Archive for May 21st, 2007
CBS Does Indeed Scoop Up Wallstrip
Wallstrip, an online video show that takes a whimsical approach to financial news, has been bought by CBS Interactive for a price in the single-digit millions, with a multi-year commitment to continue the show and add additional financially oriented web series.
Both CBS and Wallstrip confirmed the deal, which was rumored last week, had been completed on Monday, though they said the reported price of $5 million was not correct.
Wallstrip creator Howard Lindzon said CBS bought the show in part because of its “web 2.0″ attitude towards widely syndicating and distributing its video (see panel at left). “Quincy wants to be everywhere,” he said, meaning Quincy Smith, CBS’ dealmaker and the initiator of the Wallstrip purchase. The team will be part of CBSNews.com, helping out with its video projects.
Limelight Seeks $198 M in IPO
Content-delivery network provider Limelight Networks seeks to raise as much as $198 million in its previously announced IPO, pricing its shares between $12 and $14 according to reports of new filings made Monday. Limelight, which competes with the bigger Akamai in the burgeoning CDN space, counts online video provider Brightcove as well as established firms like Amazon and MySpace among its customers.
Pimp Product, Get Noticed
KFC has produced a new commercial that’s composed almost entirely of clips found by scouring the web, according to USA Today. Videos from thirteen different people made the cut, and the spot will air during tomorrow night’s American Idol.
Advertising agency Draftfcb did the work of combing through clips for the spot, entitled “Celebration.” “The idea of using consumer-generated content and putting together a bunch of unrelated videos to tell one story was so exciting we wanted to move on it,” KFC national marketing VP James O’Reilly told reporter Theresa Howard.
My own search of YouTube for clips tagged KFC doesn’t exactly turn up a bunch of happy customers. It’s mostly video of rats at a KFC restaurant in Manhattan and celebrities like Pamela Anderson and Al Sharpton suggesting that industrial chicken farming is inhumane.
The L Word’s Online Video Efforts Impress
The L Word, the hit Showtime drama about a web of lesbians, has been innovative in extending its social network online, with the nicely designed and actively used OurChart launched at the beginning of this year. We recently spoke with The L Word creator and OurChart CEO Ilene Chaiken and OurChart President Hilary Rosen (yes, the former CEO of the RIAA), and were further impressed by what they’re doing with online video.
The two take a highly experimental approach, with Chaiken calling in her connections in the entertainment world to play around on the internet. They also have tried posting behind-the-scenes footage from The L Word and public appearances by its stars, and later this month plan to add user video uploads.
The most ambitious OurChart video project is Girltrash, a commissioned webisode series from director Angela Robinson that Rosen described as “Lesbian Pulp Fiction without the blood.” The highly anticipated series, which is of course behind schedule, is in previews on the site (embedded above).
YouTube’s Sketchie New Contest
If you needed any more proof that YouTube is the new Vaudeville, YouTube announced a new sketch comedy contest called the “Sketchies.” The grand prize, provided by Paramount Pictures and Pepsi, includes a budget and equipment to produce a bit for and about Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze, as well as a trip to meet with agents and The Lonely Island team, who produced the following announcement video for the campaign.
“We’ve seen an evolution on YouTube from one hit viral videos, to people building passionate audiences that tune in to see every new video,” said YouTube’s head of product marketing Jamie Byrne in the release. Running these heavily promoted contests is certainly one way for YouTube to attract and develop talent within their own system.
My HD is Better than Yours
A few days ago, I had pointed out that the biggest challenge for cable companies will be to find enough capacity on their system for HD video, something they have to offer if they want to stay competitive with satellite television providers.
Digital Broadcast Satellite (DBS) systems from DirecTV and Echostar have the HD advantage for now, and are benefiting from it. In fact, to press their advantage, the satellite companies are even resorting to legal shenanigans — a.k.a. lawsuits. It is comical yes, but it also reflects the high stakes poker going on between cable and satellite companies. While cable providers can compete by offering voice and data, DBS has one chip — Hi-Def.
Monday Morning Vid-biz Headlines
Fresh off the NewTeeVee news ticker, headlines from the world of online video:
Escaped Gorilla tops YouTube Charts, as star of recent most-watched online videos on YouTube. (NY Times)
Tremor, Eyespot in Partner Deal, to combine video ads with Eyespot video-mashup capability. (Media Post)
VCast Adds New York, L.A., as part of 8-city expansion for Verizon’s mobile TV service. (Telecommunications News)
GOP Trailing Dems in Online Smarts, as 2008 race begins early. (Washington Post)
New Sony Player has 2.4-inch Screen, but only available in China for now. (I4U News)
‘Office’ Stars Visit Scranton
Promotional stunts just got a bit more valuable thanks to online video. Actors Brian Baumgartner and Angela Kinsey, who play characters Kevin Malone and Angela Martin on NBC’s “The Office,” dropped by the real Scranton, Pa., where the fictional comedy is set to promote the show and a fan convention scheduled for Oct. 26.
Within hours of their visit, multiple clips of their appearances around town, like this one at a rooftop party, have sprung up on YouTube. And unlike the video on the site for the con, the YouTube clips are embeddable, so fans of the show can further extend the promotional reach of the actors’ junket.
After the jump, more videos featuring Baumgartner and Kinsey both in and out of character.
Will XLNTads Change the Advertising Game?
XLNTads (pronounced “Excellent Ads”) hopes to take advantage of a crowd of amateur content producers online to generate advertising spots for big sponsors. It only follows that the first contest is to produce advertising for XLNTads. Winners receive $5,000 and 10 runners-up can choose either a copy of Final Cut Studio or a $1,299 check.
The Philadelphia-based company announced a “Creative Advisory Board” last week that includes an all-star lineup of online video talent: Invisible Engine’s Sean Bury and Matt Wyatt, Mediamogirl’s Angela Calman, Mark Day, Jefferson Chaney, Zack Scott and Kevin “Nalts” Nalty (who briefly discussed the project with NewTeeVee’s Craig Rubens, as detailed in his post yesterday).
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