Digital Video News - June 6, 2008

For the week ending June 6, 2008

 Digitas Sponsors Digital Content NewFront
The first ever Digital Content NewFront - similar to the broadcast and cable upfronts - happened Thursday, June 5 in New York City. Big names in online video such as NBC Digital, Microsoft, MTC, MySpace TV and Digitas participated.
 Sources: LostRemote, Digital Content NewFront

 TBS Panned in Blogosphere for Interstitial Commercials
TBS has started to run "interstitial" commercials - those where regular programming is paused (sometimes mid-scene) and a commercial runs along the bottom half of the screen. Bloggers such as Jason Kottke panned the format as "annoying." (See more on TV Squad.)
 Sources: TV Squad, Kottke.org

BBC One to Live Stream Over Web in U.K.
The BBC One will have a live stream of all its programming on the Internet, but only U.K. residents will be able to take advantage of the service. The service will be available later this summer, TV Squad reported.
 Source: TV Squad* *

TV Plus Print or Online Ad Exposure Increases Purchase Considerations
Consumers who watch an ad on TV and also see it through another medium are more likely to consider purchasing that product, according to research firm Advertiser Perceptions. The firm studied consumer purchase intent for consumer electronics, apparel, automobiles, beer and toiletries in an online survey of 25,000 people.
AdAge reported, "Across those product categories, TV, online and magazines produced relatively low purchase intent when used alone. For instance, compared with the average of all measured media audiences, TV viewers were 3 percent less likely to intend to buy consumer electronics and autos and 2 percent less likely to intend to buy apparel. But when combined with other media, TV produced a much different result."
Source: AdAge

Argus Leader Learns Lessons from Live Streaming Clinton Interview
Editors at the (Souix Falls, S.D.) Argus Leader learned some valuable lessons from live-streaming an interview with presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) recently. During the interview, Clinton made remarks referring to the assassination of Robert Kennedy that news outlets widely reported on. The lessons, from Executive Editor Randell Beck, were:

• Streaming video works, people like it, and especially as we conquer the technical challenges to setting it up, we need to do it a lot more.

• If we're going to do it more often, we need to be better prepared to deal with the ramifications. If our live video breaks or makes news, we need to be able to produce and distribute quality video clips quickly, and most of us are not equipped to do that.
• The transparency of live video both enhances and reflects our hard-earned credibility as the most trusted journalists in our markets.

Read more on the Argus Leaders' experience here.

Source: Gannett