrating and relaunching the brand. Click here to watch the presentation and video →
This is the first in a weekly series of updates on the rapidly changing world of social TV. View the Slideshare full screen to access the links. Social TV Update #1
Telecom Argentina Leverages KIT digital to Deliver Arnet Play, a New Multiscreen OTT Video Service
This morning, KIT digital and Telecom Argentina announced a partnership to deliver TA’s new multiscreen over-the-top video service, Arnet Play. The service, which launched this week, already offers Telecom Argentina’s 1.5 million subscribers access to more than 2,500 video titles on the go. Read the full news release →
KIT digital Unveils Next Generation Video Platform
We are excited to announce that today we unveiled our highly anticipated next generation cloud-based video asset management system, the KIT Video Platform, at the IBC 2011 conference. The KIT Video Platform — available in two editions, KIT Cloud and KIT Cosmos, to address the diverse needs of the market— gives media & entertainment companies, network operators, and non-media enterprises a comprehensive and highly flexible platform solution to produce, manage and deliver live and on-demand, socially-enabled broadband TV deployments. Today’s platform release is the most significant in the company’s history and marks the culmination of over a year of internal development and innovation, as well as the integration of ‘best-of-breed’ elements from recently acquired industry-leading platform technologies. The KIT Video Platform further positions our company as a driving force in the global transformation to multiscreen broadband TV for tier-one customers. The KIT Video Platform’s two editions, KIT Cloud and KIT Cosmos, each caters to different ends of the video market—from … Continue reading
Join KIT digital at Broadcast & Cable Brazil
This week, the KIT Digital team will be making a stop in Sao Paolo, Brazil for Broadcast & Cable 2011. Broadcast & Cable is the premier Television, Radio & Telecommunications event for the Latin American market. Brazil already plays a crucial role in the Global economy, but with the next Olympics and World Cup taking place here, the broadcast market is heating up. More than 10,000 content professionals from throughout the Americas (and around the world) will be looking for ways to improve their video production and distribution infrastructure in advance of this exciting time in the country’s history. The show takes place from Tuesday, August 23 to Thursday, August 25. If you’re planning to attend, make sure to stop by Booth A-18. That’s where our team will be, demoing our end-to-end suite of broadband video solutions: Next Generation Broadcast Systems Integration Services – Our team designs, builds, and installs IP-enabled studio facilities and outside broadcast trucks for some of … Continue reading
Liverpool Selects KIT to Power Social Media Community
Liverpool Football Club’s (LFC) approach to social media has always been about finding new and innovative ways to reach and interact with fans online in fast, fun, and informal ways. As more sports teams move toward establishing a social media presence, LFC needed a way to combine its online community with advanced social and video capabilities to rapidly increase audience traffic and improve engagement. KIT digital powers “The Kop,” the official social media hub for Liverpool Football Club fans. Liverpool supporters can create their own custom profiles and share videos, photos, blog posts, and stories about LFC. LFC uses the KIT Social Platform and its award-winning App Studio to create, publish and manage all of the media content and widgets throughout The Kop. With an established audience and several popular social media features already in place, creating social experiences with KIT digital was critical to encourage and enable fans to move seamlessly between the LFC website and the broader social … Continue reading