Category Archives: Uncategorized
From Beet.tv: KIT Digital Turns Video Ads Into Retail Experience With Ad Locker
KIT’s Alan Wolk was interviewed at the 2nd Screen Summit at CES by Beet.tv’s Megan O’Neill LAS VEGAS — As second screen technology continues to evolve, consumer desire for the second screen experience is on the rise and video software and services company KIT Digital is at the forefront of this evolution. At the 2nd Screen Summit at CES we had the opportunity to talk with KIT Digital’s Global Lead Analyst, Alan Wolk, to find out what the company has in store for the coming year. In our video interview, Wolk discusses a Windows 8 app, which KIT Digital recently created for 4oD, channel 4 in the UK, and is “already one of the more popular apps on the Windows Store.” Wolk also told us about updates to KIT’s Social Program Guide, a white label solution enabling cable television providers to offer subscribers a second screen experience. Talk explains that KIT is prepared to launch a major update which is … Continue reading
Breaking Through
As anyone who has ever turned on a television lately can attest, the main pain point in the viewing experience is navigating the increasingly Kafka-esque series of screens that pop up to prevent you from finding whatever it is you are looking for. So it’s baffling that so many in the adtech industry seem to think that the amorphous entity known as “social TV” is the savior we’ve all been waiting for, the One True Path to improving the viewing experience. (To their credit, those actually in the TV industry seem less easily duped.) As a founding member of the 2nd Screen Society who spends most of his days studying the industry and applying that knowledge to (shameless plug) KIT’s award-winning Social Program Guide product, here’s my somewhat educated take on what’s going on right now. Discovery Is The Key Use Case For Any “Social” Data: Let’s start with the fairly safe assumption that the average TV viewer’s initial concern is finding something to watch. That means … Continue reading
The Debut of the Second Screen Society
Last week marked the launch of the (much needed) Second Screen Society. The Society is dedicated to “advanc(ing) the creation, production and adoption of content, applications , devices and distribution systems within the 2nd Screen Engagement Ecosystem.” The Society will stress education and the creation of standards within the industry. KIT digital is proud to be one of the founding Advisory Board members, along with Twentieth Century Fox, Zeebox, Civolution, and Red Bee, among others. The Society has identified five key qualities of the 2nd screen experience they wish to support: Simple – facilitate API and web services integration between apps, Smart TVs, tablets, mobile and set top boxes allowing the consumer to get content from the 2nd screen to the 1st screen Social – facilitate the integration of social oriented apps and web services into smart TVs, set top boxes and 2nd screen apps Seamless – promote a common approach to digital video inventory and digital locker identification to … Continue reading
What Are Google and Intel Thinking? (Possibly The Same Thing.)
The trade press abounds with rumors this week that Intel and Google are preparing to launch their own set top boxes in order to launch their own virtual MSOs. If they get someone to sell them content rights, that is. But obvious problems aside, should the big pay-TV providers be worried about the new competition? I’m thinking probably not. But you know who should be worried? TiVo. Let me explain: as I have harped on about for a while, the very first thing the user of a virtual MSO will need is an internet connection. And where is our user getting his or her internet connection? From the pay-TV provider, of course! A vast majority (90%+ if you’re a FIOS customer) get their internet from the same company that sells them TV. And that bundle comes with a considerable savings. And no bandwidth caps. Now Google has spent a while trying to wire up Kansas City with ultra hyper turbo … Continue reading
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