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Apr 8, 2008

Hypervideo, IPTV…the holy grail of online video

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This is shameless promotion since I am employed by Overlay.TV but I truly believe that this company has the holy grail to the next generation of online video. Having worked at a huge established portal, I understood all too well the challenges with monetizing video. Youtube is still testing the waters on this one. Yahoo! was still using pre-roll video and companion ads alongside of video and commanding high CPM rates that avertisers weren’t buying. What’s more: the monetization of video was limited only to the premium content on Music and News. The video channel itself ironically included only banner options. In all these cases, performance was poor for the most part because the ads were annoying and advertisers attempted to infer relevance to the video content where there was none.

Overlay.TV does a few things: It allows the user to create this relevance by empowering them to be the advertiser. The video also doesn’t have to be premium content but ANY content found on video-sharing sites. Now it’s super easy to be a publisher and add value to any video. On the consumption side, the user has the option to turn off the overlays and watch the video in its original form. Have a look at what I’m talking about: Here’s one I created of IJustine and American Eagle.

Vodpod videos no longer available. from www.overlay.tv posted with vodpod

Filed Under: advertising, online · Tagged: , ,
Apr 7, 2008

In the beginning…..

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Actually, the beginning is today.. April 7, 2008.  My virgin post…. is all about Yahoo!  I’ve been following the headlines intently since I am a former Yahoo! and I still hold shares in the company. It’s so sad to see such an institution relegated to the mercy of its long time rival. Dave and Jerry’s Yahoo! emulated the small start-up with the drive and gumption to succeed, never failing in the ability to think outside of the box and continue to innovate. I remember as a new recruit feeling proud to be part of this cool place.  The orientation sessions made everyone feel like they were part of this really fun place that was always trying new things and allowing their employees to be part of that innovation.  Whether you came from the online world or you were a newbie, you became a part of Yahoo! and soon this FUN and this PASSION became ingrained in you. The free lattes always helped!! The 24/7 mentality was mainstay and every Yahoo! knows that it was common to be online with other Yahoo!s late into the early morning as we conversed across multiple time zones. That was the culture and it was OK because we were part of something neat. And now the rumblings of layoffs, offices closing, consolidation and maintenance do not befit the very place that claimed to be fun and exciting. Hopefully, Yahoo!’s next life doesn’t change the very essence from which it evolved.  That would be a shame.

Filed Under: online · Tagged: , ,
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