by Guest Author on December 21st, 2011
For those with even a passing interest in online video, 2011 has been a remarkable year.
In just the last couple weeks you’ve probably read about comedian Louis CK’s incredible success with direct-to-viewer sales of his new performance special. You may have seen Day[9]’s Sean Plott listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 in Entertainment. You undoubtedly heard about YouTube’s channel initiative (which in my view is designed to force Hollywood networks and studios to figure out original online video whether they are ready to or not). The mainstream is moving toward online video as much as online video is moving toward the mainstream.
The tipping point that many of us in the industry envisioned back in 2005 at the first Vloggercon is upon us. We’ve elbowed our way in and grabbed a seat at the table. Now it’s time to elevate our collective game and make original web series more vital and more valuable than ever. Producers spend a ton of time thinking about their stories, characters, lighting, host reads, and dozens of other things. But not enough time is spent thinking about who their show is for and how well they are speaking to their intended audiences. In other words, it’s essential producers make branding a priority.
At Blip, we’re practicing what we preach. One thing we’re doing to help elevate our brand is thinking about what we represent (or don’t) in the marketplace. Back in May, we launched a new destination site and tagline that clearly establishes our mission: to be the place to discover the best in original web series. Yesterday, we debuted a new logo designed by Chermayeff & Geismar, the talented team who created logos for NBC, Showtime, PBS, and other big media companies. One of our goals for 2012 is to make the Blip brand much more meaningful and visible to audiences interested in original web series. This will make the shows on our platform even more valuable to advertisers so that we can continue to increase rates, which in turn helps producers earn more revenue. Producers can then re-invest that revenue to make more and better content, and the cycle of lifting our industry continues.
by Joshua Cohen on December 21st, 2011
When internet marketing research company comScore released its November US Online Video Rankings last week, the organization issued a set of global statistics in addition to its regularly scheduled national Top Ten Lists of Online Video Content Properties Ranked by Unique Video Viewers, Online Video Ad Properties Ranked by Video Ads Viewed, and YouTube Partner Channels Ranked by Unique Video Viewers.
And if you thought the numbers of Unique Viewers and Online Videos Viewed in the US were large, the global numbers are staggering.
ComScore’s report indicates almost 1.2 billion (with a “b”) people aged 15 and older watched over 201.4 billion (again with a “b”) online videos around the world during the month of October 2011. The biggest share of those views came from YouTube. Google Sites accounted for 88.2 billion video views during the 31-day period or a 43.8% share of the total. Vevo garnered 3.6 billion video views during the same time frame, further proving the perennial and ubiquitous appeal of music videos. And Facebook also made it into the top five, attracting 2.5 billion pairs of eyeballs worldwide.
by Joshua Cohen on December 20th, 2011
The 2012 Super Bowl (aka Super Bowl 46 aka Super Bowl XLVI aka ‘The Most Watched Program Ever’) will take place on February 5 in Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts. You’ll be able to watch it by way of live television broadcast courtesy of NBC, or by way of your internet connected device courtesy of NBC, the NFL, and/or Verizon.
The Associated Press broke the news America’s most anticipated sporting event (along with NBC’s broadcasts of wild card Saturday and the Pro Bowl) will be available “on the league’s and network’s websites and through Verizon’s NFL Mobile app.” Online viewers will have access to “additional camera angles, in-game highlights and live stats – and replays of those always popular Super Bowl ads.”
The move may seem particularly innovative to the casual online video viewer, but it’s almost status quo for NBC. The AP notes the network has streamed it’s Sunday Night Football broadcasts for the past four seasons. On any given Sunday, NBC’s telecast will average 21 million viewers, while its live stream will garner between 200,000 to 300,000 paris of eyeballs. Hans Shroeder, the NFL’s senior vice president of media strategy and development, indicates that most of those online views come from individuals using the live stream to compliment their television-watching experience.
So, the big question is, how many people will watch Super Bowl 46 on an internet connected device that’s not their television? If we assume the TV to online viewership ratio stays constant on Super Bowl Sunday, expect between 1.057 million and 1.585 million people to watch the live stream on their computers, smartphones, and tablets.
by Joshua Cohen on December 20th, 2011
Hey Girl. The last time you and I saw a Drunk History video was on December 14. That’s when Drunk History creator Derek Waters uploaded a new video to Funny or Die announcing there would be a very special Drunk History Christmas episode uploaded to the internet soon. But that doesn’t really count.
The last time you and I saw a full installment of Drunk History was way back in June 2010. Jen Kirman got wasted and told the story of how the friendship of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass overcame the slavery movement and the rampant racism that existed in their day. Will Ferrell, Don Cheadle, and Zooey Deschanel acted out the scene. It was great.
It’s been a long time for us to wait, but Waters uploaded that very special Drunk History Christmas episode today. It features Allan McLeod reciting A Visit from St. Nicholas (aka Twas the Night Before Christmas, but you already knew that) after drinking half a bottle of whiskey.
by Joshua Cohen on December 20th, 2011
The holidays are almost here! And if you’re still frantically shopping for something to give a special someone in addition to those DIY gifts you made and a copy of that Holiday Time Machine iPad/iPhone application and/or want to check out some innovative and inspired branded products from some of online video’s top creative talent, then this is the post and accompanying video for you.
The team at Tubefilter watches a lot of online entertainment programming and in our aggregate hours/days/years/millenia of online video consumption these are our 11 favorite YouTube and online video-inspired products that we think would make for gifts most awesome.
Here’s the list, in no particular order in video form:
And here’s the list, in no particular order, in text:
1. SC Beardtard Supremes
Lots of online video personalities and original web series sell their own T-shirts (you’ll see a few of our favorites later on the list), but very few (meaning “absolutely no one”) sells their own pair of sneakers. Top 100 YouTuber ShayCarl designed the SC Beardtard Supremes with the help of his his family (aka “The Shaytards”) and his fanbase. The collaborative end-product features Shay’s bearded silhouette on the heel and goes for $79.98 at Tweak Footwear.
by Joshua Cohen on December 19th, 2011
Harley Morenstein broke the news in early November via Twitter and Lacey Rose at The Hollywood Reporter just reminded everyone Epic Meal Time shot a television pilot for G4.
The original web series about wouldn’t-be cooks from Quebec who use unbelievable amounts of bacon and other carnivore-friendly fare in their gross-but-enticing kitchen creations made its first debut on the gamer, male, and ninja-oriented cable TV network via Attack of the Show back in March 2011. Since then, Epic Meal Time’s creator and Sauce Boss Harley Morenstein made at least one in-person appearance on ATS before making the announcement about the TV pilot and reassuring fans there will still be weekly online episodes of Epic Meal Time, the EMT crew will not be tamed, and in the G4 version you can expect more bacon and ladies.
Rose reports the pilot will be produced by “Comcast Entertainment Studios, with Jay James (Guliana & Bill, The Soup), Gregory Heller, KP Anderson (The Soup, Web Soup) and Morenstein attached as executive producers.”
On the online video front, new media studio Revision3 is still Epic Meal Time’s network of choice. Here’s what Ryan Vance, Revision3 VP of Programming, had to say about the television iteration of EMT:
by Brittany Sandler on December 19th, 2011
Last week Maker Studios and The Game Station (or TGS if you want to be in the know) premiered their new original dramatic web series The Street Fighter. It features – you guessed it! – Capcom’s Street Fighter video game. But this series is more about the people who love gaming than the actual game itself.
The Street Fighter follows Phil (played by Clarke Koehler) as he deals with the pressure of his ex-wife, his recent unemployment, and maintaining a relationship with his son. With the support of his friend Camille, Phil enters The Alex Valle’s Ultimate Street Fighter Tournament (FYI, Alex Valle is a real-life, professional Street Fighterer) to win back his self respect and discover his inner street fighter.
The series follows a Rocky structure with Phil training for the tournament, but the real story comes in the relationships between Phil, Ryan, and Camille. Phil, with his corny Call of Duty jokes and desire to drive his son crazy and to school, is not your typical gaming or major motion picture hero. But he does feel like a real life gamer that audiences can relate to and cheer for as he fights to become the Street Fighter Champion we all hope he can be.
by Joshua Cohen on December 19th, 2011
If you’re not familiar with the YouTube Time Machine, you should be. The application and online destination created by former YouTube Nexter and online video contest aggregator Justin Johnson, iPad and iPhone developer Matt Capucilli, and promotions guru Delbert Dean Shoopman III takes a different approach to curating online videos than the ones to which you’ve become accustomed.
Instead of a familiar taxonomy comprised of top-level common classifications like Entertainment, Food, How To, Sports, Music, and Etc., YouTube Time Machine categorizes videos first by year, and second by everything else. That means you can check out clips from any particular time frame dating back to 1860 up to and including 2011, which makes it a fantastic tool for discovering online video ephemera for the nostalgia inclined.
YouTube Time Machine’s novel approach to online video aggregation also plays well with online video consumers. The app made it to the top of Apple’s best-selling charts within weeks of its debut, claiming the #1 spot on Paid iPad Applications, USA and the #2 rank on Paid iPhone Entertainment Applications, USA.
With that type of positive feedback and all the ubiquitous holiday-themed hullabaloo present at this time of year, Johnson, Capucilli, and Shoopman decided to make another YouTube Time Machine centered around a specific theme.
