Stemming the Torrent

There is a fascinating battle going on in the US with cable operator and ISP, COMCAST, being accused of interfering with BitTorrent uploading. Comcast’s defence is that peer-to-peer video files are very large and that, at busy traffic times, they have to regulate traffic into an orderly flow.
The means by which they do [...]

U.K. producers see revenue jump

It’s a truism that the Australian Independent Production Industry is, in large part, neither robust nor good at exporting the real value of the talent that exists here.   In the early eighties it was in better shape thanks to the presence of Tax incentives and more innovative broadcasters.   By contrast in the UK there was [...]

The Future of Commercial TV

The ITV network in the UK is made up of fifteen regional television broadcasters, each of whom have public service obligations in return for their licences.
The company ITV Plc does not own the network but it does operate a dominating 11 of the fifteen companies. It was formed four years ago.
Since that time [...]

Online video use: Huge gap between casual and regular viewers in average time viewing per month

The New York Times reports on a recent Media Contacts/comScore survey (using panel method) which shows:

top 20% of viewers average 841 minutes per month viewing online video (and mostly watch at video-sharing sites)
bottom 50% of viewers average 6 minutes per month (and 46% of this group watch more than 13 hours of television per week)
bottom [...]

Internet Filtering in OZ

The Australian government is currently contemplating its needs for ISP based Internet filtering for “promoting online safety”. Whatever the motivations and reasons (and these could change over time and political, legal and social contexts), Internet filtering will restrict citizen access to the Infosphere, and the distribution framework for content providers. The IT sector argues it [...]

“The Internet as a Platform?”

Thanks to Slashdot, found this interesting article from The Register (UK). The article warns that there is no adequate economic model yet for ISPs for large-scale distribution of media on the Internet.
This raises the more general issue for us that televisual innovation and services may produce unintended consequences, if economic modelling doesn’t accompany their capabilities.
The [...]

NATPE fellowship and future of TV

On Friday I joined a small group of television scholars to hear Graeme Turner’s impressions of the NATPE (National Association of Television Programming Executives) conference and exhibition (tag “Where now meets next”) he’d attended in January in Las Vegas. Graeme was one of 25 or so academics awarded a NATPE Faculty Fellowship to attend. [...]

Nielsen/Netratings announce VideoCensus: new metrics and methodology for online video audience measurement

On Feb 14, Nielsen/Netratings announced new service providing ‘accurate stream counts and granular audience demographic profiles’.
PDF of media release here.
Methodological innovations are claimed for VideoCensus:
Nielsen Online’s VideoCensus is the first and only syndicated online video measurement service to
combine patented panel and census research methodologies, providing an accurate count of viewing
activity and engagement along with [...]

Environment and TV monitors: a very real cost.

This is an interesting comment on the piece below (“Future of TV Set – WiFi digital photo frames”). Developing image rich monitors comes at a very real cost.
Over the next decades Television sets will eat up far more electricity than they do currently (yes I know it’s a dud pun). [...]

Future of TV set – WiFi digital photo frames?

Via Watching TV Online
Article on C/net Asia suggesting that wifi enabled digital photo frames could take the place of LCD or plasma screens.
With wireless connection, digital photo frames really take off. Controlled from faraway devices, the digital frames can grow into the centerpiece of a large wall space. Video clips from YouTube, reproduction of classic [...]