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Geert Faber
"A self-motivated and ambitious e-business consultant and media professional, master of science in business administration, bachelor of arts in new media and television"
BLOG: THE END OF TELEVISION (AS WE KNOW IT)
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Info
- E-business and Social Media consultant | New Media & Television graduateInformation Technology and Services | Amsterdam Area, Netherlands, NLSummaryI'm a motivated, ambitious, and creative e-business and social media consultant. I graduated with honorably mention as a Master of Science in Business Administration from the VU university in Amsterdam and as a Bachelor of Arts and Humanities in New Media and Television studies from the University of Amsterdam (UVA). I am passionate about new media, television and broadcasting, marketing, ecommerce, and IT technology and especially interested in the convergence of old and new media and the creative and business processes involved.
As an e-business consultant I am involved as a project manager in ecommerce and online marketing projects. As a social media consultant I provide strategy and marketing advise on the use, implementation, and optimization of new media technology, and give practical workshops and sessions. I am also a part-time lecturer at the business administration department of the VU university in Amsterdam.
As a professional I like to share my knowledge about new media, television and broadcasting. marketing, and business processes and how it applies to different types of organizations. I'm a critical thinker and an enthusiastic and reliable team player. I keep up to date with new developments in the field and I'm always looking for new ideas, technologies and businesses.
As a graduated Bachelor of Arts and Humanities student I'm specialized in new media and television and interested in the rise of smart and internet TV’s and how this development is changing the broadcasting landscape and consumer behavior. Furthermore, as a graduated Master of Science in Business Administration I have a great interest in the business and process side of these new developments.
I’m the editor of the weblog The End of Television on which I write about the latest developments in the field of smart TV, internet TV, connected TV, IPTV, broadcasting, television, content distribution, and new business models. Please feel free to contact me for more information.Specialties: Professional: New Media, e-Business, Marketing, Research, Social Media, Broadcasting, Television, Strategy, Advertising, Broadcasting, Internet, Media convergence, Culture, Open video, Commons, Networks, Business processes, Analytics. Personal: Analytical, Teamplayer, Ambitious, Critical thinker, Persistent, Creative, Inspired, Reliable, Enthusiastic, Realistic.Experience- Jan 2012 - PresentVisiting lecturer / Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAs a part-time Lecturer I teach courses for the Business Administration department (FEWEB) at the VU University in Amsterdam. Courses: 2011 - Business Processes
- Dec 2011 - PresentMarketing manager / Custom BookingsOnline marketing, SEM, PPC, SEO, Analytics and Social Media manager for Custom Bookings; the online booking engine for hotels, villa rentals and resorts.
- Jul 2009 - PresentE-business and Social Media consultant / Scanyours.comAs an e-business consultant I am involved in e-commerce and online marketing projects as a project manager and analyst. As a Social Media consultant I advise companies in the strategic use of social media in their current marketing and communication activities and provide practical workshops on location. My main focus: new media projects, social media, functional and usability design, online marketing (Analysis, SEO, PPC, Analytics, AdWords), e-commerce projects, market research, and project management for web applications. Projects: 2011- present: Project manager (Online Marketing) - Icepay 2011-2011 : SharePoint integration analyst - ROC Aventus 2010-2010 : E-commerce consultant - PON Automotive 2010-2010 : Functional application design - Zorgweb 2010-2010 : Project Management (Web development) - Hotel Casa 400 2009-2010 : Social Media Marketing - Hotel Casa 400 2009-2010 : Market research analyst - Webprint B.V. Involved in E-business and online marketing projects for: - NIMA (Member of the European Marketing Confederation) - HillCreek Pictures / Corbis - Beurtvaartadres - Shell - Zetes - Logistics Research - And others.
- Mar 2012 - May 2012Visiting Lecturer / Universiteit UtrechtAs a visiting lecturer for the Master’s Program Business Informatics at the University of Utrecht (UU) I gave several guest lectures on the topics e-Business, Social Media Marketing and Online Marketing.
- Nov 2010 - Nov 2010Blogger for the Economies of the Commons 2 conference / Institute of Network CulturesEconomies of the Commons 2 and the international seminar on Open Video is conference focuses on the a critical examination of the economics of on-line public domain and open access resources of information, knowledge, and media (the 'digital commons'). Its goal is to find out what the new hybrid solutions are for archiving, access and reuse of on-line content that can both create viable markets and serve the public interest in a competitive global 21st century information economy. I have been involved as a promotional blogger during the conference. Please find my blogs at: http://ecommons.tuxic.nl/?author=14
- Feb 2008 - Apr 2010Floor Manager / Lucas Bols BVAs a floor manager I was responsible for managing the day-to-day activities at The House of Bols in Amsterdam which allows guests and tourists to experience the World of (Flair) Bartending and to drink a Bols cocktail. Among other things I was responsible for instructing a team of colleagues and analyzing sales results. The House of Bols is a Cocktail & Jenever experience and one of the top cultural attractions in Amsterdam receiving guest from all over the world a year.
- Oct 2009 - Jan 2010Marketing, PR, and Blogger for MoochMe at IDFA / Mooch Me at the International Documentary Festival AmsterdamOrganizing a documentary sharing experience and empowering media dialogue between new and old media producers using the Microsoft Surface multi-user touchscreen table at the International Documentary Festival in Amsterdam (IDFA). Responsible for online and social media marketing, shooting and editing promotion videos, promotion and PR activities, blogging, and instructing users on the use of the Microsoft Surface multi-user touchscreen table during the festival.
- Jul 2008 - Jul 2009Business Analyst and E-business consultant / SynQ B.V.As a business analyst and e-business consultant I applied a scientific developed scan tool to evaluate website functionality and usability, compared the findings with best practices and analyzed the results. I developed an after-sales service scan tool which proved to be a successful new product offering for clients to gain insight and optimize their online after-sales process. As a consultant I was involved with website benchmarking, website optimization, website functionality and usability, and online after sales service. Involved in projects for: Pon Power Centraal beheer Yacht KPMG
- Feb 2009 - Apr 2009Student Consultant / Notice Retail MediaTogether with a group of students from the Business Administration department at the VU University we formed a consultancy team providing solutions for handling the international debt collection for a mid-sized retail media company. As a team we performed strategic market analysis, evaluating payment service providers and debt collectors, and analyzing internal business processes. The results were presented in a final report covering the current situation and the possible solutions based on different scenarios and international payment collection options.
Education-
2009 - 2011Universiteit van AmsterdamBachelor in Media & Culture - New Media
Activities: Blogger and Journalist at Metareporter, Blogger at the Economies of the Commons 2, Online Marketing/PR and Blogging at MoochMe/IDFA; Extra course in Media Worlds -
2008 - 2009Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamMaster in Business Administration - E-business & IT Industries
Activities: Created marketing promotions for the Amsterdam Academic Conference 2009 and the Dutch Inhouse Tours 2010, PR and presentations for prospective students about the Master's programme and career opportunities, 1st place at ABN AMRO innovation Pitch with A Virtual 3D Environment for employee development, graduated with honors -
2008 - 2008Aarhus UniversitetSummer University in Internet Marketing
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2005 - 2008Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamBachelor in Business Administration
Activities: Followed extra courses in e-procurement and enterprise systems, Graduated with honors -
1999 - 2005RSG EnkhuizenVWO in Economie en Maatschappij (Economy and Society)
Activities: Editor at the Student Newspaper, performed at events, followed extra classes in Business and Advanced English (Examinations included listening, reading and writing elements), research project Maastricht Aachen Airport within the EUregion
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Interests:Broadcasting, SmartTV, Social Media, Television, Advertising, Marketing, Search Engines, Internet, Media convergence, Culture, Open video, Networks, Marketing, Organizational design, Strategy.
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Posts
- Mar 20, 12
Below are two video’s that, both in their own way, give an unique perspective on the convergence of television and the internet. When the traditionally closed television industry gets involved with the open ecosystem of the internet, and vice versa, new media forms emerge (GoogleTV) but also new threats to creativity and innovation arise (SOPA/PIPA). These two talks gives some more insight of how an internet company like Google views television and how it tries to innovate the platform. Clay Shirky talks about the history of media and ownership and how copyright should protect intellect but should not affect media innovation.
Eric Schmidt delivers the James MacTaggart lecture
Ted Talk by Clay Shirky: Why SOPA is (or was) a bad idea
Time Warner has called and they want us all back on the couch, just consuming — not producing, not sharing — and we should say, ‘No.’” – (Clay Shirky)
- Feb 06, 12
In an earlier post I wrote how multiscreen TV solutions began reaching consumers through both traditional cable and MSO’s, and online video services like YouTube and Netflix. However, multiscreen television promises to have an even broader impact on the TV market since content is no longer attached to a single delivery platform but can be accessed from many screens on any location. Television shifts from a single domain to a multi-domain environment and the platform and market become more accessible for new players.
Multiple domains=Multiple players
In the traditional television system we can distinguish three main players; content creators, cable and subscription companies, and distribution partners. In a relatively closed system they dominated the market during which they had a monopoly on access to the television set. This opened up with the rise of independent set-top boxes and OTT solutions which gave viewers more freedom to access new channels and content through the TV set. In the last couple of years we have seen a growing trend towards media centers in game-consoles, and home theater PC’s like the Boxee Box and the Roku Player that allows users to have more control over the content and use of the television screen. Of course we could start to discuss the definition of television, television content and the television experience but as I discuss in my thesis, television has always a medium in transition.
The multiscreen TV market
I predict a similar shift with the rise of multiscreen solutions, not only on the linear television market, but any platform that delivers video. Especially content creators will have new platforms to reach customers at any place and any time, taking the television experience from the domestic television screen to anyplace. With this shift new players will join the TV and content market creating a more competitive arena fighting for eyeballs and attention. This market includes traditional cable and distribution companies like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T, new ‘digital’ entrants such as Google, Apple, Netflix and Amazon, content creators from NBC to HBO and YouTube’s dedicated niche channels to Netflix’s revival of Arrested Development. And finally the technology providers with the underlying infrastructure like Cisco (Videoscape), Ericsson (End-to-Endless Television) and Technicolor (MediaNavi), that provide the backbone of this integrated system with cloud and on-premise (hybrid) storage and distribution networks, transcoding servers, streaming solutions, and multi-platform and n-screen applications (HTML-5, iOS, Android, Xbox/Windos8 platforms on smartphones, tablets and HD flat screens).
It is to be seen which players will be able to provide high quality content on all the channels, screens, and devices, providing an unified and secure ‘TV’ experience.
In my next post I will discuss growth numbers of the multiscreen market and the new opportunities that arise for broadcasters, cable companies, distribution platforms and content creators.
- Feb 02, 12
Multiscreen for consumer markets
In 2011 Marty Roberts, VP Sales & Marketing, for thePlatform, argued that TV everywhere is taking over TV. Although the logic behind this sentence can be argued with, there has been a growth of multiscreen initiatives from both B2C service providers and B2B technology and network companies. Last year the multiscreen hype started to reach consumers in two ways. First, cable operators and multi system operators (MSO’s) provided applications for smartphones and tablets to watch live television channels using the Wifi signal in domestic settings. Time Warner Cable (TWC) introduced their iOS application for iPad, Iphone and iTouch last year and are working on an Android app. The XfinityTV platform platform of Comcast provides a multiscreen on demand solution for subscribers to watch on-demand video on multiple screens both home and on the go.
Secondly, digital video platforms are reaching many of its customers (video consumers) on screens other than the original PC or laptop screen. Services like YouTube, Netflix and Hulu are offering an immersing and integrated experience across devices, allowing users to connect to their content from any screen while remembering their preferences and allowing interaction with the platform. And the mobile video market is growing rapidly. For example, YouTube mobile gets over 400 million views a day, growing an astonishing threefold per year, and representing 13% of the YouTube daily views (over 3 billion videos are viewed on a daily base). Watch this somewhat outdated (only 3 years old) video from YouTube about YouTube mobile.
What is multiscreen or TV everywhere?
There is a growing industry of technology and network companies who are providing solutions for service providers, video platforms, and cable operators to store, manage, decode, transfer and deliver video content to any screen at any time. The promise of these multiscreen solutions is to expand video and television content to other devices and settings. Multiscreen can be seen as the ultimate form of media convergence in a technical sense since content is no longer attached to a device or platform and is available on any (connected) screen. This questions whether the future video experience is defined by the content or the platform, and thus if every screen can be used for all types of content.
Multiscreen = Media convergence
Multiscreen technologies promise to expand television to other devices and settings creating a new experience of ‘anytime and anywhere’ access to content. At the moment most systems can offer non-linear on-demand content such as VOD and OTT services. However, especially after announcements from technology providers during the CES 2012 conference in Las Vegas, the ability to watch live and linear content will be supported. The main problems with distributing linear television content to any screen are (local) distribution contracts that often don’t include innovative new delivery forms (Read about TWC’s struggle to stream live television channels on the iPad), the ability to provide content protection (DRM) across platforms and networks, and the quality of service and experience, especially on uncontrolled (mobile) networks and the last mile.
But besides the technical solutions and challenges that are connected to the anytime anywhere experience, multiscreen television allows personalized interfaces on any device, remembering settings and preferences and socializes the experience with content that is shared by friends and recommended by personal TV or content guides. This experience is independent from place, time or device. A huge difference from the current domestic set-top box and DVR experience. To sum up; multiscreen solutions converges television, internet and mobile, and brings new monetization options for (television) content to service providers.
Read more tomorrow how multiscreen or ‘TV anywhere’ is changing the television industry!
- Jan 20, 12
A new website
After almost a year of posting updates to The end of Television Tumblr it’s time to expand the domain and create a more flexible website for things to come. This new WordPress website allows more customization for the posts and updates, and to reach a broader audience. Another issue with Tumblr has been the reliability of the platform which sometimes just couldn’t keep up with its own growth.
A new layout and design
The homepage now provides an overview of the latest posts and shows featured articles. There’s more information about the perspective and ‘history’ of the blog and has more options for readers to find other articles and connect with The end of Television on Twitter, Google+ and Delicious. The contact page provides an accessible form to get in contact and share insights. For the comments on individual posts the Disqus platform is used and the sharing widget from Sociable provides options to share the message more easily with different networks.
The end of Television as we know it
The end of Television provides followers on Twitter and readers on this blog the latest news, updates and perspectives on the changes within the TV, broadcasting and content distribution industry. By focusing on the convergence of the internet and television new innovations are presented based on new applications, technology, business models and viewing behavior. It doesn’t claim the end of television but it argues that the developments indicate The end of Television as we know it.
Stay in contact
To stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates I suggest you follow the @endoftelevision on Twitter. You can connect with the editor Twitter @geertfaber or drop a line on the contact page. For the latest updates of the blog you can subscribe to the RSS-feed or add The end of Television to your Google+ Circle. For all the links of this blog and the Twitter updates from @endoftelevision check the Delicious account. And for an overflow of news you can add this Google Reader list of Internet TV news sources to your own Google Reader.
- Nov 03, 11
This is the third blog in a series about check-in services for television content. This week I will provide an overview of five different applications that are competing in this field. Find the earlier post about GetGlue here and about IntoNow here.Today: Miso.
Name: Miso
Started: March 2010, San Francisco, California
Company: Miso
Website: http://gomiso.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/gomiso
Users: We currently have 100.000 users and growing. This is as of 1/15/2011.The Company
Miso was introduced in March 2010 by Somrat Niyogi, Timothy Lee, and Matt Pakes and evolved as an application from Bazaar Labs, a company that creates social mobile apps centered around people’s entertainment experiences. Back then they called the application ‘a Foursquare-like app for TV+Movies’.
Watch the introduction video below:
The Service
Miso calls itself ‘a second screen experience that makes watching TV more fun and social! It is a simple way to share what you watch, earn points and badges and interact with your friends and other show fans!’. The applications is available from the website and through applications for the iPhone, iPad and Android. Miso focuses on television and movie content which differentiate (and maybe limits) them from GetGlue which has taken a more general ‘entertainment’ approach. As Miso claims ‘We’re more like a social network for TV fans!’. The product works similar to GetGlue and allows user to search for episodes or shows but provides check-ins on episode level instead of show level which is more similar to the IntoNow app. Their statistics show that more than half of the users check-in before or right when the shows begins. This means that half of the users are connected from the beginning of the show which can be interesting for advertisers. By checking in user receive badges and points which creates a competitive element to the service comparable to FourSquare. User can edit and add information to episodes such as the cover image, description, and actors. Furthermore, Miso allows users to become hosts of a show or episode. The host is ‘the most passionate members of our community who help make Miso more fun and social’. This fairly new option allows hosts to drop questions, edit information, and more which will be introduced soon. As a host you get a title (on Miso) and the recognition as the host of the show.
The Promise
Miso has teamed up with different partners to integrate the service into set-top boxes and other TV applications. It has partnered with AT&T U-verse and DIRECTV to directly show the episode or show that is being played on the device, this work both ways, if you search for a show on Miso you can press ‘Watch it’ and it initiate a search on U-verse. At the moment this option is only available for the iPhone version of the app.
Furthermore, Miso was one of the Facebook partners at the latest F8 event to use the open graph for their application. This means user can not only like a page or update their status but can specify what they are doing with their friends on Facebook from within the application. It will be interesting to see if Miso can make this integration so compelling that it will become the TV check-in standard for Facebook.
- Nov 01, 11
This is the second blog in a series about check-in services for television content. This week I will provide an overview of five different applications that are competing in this field. Find the earlier post about GetGlue here.Today in this series: IntoNow.
Name: IntoNow
Started: 2011, Palo Alto, California
Company: Yahoo!
Website: http://www.intonow.com/ci
Twitter: http://twitter.com/intonow
Users: UnknownThe Company
In may/april 2011, three months after IntoNow introduced its first product, the company was acquired by Yahoo! for around 20 to 30 million dollar. This was twelve weeks after the launch by a team of 7 people. For a part the application came from the knowledge the company gained from developing Auditude, an advanced video advertising platform for premium content owners and publishers, now owned by Adobe. Both companies were started by the CEO, Adam Cahan, who is now part of the Yahoo! IntoNow team. Yahoo!’s interest in the company is in line with their (new/latest) ambition to be on every screen. The launch of Yahoo!’s ConnectedTV software, which is available on over 70 TV models, was its first big presence on the domestic television screen and brings games, applications, VoD, internet content, and social networking to the TV set. The acquisition of IntoNow is a big step to gain a presence on the second screen as well and to gather a lot of extra meta-data and screen time to sell advertisements.
The Service
The unique aspect of the check-in service that IntoNow provides is the capability of the application to recognize the tv content you are watching, both on your television and laptop or tablet, by recording and matching the sound ‘fingerprint’. After recognizing the content you can share this with your friends on Twitter and Facebook and find more information from channels like IMDB, Netflix and iTunes. Furthermore, it allows you to see what other people within your social circle and beyond are watching. As IntoNow describes:
“When we launched on January 31, 2011 our idea was to change the way people interact with TV. What we believe is that the devices we have in our lives are going to fundamentally change the way we consume, share and engage with content, and advertisers.”
The company uses a patented platform called SoundPrint which analyzes the audio from your TV or laptop with three-second increments by using the microphone on your iOS or Android device. After this, the recorded audio is converted into a fingerprint which allows the service to compare this unique ID to its reference database which hold over 130 channels of live broadcasting with content that goes back to 5 years in history. After the fingerprint is matched the service provides the metadata that is connected to the content within seconds. This includes the title, the cast, a description and optional links. It can be compared to Shazam but for television content. However, Shazam is focused on recognizing the music that is playing and provides direct download options, watching television provides a different setting and requires different meta-content.
Besides the ability to show extra information about the content you are watching on a second screen, it allows advertisers to connect specials and discounts (as they did with Pepsi) to their commercials, by allowing users to recognize the ad. Content creators can use the second screen and its ability to match the time and show that is being watched to provide commercial information about the products that are shown or extra background information about the episode or event whenever the content is watched.
Back in march the company shared some interesting insight on the behavior of its users. For example, of the IntoNow users, 79 percent are using it for television content versus 14 percent for movies. In 57 percent the application is used for time shifted content of which Sci-Fi is the most popular genre while sports is most popular to watch live. 40 percent of this time shifted content is older than 2 weeks. The most popular genre that is watched while using IntoNow are sitcoms followed by drama and reality series, with Family Guy, The Office and American Idol in the top three shows.
The Promise
In march the service already hit a million shows/movies tagged in 4 weeks. The quick growth of the service, the acquisition by Yahoo! and the popularity of second screen TV applications makes IntoNow one of the most promising check-in applications to take on the competition with GetGlue and Miso. Although they miss the strategic partnerships and are still behind when it comes to reach (e.g. Trendrr statistics are limited to Miso and GetGlue), their SoundPrint platform provides a key advantage over manual check-ins. It’s like using FourSquare without using GPS vs. using GPS. Yahoo! anticipated on this advantage and has a perfect base for the creation of a second-screen experience for their ConnectedTV platform.
Be sure to check again tomorrow for a new post about Miso, or read my earlier post about GetGlue.
- Oct 31, 11
This is the first blog in a series about check-in services for television and entertainment content. This week I will provide an overview of five different applications that are competing in this field. Today: GetGlue.
Name: GetGlue
Started: 2009, New York City
Company: AdaptiveBlue
Website: http://getglue.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/getglue
Users: Around 1.5 millionThe Company
GetGlue is a social network for entertainment on which users ‘can check-in and rate things to discover new favorites, see what your friends are into, get stickers and win free stuff’. The service started in 2009 and is being developed in New York by AdaptiveBlue. According to GetGlue CEO and founder Alex Iskold the service has over 1.5 million users (Twitter has over a 100 million active users).
The Service
The application allows users to check-in (like, rate, think, watch, and follow) the entertainment, people, countries, books and videogames they are enjoying. Based on this, the service provides recommendations of entertainment such as series, music, books and movies the user might enjoy. Furthermore, user can earn badges and stickers based on the shows they are checking into and win prices and discounts for limited time check-ins. When users earn enough stickers they are send (hard copy) to the user (by traditional mail). When checked-in the user becomes part of the real-time conversation around that show by following a conversation stream. During the premiere of Season 4 of True Blood on HBO the service reached a new check-in record with over 38.000 check-ins.
The Promise
GetGlue is definitely a main player on the entertainment check-in market. The service has received over 12 million dollar in capital funding and the number of check-ins are still growing. The company has partnered with many media partners like Warner Bros, ESPN, HBO, PBS, ABC, SyFy, FOX, TNT, CNN, MSNBC, Discovery, TBS, DreamWorks Pictures, Disney, Sony Pictures, and Universal and many others. The service is available on the main platforms (iOS, Android, Blackberry) and is accessible through a mobile website. And with media deals with both entertainment companies and advertisers the service is developing a viable business model (e.g. win tickets by checking-in).
Especially with the increased attention and popularity for second screen applications that can be used while watching TV, the future seems bright for GetGlue. If the company is able to build on its business model with advertisement deals and specials with media partners it can be ahead of many service providers and set-top box developers who are trying to gain a presence on the second screen. A next step would be the ability to sync the application with (live) television and automated check-ins like one of its competitors, IntoNow from Yahoo, does.
Be sure to check again tomorrow for a new post about IntoNow.
- Oct 05, 11
This post was inspired by a quote from Joe Inzerillo; ‘the internet doesn’t accept geographical boundaries, but broadcasting rights do’.
User engagement on the second screen
Producers of television content are using the power of social media to engage their audience before, during, and after broadcasting. Also third parties like Miso, GetGlue, Trendrr, and TunerFish are reacting to the unique capabilities of the many connected and portable devices on which fans and viewers can check-in, rate, and discuss the shows they are watching. More and more series show or mention a general or episode specific #hashtag to initiate online conversations and opinions on Twitter (as shown in the #Workaholics example below).
In between the broadcasting of 20 to 40 minute shows, fans are engaged on Facebook pages and Twitter accounts with unique content such as behind the scenes material, interviews, set pictures, or the performance of actors on other amusement shows. It provides a social platform to keep their audience entertainment, aware, and get them excited for new episodes. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook reach an international audience which result in a worldwide and global fan base, even in countries in which the shows hasn’t aired yet or is a month or a whole season behind because of distribution and syndication rights.
Distribution rights from an old medium
These distribution rights showcase why television in its traditional form is still an ‘old medium’ compared to the basic rules that apply to ‘new media’. With the exception of dictatorial regimes and the digital divide, social media provides an open and accessible platform for people all around the world to share content and interact with friends, pages, brands, and apps. Broadcasting shows, however, are geographical limited by expensive and often exclusive contracts with distribution partners owned by the same conglomeration that created the show in the first place. As a result of geo-blocking, syndication delay, and multiple distribution partners for different geographical regions, it is almost impossible to create an effective social media campaign for a specific country without reaching and engaging an worldwide audience. And while this doesn’t seem to be an issue, it does affect the brand experience of the social audiences. Some examples from The Voice and Workaholics.
Social TV: NBC The Voice America
NBC’s ‘The Voice’ is a big hit in the interactive reality genre on America television. With stars like Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green an international audience is reach by their active Twitter usage and interaction on the website and Facebook page. Also videos of the performance of participants are big hits on YouTube (as was seen in the UK with X-factor star Susan Boyle). However, this international attention is not part of the social media strategy and online distribution rights. When you live outside the US and you are excited by the Facebook post below which invites you to ‘revisit another amazing Voice performance…Javier Colon and Adam Levine team up to perform Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror!””
You end up on the NBC website of The Voice telling you that the clip you selected isn’t available from your location and asks users to ‘select another clip’. Without showing which clips are available worldwide the users is lost in warning messages and ends up finding other sources to see clips (YouTube and other video sites or illegal downloads).
Social TV: #Workaholics
Another example is the promotion for the Comedy Central series Workaholics. The show initiated a contest for the followers of the Workaholics Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook accounts, by which followers could win their name to be ‘checked’ of ‘shouted’ on a to episode by liking the Facebook page.
The campaign is a great promotion to get attention before the start of a new season and to increase the fanbase on Facebook. However, the same rules apply as we saw with The Voice video, the sweepstakes is only accessible for people within the United States; an ‘official rule’ we see for many contests that are distributed on international social media channels.
Official Rules – Comedy Central’s Workaholics Shout Me Out Sweepstakes
1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN A PRIZE. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID ANYWHERE OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.We are watching databases
As I wrote in my introduction, audiences are becoming more an more global. The internet allows an ubiquitous television experience. In my graduation thesis I argued that, as Geert Lovink puts it, ‘we are watching database’. A short excerpt:
With the rise of ubiquitous databases, videos are losing their medium based specifity; they have become a utility disconnected from its traditional technology allowing television to be watched on a computer and recorded video on a mobile phone. Also, the internet allows people to watch content from everywhere, creating a form of glocalization by which people abroad (e.g. expats) can watch and access content from their home country. This practice, however, is more and more blocked and prohibited by commercial companies who are geo-blocking online content, making it only accessible for a certain region indicating an new form of media power on the internet and an artificial form of scarcity and spatial distribution.
The solution?
So how can distributors, broadcasters, producers, and television networks make sure their social media or online marketing strategy works for their audience on social networks? Some tips:
- Separate online trailers, shorts, recaps, and promotion videos from traditional distribution rights and make them available for anyone. This will not only result in a larger audience but also prevents fans from being disappointed.
- Create country specific pages and use Facebook functions to filters audience for countries or regions. Facebook allows you to target specific post based on location or language.
- Be aware of your online audience. What are the demographics when it comes to geographical reach, what’s the goal of your online channel, and how do you make sure you communicate that goal to your online audience.
- Redirect audiences to a national website or provide alternative videos within the player instead of stating that the video can’t be played.
- Recognize the visitor of your website and adapt the content that is available or promoted. Here lies a big challenge for developers to provide an unique experience for any visitor no matter their location.
- Change your distribution policy and provide worldwide coverage. YouTube provides an infrastructure to show local advertising for international videos. A great example are the online episodes of South Park. When you visit the American website form Holland, it redirects visitors to the Dutch version of the site with ads targeted for that audience (although this is still based on distribution rights).
This conflict between television rights, policies, and contracts, and the international and accessible character of social media, indicates how traditional formats and standards need to be reconsidered and ultimately reconfigured to make sense in a connected world.
Follow this blog on Twitter @endoftelevision
- Sep 21, 11
This is part two of my recap of the business session during IBC 2011 of TV Genius and GFK research on social measurement and audience engagement. Find part one here.
Social Media and Television
In the first part of this post I elaborated on research from GFK and Deloitte on the relationship of social media (especially social networks) and television, audience engagement, and how it reshapes the TV experience. This second part will focus on the contribution of Tom Weiss, CEO of TV Genius, during the IBC 2011 business session. He questions the representativeness social metrics and if the number of tweets can be used as a valid KPI? TV producers, broadcaster, and cable companies have to question whether the volume of Tweets indicate the size of the audience or if it tells anything about the strength of engagement? A sensible understanding of these social metrics is needed to provide valuable insights and recommendations.
Tom Weiss notes that there’s no relationship between the absolute number of tweet and program appreciation or audience size since you don’t know who’s is tweeting or retweeting (are they even watching?) and what the reach of those tweets are (something CrowdBooster is trying to provide). However, sentiment analysis does show a difference between panel responses and social media posts. A more qualitative approach is needed to make sense of social measures on audience engagement. Quantitative ratings on the reach and popularity are often missing a clear social context in the current multi-screen environment in which television is more a non-linear experience in both time and location. To make sense of this social space you need both data from social networks and reception analysis of people who actually watched the show.Social Media is a Trojan horse to collect data
Programme makers seem to embrace social media and have an appetite to include platforms as Facebook and Twitter in their concept but are not really using it. Are they making television to react on their audience or do they create programmes to engage and raise awareness? As Tom Weiss puts it; ‘social is a Trojan horse to collect data’. But in order to make sense of this social data and improve viewers television experience it needs to be interpreted. On an average day the number of words in the Tweets about a popular show is equal to the number of words in the three books of the Lord of the Ring series.
TV Genius provides this interpretation by offering recommendation tools based on (social) data. Their software is used ‘to bring relevant television to consumers with personalisation, search, recommendations and enhanced TV guides’. According to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt about 60% of Netflix its rentals are the result of algorithmic generated recommendations. Traditional channel scheduling is one site fits all but online suggestions can be individually crafted to suit your interests and needs. TV is no longer an appointment, it’s a lending library, and just as on Amazon, users want recommendations to know what else they like. Although catch-up and online TV is still relatively small, on an average day about four hours of broadcast TV and about ten minutes of on-demand online TV is watched, the need for a clever and complete recommendation platform is present.
Gather valuable social data from actual viewers
The challenge is to gather valuable social data from actual viewers. Different companies have tried to fill this gap by changing the interface of television or by making people check in to their TV set (I wrote about the many initiative here). But as Tom Weiss argues;
‘people don’t want to log-in to their TV, […] if you change TV, don’t change the interface but provide incremental innovation’.
Check-in platforms like Miso or GetGlue are ‘rubbish’. With the rise of single person households (only 25% of German households has 2 people or more) the need for individual check-in for identification becomes less present. Hope is placed on the many forms of the second screen which will provide the best platform for recommendations and helps to shift the data landscape from set-top box providers to social recommendation platforms. As such, attentions should be paid to upcoming platforms such as Zeebox which is ‘a real-time system for social TV viewing and for engaging deeply around those shows that depends on recognising sofa-based second screens as the place for innovation’. By recognising the content that is playing on the television set it provides a social context on the second screen.
Social developments in broadcasting and television
The business session gave an interesting sneak peek into the social developments of broadcasting and television between the many technical solutions showed during IBC 2011. Nonetheless, an engaged audience starts with high quality content people want to watch. As Eric Schmidt argues ‘I don’t expect television viewing to be ever completely switch to be on demand, there will always be a cultural pull’. Furthermore, as the earlier mentioned GFK and Deloitte research concludes; ‘the one constant for the television industry, as with other media sectors, is that technological advance will unrelentingly evolve the way in which we consume television, as well as influence the underlying business model. However profound changes, from TV screen technology to 3D production, will be additive as long as they enhance what TV excels at: delivering world-class audio visual content.’ A fact that certainly holds for social television.
This is part two of my recap of the business session during IBC 2011 of TV Genius and GFK research on social measurement of audience engagement. Find part one here.
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- Sep 20, 11
A week after the IBC 2011 conference and as the dust settles in Amsterdam it is time to look back at the business session of TV Genius and GFK research on social measurement of audience engagement. The session was named ‘Viewers Like This: Measuring Engagement Through the Power of Social’ and included Tom Weiss who is the ceo of TV Genius and Nick North who is cmo at GfK Media Sector. Below an overview and my perspective on the session.
The session started by listing the trends for the broadcasting industry: social, mobile, and local. Social in the form of ‘connected audiences’, mobile because TV is moves to different devices, and local since user interaction is shifting and dispersing. More portable screens means more opportunities to watch (temporary) TV, although they are unlikely to replace the traditional TV set with a bigger screen, higher quality images, and better sound.
Social and Connected Television
Connected TV is television plus additional content derived from connected networks. An important aspect is the influence of social media on viewer behavior and the rise of social TV. But how big is social TV and are social media threatening the numbers of hours spend watching television? Nick North gave some interesting numbers and insight reflecting on a recent study on the relationship between TV and social networks, technology and companion devices performed by GFK and Deloitte (available here).
The research is based on a survey within the UK and executive and analyst discussions in Europe and North America. An important first conclusion; ‘social network usage remains dwarfed by television consumption’. Nonetheless, the time spent on these networks is growing at a double digit pace. Social networks and television complement each other; people use social networks as they watch television; social networks are used to talk about television. The research show that while watching television 45% is online using their laptop or tablet, followed by being active on Facebook or Twitter, or using their mobile phone.
Source: Deloitte/GFK, June 2011
The unique aspect of television combined with social network is the feeling of liveness and community feeling of watching together. As expected, the greatest intensity of commenting on programmes is during transmission, not before or after, when activity can plummet rapidly. The key genres to share comments during the show are entertainment, sports, news, soaps, followed by reality. As an example, during the Eurovision Songfestival in Europe 25% of the viewers interacted with friends during the show.
Share your TV experience
But what are the motivations of viewers to share? The research shows that 30% of the respondents who engage in social interaction while watching television experience a more communal feeling, they are more excited about the show, and makes the viewing richer. Although some said it distracts from viewing, the results indicate an added value to the television experience. A result of this sharing behaviour is the encouragement to the rest of the social network to catch-up the broadcast they missed, either online or on their connected device. Because of this, a few minutes on a social network can drive hours of TV. Social interaction while watching television creates a ‘social sofa without spatial constraint’.
It’s important to note that these trends, although growing rapidly, are still marginal compared to the total time spend watching television. It applies to a niche market of younger age groups who use social networks to discover programmes. The majority and therefore the most powerful form of recommendation is the trailer.
Social interaction leads to higher viewer engagement
As a result television is able to reach a bigger audience beyond the traditional living room. Social interaction creates higher viewer engagement and ‘brand’ advocacy and as a result an higher intention to buy. As Eric Schmidt noted at a recent James MacTaggart lecture (watch it on YouTube) during The Edinburgh International Television Festival;
‘We are riding a second wave of interactivity with the convergence of television and Internet screens..but most important it’s social, […] trending #hashtags raise awareness of shows, boost ratings, predicts what’s going to be hot next week. […] It can me a metric for viewer engagement, a vehicle for instant feedback, a channel for reaching people outside broadcasting times, and it can also provide a great incentive for watching live’.
The second part of this post will elaborate more on the contribution of Tom Weiss, ceo of TV Genius, during the session. He questions the representativeness social metrics and if the number of tweets can be used as a valid KPI? Does the volume of posts indicate the size of the audience or tell anything about the strength of engagement?
Please find part 2 of this post here. Follow The end of Television on Twitter to get the latest updates.
This is part one of my recap of the business session during IBC 2011 of TV Genius and GFK research on social measurement of audience engagement. Find part two here.
Follow this blog on Twitter @endoftelevision
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