Geert Faber

NextGuide.tv: a web version of the NextGuide app

The NextGuide app was introduced as an iPad application that helps you to find (new) content by giving recommendations based on your interest, your social graph, and the content you watch. It allows you to set reminders for shows that will air on live TV and it shows all the locations of on-demand content on video on demand channels including Amazon Prime, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, Hulu Plus, and Netflix.

Today Djiit, the company behind the NextGuide app, launched NextGuide.tv, a web version of the iOS app. The site helps people to discover and watch shows on live TV and popular streaming services, to search and explore TV shows and movies, and to see what their friends recommend and watch. NextGuide Web is launching as a closed beta for the public and all users will have invitations to share with friends. All existing Dijit Remote and NextGuide app users can use their account credentials (or Facebook Connect) to log in to NextGuide Web immediately, and Miso (which was acquired by Dijit) users will have access within the month. The site is available worldwide but NextGuide Web only supports TV and movie catalogs for North American users at present. Jeremy Toeman, CEO and founder of Dijit, discussed the reason to launch a web version of the popular app with Robert Scoble:

“One of the things that we learned from our friends in the TV industry is that apps are great, people love apps, but the one thing that you definitely will have in front of you at all times is a web browser. And there are a lot of people across this country and others that when they’re watching TV they got a laptop or even their desktop somewhere in their room, and they don’t always have something to pull out at the last minute and download something to learn something more about a TV show. So we’re launching good old web”

 The future of the TV guide: one-click recommendations, search and social

NextGuide is doing a great job in providing a one-click solution for TV and video content. By providing universal search it allows users to look up any show and see when the next episode airs, where to watch previous episodes and create a watch list of shows people still want to watch. It informs the user when new episodes will be broadcasted or are added to a streaming service. The service will support notification through the app but also e-mail, Facebook, text message, and Twitter so a users can use the app just for that. After a notification is received a user can set their DVR to record the episode from within the NextGuide.tv app. At the moment it support DirecTV and Comcast set top boxes but NextGuide is working with other companies to integrate their service. This integration works both ways since cable companies and TV networks can integrate the NextGuide reminder functionality on their devices, apps and websites to let their users to set reminders. By (optionally) integrating with your social graph (just Facebook at the moment) the company supports one-click recommendation from friends by allowing you to see the shows they liked on Facebook (even from friends who are not using NextGuide) or shows they have added to their watch list.

There’s a lot of competition in the field of TV guides and recommendation engines. All popular streaming platforms provide similar services and also cable providers like Comcast and DirecTV have popular apps. However, NextGuide sees itself as a data machine that wants to recommend the right show on the right moment (and help you find it). This could mean that in the future you get different recommendations based on your location, day, time, season, recent (online) activities etc. By focussing on universal search, (social) recommendations and one-click functionalities it tries to differentiate from others in the market. As Colin Dixon, Chief Analyst with nScreenMedia, notes in the press release:

“Audiences have plenty of choice when it comes to search and discovery of TV shows and movies, what is much rarer is a simple, intuitive guide that brings together TV broadcasting with online streaming, as in the new NextGuide.”

How to make money

The business model for NextGuide includes advertising and data licensing. At the moment the company is selling and licensing some of its data but is not considering any monetization options within the application until next year. “You can’t make money in TV until you have a massive audience” says Jeremy Toeman. So by growing their user base and partnerships the company hopes to attract this ‘critical mass’. The application has over a million users at the moment, but it has to grow in tenfold before monetization becomes relevant.

Will NextGuide.tv be the new Miso 2.0?

On February 1st  Dijit bought the social check-in app Miso which is described as: “The Miso app was the first-ever “Social TV” service that lets users share what they are watching with their friends, post to social networks, and connect with fans around the shows they love. For “checking in”, users can collect points and unlock virtual badges”. After the acquisition the recently launched Quips application was discarded (however, it’s still available in the Appstore) and the CEO Somrat Niyogi left the company. The Miso press page hasn’t been updated since May 2012, the Miso Twitter account is inactive (last tweet was February first announcing the acquisition), and the former company blog (blog.gomiso.com) redirects to the weblog of co-founder Timothy Lee. The iOS application hasn’t been updated since November 2012 and the Android version was last updated in January 2011. Some of this tells me the application is no longer the key priority and the acquisition by Dijit was mostly about the technology and patents. It seems as if Dijit is not planning on updating Miso which could mean some of its technology will be integrated into NextGuide. For example, by allowing users to check-in to a TV show, user data can be improved and the application becomes more of a companion app. Also the Miso Sideshow app provides technology to increase social interaction and improve user data by creating interactive ‘sideshows’. Adding more social features makes the app much more similar to Zeebox. Jeremy Toeman noted it doesn’t want to force users to use the social aspect of NextGuide so it will be interesting to see if the focus remains on being a recommendation or if it will be become the next TV companion app.

UPDATE:

I asked Jeremy Toeman on Google+ the question if there are any plans to integrate or update the recently acquired Miso app, to which he responded: ”yup – it’ll happen fairly soon!” So stay tuned for more NextGuide updates!

Watch the interview between Robert Scoble and Jeremy Toeman:

Below you can find screenshots of NextGuide.tv:

Read more: Nextguide.tv: Dijit introduces a web version of Nextguide On: The End of Television as we know it Weblog about Second Screen, Social TV, Broadcasting and Media Convergence

Google TV at the Google I/O keynote

Google just finished the keynote that started their yearly Google I/O event and (as expected) there were no big announcements or updates for Google TV. The company introduced a more streamlined Google+ experience, an update version of Google Maps, and new tools for Android Developers with an extra focus on tablets (no words on a new Nexus tablet unfortunately). Also voice command for desktop search and new improved cards for Google Now were introduced.

Music and Gaming on android

Google did announce a new Music Service (Google Play All Access) allowing users to access and stream from a music library with millions of songs and combining this with their own Music Library on Google Music. To differentiate their offering from services like Rdio and Spotifiy, Google has a strong focus on discovery and instant mixes helping you creating play lists and finding new music.

Another major announcement was the renewed focus on Android Gaming showing an impressive demo of a Chrome based race game that was being played on multiple different devices. Google Play now offers the ability to save game characteristics in the cloud so users can continue their game on other devices and share their high score with friends.

So no news about Google TV?

Although Google didn’t make a specific announcement about Google TV it did release a post on Google+ saying they will upgrade the Google TV software to Android 4.2.2 (Jellybean).

Today, Google TV is moving to the latest version of Android (Jelly Bean, 4.2.2), and we’ve refactored Google TV so that our TV OEM partners can update to future versions of Android in a matter of weeks rather than months. For developers, this means you can build TV experiences using the latest Android APIs, including the NDK.

Today Google TV is also moving to the latest version of Chrome, and from now on Google TV benefits from Chrome updates on the same six week cycle that you’ve come to expect from Chrome. In Chrome on Google TV, we’ve added support for hardware-based content protection, enabling developers to provide premium TV content in HD within their web apps.

This update, together with their new abilities to sync Android Games and play millions of songs from the Google Play store, has brought Google TV the much needed update to compete with platforms like Roku and AppleTV. Hopefully the Google I/O session focused on Google TV, that is scheduled for this Friday, will bring some new insight on Google’s perspective on the future of TV.

Watch the very first hands-on experience of LG’s Google TV with the new Andriod 4.2.2 Jelly Bean update below:

Read more: No Google TV announcement during the Google IO Keynote On: The End of Television as we know it Weblog about Second Screen, Social TV, Broadcasting and Media Convergence

Aereo expanding to Atlanta after successful court rulings

A day after introducing a new pricing structure for its service, Aereo announced it will launch in Atlanta in June. Aereo streams free-to-air channels over the internet offering DVR capabilities to watch OTA TV on demand. After launching in New York the service got attention from the press and online community but also broadcasters which questioned its legal position. CBS, Comcast, News Corporation, and Disney started legal action against Aereo claiming it is re-broadcasting their free-to-air signals for money and thus breaking copyrights. Last month the court upheld the lower court decision in favor of Aereo allowing the company to expand its service. Aereo’s CEO Chet Kanojia defends the service:

“We’re not a cable company. We’re an antenna technology,” he says. “Ever since broadcasting started, no antenna manufacturer, no television manufacturer has been required any kind of transmission fee.”

Although new law suits have been filed claiming Aereo is retransmitting copyright material the company is now rapidly expanding to multiple cities.

Aereo: New Pricing Plans

The company announced a new pricing structure offering two plans: for 8 dollar an user can access all available channels and record 20 hours per week, for 12 dollar users can store an extra 40 hour totalling 60 hour of cloud DVR recordings.

Aereo expanding across the US

The strength of the service is its relatively cheap offering of popular channels (considering you need an internet connection), clear UI and easy access of both live and recorded content. Aereo is using the attention of the court ruling and its praise for its simple service to expand rapidly, allowing users to sign up and pre-register for 22 more cities that are coming soon. After signing up users get notified when the service launches in their area and will receive one month for free. Aereo is planning to launch it service in Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Madison, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Boston, Providence, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Raleigh-Durham, Atlanta, Birmingham, Tampa, and Miami.

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Read more: Aereo expands to Atlanta and plans to launch in 20 other cities On: The End of Television as we know it Weblog about Second Screen, Social TV, Broadcasting and Media Convergence

Netflix has released the first trailer of the new season of Arrested Development. Last year Netflix released Lilyhammer and last month the streaming company had it’s first success with it self produced series ‘House of Cards‘. The first season of Arrested Development aired in 2003 on the Fox network but was cancelled in 2006 after average ratings. The series, however, was critically acclaimed for its characters and humor and found a new audience on Netflix. The series will air on May 26th and Netflix will release all episodes at once. And based on the comments around the web a lot of Netflix subscribers will binge-watch the complete series in a couple of days.

Watch the new Arrested Development trailer below:

Credits featured image

Read more: Netflix Releases First Trailer of Arrested Development On: The End of Television as we know it Weblog about Second Screen, Social TV, Broadcasting and Media Convergence

YouTube Paid Channels

YouTube has introduced a new income model to the YouTube Partner programme to support partner channels with a new way to generate income from their creativity. As YouTube describes it provides “new ways to support great content”. Once a user subscribes from a computer, they are able to watch paid channels on their computer, phone, tablet and TV. In the coming weeks the option to subscribe will be available from more devices. An important addition considering 25% of global YouTube views come from mobile devices.

Subscription fees starting at $0.99 per month and includes a 14-day free trial. In the coming weeks this feature will be rolled out to all partner channels as a self-service which will provide more details about the possibilities partners have to customize the subscription.

Competing with Hulu, Netflix and Amazon?

The introduction of paid channels seems a direct attempt to compete over eyeballs with professional content channels like Netflix, Hula and Amazon and even takes on TV when it comes to advertising budgets. Netflix based its complete business model on monthly subscriptions ($7,99 a month) and is now investing heavily in original content with the production of Lillyhamer, House of Cards, Arrested Development and Hemlock Grove. A logical but important move to keep the over 30 million users attached, facing growing competition over content distribution deals. Hulu’s model is similar to YouTube by providing a combination of both subscription (Hulu Plus for $7,99 a month) and advertisement. With over 4 million users Hulu is still growing and with the backing of Disney, News Corp. and Comcast the company has a close connection to TV and offers show already known to the public.

With paid channels YouTube offers new monetizing options for its partners but this has to result in quality content that users will pay a subscription fee for. Most of the top channels on YouTube feature personalities with weekly updated 5-10 minute shows or official channels from artists or TV shows. One of the few channels that produces actual series is Machinima on the MachinimaPrime channel with for example Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn and Bite Me.

What does it solve?

Although the subscription model does offer new opportunities for YouTube channels, it’s a big change for viewers who are used to advertisements and pre-roll videos but appreciate YouTube for it’s diverse offer of video’s. Most users will follow certain channels but are just as quickly distracted to other recommendations on different channels. The subscription models places to much emphasis on individual channels. For users to pay 1 to 4 dollar to subscribe to a channels requires a lot more quality content. Compared to Netflix and Hulu none of the channels on YouTube can provide quality for money.

• YouTube should invest more in content curation (combining channels and video’s) to increase the value and quality of subscription packages.
• Improve the the promotion of paid channels to attract a (new) audiences since a channel has to reach a certain audience before it’s valuable to enable the subscription service.
• Provide flexible subscription options and payments methods including micro payments, switching subscriptions and allowing video’s to become public after a certain amount of hours/days.

So what does it solve for YouTube users? It does provide channels owners a new form to generate income and reading the comments on articles related to YouTube’s subscription upgrade, many subscribers are willing to pay a small fee to see there favorite YouTube shows. However, for most of the YouTube users the quality of the content is not steady enough to subscribe to a single channel. I don’t expect the subscription fee to generate enough income for niche markets. And since professional content is already available per purchase on YouTube or Google Play it will have  hard time convincing the average YouTube viewer to pay for the content.

Read more: YouTube Introduces Paid Channels for Content Partners On: The End of Television as we know it Weblog about Second Screen, Social TV, Broadcasting and Media Convergence

This Friday Netflix has released all 13 episodes of it’s original series ‘House of Cards’ staring Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Kate Mara. Directed by acclaimed director David Fincher (The Social Network), the series is the second original from Netflix after Lilyhammer. House of Cards is described as a ‘wicked political drama that penetrates the shadowy world of greed, sex, and corruption in modern D.C. Ruthless and cunning, Congressman Francis Underwood (Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey) and his wife Claire (Robin Wright) stop at nothing to conquer everything’.

Quality and exclusive content

Netflix tries to bind it’s existing subscribers and attract new ones by creating high quality content and making it exclusive avalailable on Netflix. A strategy similar to HBO except Netflix controls the complete experience on its own platform. Since it’s not dealing with networks, advertisers and syndication right agreement they are able to make all epiosdes available at once.

An experience beyond streaming

Together with a new season of Arrested Development, House of Cards has to put Netflix in a stronger position, differentiating them from the growing number of (big) competitors providing similar video streaming services. By striking exclusive content deals and producing exclusive content Netflix’s aims to provide a experience beyond streaming and creating a household name as the source for entertainment anytime and anywhere.

“The advantage of Netflix is their ability to shape the market..”

The competition

However, with fierce competition from Amazon, Hulu and upcoming competition from Google, Apple and Microsoft the company has to keep their regained momemtum. The Flixter debacle has shown their success is not given and finding the right strategy is key to keep customers happy. The advantage of Netflix is their ability to shape the market by innovating with distribution, content deals, and syndication strategies since the others are still running behind.

Watch te trailer of House of Cards below:

Read more: Netflix launches original series ‘House of Cards’ On: The End of Television as we know it Weblog about Second Screen, Social TV, Broadcasting and Media Convergence

A new redesign for YouTube

YouTube is slowly rolling out its new redesign of the homepage and video pages. The redesign is inspired by the recent refresh of Google+ and has a strong focus on curated channels and subscriptions. As I wrote earlier, YouTube wants to become more like TV by focusing on unique and professional content by creating a more engaging and seamless experience. The first big update was YouTube TV: ‘With YouTube TV as the updated version of YouTube leanback it tries to become even more accessible on the big screen and create a TV like experience’.

Less distractions and a cleaner interface

The new YouTube TV experience provides a slick interface without distraction that creates a more seamless and engaged experience which makes YouTube more interesting for high quality ads. Now the website’s interface gets a big update with less distraction, less buttons and a cleaner interface. Other changes to the YouTube experience include a ‘watched’ label which is shown after playing a video.

YouTube’s redesign of the homepage puts channels and subscriptions up front

The new homepage has a clear focus on channels and subscriptions. The new sidebar is only one click away from any page of the website, just like most mobile applications the sidebar flies in when the sidebar button is clicked. The focus on recommended, social and subscribed content YouTube tries to be a more engaging aggregator providing an even more personalized experience and more seamless and continuous video viewing.

YouTube’s redesign of the video page show a clean interface focusing on the video player

Below a comparison of the old and new interface of YouTube’s video page with first the redesign and second the old layout. Note how the titel and subscription button is moved below the video with a clear subscription button and about, share, add to, stats and flag as equal tabs. In the header the YouTube logo is smaller The whole design has more white and a smaller header as a result from resizing the logo and moving the title of the video. On the left a ‘quick’  navigation button is added that show subscriptions and channels.

Also watch this video from Hank Green about the YouTube redesign:

Read more: YouTube’s new Social Redesign brings more focus on Channels and Subscriptions On: The End of Television as we know it Weblog about Second Screen, Social TV, Broadcasting and Media Convergence

Introducing YouTube TV

YouTube recently introduced YouTube TV, a new version of their leanback version of the popular online video site specially designed for the big screen in the living room. The interface makes it easy to scroll through video’s and removes all the distraction that is present on the regular site such as ratings, comments, and banners. When you follow curated YouTube channels you can easily browse through the latest video and find recommended content.

Second Screen: Control YouTube with you mobile or tablet

The most unique functionality as a results from the update is the ability to control the interface from your mobile device. When you want to connect your mobile you’re asked to visit a mobile website and enter a code that is shown on the big screen. After connecting your device you can browse for video’s and play them directly on the big screen. This works both with the mobile website as with the YouTube application for iOS and Android. As a result YouTube TV works on any screen that has a browser and can be controlled by most mobile devices.

YouTube TV

Competition for WappZapp

The Dutch startup WappZapp provides a similar experience but integrates more (on-demand) sources into their platform. When you visit the website you are asked to connect the WappZapp app on your mobile (iOS) device using an unique code after which you can select video’s within the app and stream them within the browser on you TV set. The latest update from YouTube TV provides a similar experience but for any screen and with any device and is a next strep for YouTube to become more dominant on big screen.

How YouTube wants to be like TV

With YouTube TV as the updated version of YouTube leanback it tries to become even more accessible on the big screen and create a TV like experience. Combined with YouTube’s investments in high quality and professional content it now competes with on-demand services like Netflix, Vudu and Hulu. A slick interface without distraction creates a more seamless and engaged experience which makes YouTube more interesting for high quality ads. It’s the end of YouTube as we know it…

Read more: How YouTube wants to be like TV On: The End of Television as we know it Weblog about Second Screen, Social TV, Broadcasting and Media Convergence

Alienating amateurs

In the beginning of this year YouTube invested 100 million dollar to promote and support YouTube channels with new and original content. Some argued this was Google’s attempt “to become the “next-generation cable provider” but the investment in ‘amateur’ content was small compared to the presumably multi-million investment in professional Hollywood content. YouTube is getting more competition from digital streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and wants to position YouTube and Google Play as networks for high quality content.  However, as discussed in a recent article in the Chigago Tribune, with this renewed focus on more professional produced content YouTube alienates amateur users by courting pros.

(…)YouTube’s thriving amateur core now feels squeezed out by the site’s sweeping transformation from user-generated clips to more professionally produced content, posing a potential dilemma for Google’s long-term ambitions in online video.

YouTube’s fight for ad dollars

Professional amateurs are getting less views and less income as a result of changes in the YouTube algorithm. A move that is applauded by big advertisers but directly affects the way YouTube is perceived by some of its core users:

“The sad thing was when YouTube was first starting out, we didn’t need networks,” said Philip Wang, 28, an independent YouTuber who has made videos professionally since college. “It was people working together and exploring. But now there’s more at stake. People are all fighting for ad dollars, fighting for views.”

New local channels have to produce professional content to engage viewers and create dedicated fans that will return to the platform regularly. Apparently the cute cat and fail video’s are not representative for advertisers so ‘new channels are developed to generate professional high-quality video content which would be “brand safe” for media advertisers‘.

YouTube is not a website

Nowadays YouTube can be accessed from any connected device. The recent introduction of YouTube TV, that allows users to control YouTube on their TV with a second screen, shows the power of YouTube as a customizable TV channel. By focusing on professional content and creating a flow like experience YouTube becomes even more attractive for advertisers to show high quality ads. YouTube is no longer a website with user generated videos but a database with professional content getting ready to compete with TV’s ad dollars.

Read more: How YouTube’s Move to Professional Content Alienates Amateurs On: The End of Television as we know it Weblog about Second Screen, Social TV, Broadcasting and Media Convergence

The TV Reset Project

ZoomTilt, a online video marketing company from Boston that is trying to ‘connect the dots to make video stories truly social’, introduced a project in search of young talented content creators that can win a sponsored production for a full season web series. The TV Reset Project want to connect independent artist with an online audience and create a platform that allows aspiring TV makers to produce a web TV series. The TV Reset Project will enable 5 up-and-coming, independent filmmakers to create and distribute their best web series work in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers. ZoomTilt uses crowdfunding to sponsor the project and finance 5 pilot episodes of which one will become a full blown web series.

12 semi-finalist left

The project has selected 12 semi-finalist that will upgrade and rework the pilot with the support of online TV professionals. “It has been really inspiring to see so many high-quality scripts for our first web series competition” said Anna Callahan, co-founder of ZoomTilt, “It shows that filmmakers get it — digital entertainment can give you recognition without the years of waiting in the film festival circuit or the years of schmoozing in Hollywood,”.

The future of TV making?

The TV Reset Project shows a new way of TV making that want to break down the walls to get into the industry. It provides a platform for young artists to create, produce and distribute  content and work together with professionals to take it to the next level. Furthermore, the project tries to take a next step in independent TV making:

With a comprehensive, holistic solution for indie filmmakers encompassing resource support, production, fan-sourcing, marketing and distribution, we can help indie digital entertainment make the same leaps forward that the music industry has already taken.

With the growing conversion of connected screens, more content becomes available anywhere at anytime. A development that should allow more content to reach a larger (niche) audience. However, to reach a large enough audience that will either pay to watch or is large enough to make enough income from advertising the bigger networks are necessary. Their power to market and curate relevant content to a specific audience allows them to reach millions while the average YouTube video has a couple of thousand views. And with the lack of funding (the TV reset project raised $3.000 of the needed $40.000) the impact on the industry will be limited.

Find out more about the TV Reset Project at http://www.indiegogo.com/zoomtilt

Read more: ZoomTilt Wants to Bring Democracy to Quality Video Entertainment On: The End of Television as we know it Weblog about Second Screen, Social TV, Broadcasting and Media Convergence