Streaming Media White Paper Podcasts - Rick Johnson · “Web-delivered digital media content comes with all the built-in advantages of the Internet,”writes Limelight Networks founder

Streaming Media White Paper Podcasts

BEST PRACTICES:Media, Broadcast,

and Entertainment

Click on the vendor’s

names to listen to sponsored

interviews withexecutives from

these leadingcompanies:

Visit www.streamingmedia.com/podcastsfor interviews with industry

thought leaders and innovators by Streaming

Media editor Eric Schumacher-

Rasmussen VitalStream, Inc.Best Practices for Content Monetization Through OnlineAdvertising

thePlatformComprehensive Digital MediaPublishing: Proven

Maven NetworksTapping Active TV Viewers Leads to Tremendous Opportunities

VividasBest Practices in Media,Broadcast and Entertainment:Simplify, Engage,and Monetize

WebSideStoryNew Technology Calls for New Metrics

Monetize MediaYour Media,Your Way,Anytime—Anywhere

Media ExcelReal-Time TV Content Reformatting for IPTV and Mobile TV Distribution

iProbe Multilingual SolutionsTranslating Streams into Dollars

StreamtheWorldFive Rules for Making More Money with Radio Streaming

ItivaQoS and Cost-Effective VideoDelivery:No Longer a Pipedream

Limelight Networks, Inc.A Powerful Trend that Represents Fundamental Change:The Internet Streaming Media Boom

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www.streamingmedia.com 126 Best Practices: Media, Broadcast & Entertainment

2ERIC SCHUMACHER-RASMUSSEN,STREAMING MEDIA MAGAZINE

Make Your Content Count

4VITALSTREAM, INC.

Best Practices for ContentMonetization Through OnlineAdvertising

8thePlatform

Comprehensive Digital MediaPublishing: Proven

14MAVEN NETWORKS

Tapping Active TV Viewers Leads to Tremendous Opportunities

18VIVIDAS

Best Practices in Media, Broadcast and Entertainment:Simplify, Engage, and Monetize

22WEBSIDESTORY

New Technology Calls for New Metrics

24TJ MODI, CEO, MONETIZE MEDIA

Your Media, Your Way, Anytime—Anywhere

25EDUARDO PÉREZ, PH.D., MEDIA EXCEL

Real-Time TV Content Reformatting for IPTV and Mobile TV Distribution

26IPROBE MULTILINGUAL SOLUTIONS

Translating Streams into Dollars

27STREAMTHEWORLD

Five Rules for Making More Money with Radio Streaming

28MICHEL BILLARD, CEO, ITIVA

QoS and Cost-Effective VideoDelivery: No Longer a Pipedream

30MICHAEL GORDON, CO-FOUNDER ANDCHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, LIMELIGHT NETWORKS, INC.

A Powerful Trend that RepresentsFundamental Change: The InternetStreaming Media Boom

table of contents

2 Best Practices: Media, Broadcast & Entertainment

ERIC SCHUMACHER-RASMUSSEN, EDITOR, STREAMING MEDIA MAGAZINE

Make Your

Content CountTaking stock of the wide range of solu-tions and services highlighted in this WhitePaper, I kept thinking of a classic Steve Martinbit from the 1970s in which he makes a boldpronouncement to the audience:“You canbe a millionaire,and never pay taxes.”

He keeps repeating the phrase,selling itmore and more with each iteration.When hefinally gets to the point,he pulls back fromover-the-top salesman to matter-of-fact reporter:“First,”he says,“get a million dollars.Then . . .”

As if getting the million dollars was theeasy part.Of course, this being Steve Martinat his most absurd,he informs the crowdthat the second step is just as simple.Whenthe IRS asks why you didn’t pay your taxes,simply say “I forgot.”

And what’s this got to do with streamingmedia? I first thought of Martin’s gag whenI was interviewing VitalStream presidentand COO Phil Kaplan for the podcast thataccompaniestheir White Paper submission(all participants recorded interviews withme that can be downloaded fromwww.streamingmedia.com). I asked whathe thought was the single most importantthing content publishers needed to do togrow ad revenue.“First,”he says, soundingevery bit as impassive as did Martin,“builda big audience.Then . . .”

Of course,Kaplan knows building an audi-ence isn’t as simple as he made it sound.Creating content that will draw a large audi-ence (or, in the case of long-tail content,asmall but steady one) requires just the rightmix of art, science,and luck.Just as impor-tantly, it demands a real understanding of themedium over which it will be delivered.Forinstance,while a film like Ingmar Bergman’s

Persona (1967) is a masterpiece of both psy-chological storytelling and slow,measuredfilmmaking that works brilliantly on the bigscreen,on a 27-inch television screen,muchof the movie’s visual impact is lost.You mightbe able to convince me that it’d be worthwatching on my computer’s CRT at 720p or1080p,were a high-def version available.Butthe thought of trying to view it at 320x240 ona portable media player is laughable.To put itin streaming parlance,Persona is an exampleof video that doesn’t scale down well.

What’s more,most motion pictures arelean-back experiences,where the viewers arepassive but (hopefully) rapt by either thestorytelling or the sheer force of the soundand vision in front of them.Plenty of Internetvideo content is of the lean-back variety,too—sports highlights,music videos, the lat-est viral sensation—and some of it draws ahuge audience.But we can’t lose sight of thefact that Internet video that works is still arelative novelty; it’s only within the last yearthat the majority of U.S. Internet householdscan even watch video on their computerswithout worrying about buffering,hiccup-ping,or excruciatingly long download times.

Content publishers need to be thinkingahead to what Internet video will look likewhen the novelty wears off,when consumerswill demand something more than simply areplication of the television experience. Inorder to draw and maintain that big audi-ence and monetize that content, the verynature of that content will need to be quali-tatively different than what we see today.“Web-delivered digital media content comeswith all the built-in advantages of theInternet,”writes Limelight Networks founder

and chief strategy officer Michael Gordon, inwhat amounts to a mission statement fortoday’s digital media service providers.“WhatI want,when I want it,where I want it—and Iget to actively participate.”

To put it another way,as Maven NetworksCEO Himli Ozguc does, the future of InternetTV lies in immersive and interactive con-sumer experiences.

“We’re talking full-screen,high-resolutionvideo with interactivity,personalization,andsocial networking capabilities,”he says inMaven’s video podcast.“You really need toimmerse your audience in your content.That’s the source of all successful InternetTV services,as well as the commercial useof those services to generate advertising orsubscription revenue.”

The vendors represented here in BestPractices: Media,Broadcast,and Entertainmentmight not be able to help you create thecontent itself,but all of them can help youpublish it,deliver it,and maximize the inter-activity that sets it apart from the audio andvideo available from its traditional radio andtelevision counterparts.And the solutionsoffered here are far more user-friendly thanthe solutions offered five, four,or even twoyears ago.

Content delivery has become a commodity,and the number of tier-one content deliverynetworks (CDNs)—that is,CDNs who’ve builtout their own networks—has dropped fromseveral dozen in 2001 to fewer than tentoday,and so CDNs like Limelight Networksand VitalStream are specializing in nicheslike online gaming and radio or focusingtheir efforts on value-adds like ad insertion.

Though the wheat has been separated

www.streamingmedia.com 3

from the chaff in the CDN market,other serv-ices are stepping forward with alternatives tothe traditional CDN model.Peer-to-peer andBit Torrent delivery networks have beenaround for some time,but relative newcomerslike Itiva prove that we haven’t seen the endof technological advances in those areas,either. It’s all about getting your content asefficiently as possible to the people whowant to see it,all the while minimizing costto you while providing the best end-userexperience possible; Bit Torrent and P2Pmight work just fine for the post-Napster gen-eration of college students who don’t mindwaiting four hours to download a moviefrom an outlaw network like LimeWire,butdon’t expect paying customers or advertisersto be quite so forgiving.

And even if the CDN remains the best-known type of streaming media service, it’sno longer the most important element.Content creators need to look at every stepin the delivery chain, from encoding andtranscoding to digital rights management tosetting rules on who gets to view what con-tent and when to the player environmentend-users will listen to or watch it in.To saynothing of perhaps the most important stepof all: monetizing it.

As a content publisher,you want to beable to deliver your content in as many for-mats as possible in order to reach the maxi-mum number of consumers.That’s where asolution like Media Excel’s H.264 transcodinghardware comes into play, letting publisherstake content and efficiently convert it to for-mats for broadcast, Internet,and mobiledelivery.“Consumers want their content any-time,anywhere,on any device,”writes MediaExcel’s Eduardo Perez.“It is imperative toseamlessly transcode content in real timeand on-demand for distribution to the vari-ous end-user media-enabled devices.”

Of course,encoding and transcodingdoesn’t always fit within a content publisher’s

business plan,and most of the other serviceproviders in this White Paper include encod-ing and transcoding as part of their overallofferings.One of the first such platforms tooffer an end-to-end publishing applicationwas,appropriately enough,thePlatform.thePlatform came into being in 2000 when adevelopers from places like RealNetworks,Adobe,and Microsoft realized that whilethey’d worked on tools that helped peoplecreate content,and CDNs helped deliver thatcontent, there was no single software applica-tion to manage the publishing of that con-tent, from ingestion to reporting.

Since its founding, thePlatform’s MediaPublishing System has been put to work inmany different verticals,and their clients inthe media and entertainment field includeseveral top-notch players, includingComcast,which purchased thePlatform justbefore this White Paper went to press.Butone of the exciting things about the currentstate of the media publishing space is thatrelative newcomers like Maven,MonetizeMedia,and Vividas—with its dazzling,player-less,high-def video delivery solution—havejust as many marquee names on their clientrosters as does an industry veteran likethePlatform.This sector of the market iswide-open right now,and content publisherswould be wise to cast a wide net with yourRFPs.(On the other hand, if you have theluxury of knowing exactly what it is youwant to achieve—like offering Internet radioto consumers with a custom player featuringexceptional reporting capabilities—you’d dowell to seek out only the service providerswho specialize in your niche; in that case,Streamtheworld’s interactive player willknock your socks off.)

It’s also time for Internet video publishersin the U.S. to start taking seriously the factthat they need to make their content acces-sible to as many viewers as possible,not justEnglish speakers.That’s where a company

like iProbe,which offers translation,closedcaptioning,and transcription services,comesin.With English the first language of only80% of United States residents, you can tapnew revenue-generating markets by offeringyour content in multiple languages.

Whatever the language, the name of thegame is still monetization.While the sub-scription vs.pay-per-view vs.ad-supporteddebate still rages on,content publisherswould be wise not to assume there’s onebusiness model that works best for every-body,or even that a single model will workbest for them on its own.Andrew Olson,COOand CFO of thePlatform,offers this caveat:“What you really hear when someone says‘I’m going to revolutionize the way theindustry works’ is ‘I’m going to force a newbusiness model out there and break someoneelse’s.’We’re an enabler for whatever kind ofbusiness model people want to adopt or tryto put out there in the marketplace.”

But even if you’d be foolish to reject anybusiness model out of hand,you’d be equallyblind to miss the writing on the wall: advertis-ing,both banner and in-stream,is getting themost traction in 2006, fueled by reportingand analytics that are unmatched in othermedia.Solutions like VitalStream’s AdvertisingServices and WebSideStory’s HBX Analyticsgive content publishers near-realtime report-ing on who’s watching or listening to what,aswell the purchasing research and decisionsusers make based upon the content and adsthey’re served.The kind of feedback thattakes weeks or months in television andradio ratings periods can now be obtained ina matter of minutes.

After all, those “built-in advantages of theInternet”that Limelight’s Gordon writesabout are as applicable to content publishersand advertisers as they are to consumers.And with tools and solutions like the onespresented here,publishing and monetizingyour content is easier than ever.

The vendors represented can help you publish, deliver, and

maximize the interactivity that sets your content apart from the audio

and video available from traditional radio and television counterparts.


VITALSTREAM, INC.

Best Practices for Content Monetization Through

Online AdvertisingPeople are spending more time on theInternet than ever before.In fact,a JupiterResearch survey of more than 4,000 peoplerevealed that consumers spend more hours aweek online than watching TV. And there areno signs of a downturn—various researchfirms have all pointed to a continued andrapid growth in the online space.

The Internet has reached into and, insome cases, reshaped just about everyaspect of modern life. It has changed theway we obtain information on everythingfrom the latest news event to medical andhealth issues. We go online to research thenewest products, share photos with familyand friends, book travel plans, and previewwhat movies we want to see.

We use the power of the Internet toentertain ourselves, educate ourselves,work, shop, bank, and stay in touch. In fact,the Internet has become such a normalpart of life that those who do not utilize theweb for some type of day-to-day activityconstitute an ever-shrinking minority.

There is no wonder that enterprise istaking notice to this rapid surge of theonline population. With more eyeballsonline than ever before there is a greaterdesire to capture this attractive demographic.These trends have led to those in themusic, video, news and entertainmentindustries to see that the Internet provides asubstantial business opportunity. Companiesthat implement a sound online businessmodel that integrates synergistically with

their offline strategies are likely to see asignificant increase in revenues.

The Drive for Content MonetizationThe Internet has increased the number of

options a company has to reach their targetaudience. However, what was bred forextending a brand or reaching into a newmarket segment can become a major costcenter for companies trying to capitalize inon the move to online media consumption.

Costs associated with the creation, trans-formation, licensing, and management ofonline media as well as the investment inadditional hardware and software has gnawedinto the profitability of many companieslooking to integrate online activities withoffline strategies.

At the same time, enterprises cannotafford to ignore an online population thatincreasingly considers the Internet to be animportant part of their everyday life. TheInternet is quickly becoming the mosteffective way of accessing this valuable,difficult to reach, younger audience.

Real Potential A profitable online business model is, in

fact, a reality. By implementing a solidonline advertising strategy into an existingbusiness model, content owners have theability to deliver compelling content, reacha growing online audience, and generateadditional revenue streams from theironline media.

Tips FOR

INCREASING Ad Campaign Results:

■ Keep your audience captivated. An

engaging environment that allows your

user to interact with online media will make

your audience more motivated to hear, see,

and respond to your message.

■ When possible, repurpose existing

media content (i.e., television or video

commercials) for use online.

■ To prove most effective, audio or video ads

should be synchronized with corresponding

static or Flash display advertising.

■ Deliver where it matters. Leveraging user-

provided statistics such as gender and year

of birth to deliver targeted ad campaigns

ensures that ads only reach the specified

target audience.

■ A measurable response and a means to

track the effectiveness of a campaign are

essential to a successful ad strategy. Utilize

detailed audience metrics to track and

report on who your audience is, what their

demographic profiles are, and when they

watch or listen.


Advertisers gain access to an appealingand hard-to-reach demographic with thepropensity to spend money online. Notonly is this new online population utilizingthe Internet as a source of information andentertainment, but they are investing theirmoney as well. The amount of moneyconsumers spend online is expected toincrease 75 percent by 2010, with theInternet influencing nearly half of all U.S.retail sales, according to another JupiterResearch Survey.

This growth prediction supports theidea that previous resistance by consumersto former online advertising methods ofpop-ups and banner ads is waning heavilywith the surging demand for online media.Advertising is in fact preferred by a significantnumber of online users, if the alternative isbuying content. A majority of consumerswould rather receive online content with adsfor free than pay to receive ad-free content.

And these ads are working. Almost onein three (31 percent) of surveyed web userssaid they made purchases online as a resultof viewing an Internet ad, while 22 percentsaid that online ads spurred offline purchases.With this rapid adoption rate, online adver-tising will continue to aggressively seizemarket share from traditional ad vehicleslike print and television.

Considerations for ImplementationTo take advantage of this increasing

market share and effectively monetize yourcontent means finding the right vendor whocan create the right advertising solutionsaround your online media. The mosteffective and limitless means to monetizingcontent is to create advertising solutionsaround existing online media.

Ad solutions can be placed into two maincategories: ad placement and ad insertion.There are unique benefits to each methodand varying reasons for opting for one orthe other.

Ad placement refers to any advertising,audio or video, that is placed “on-demand”in front or at the end of streaming mediacontent. This can also be referred to as pre-roll (“gateway”) and post-roll (“bumper”)ads. This method is fairly simple to implement,as an ad placement system merely needs tohave the ability to insert content as requiredaround the streaming media. A relatedstatic or Flash banner ad can also beplaced in the media player to displayalongside streaming media content.

Ad insertion works with live streamingand places ads according to a broadcastschedule in a truly dynamic environment.Ad insertion solutions in essence strip abroadcast of its regular ads and insert anew audio or video ad in its place in realtime. This is usually done to replace adsthat cannot be aired over the Internetwhere the broadcast is being simulcast.Radio groups typically require this method

of advertising in order to broadcast theirprogramming over the Internet as there areoften national ads that they are not permittedto air online due to geographical, legal,or contractual constraints. Ad insertiontherefore enables radio groups and broad-casters of any kind to obtain a new set ofonline advertisers with the ability toreplace terrestrial ads with a different setof online ads.

Stripping out regular broadcast adsand inserting new ones seamlessly is nominor accomplishment. The new adsmust be timed correctly so they syncwith broadcast programming and do notleave dead air. To prove most effective,the audio or video ads should also besynchronized with any correspondingstatic or Flash display advertising alsobeing delivered.

Real-time in-stream ad insertion workswith automation software to determine

Integrated video, audio, and banner campaign for restaurant chain Shoney’s new Grizzly Burger combines pre-roll video ads with streaming 60-second mid-roll audio spots that encourage listeners to

maximize their streaming players and click on the Shoney’s banner ad.


exactly when to insert the ad, and whichad to play. The VitalStream system uses aserver side network trigger that signals thetraffic system to initiate the delivery of theselected ad. The beauty of this solution isthat it can be used to target a very precisedemographic based on simple listener orviewer information like age, gender, andzip code.

VitalStream Advertising Services employdynamic targeting by the collection ofadditional user information. User-providedstatistics such as gender and year of birthallow creation of detailed audience databasesthat can be tied into reporting and ad deliv-ery functionality. Detailed audience metricsthat track and report on who your audienceis and their demographic profiles, as wellas when they watch or listen, is then fedinto the traffic system to ensure your adsreach highly qualified recipients. Targetingcampaigns to demographic and psycho-graphic user profiles ensures campaignsonly reach the specified target audience.

Moving Toward an Online Advertising Model

There are currently many radio groupssuccessfully delivering multi-facetedadvertising campaigns with their streamingcontent. Networks such as Citadel

Communications, Univision, and ReachMedia employ a successful combinationof pre-roll, in-stream ads, and Flash ban-ners to create compelling and lucrativeadvertising campaigns to off-set theirstreaming media costs.

IPTV channels, as well as news andentertainment sites with on-demand videocontent, are now entering into this spaceas they realize they can employ the sametools and methods to generate advertisingopportunities around their existing stream-ing content.

Finding the Right Mix The best way to create advertising for

online distribution is to repurpose existingmedia content (i.e., television or videocommercials) for use online. Placing a15- or 30-second video commercial infront of a piece of streaming media contentis a simple and effective way to captureeyeballs for your advertisers.

Traditional media,such as audio commer-cials,can be made interactive by incorporating

a synchronized visual component such as aflash banner ad within the media playerevery time the audio ad plays.

An “invitational ad” takes this a stepfurther and uses the audio commercial toencourage, or invite, the listener to interactwith your ad–taking them to a website,survey, or other means of capturing moreinformation. This type of advertising gener-ates increased results by creating a captiveand engaging environment for the user.Your audience becomes more motivatedto hear, see, and respond to your message,which in turn provides a measurableresponse and a means to track the effec-tiveness of a campaign.

Creating networked distribution channelsof content attracts larger advertisers andincreased advertising dollars by supplyingthe volume necessary to take advantageof larger advertiser budgets. Networks arecreated through channels of related content,such as a broadcast group that has manystations, channels, or websites online.VitalStream enables a network group to

Placing a commercial

in front of a piece of

streaming media

content is a simple

and effective way to

capture eyeballs for

your advertisers.

At-a glance charts display real-time data and make reports easy to understand.

combine their channels under one unifiedumbrella, creating a larger potential con-sumer base.

Solutions That Meet Your Objectives A company cannot successfully

implement an online advertising strategywithout having the right infrastructure andthe right tools. Once ad campaigns are live,the means to effectively traffic, manage, anddeliver them, as well as provide meaningfulreporting data to both you and your advertising clients, are key elements in the success of your advertising strategy.

Whether you are a content owner or anadvertiser,VitalStream Advertising Servicesoffers multi-faceted ad insertion and adplacement solutions that help clients lever-age the power of the Internet to maximizerevenues for their online streaming content.

Our strength lies in the combination ofa robust content delivery network, intelli-gent ad insertion technology, and audi-ence profiling and metrics to guaranteeeffective ad delivery in a completeturnkey solution.All of this is backed byindustry experts in audio and videostreaming services as well as advertising,sales, and marketing.

VitalStream Advertising Services incorpo-rates a full campaign management suite,inventory prediction tools, and extensivereporting features to effectively track adcampaigns in real time.We take onlineadvertising to the next level by deliveringlive targeted ad campaigns to highly qualifieddemographic groups with the ability toobtain real-time reporting on the audiencethat sees, hears, and responds to youradvertising campaigns.

Our services were designed with theflexibility to leverage your internalresources to sell your online inventory,use a third-party ad sales team or use theVitalStream Advertising sales team tomanage ad inventory for you, leaving youfree to develop and maintain your content.

VitalStream Advertising Services providesa complete solution to drive the monetizationof your online media content and maximizeuser experience through the medium ofInternet broadcasting.

ABOUT VITALSTREAM

VitalStream, Inc is a global provider of integrated

content delivery services that enable businesses

to broadcast digital media and communications

to a worldwide audience via the Internet. The

company provides complete solutions including

video and audio streaming, advertising place-

ment and delivery, reporting and analysis, live

event broadcasting, media asset management,

integrated Web hosting and consulting services,

that seamlessly integrate with today's leading

streaming media technologies. VitalStream

serves a broad customer base including

Fortune-500 corporations, movie studios, news

broadcasters, advertising agencies and music

and radio companies.

References

U.S.Online Advertising Forecast,2005-2010. -Jupiter Research

Excerpt – “Almost one in three—31 percent—saidthey made purchases online as a result of viewingan Internet ad,while 22 percent said that onlineads spurred offline [purchases].”

A decade of adoption: How the Internet has wovenitself into American life,2005 - Pew Internet andAmerican Life Project.

Excerpt – “The Internet has reached into–and,insome cases,reshaped–just about every importantrealm of modern life.”

“Internet Expected To Influence Nearly Half OfTotal Retail Sales”- By K.C.Jones,Techweb News –February 6,2006


Almost one in three of surveyed

web users said theymade purchases as

a result of viewing an Internet ad.

Extensive reporting features effectively track ad campaigns in real-time.


ANDREW OLSON, thePlatform

Comprehensive Digital Media Publishing:

provenA century or so ago, the height of

technology for “just in time”media distribu-tion was a print run of single sheets of paper,printed on one side with regional or nationalnews,and left blank on the other side.Thesesheets were delivered by train to far off citiesand small towns.

This brilliant innovation allowed the localwordsmith to dynamically (so to speak) addgeographically targeted advertising andlocal content at the last minute by printingon the blank side--usually, riveting commen-tary on topics such as how many days thetown had been without rain,and advertise-ments for the local feed store.

Today, in a world of desktop publishingand 100GB stock photo libraries that fit ina desk drawer, the concept of flipping astack of paper over and printing on theother side seems obvious to the pointof being mundane.Furthermore, it isa virtual certainty that same word-smith would be baffled by TV-on-demand,even after being shown thewire coming into the box,and thathe’d consider the remote control-—notto mention video on a cell phone,(andprobably the cell phone itself)-—as probablecause to believe that there really is magic inthe world.

Yet today, every day, organizationsface challenges of near-real-time media

“Streaming With The Sharks”Digital media is far more than just stream-

ing,but many still use that term as an all-encompassing phrase,particularly for video.Unfortunately,as is the case with many newtechnologies, this complex landscape hasled to the financial ruin of many who havestarted down the path of building a businessaround them.

For your business to survive and thrive,you need to understand the different piecesof the puzzle that help content get from itsinitial form,such as video tape, to an iPod,TV,PC,or other device. In logistics, this iscalled the “value chain”—it is the sequenceof things that have to happen to accom-

plish your goals.Moreover,you need to understand

which pieces are critical to accom-plishing your own business objec-tives. Are you selling content?Advertising slots? Do you need toworry about many different plat-forms,or just one,such as a Windows

PC or portable media player?

thePlatform’s Proven SolutionthePlatform® Media Publishing

SystemTM

(MPS) provides a comprehensive,extensible,modular system that allows eachorganization to create a solution tailored toits unique needs.MPS provides a wealth ofFigure 1: Comcast’s The Fan

management,manipulation,and distributionthat are the inevitable extension of thatblank sheet of paper,but whose complexityis orders of magnitude greater.

It would be impossible to accomplishmany, if not most,of the media services thatexist today if every aspect of production anddistribution had not become almost com-pletely digital.Because it has,we can nowapply levels of automation and logicalanalysis that enable completely new businessopportunities—from news to entertainment,paid content to viral video.


built-in software features and functionality,and it provides turnkey integration with best-of-breed third-party technologies as well.MPS truly enables content owners to ingestand manage once,and deliver anywhere, toany device,on any network.

As a company, thePlatform was foundedin 2000,and its proven software powerssome of the most cutting-edge digital mediasolutions for companies including CNBC,Comcast (including Comcast’s The Fan,seeFigure 1),Microsoft,and Verizon Wireless.

Understanding the Value ChainThe basic elements of the digital media

value chain are as follows:• Ingest• Management• Setting and enforcing Policy• Deployment and reporting• Distribution• ExperienceYou need to understand each step in the

chain,and its relationship to your own busi-ness model,to be able to optimize a technicalsolution to meet your business needs (seeFigure 2).thePlatform’s philosophy is to provideproducts that help customers build optimalbusiness solutions,based on three approachesto each element in the value chain:

• Manual workflow tools for single-item processes

• Tools for manually initiating built-in bulkprocesses

• An advanced SDK and APIs for complete workflow automation

MPS has unique tools for each stage,butall are driven from a consistent, logical,andprogrammatic user interface design.

IngestContent creation can take many forms—

from digital or analog tape recording foraudio and video, to computer graphics andanimation. In the end,however, to distributecontent digitally it is necessary to convertthat content into digital files.This process isoften referred to as capture,or encoding.New files can also be converted from onedigital format to another, such as from MPEGto Windows Media, in a process calledtranscoding.

Regardless of how you first create digitalfiles, to actually manage them (other thanmanually) these files need to be placed inthe right place for management and regis-tered with your content management systemalong with the correct associated metadata,such as title or description.This process isusually referred to as “ingest”(see Figure 3).

The MPS SolutionMPS provides different ways to ingest con-

tent,depending on the level of automation

and the complexity of your own workflowaround content creation.You can actuallyhave the files upload through MPS,and MPSwill automatically extract any metadatapresent in the files, from file size and aspectratio, to title and description.The files canautomatically be moved to servers whichyou define (e.g.,your account on a contentdelivery network such as Akamai),or youcan utilize thePlatform’s built-in relationshipsfor content storage and delivery.Further-more, if your content already resides on astorage server,you can link to that contentwithout ever moving the files.

MPS ToolsAt the simplest level,MPS includes built-in

web forms for uploading digital files.With afew clicks of the mouse you can uploadfiles,group them together into objects,andset your metadata (see Figure 4).

MPS also offers an easy and intuitive FTPdrop folder feature,where many files can beuploaded and ingested automatically with asingle “drag and drop,”or from the output ofautomated encoding tools.

MPS AutomationIn addition to the web forms and FTP

drop folders,content can be ingested directlythrough the Web Services SDK to providefull integration with your own production

Figure 2: The Digital Media Value Chain

thePlatform Media Publishing System


workflow systems (see example customingest wizard,Figure 5).

Finally, for maximum flexibility, the MPSRemote Media Processor (RMP) can bedeployed behind your firewall for the ulti-mate combination of ASP ease,and thesecurity of internally deployed software.RMP allows file ingest,verification,and otherfunctions to happen locally in your own ITenvironment.

ManagementYou often hear a great deal about archive

management,but the truth is that what mostbusinesses care about is actually managingthat content for distribution.

The MPS SolutionWhether it is setting metadata on a specific

clip,or organizing clips into playlists andinserting ads targeted by DoubleClick orLightningCast,MPS provides a rich set ofbuilt-in tools and integrated third-partytechnologies.

Among the many media managementinnovations pioneered by thePlatform,

perhaps the most fundamental is the con-cept of “Media Objects.”Rather than managefiles in a traditional file structure,MPS organ-izes digital media files the way you wouldnaturally think of them (see the MPS mediamanagement system screen in Figure 6).

For example,a video of a CEO interviewmight have nine different video and audiovariants in different bit rates and formats,plus a thumbnail and perhaps a PDF tran-script. In MPS,all of these discrete files aregrouped together into a single object called“Media.” The Media holds all the metadataand policies,and then the various mediafiles are made part of that object.Each filecan live on any server and have its ownpolicy settings as well.

MPS also offers the ability to create bothstatic and dynamic playlists,or sequences,which play clips in a specific order. Ads orother content can then be inserted ondemand.

MPS ToolsMPS provides web-based tools for manually

or automatically grouping files together into

media objects (e.g., group all files togetherwith the same base file name after strippingoff “.wmv”and “.mov”and “.jpg”).You canset metadata and policies on batches ofMedia at once, transcode files between for-mats and bit rates, and create playlists ofmultiple Media.

MPS AutomationAny group of actions can be automated

using the MPS SDK,which allows customersto create new commands,wizards,and toolsdirectly within the MPS user interface.Thesecustom functions can be triggered manually,or even automatically based on events inthe system.

For example,a notification process couldbe configured such that when an MPEG-2file and XML descriptor is uploaded via FTP

Figure 3: Ingest using FTP

Figure 4: MPS media metadata dialog

(automatically from your encoding work-flow,of course):

• The MPEG-2 file is automatically converted to WMV and Flash Video in 2 bit rates each

• Metadata is automatically extracted from the XML file

• Policy is set based on categories in the XML file

• Syndication events are triggered to distribute thecontent to Verizon Wireless V CAST, ComcastThe FAN, and MSN Video Downloads

• Email is sent notifying appropriate people that ingest is complete

All of this and more can be configured tohappen automatically based on rules youspecify.Unlike traditional web content man-agement systems,customizing MPS is quickand cost-effective. It can be done in-houseby your own developers or throughthePlatform’s professional services team—usually in hours or days, rather than weeks,months,and years.

Setting and Enforcing PolicyPolicy is one of the most important

aspects of building a real business aroundmedia distribution.Who can access content,when and from where,for how long,andthrough what mechanisms (e.g.,streamingversus download)? These are the rule setscontent owners and aggregators need to haveto support the business deals they make.

The MPS SolutionFirst and foremost,it is critical to distinguish

between defining policy and enforcing it.Lesspowerful solutions often blur the two in a sin-gle rigid process.MPS,however,lets you definespecific policies,such as “this video can onlybe delivered to a location within the U.S.andCanada from June 1 through August 31,2006.”Those policies can then be enforced throughrules such as “can only be streamed,”or “if

downloaded it must be encrypted with DRMand a new DRM license is required for everyplay”(see Figure 7)

Once these meta-level business rules areset up,each individual end user can have hisor her own unique permissions.For example,every registered user might be able to view

the top 10 pieces of content in your account,but only those who pay $4.95 per month canwatch the rest of the videos,and certainvideos are carved out as pay-per-view only.

In MPS,these policies can be enforced andend-user entitlements can be created in differ-ent ways.MPS includes Windows Media DRM


Figure 5: Custom ingest wizard built with the MPS SDK

Figure 6: MPS media management screen

integrated off-the-shelf,and you can encryptthe files before they ever leave your own net-work using the MPS Remote Media Processor.

Creating entitlements can be tied to yourown commerce system,but MPS offers com-plete integration with VeriSign Payflow Proand PayPal Business solutions,and a full fea-tured End-User database completely integrat-ed with the MPS commerce features.Youcan also use your own database with theMPS external authentication module usingLDAP,or web services.

MPS AutomationAs with all other MPS features,every

aspect of policy management and enforce-ment can be completely automated usingthe MPS SDK.

Deployment and ReportingOnce your content is prepared, with

policies set,you are ready to actually deploycontent to your network.Traditionally this

has been a laborious and thankless task.Thanks to the unique combination of theMPS hosted service and the RMP,content canbe kept anywhere during the preparationprocess—on a CDN, in your office,or at anyother location.

MPS ToolsWith a few clicks,Media can be released to

your delivery server or servers (different for-mats can even go to different CDNs if youchoose),and MPS and RMP take care of allfile movement.As the files move,MPS ensuresthat all of your policy settings are enforced(e.g.,encrypting the files with DRM).

MPS also tracks where every file is located.If files don’t need to be moved or duplicated,they are not. If you decide to delete a“Release”later,MPS automatically deletesfiles if they aren’t used anywhere else,butretains them if they are,until all Releases areno longer in use.

You can view reports in near-real timeshowing what content was viewed when,fromwhere,and even by whom,if you choose totrack that information (see Figure 8).

MPS AutomationMPS can automatically deploy content

based on events generated by the system,such as when new content is added and

post-processing is complete.Releases canalso be automatically deleted (withoutdeleting the source content,of course) upona defined schedule based on the policiesyou previously set.

DistributionIn the end, to generate business value—

whether internal or commercial—from yourcontent, it needs to be distributed. In somecases distribution might be directly to endusers on your own website, such as corpo-rate communications,or a content owner’ssite. In others,distribution may follow a moretraditional model of syndication to a distri-bution channel such at Comcast’s The Fanor Verizon Wireless V CAST.

The MPS SolutionMPS provides built-in tools for both end-

user and business-to-business distribution.For end users,MPS can provide turnkeyinterfaces (see “Experience”below) as wellas all of the tools to automate publishingcontent to your own website.

Integrated Syndication Services (ISS)The ISS framework provides a standard-

ized set of interfaces for delivering contentfrom an MPS account to virtually anyaggregator (see Figure 9).For example,Comcast’s The Fan is powered by MPS,but


Figure 7: MPS content restriction policies dialog

Figure 8: MPS real-time reporting

other websites are not. thePlatform haswritten “Connectors”for the ISS frameworkthat allow MPS to publish directly into thedefined publishing standards of each aggre-gator, regardless of whether they power theirown services with MPS.

These Connectors automate the processof converting digital media files into thecorrect formats, bit rates, and aspect ratios,and publishing metadata (e.g., an XML fileor web service HTTP POST) to the aggre-gator, along with any other automationnecessary.

With a single click (or even without one)content can flow into MPS and out the otherside to one, two,or a dozen or more distribu-tion points.

MPS AutomationthePlatform is continuing to create new

Connectors all the time,but customers caneven create their own connectors for inter-nal distribution,or their own unique distribu-tion partners.Each connector can automatea wide variety of functions includingtranscoding,ad insertion,deployment,andmetadata management.

ExperienceWhile many companies want to create

their own unique experiences for their

customers,many also want to be up andrunning as quickly as possible.

The MPS SolutionMPS provides turnkey portals and store-

fronts that can be used to display content toend-users (see Figure 10).These interfacesrange from easy to use HTML storefronts tosophisticated Flash-based portals supportinga range of video and audio formats with syn-chronized advertising.They can be highly cus-tomized with just a few clicks and a few linesof HTML,and include built in features such asend-user registration and sign-in,and subscrip-tion and pay-per-view purchasing models.

Each end user can see a unique body ofcontent based on what permissions theyhave been given or purchased.

MPS AutomationBeyond the turnkey interfaces, the MPS

Portal Service provides high-capacity datafeeds for all of the information necessary tocreate your own unique interface.A fewsimple URL requests can return all the infor-mation necessary to display even a highlysophisticated dynamic site.

The MPS SDK even enables two waycommunication between MPS and yourown end-user sites, for a completely customend-user experience.

Creating Your SolutionIn the end,each business is unique,with

different needs,capabilities,and limitations.The key to finding a solution that works foryou is the flexibility to customize both thefunctionality and workflow to your ownneeds, rather than conforming your businessto the limitations of someone else’s vision.

MPS is the proven solution—managingthe delivery of literally billions of digitalmedia files each year to businesses and indi-viduals the world over.

Editor’s note: Just before this publicationwent to print, thePlatform was acquired byComcast Interactive Media.

THEPLATFORM, INC.thePlatform, Inc. is an industry-leading provider of

digital media publishing solutions. The company’s

flagship product, thePlatform Media Publishing

System (MPS), is the most comprehensive

solution for media, entertainment and enterprise

customers. With MPS, customers can publish

digital media anywhere—over any network, to

any device. Custom feature enhancements and

seamless systems integration are simple using

the web services-based MPS-SDK.

Contact [email protected] today to learn

how MPS can help move your business to the

next level.


Figure 10: MPS turnkey storefrontFigure 9: ISS connector framework


MAVEN NETWORKS

Tapping Active TV Viewers Leads to

TremendousOpportunities

The pace of entertainment innovationis exciting and overwhelming at the sametime. Never before have individuals beenasked to transition to new devices, contentformats, and tools at such a rapid clip.Andthough these tools vary greatly in their spe-cific functionality, they all share one com-mon thread—audiences gain control overthe quality and scheduling of what theywatch.Audience demands for high-quality,visually appealing programming with TV-like experiences hasn’t gone away; it’s sim-ply been translated to many new forms. Forcontent providers, the opportunities aheadare littered with challenges:

• Retain & Grow Your Audience.Consumers have spoken.They want porta-bility, interactive experiences and high visualquality.

• Embrace Consumer Control. Whetherwe like it or not, consumers have control.And they aim to keep it. Content providershave to work hard to embrace that controlby offering personalized, rich experiencesthat compel individuals to put them ontheir viewing schedule. By providing toolsthat let users decide what, and how, towatch , you give them what they want.

• Building a Brand Reputation. Intoday’s entertainment and media worldyour brand includes how easy it is to workwith you, do you respect an individual’sprivacy and do you make it easy for me to

share with my social network.At the same time, advertisers have oppor-

tunities to leverage new vehicles of com-munication across portable devices andnew platforms.To do so they must createnew, more effective advertising models thatcut through the clutter and apply to manyformats.The bottom line: accountability hasnever been more critical.

Advertisers and content providers alikeare at a crossroads that presents a set ofcomplex challenges and tremendousopportunity.The development of profitablebusiness models within this highly complexenvironment are based upon fundamentalshifts in advertising formats and the entireexperience that surrounds content provid-ed to the consumer.

Lessons from History: Criteria for Adoption

Replicating traditional TV experiencesonline will fail. Commercialization ofInternet TV for the mass market requires ashift in business models and advertisingformats driven by consumer demand that isenabled by affordable new technologyoptions. By looking into the history of otherentertainment evolutions, we can learnvaluable lessons about what it takes to besuccessful.

In early 2000 the music industry hadseen stable CD sales growth for several

years. However, as online access to freecontent through Napster grew in popularity,the music industry was too slow to change.CD sales slipped, and at its peak Napstertraded 15 billion songs. In 2001, lawsuitsclosed Napster, but could not stop the copy-cat sites around the globe. CD sales contin-ued to fall dramatically.

Finally, the bruised industry addressedthe experiences consumers were demand-ing.The release of the iPod proved that newtechnology could actually grow revenue,and in 2004 the music industry saw signifi-cant growth once again.

It’s important to understand where thissuccess came from.The iPod was success-ful not because online music had changedor the cost had come down drastically, butbecause the consumer was presented witha high-value experience. Quality, profession-ally produced music could be shared,accessed, and played with user-friendly andconsumer-controlled devices. Similarly, con-sumers will determine when and howInternet TV usage progresses.

Get Ready for the RideMaven Media System™ (MMS) is the criti-

cal technology link between your mediaassets and building a loyal,revenue-generatingfollowing via broadband-accessed channels.

MMS is a comprehensive video publish-ing, management, and delivery platform


that enables content providers to marketand monetize their media assets online.Content providers can quickly and easilydesign and launch sophisticated broad-band video channels that offer unrivaledconsumer experiences to increase mediaconsumption and generate new and prof-itable revenue streams.

MMS is a comprehensive platform thatis extensible and customizable for easyintegration with existing business systemsand workflow processes. MMS is the onlysolution available that provides both astreaming media player and a desktopdownload media player in a unified pub-lishing environment. It is comprised offour key components:

Maven Publisher®, an applicationtool suite that creates and administersbroadband video channels. MavenPublisher also processes and organizesmedia files and accompanying advertise-ments, as well as managing staging andpublication workflow.

Maven Media Server, a deploymentenvironment that manages and hosts thechannels and media files that consumersview—either as streaming media or as

downloaded files.The Maven Media Serveralso performs Digital Rights Management(DRM) encryption and licensing.

Maven Players offer the most immer-sive fully branded experience available.Consumers select and view media files,build playlists, share media with friends,subscribe to content, download high-quali-ty video, and synchronize to portabledevices. Interactive overlays and the mes-sage center alert to upcoming events, newcontent and special offers.

HYBRID MEDIA PLAYER—The MavenMedia System is the only solution thatenables content providers to offer superiorviewing experiences across multiple plat-forms, devices and industry-standard mediaplayers—all through a single, unified pub-lishing environment and media playerframework.

WEB-SITE MEDIA PLAYER—On-demandstreaming access to media content directlyfrom websites.The player either launches ina separate window or can be embeddedinline directly within a web page.

DESKTOP MEDIA PLAYER—Provides anoptimized, high-quality viewing experience,plus advanced functionality for convenient

pay media models, online and offline view-ing, and synchronization to portable mediadevices. Up to HD-quality video can bedelivered unobtrusively in the background,providing for a full-screen, visually richexperience on the viewer’s desktop, orlaptop computer.

10' TV PLAYER – An optimized, lean-backexperience for viewing on large-screentelevisions controlled and navigated viaremote control. Maven’s TV-optimizedplayer supports Windows XP Media CenterEdition PCs.

Maven Metrics tracks every movementwithin the Maven Player environment. MMSthen makes this information available ina report format for actionable analyticaldecision-making.

New Revenue StreamsNew interactive advertising formats

and better communication vehicles aredriving advertising dollars to broadbandchannels. In addition, new pay media serv-ices are providing consumers with morechoices for media consumption.With theMaven Media System you can immediatelybegin to capitalize on the assets you

Maven Networks is a

pure technology enabler

whose sole business

objective is to provide the

best software solutions

for our customers.


already own to drive new, profitable rev-enue streams.

Advertising—Leverage existing relation-ships with advertising networks throughMaven’s integration partnerships with lead-ing vendors like DoubleClick, 24/7 RealMedia, Falk and Lightningcast.The MavenMedia System supports InteractiveAdvertising Bureau formats, pre- and post-roll video ad insertions, and banner andvideo ad synchronization capabilities.Yourad sales team continues to use the cam-paign tools they‘re accustomed to, turningyour broadband channel into anothersource of inventory and revenue.

Pay Media—Pay-per-view, pay-to-ownand subscription-based services are sup-ported through integration services withyour existing commerce and customerbilling systems. Maven’s integrated WindowsDigital Rights Management features make itsimple and easy to secure and controlmedia delivery and consumption.

Syndication—To reach even moreconsumers and generate additional rev-enue, Maven enables secure distributionof your broadband channel to affiliatesand other interested parties while also

providing extensive tracking and reportingon media usage.

Rapid, Turnkey DeploymentsMaven makes it fast and easy to deploy

your broadband video channel by provid-ing all of the necessary hardware and soft-ware tools required for successful globaldeployment, so that you can focus on whatyou do best: content creation and program-ming. Maven’s Managed Hosting Serviceprovides a state-of-the-art facility, guarantee-ing uptime and delivery service on a world-wide basis.

Fast Time-To-Market—MavenPublisher® quickly ingests media assetsfrom existing sources and starts to organizethe various roles and steps required forquickly deploying video channels.Designed for non-technical personnel,Maven Publisher has an intuitive user inter-face that makes it fast and easy to buildand deploy highly scalable and sophisticat-ed broadband video channels. Pre-config-ured templates, designs, and layouts make itsimple to get started and easy to maintain.

Leverage Existing Infrastructure—Maven Media System is designed to work in

concert with your existing business systemsand IT infrastructure. Maven’s open archi-tecture means that it can easily integratewith CMS, DAM, commerce, billing, andCRM systems, to leverage the technologyinvestments you’ve already made.

Unmatched Affordability—MavenMedia System’s pricing is simple to under-stand, and fast to provide a return. Pricingis based on usage so there are no surpris-es or unexpected costs.The solutionrequires no dedicated system administra-tive staff /IT support, or expensive hard-ware investments.

Complete Business Control Maven Networks is a pure technology

enabler whose sole business objective is toprovide the best software solutions for ourcustomers. Maven Networks does not act asan aggregator or middleman and we do notinsert ourselves between you and youraudiences and business partners. Rather,our technology offers our customers com-plete control over their broadband videochannels, branding, and advertiser and cus-tomer relationships.

Branding—We understand the importance

Using existing content

and Maven’s turnkey

solution you can

implement subscriber-

based, pay-per-view, or

ad-supported programs.

of a brand. Maven Publisher provides toolsfor managing branding elements withinmedia players, installers, desktop icons, andhelp guides.We do not interject any of ourown branding elements in front of youraudience or customers.

Advertising—Controlling your advertis-ing sales, systems, and relationships is yourbusiness. Our business is to help you lever-age your investments and advertising rela-tionships by providing the broadest supportfor ad networks and systems, includingDoubleClick, 24/7 Real Media, Falk,Lightningcast and more.

Customer—Nobody is more importantthan the customer. Maven’s technologygives you direct access to your customersand full control and ownership over anydata collection, information tracking, andreporting.

Bottom Line BenefitsDevelop New Revenue Streams

Fast—Developing online revenue streamsis easier than you might think. Using exist-ing content and Maven’s turnkey solutionyou can implement subscriber-based, pay-per-view, or ad-supported programs.

Increase Media Consumption &Customer Satisfaction—By immersingaudiences with interactive experiencecontent providers build long-lasting rela-tionships with customers and prospects.And while many factors contribute tothose interactions, creating compelling,personalized communications is essential.Maven Media System provides the toolsyou need to offer the best customer expe-rience leading to long-term interactionwith your brand and a true partnershipwith your customers.

Leverage Viral Marketing &Anywhere/Anytime Viewing ForBroader Brand Awareness—Withbroadband acceptance and engaging newportable devices, individuals can accesscontent virtually anytime and anywherethey want. Maven’s technology ensures youkeep up with the latest tools without sacri-ficing quality interaction.

Detailed Measurement Tools DriveEfficiency & Smarter DecisionMaking—With Maven Metrics you knowwhat video is being watched, how long theaudience interacted with it, and what if anyactions it prompted.

Learn MoreFor a free copy of The Future of Internet

Television visit www.maven.net, [email protected], or call 617.806.8200.

ABOUT MAVEN

Maven Networks pioneered the commercial use of

HD video delivered via the Internet to PCs, TVs

and portable devices. Its product, Maven Media

System™ is the critical technology link between

video programming and building a loyal, revenue

generating Internet TV audience. Based on patent-

pending technology, Maven’s integrated video pub-

lishing and distribution platform provides unrivaled

customer experiences across multiple devices for

both download and streaming environments.

Maven Media System is used by industry-leading

organizations across the globe such as 20th

Century Fox, A&E Television Networks

International, Atom Films, CJ Media, Disney Buena

Vista Pictures, Hallmark Channel, National

Geographic Channel, Pepsi, and Sony Pictures to

deliver compelling, interactive broadband video

channel experiences using DVD and HD-quality

video. Learn more at www.maven.net.



VIVIDAS

Best Practices in Media, Broadcastand Entertainment

Simplify, Engage,and MonetizeVividas simplifies the video streaming process with a unique solution that optimizes the end-user experience while providing multiple avenues for monetization.

The purpose of this article is to reviewtrends in online video as they pertain tomedia, broadcast, and entertainment, anddiscuss the ways that Vividas streaming hassuccessfully disentangled the video stream-ing process for clients in this arena,enabling them to distribute content to aglobal audience—instantly, full-screen, andat the highest quality.

Online Video BoomAlong with the explosion of broadband,

the rapid growth of online video continues toprove that this media is critical for reachingconsumers.According to an OnlinePublishers Association Study,more than 140million people (69%) have watched videoonline with 50 million (24%) doing so weekly.

ComScore Networks reports that inMarch alone consumers viewed 3.7 billionvideo streams and nearly 100 minutes ofvideo each, compared to 85 minutes in theprior October.Additionally, roughly 42% ofInternet users streamed video throughentertainment sites, reinforcing the impor-tance of this content and the Internet as avenue for video.

The rise in online video advertisingspending is another encouraging factor.

According to Emarketer, spending forInternet video advertising in the U.S. willnearly triple in 2007 to $640 million fromthis year’s $225 million. Consumers arecoming to terms with the idea of seeing adsthrough portals and placed ahead of othervideo content, much as they’ve been condi-tioned to expect with television.

Paradigm ShiftThe online video explosion is turning the

Internet into a channel in its own right,rather than simply an annex to broadcastersand distributors.The challenge for broad-casters, studios,and content providers ishow simplify the process of distributing,pro-moting,and monetizing their assets onlinewithout diluting them in other media.

Key trends in online video:• Collapse of video chain from provider to

consumer• Increasing length of video content• Expansion of viral video

1. Collapse of video chain fromprovider to consumerContent providers are becoming less

reliant on production companies andbroadcasters to show their content and

ultimately determine the financial fate of apiece of film.With the evolution of onlinevideo technology and increased consumerappetite for video over the Internet,power isshifting into the hands of content providerswho now have a virtual marketplace inwhich to release film at minimal cost andwith multiple outlets for generating revenue.

2. Increasing length of video contentWhile most of the video on the Internet

consists of shorter clips,we are now seeinglonger-form content,particularly as networksand film studios have started releasing topprogramming online.However, to get audi-ences to pay for the privilege via in-streamadvertising or models such as PPV or OnDemand,content providers need to findsolutions that offer a more user friendly,dynamic experience in which the qualityand sound of the video remain constant overlonger periods of time.This is where Vividastechnology offers significant advantages.

3. Expansion of viral videoViral video has demonstrated enormous

power for generating traffic whether it’sonline advertising forwarded from aninbox, cutting and pasting of links, or “send


to a friend”options embedded in web sites.A few years ago top clients wouldn’t haveconsidered this a viable tactic, but as manyof the leading brands face limitations of lin-ear TV slots and challenges of coordinatingglobal campaigns, viral has become a moreattractive part of the online marketing mix.

Vividas recently helped Foster’s CarltonDraught in Australia drive a 60-second viralvideo campaign called the “Big Ad”to over5 million views over only a few months.What began as an online test to createexcitement for the free-to-air launchbecame a world-famous case study in thepower of viral brand building.

The Vividas SolutionThe following highlights the core areas in

which Vividas provides a considerableadvantage as an end to end streaming solu-tion for clients in the Broadcast, Media, andEntertainment space.

Simplified ProcessVividas is advanced video over the

Internet technology that delivers full-screen,highest-quality video to computers with noinstallation required by the end user.Vividasprovides a unique end-to-end solution that

streamlines the process of getting high-quality video online.Within 24 hours ofreceiving a tape, the content is encoded,compressed, hosted, and broadcast globallyin a seamless way that enables clients toimmediately monetize their video assets.

Optimal User ExperienceBecause other specialist media players

require users to have, upgrade, or installsoftware to view content, the quality andend-user experience varies widely depend-ing on the version of player, the windowsize, and the length of the video.

Vividas eliminates all of these variablesbecause there is no software installationrequired, and a unique player that has beenmatched to the configuration of the clientmachine is delivered every time a stream isplayed.This enables Vividas to always pro-vide the best possible speed, quality, andreliability, even at full screen and through-out longer content.

Greater ReachSince Vividas doesn’t require software

installation and runs on Windows 98 andhigher, Mac OS X, and Linux, it plays fast,full-screen, and at the highest available

quality on 95% of computers.This is muchgreater reach than the latest versions ofmost media players.

Vividas is also able to get past corporatefirewalls,delivering the best possible viewingexperience during the most critical onlineviewing hours (10-4:30 p.m.).Most corporatesettings prevent users from upgrading ordownloading specialist players, so videoeither plays in whatever lower-quality ver-sion is on the corporate network or doesn’tplay at all.This is a significant missed oppor-tunity that can considerably alter the suc-cess of any online video campaign.

Easily MonetizedVividas’ leading-edge streaming solutions

can be tailored to suit a wide range ofapplications and revenue generating mod-els, whether it’s a viral campaign, corporatecommunications, live event, news or enter-tainment broadcast, or educational con-tent.Vividas works cross-platform and isable to operate as:

• High definition• Live • IPTV• Pay-per-View• On-demand

“The Vividas technology allows The Secret to be

viewed around the globe anywhere a user has access

to an Internet connection and then can watch it when

and where they choose. The user does not have to

wait to download film before viewing it as it is delivered

on-demand within seconds and in high-resolution,

DVD-like quality. This technology allows the independent

filmmaker to deliver their work to viewers around

the world without the complications and expense of

dealing with traditional media distribution channels.

It is a great way to launch a film and we plan to

embrace it again with our future releases.”

—BOB RAINONE, PRESIDENT, THE SECRET, LLC. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS


How Vividas WorksVividas streaming is proprietary compres-

sion software combined with a uniqueplayer that is laced into the incoming videostream.The Vividas player sits on a tempo-rary file in the browser, and the video playsover any viable Internet connection with-out having to be fully installed. Once thebrowser session is closed, all of the Vividascomponents disappear.

Vividas works with each client to deter-mine the optimal method for delivering ourtechnology, whether its full support of theVividas Bureau Service or leasing of ourproprietary Vivcast Encoding Suite.

Key Benefits• Full-screen• Bandwidth-efficient• Rapid Deployment• No software installation required• Simple to use• Platform-independent• High security• Offers user metrics/tracking

Case StudiesIn the media,broadcast,and entertain-

ment space,Vividas has completed severalglobal projects which demonstrate theadvantages of our streaming technology

ranging from independent to blockbusterfilm launches and network sports highlights.

Independent Film Release: The Secret• OBJECTIVETo launch a 90-minute film called TheSecret over the Internet in full screen andhighest quality and make it accessible forimmediate, simultaneous viewing aroundthe globe via Pay Per View.Secondaryobjective was to drive DVD sales postviewing of the film.• EXECUTIONThe Vividas technology was used to play2-minute “teaser”trailers for The Secret via

“We’re always looking for new ways to engage consumers and maximize the viewing experience.

Vividas streaming video provides a high-quality, full-screen experience with a minimum of hassle.”

—ANDREW BROWN, SENIOR VP INTERNATIONAL MARKETING, UIP

a promotional campaign on thewww.thesecret.tv web site and as anembedded link sent out through viralemails.The emails were mailed frequentlyto a targeted and opt-in mailing list fromthe web site during a six month period assole marketing for the launch. In March,The Secret was released over the Internetin Vividas format for immediate, full-screen,pay-per-view stream with DVD-likecontrols,at the cost of $4.95.The DVD wasalso available for mail order at $19.95.• RESULTS• In the first 48 hours, people in over 45

countries had watched the film online• Hundreds of people continue to order the

film daily• Most watch the 90-min film in its entirety• There is nearly a 1:1 ratio of those who

watch PPV also ordering the DVD• Security of content is preserved•“Buy for a friend” option now added through

viral email

Blockbuster Movie Trailers: UnitedInternational Pictures

One of several major film studios leverag-ing Vividas technology, UIP has used Vividasto release two blockbuster film trailers glob-ally, Madagascar and War of The Worlds.

In addition to distributing the Madagascartrailer in numerous countries,UIP usedVividas streaming to test a promotion,enabling Internet users in Spain to view thefirst 8 minutes of the trailer at full screen,high quality.UIP also leveraged Vividas tech-nology to run its War of The Worlds trailers in5 languages across 15 web pages, resultingin over 250,000 views globally.

Network Sports HighlightsVividas has just completed its third cam-

paign for Australian Rugby Union in whichhighlights of top tournaments such as theInternational Test Series ans Super 14 areselected and encoded in Vividas format forfull screen streaming on the Australian

Rugby Union web site at www.rugby.com.au.The highlight series has been such a suc-

cess in drawing fans to the web site thatVividas technology is now being used tostream exclusive previews of upcomingmatches including interviews with new playersand coaching staff,and training footage.

ABOUT VIVIDASVividas Group plc is a developer and provider

of video technologies that enable full screen,

high quality video via the Internet, networks or

on CD without requiring previously installed

software. Vividas proprietary technology over-

comes the disadvantages of competing solutions

that typically offer only partial screen, or poor

quality full screen, viewing and generally require

the user either to have or to install specialist

player software.

For more information on Vividas streaming

services please contact 212.201.7900 or visit

www.vividas.com


“Vividas technology provides Australian Rugby fans around the worldwith an opportunity to relive all the action and excitement of the latestRugby matches. The full screen and quality streaming of the highlightsare critical to the enjoyment of Rugby content on the web.”

—SHANE HARMON, GENERAL MANAGER OF MARKETING, AUSTRALIAN RUGBY UNION.


WEBSIDESTORY

New Technology Calls for

New MetricsTechnology has changed. Have your web analytics kept up?

We are all trying to keep up withthe latest technologies to provide the mostengaging content to our website visitors,reach prospects when they are away fromtheir offices,or easily push updates to ourcustomers.But how do we know how effec-tive our efforts have been?

Rapid adoption of new technologies suchas streaming video,RSS,and web-enabledmobile devices is transforming media cre-ation,distribution,and consumption.Thischange in technology calls for a new schoolof thought when it comes to analyzing youronline performance.

KPIs: Making Sense Out of the NumbersTraditionally,companies have tracked and

analyzed the consumption of online mediaby counting page views.However, the recentadoption of these new technologies hasrendered traditional web analytics inade-quate at best.

While web analytics reports provide thefundamentals,Key Performance Indicators(KPIs) take reporting a step further by puttingthe numbers in context.KPIs take volumes

out of the picture,clarifying how key ratioschange over time.Some of the fundamentalKPIs that WebSideStory recommends formedia sites include the following:

• Average Page Views per Visit to track depth ofengagement for all visitors.

• Average Cost and Revenue per Visit to keep aneye on the bottom line.

• Percentage of High, Medium, and LowFrequency Visitors to track how your audiencedistributes into well, moderately, and poorlyengaged visitor segments.

• Ratio of New to Returning Visitors to have aquick indicator of the efficacy of your acquisitionand retention activities.

For companies actively tracking streamingmedia content and mobile site viewing,afew additional KPIs become relevant:

• Ratio of Stream Views to Page Views to activelymonitor the popularity of streaming contentcompared to traditional page views.

• Percent Complete Stream Views to trackwhether visitors are watching the entirety ofstreams and to keep an eye out for delivery-performance issues.

• Average Mobile Page Views per Visit to track theusage of content via mobile platforms, watchingfor increasing trends and guiding developmentand deployment of additional mobile content.

Three Keys to Online Success For Media and Content Websites

The goal for most businesses is to growthe company’s overall revenue.There arethree key areas of focus that will help youmaximize your contribution to this goal.

1. Increase Online Advertising RevenueAdvertisements,whether placed inside

streaming video content or directly on aweb page,are the primary source of revenuefor the majority of media and publishingsites.New metrics are required to help mar-keters identify the most compelling content,enabling greater revenue generation forthemselves and their advertisers. It is impera-tive to quantify audience levels and theirinteraction with streaming audio and videocontent served on your own web site,or dis-tributed to an external web site,via WindowsMedia Player,QuickTime,or RealPlayer.

Here are a few emerging KPIs to observe:• Average Number of Streams Viewed per Visit • Percent Complete Stream Views • Stream View to Conversion Rate

IFILM,a leading online video network,generates revenue from its advertisers toenable free distribution of content to its visi-tors.Using WebSideStory’s HBX™ Analytics,they will now be able to provide audiencemetrics for media streams to advertisersinstead of only providing impression counts.

Best Practices in KPI Reporting

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR THIS PERIOD LAST PERIOD CHANGE % CHANGE TARGET % OF GOAL

Page Views per Visit 2.5 1.6 56% 5 50%

Average Cost per Visit $40 $60 -0.33% $30 133%

Ratio of New to Returning Visitors 0.34 0.28 21% 0.30 113%

Percent Complete Stream Views 48% 35% 37% 55% 87%

Average Mobile Page Views per Visit 2.5 1.6 56% 5 50%

(The figure above highlights a handful of best practices for KPI reporting.)


They will also be able to send out scheduledreports to dozens of advertisers containingmetrics on the number of times a streamwas completed or how long it was viewed.

Leveraging these new metrics, IFILM willbe able to decide objectively on where toplace ads and how frequently to show adswithin the videos.They will also have thedata to persuade advertisers to expand fromon-air to online.

2. Provide Fresh and CompellingContentSite “stickiness”is one of the most important

success criteria for content sites.Attaining ahigh percentage of repeat visitors who aregetting the information they need separatessuccessful content sites from the masses.

One surefire way to entice visitors to returnis to serve information that is fresh, targetedand relevant.Focusing on the following KPIswill help optimize your site’s stickiness:

• Time Spent Per Visit• Average Page Views per Visit • Ratio of New to Returning Visitors

HBX Analytics allows sites such as The MiamiHerald and The Philadelphia Inquirer to easilyanalyze how popular specific content is toensure the most compelling stories are placedin the most prominent positions.They can alsooverlay these statistics directly on top of theirweb pages to quickly identify navigationtrends between different sections of content.

Online newspapers, such as GuardianNewspapers in the UK, leverage HBXAnalytics to create on-demand segments oftheir most loyal visitors,enabling them tounderstand the most valuable site contentand advertisements.

Media reports are available in HBX Analyticsto enable you to track popularity of streamsand Flash ads. Broadcasting companies,such as Viacom and Warner Bros.,can usethis information to help promote their showlineup,build hype online,and ultimatelygrow the broadcast audience.

3. Increase Your Company’s ReachIn addition to delivering content that is

fresh and compelling, it needs to be easilyaccessible to all of your visitors.

Local television and cable stations areincreasingly packaging news broadcasts asdownloadable podcasts,streaming webvideo,and/or mobile phone video, increasingtheir appeal for mobile users.

With HBX Analytics,marketers can segmentmobile audiences to better understand theirunique navigational behavior and contentpreferences.Detailed reporting is also providedon the mobile devices used by visitors,includ-ing brands,models and service providers.These new tracking capabilities allow publish-ers and editors to optimize content for specificdevices or groups of people accessing your site.

Analyzing the following KPIs will help youunderstand your effectiveness of reachingthe growing mobile demographic:

• Percent mobile visitor sessions • Average duration of mobile sessions• Average mobile page views per visit

SignOnSanDiego.com, the online armof The San Diego Union-Tribune, is a com-pany taking advantage of new technologytrends to extend their reach online.SignOnSanDiego.com has been formatted tobe accessible from web-enabled wirelessphones and handheld or portable devices.

Not only are they offering RSS feeds oftheir editorial,but they are also broadcastingcontent via blogs and the company has

launched a new Internet radio station.As aresult,SignOnSanDiego.com is able to gener-ate more revenue through the increasedadvertising inventory that arises by utilizingthese new channels.

Online media companies such as ESPNand ManiaTV! are also successfully extendingtheir reach by leveraging the latest media andmobile technologies.ESPN has made theirentire online and on-air presence fit into thepalm of their fans’hands with Mobile ESPN.With web analytics,ESPN can track how peo-ple are accessing the site and optimize thecontent and navigation accordingly.

ManiaTV! uses partners such asMySpace.com to boost the distribution of itsunique live broadcasts to a much larger audi-ence than it could reach on its own.The serverside media reports available in HBX Analyticsallow ManiaTV! to track content deliveredbeyond the walls of its own website.

The WebSideStory DifferenceNew technologies are transforming the

way companies and consumers interact.WebSideStory recognizes these new marketrequirements and offers the most comprehen-sive multimedia analytics solution available.

HBX Analytics, the cornerstone of theWebSideStory Active Marketing Suite™, isthe first web analytics solution to providecomprehensive real-time tracking of stream-ing media across both client and server-sidechannels.With HBX Analytics, marketersare now able to capitalize on fast-growingmediums, analyze the activity of an entirelynew set of visitor demographics, and gaina comprehensive understanding of visitorbehavior.

ABOUT WEBSIDESTORYWebSideStory, Inc. is a leading provider of on-

demand digital marketing and real-time enterprise

analytics solutions that improve online marketing,

sales and business operations. Its Active Market-

ing Suite consists of web analytics, site search,

web content management, and keyword bid

management.

“HBX Analytics is the only

solution that will allow us to

track the performance of these

new initiatives, including the

behavior of the growing

mobile device user segment.”—CHRIS JENNEWEIN,VP OF INTERNET

OPERATIONS, SIGNONSANDIEGO.COM


It’s easy now for anyone with a broad-band connection to access high-qualityaudio and video content. Shouldn’t it be justas easy for you to publish content for rapiddelivery to consumers? That’s MonetizeMedia’s philosophy: Drag,Drop,and Monetize.

Drag, Drop, and MonetizeOur technology platform lets web pub-

lishers or major studios create their owncustom branded broadband channels. Ourclients can drag and drop the content intoour Media Manager, and we do all theheavy lifting in the background.

From encoding of the videos to applyinggeographical controls and DRM to protectthe content, our solution supports variousdifferent business models, whether it is pay-per-view, subscription, or free with targetedads. Our eCommerce Gateway does authen-tication and billing and the content isdelivered over the CDN. Our technology isdesigned for ultimate consumer experiencewhether it is live events or video on demand(VOD), it can be enjoyed on any platform,PC,Mobile or TV. That’s why our slogan is“Your Media Your Way,Anytime - Anywhere.”

Why Us?Monetize Media has three unique tech-

nologies – AutoEncoder, IntelliVideo, andIntelliAdManager, that distinguish us fromother Internet TV service providers.

AutoEncoder converts virtually any videoformat to any required online industrystandard delivery format. It’s a fully hostedservice that employs two-pass encoding. Itcan be done in a batch mode with noadditional local resources required tohandle DVDs or tapes to move contentfrom one location to the next, significantlyimproving the accuracy of the process andfreeing local resources and valuable staff tofocus on what they do best.

TJ MODI, CEO, MONETIZE MEDIA

Your Media, Your Way,

Anytime—AnywhereIntelliVideo is a patent pending technol-

ogy in which we add intelligence to theaudio and video assets of our customers.Ouralgorithms extract the context of the mediaassets and add intelligence to the video andmake it fully indexed and much more search-able in the search engines. This enables theContent Owners the ability to monetize themedia assets to the fullest and also saves ona lot of the manual tasks and time.

IntelliAdManager is a fully hosted, enter-prise-class context based Ad managementand serving solution that helps marketersreach their online goals efficiently andeffectively. It gives advertisers rich targetingcapabilities based on audience intelligenceinformation and gives consumers a morerelevant online experience.

It’s as easy as Drag, Drop and Monetize.A content owner can easily drag and droptheir files into our media manager, and ourtechnology creates a broadband channelfor them. Our system does all the work inthe background.These are custom brandedbroadband channels.To achieve furthercustomization, we provide the contentowners with an easy-to-use Wizard.

Apart from Media, Broadcast andEntertainment, our technology is used forvarious diverse applications. For example,educational institutions use MonetizeMedia for e-learning applications, globalorganizations use Monetize Media to traintheir employees worldwide, and manufac-turers and retailers use it to do detailedvideo demos and presentations of theirproducts and services to communicatewith their relevant prospective customers.

Benefits for AdvertisersWe offer advertisers two services

IntelliAdMarket and IntelliAdManager thathelp them maximize the value of theirmessage and ROI.

IntelliAdMarket is a behavioral targeted adnetwork that empowers marketers,ad agen-cies,content owners,and web publishers towork together intelligently and successfully.

IntelliAdManager is context-based adver-tising for the video.Contextual video adscoupled with behavioral targeting takesinteractivity and targeting capabilities ofonline advertising to a whole new level. It’sa “Perfect Media Storm”for all three parties:advertisers,publishers and the consumers.Marketers get an opportunity to advertiseonly on contextually relevant publisher sitesand only to relevant consumers, therebyeliminating wasted deliveries. Publishersget an opportunity to approve only thoseadvertisers on their sites that are contextuallyrelevant with their own content and also ofinterest to their viewers.Consumers benefitbecause they get to see the ads that arehighly relevant to them based on theirinterests and passions.

What Sets Us Apart1. Ours is a complete end-to-end solution, from

encoding to customization, DRM to delivery,intelligent ad serving to monetization.

2. Our system is as easy as Drag, Drop &Monetize.

3. Highly scalable and flexible Architecture4. For publishers, we add Intelligence to their

video, automatically.5. For advertisers, our technology creates a perfect

balance of ultimate consumer engagement withtargeted online interactivity and rich mediaexperience to achieve maximum ROI.

ABOUT MONETIZE MEDIAMonetize Media is an Internet TV service,devoted to leveraging the inherent power ofthe Internet to transform the delivery andconsumption of media. For more information, call 866.577.2467 oremail [email protected].


With the proliferation of Internet ProtocolTelevision (IPTV) and Mobile TV deploy-ments and the skyrocketing popularity ofSocial Media Networking Sites (ESPN,Google,Yahoo!,YouTube and Snapse), theneed to efficiently reformat (transcode) con-tent for distribution to broadband,IPTV andmobile devices has become a key operationfor telecom service providers.Media Excel’sscalable transcoding solutions deliver real-time multi-format,multi-low bit-rate,high-quality video to meet anytime,anywhere,anydevice market needs while realizing storage,bandwidth and cost savings to its operators.

The Fundamental Problem of IPTV: TooMany Formats

Voice,data,and video networks are con-verging over IP,but the same does not holdtrue for the entertainment devices. In fact,there are too many devices with differentformats.Television is going digital from stan-dard definition to 18 high definition stan-dards. In mobile entertainment,Apple’s iPodand the surprising uptake of Mobile TV byconsumers complicates content distributionbecause of different display form factors.Additionally,broadband households down-load or stream videos with too many varia-tions to keep track of.

The truth of the matter is that if con-sumers had to choose between MPEG-2,MPEG-4, H.264,VC-1, Real Media, On2, Flash,DivX, Xvid and countless other proprietarycodecs along with the correct display for-mat for their cellular phone, PDA, PMP,TV,Set-Top Box, laptop or PC based on theircomputing capabilities and current loca-tion, NO ONE WOULD WATCH TV!!! It is nosurprise that the IP Video industry is strug-gling with integration issues.

EDUARDO PÉREZ, PH.D., MEDIA EXCEL

Real-Time TV Content Reformatting for

IPTV and Mobile TV DistributionUsing Media Excel’s H.264 Transcoding Solutions

Content is King, but Consumers areSelecting their Kingdoms

Consumers want their content anytime,anywhere on any device.To effectivelyaddress this IPTV and Mobile TV marketneed it is imperative to seamlesslytranscode content in real-time and on-demand for distribution to the various end-user media-enabled devices. For this pur-pose, Media Excel developed high qualityreal-time transcoding solutions to allowbroadcasters, telcos and ISPs meet con-sumer demand.

Reformatting Video Content for IPTV andMobile TV Distribution

Media Excel’s Transcoding product linewas designed to expand existing broadcast-ing, telecommunications, and ISP infrastruc-tures by reformatting content for distribu-tion over IP networks in real-time.

There are two product lines:1. HERA H.264 3000 Transcoding/Encoding

System is a turnkey appliance for telcos andService Providers.

2. Hercules H.264 1600 Encoder is a PCI-basedsolution for OEM, ODM and VAR to integrate inrack mount enterprise class servers.

Media Excel transcoders can be config-ured for a variety of real-time operationsincluding:

• Live Feeds to IPTV Broadcast (H.264 MP@L3 Full D1)

• MPEG-2 Broadcast to IPTV Broadcast• MPEG-2 Broadcast to Mobile TV (H.264,

MPEG-4, H.263) Broadcast• Multi-Channel, Multi-Format, Multi-Bit Rate

Mobile TV Broadcast

Creating IPTV and Mobile TV ChannelsCreating IPTV and Mobile TV channels

using Media Excel’s transcoders requiresthree simple steps:

1. Connect broadcast (compressed or uncompressed) feed

2. Select IPTV or Mobile TV transcoding format3. Select transport protocol for distribution

and/or save to file

Transcoding Benefits• Affordable solution starting from USD $8,995• Leverage existing infrastructure to create IPTV

and Mobile TV distribution channels• Realize infrastructure, network distribution,

storage and cost savings• Expand distribution/market channels to IP

networks• Single source or file to meet broadcasting, IPTV

and Mobile TV market demands• Establish direct relationships with consumers• Short Time-To-Market

FOR MORE INFORMATIONMedia Excel, Inc.

Phone: (512) 502-0034

E-Mail: [email protected]

Web: http://www.mediaexcel.com/sma.html


The chasm between being heard andbeing understood is not easily crossed with-out knowing–and more important,speaking–the language of your audience.

Smart organizations are increasingly con-veying marketing,sales,technical support,and other messages through live and record-ed webcasts.Communicating via the Internethas proven to be the most practical way toreach people,whether they’re prospective orcurrent customers,employees,or investors. It’sconsiderably more cost-effective to producewebcasts than it is to periodically gatherpeople together,necessitating travel andaccommodation costs and forfeiting produc-tivity.But even webcasts require resources.Wouldn’t it be welcome news to get a greaterreturn on that investment?

Try expanding your audience.In anincreasingly global economy,products andservices produced in the United States canbe marketed,sold,and supported in any num-ber of countries.According to Ethnologue(www.ethnologue.com),which keeps tabs onsuch things,there are currently 6,912 knownliving languages spoken around the globe.Speaking just one of them in addition toEnglish avails an organization of countlessnew audience members.

Closer to home,consider that while about80 percent of people in America use Englishas a first language, there are more than 300languages spoken here.More than ten per-cent of Americans identify Spanish as theirfirst language,making the U.S.home to thefifth-largest Spanish-speaking population inthe world.Furthermore,more than 2 millionAmericans speak Chinese,most commonlythe Cantonese dialect.Adding one or twotranslations to an online marketing cam-paign could drive entirely new revenue toan organization.

Once you’ve decided to reach a newaudience through translation and localiza-tion of your streamed content, the questionbecomes “how?”

IPROBE MULTILINGUAL SOLUTIONS

Translating Streams into DollarsContent localization through subtitling, dubbing, simultaneous interpretation, and captioning

OptionsOrganizations with widespread and recur-

ring language translation may have in-housecapabilities,but most companies outsourcethe work to third-party language experts.Some employ some sort of automated trans-lation engine,but while options for real-timecaptioning do exist, the level of accuracycannot be compared to human translation.

One company specializing in humantranslation is iProbe Multilingual Solutions,acompany that provides transcription, transla-tion,subtitling,captioning, interpreting,andmultilingual dubbing in any language. Inaddition to encoding subtitles,captions,andforeign language audio tracks for CD-ROMand DVD authoring or for creation of videoand broadcast masters, iProbe also deliverslocalization services for MPEG-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,WMV,AVI for Windows Media Player,QuickTime,and RealPlayer.

iProbe enables companies to use simulta-neous interpretation,dubbing,subtitling,orcaptioning to reach new audiences.The costand process varies considerably betweeneach method,and there are important differ-ences in producing live and pre-recordedbroadcast and non-broadcast events,but inany case the procedure is remarkably stream-lined,especially when compared to every-thing else that goes into producing a webcast.

The most common solution for live eventssuch as conferences,seminars,and webcasts isto add an alternate audio feed through simul-taneous interpreting.Available for Spanishviewers is also the option to broadcast thefeed with the original audio while addingSpanish captions by combining simultaneousinterpreting with real-time writing.

In the case of live events,interpreters are situ-ated in a soundproof booth in the same room,or in another room viewing the speaker viaremote video.With a pre-recorded event suchas an on-demand webcast,multimedia CD-ROM,DVD,or video,the interpretation can berecorded remotely in a post-production setting.

Subtitling is just one of the services iProbe Multilingual Solutionsoffers that can help you reach new audiences with your online video.

For pre-recorded events there are two otheroptions,each of which offers distinct advan-tages.A company can create a script from anoriginal audio track and have professionalvoice talent (native in the target language)record a new voice track,as is done by pro-duction houses and television stations.Thismethod,called dubbing,enables presentationof a highly polished product that can be local-ized to include regional idiom and inflection.

Subtitling,also done in post-production,isa process in which the audio of the originallanguage media is displayed as a text stream,either in the source language or translatedand synchronized with the video image.

ConclusionWhether your organization produces live

or pre-recorded events,you can easily reachan international audience by subtitling,dubbing,or localizing content with simulta-neous interpreting.The potential upside isextraordinary–adding just one language trans-lation can add entirely new audiences anddramatically increase ROI for your webcasts.

ABOUT IPROBE iProbe Multilingual Solutions Inc. enables worldwideorganizations to reach international audiences andlocal multi-cultural markets by facilitating communi-cation in the 6912 languages of the world. Workingwith all existing media, iProbe translates and localizescontent, provides interpreting services, producesmulti-lingual videos, CD-ROMs and DVDs; and offerstranscription, captioning and multi-language subtitlingservices as well as audio and video compression.

For more information, call 212-489-6035or email [email protected].


Streamtheworld launched a revolu-tionary streaming technology at NAB 2006that enables Internet users to listen to liveradio in MP3 and AAC+ formats with FlashPlayer and helps radio stations to increaseaudience and revenues.Here are five rules forincreasing revenues,used during the develop-ment of CKOI2,an online radio projectlaunched by Corus Entertainment,Canada’slargest station-operating network.

RULE 1: Use a technology enabling you toreach almost 100% of all Internet users

The technology developed byStreamtheworld is compatible with FlashPlayer,which is installed on almost all com-puters.When streaming through applicationssuch as Windows Media Player or Quicktime,you are at risk of losing touch with at least15% of computers.(According to an NPDOnline Research survey conducted in April2006,Windows Media Player is installed in85% of Internet-enabled computers.) Thetechnology also helps you reach everyone bystreaming on port 80 in HTTP format,mean-ing CKOI2’s streams aren’t blocked by firewallprotection,even ones used by large corpora-tions. CKOI2 has increased its audience andreduced user complaints.

RULE 2: Make your stream available for mobile devices

Streamtheworld has a unique technologyto stream radio to cell phones,so anyonewho has a mobile device using the Symbianplatform can dial a short code and easilydownload a 500Kbps application in order tolisten to CKOI2’s radio.During the streaming,when a listener likes a song,he can press abutton on his cell phone to download it asan MP3 or even as a ringtone.For themoment,CKOI2 makes money with those

STREAMTHEWORLD

Five Rules for Making More Money with

Radio Streamingdownloads,but like satellite radio,onlinebroadcasters can also charge a monthly feefor the mobile streaming access and generaterevenues by sharing this fee with the carriers.

RULE 3: Put localized ads with an ad-management system

Streamtheworld offers CKOI2 a completesolution for ad replacement and Internetaudio ad inventory-management technolo-gies.With CKOI2,the ad insertion systemallows advertisers to target users with a geo-targeting tool as well as by profile (age,gen-der,etc.) if the user is registered in the sta-tion’s listener club.The ad management sys-tem allows synchronization of visual ads withaudio ads and offers an ad gateway feature inorder make listeners see ads before theyaccess the live stream.CKOI2 also uses amodule developed by Streamtheworld to eas-ily put on the player the name of the songand the album’s cover.The module alsoallows listeners to vote on the song,make alist of their favorite songs,or buy a download-able version,and each time someone buys asong online,CKOI2 gets a commission.

RULE 4: Have your own branded playerwith content

Some radio station websites don’t have anembedded player and let people leave theirsite to open their stream in Windows MediaPlayer.By doing so,they lose potential rev-enue and don’t build their traffic.WithWinamp and some other players,you can’tembed the code in your own design.Streamtheworld works with Flash Player,and it’s easy for them to make a custom player.For CKOI2,Streamtheworld built a playerwith branding and visual advertising to gener-ate maximum revenue and brand aware-ness.To increase time spent in the player,

Streamtheworld has also put on-air DJs onvideo and,as with Neopets.com,listenershave to “take care”of the DJ by giving himdrinks and food and making him dance.Streamtheworld has a unique technology toprotect stream access,so only people whouse the branded player can listen.

RULE 5: Give access to everyone and invitethem to put you on their desktop

CKOI2 offers a free,playerless live radiostream for everyone,but those who register tothe listener club can download a desktopplayer that gives them better sound quality. Ifthey install the CKOI2 player,they have thestation’s logo directly on their desktop; eachtime they open their computer they seeCKOI2,increasing the chances they will listento the webcast.Some Internet users are afraidto download applications,so for the CKOI2project,Streamtheworld has put the trustedradio brand of CKOI on the download appli-cation and provides a much better audioquality stream for the registered listeners.Streamtheworld’s download applicationallows users to listen to the stream in theAAC+ audio format,which gives listenersnear-CD quality stereo at 32Kbps,whichreduces bandwidth costs for CKOI2.

ABOUT STREAMTHEWORLDWhatever your webcasting needs, Streamtheworld

offers turnkey audio and video streaming solutions

and helps you monetize your webcast with power-

ful tools. Contact us at 866.448.4037 or

www.streamtheworld.com

Streamtheworld works with Flash Player, and it’s easyfor us to make a custom player, like this one for CKOI2.


MICHEL BILLARD, CEO, ITIVA

QoS and Cost-Effective Video Delivery:

No Longer aPipedream

Streaming video over the Internet hasbecome commonplace,as growing numbersof individuals and companies look to theInternet as their future for delivering andviewing video content.While streamingtechnology has come a long way, two keyconcerns remain for those who deliver content: 1) providing sustainable “TV Quality”over the web,and 2) providing a high-qualityviewer experience at a reasonable cost.

Giant steps have been taken to add morebandwidth to carry this demanding content,yet these two challenges remain.One broad-caster recently stated that even if he couldafford to buy the entire capacity of currentproviders, they could still not be guaranteedconsistent high-quality video delivery.

We all know that simply adding morelanes to a highway seldom alleviates trafficcongestion.Broadband connectivity is similar

in that adding more servers in multiplelocations may help for a while,but congestionreturns when more video is transported.Instead of following this hardware-dependentexpansion plan, Itiva has created an entirelydifferent approach,promising lower costsand delivering higher quality of servicethat results in DVD- and even HD-qualityInternet video.

Quantum Transport Itiva’s Quantum Transport™ technology

uses standard Internet protocols to deliverweb-based video with unrivaled performanceand economic efficiency. Itiva’s technologytakes large media files and slices them intosmaller data packages referred to as quanta.Each quantum is a web object about the sizeof an HTTP web page,with metadata added.The quanta travel nimbly through the Internet

and over WiFi connections but,more impor-tantly, they are automatically cached into theInternet caching infrastructure.

As users download video that has beendelivered via Quantum Transport, the quantaare stored in both the existing hierarchicalcaching structure of the Internet and the endusers’cache. The more download instancesoccur, the more the quanta are cached andreadily available for other users to stream ordownload.

This creates a multicast effect whereinstead of sending the same asset to multiple viewers, the information is sentonce to hub computers (proxies) that propagate the asset to others. In otherwords, the source server does not have todeliver a number of streams equal to thenumber of viewers. Instead, the streams getmultiplied via the Internet proxies.

Itiva Quantum Transport Architecture. Left: Data is transmittedmaking maximum leverage of the ISP’s proxy infrastructure.

Traditional P2P Bit Swarming.

Right: Requires participants to leave

computers turned on anduses precious upload

bandwidth to allow otherusers to download files.


Itiva’s solution bypasses peer-to-peer (P2P)limitations and creates a network optimizedfor the most popular content.By bringingorder to the chaos of overwhelmed servers,saturated peers,and under-worked proxies,Quantum Transport overcomes the problemsand limitations normally associated withconventional bit-swarming delivery systemsand brings high-quality video at a reasonablecost to anyone with a broadband connection.

Efficiency and Cost P2P bit swarming requires participants to

keep their computer turned on, to compro-mise firewalls,and to use precious uploadbandwidth so that other users can downloadfiles. In various implementations and pilottrials from large content providers, it hasbeen clearly observed that some users arenot willing to participate in the bit swarmingprocess.Poor QoS (quality of service) is akey result,as is the higher bandwidth cost tothe content provider,because downloadswere mostly executed from backup serversat high cost per GB. With traditional P2Psystems,streaming is not possible.

Itiva’s Quantum Transport architecturecauses data delivery to occur from boththe always-on,high-bandwidth Internet infra-structure and from the end users’caches.This powerful combination allows for bothstreaming and downloading at high speeds.Since the files automatically concentrate inthe proxies and end user caches, the band-width amplification is significant.

P2P bit swarming is ISP-unfriendlybecause it tunnels through the proxy/cacheinfrastructure and results in increased WANpeering costs for the ISP. ISPs are beginningto manage this increased cost by slowingdown the tunneling packets using packetshaping limiters, reducing user downloadspeed and decreasing the overall qualityof experience.

Even though Quantum Transport canutilize contributions from end-user caches,

Quantum Transport is not reliant on end-user uploading and never operates in anuncontrolled P2P mode.

Speed, Streaming, and ScalabilityStreaming is critical for broadcasting to

large audiences,as it allows viewers to enjoytime-sensitive content,such as sports events.It actually enables the on-demand economy.Quantum Transport supports traditionalbroadcast business models and can streamadvertisement supported content. Itiva scalesto very large audience sizes and,becausethe scalability occurs by leveraging legacynetwork assets, it is extremely ISP-friendly.

Itiva is fast! Itiva’s delivery rates are limitedonly by the user’s maximum connectionspeed.In other words, if a user has adequatebroadband connection capacity, he canstream DVD-quality or HD-quality contentwith minimal buffering. This results in thehighest quality viewer experience possible.

Control, Security and DRMQuantum Transport is especially useful to

content providers because it does not generateits efficiency gain at the expense of securityor control.The quanta are tracked by an Itivacontroller that is installed near the Internetsupernodes.The controller securely com-municates encrypted information to viewers’computers,which in turn allow full controlof content publishing and un-publishing.

Intelligent NetworkingQuantum Transport also accumulates

intelligence on the network topology,determines efficient routing,and assuresoptimal performance and efficiency to therequesting user. It transparently uses theInternet’s infrastructure,and dynamicallychooses the best service routing for each user.

Groundbreaking SolutionItiva is currently being beta tested by

major film and TV studios for deliveringhigh quality movies, trailers, and live sportsbroadcasts. Content providers are findingthat it delivers the highest quality of servicewhile substantially lowering the cost ofdelivery. Itiva provides the highest quality,high definition viewing experience tomillions of simultaneous viewers in asecure, controllable manner at a lowerdelivery cost.

ABOUT ITIVAItiva Digital Media develops technologies that

significantly and positively influence adoption of

video over the Internet by enhancing the viewer

experience and making a strong business case

for media companies and content developers.

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Palo

Alto, California, Itiva technologies are currently

being beta tested by media companies.

Commercial availability is set for September,

2006. For more information, visit www.itiva.com

Application of Quantum Streaming on DreamWorks’ Over the Hedge animated movie. Itiva’s Quantum Transportenables hi-def progressive downloads of movie trailers to large audiences.


MICHAEL GORDON, CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICERLIMELIGHT NETWORKS, INC.

A Powerful Trend that Represents Fundamental Change

The Internet StreamingMedia Boom

Driven by the coming of age ofthe Internet generation and the advent ofnear-ubiquitous broadband Internet access,Internet delivery of video and other formsof media content have surged to unprece-dented levels in 2006.Nearly every daybrings new announcements–from estab-lished media companies and industry insur-gents alike–of new services,new titles,andentire new business models and businessventures.The press and analysts report thatvideo-related Internet traffic is doublingevery 3-4 months,while popular video-ori-ented sites report even faster growth.Privatecompany valuations,public company valua-tions,and corporate and venture capitalinvestments in the sector have all reachednew highs,and even ventures withunproven (in some cases,completelyunclear) business models are attractingfunding and buzz.The scene reminds manyobservers of 1999-2000, the peak of the dot-com boom,which leads many to ask: Is thisdéjà vu? Or this time, is the boom real?

The migration of media content andmedia consumption to the Internet is notonly real,but represents a powerful trendthat will drive fundamental change acrossthe media spectrum.Just as over the past tenyears the first generation of the Internet hasbeen an irresistible force for change infinance,communications,person-to-person

activities,and many other areas of our lives,over the next ten years the second genera-tion of the Internet will unleash a secondpowerful wave of change.This second gener-ation of the Internet,exemplified by themigration of digital media content and con-sumption to the Internet, the transition of theInternet to a fully multimedia environment,and the evolution of media from one-way totwo-way, from mass to specific,and frommostly linear to mostly on-demand,willexert profound influences on the producersand consumers of media content,and onthe economic relationships among them.

Two questions are key: How can we knowthat this is, in fact,a powerful and fundamen-tal trend and not just an over-hyped, flash-in-the-pan moment? And what will these funda-mental changes look like? Interestingly, theanswers to both of these questions can beobserved in the initial waves of changealready underway.

Media content is rapidly migrating tothe Internet

The amount of digital media content avail-able on the web–the variety,depth,and topi-cal range–exploded during 2005 and 2006.Building on the proven user interest inInternet-based music services,major mediacompanies,small and midsize media outlets,and insurgent media start-ups all aggressively

expanded the media content available on,ordelivered via, the Internet.The announce-ments have come one after the other,at anaccelerating rate.Here are some examples.

May: Microsoft Game Studios introduced

new game features and content for its most

popular titles, including Halo 2,available

initially only via the Internet (in-store delivery

followed six months later).

October: Apple introduced the video iPod;

ABC began selling episodes of popular

television shows on iTunes.

November: MSNBC and NBC News

launched nightly streaming of the NBC

Nightly News telecast, the first network

newscast to be streamed daily in its entirety;

Microsoft shipped the Xbox360,bundling

with each console a free lifetime subscription

to Xbox Live,an Internet service through

which users can get game updates and

previews,music videos,and high-definition

entertainment programs.

March: CBS broadcast dozens of games

live from the 2006 NCAA Men’s Basketball

Tournament via the web,extending the

2006

2005


reach of its television coverage by offering,

in each local market,every game that wasn’t

available on television;YouTube,a website

consisting entirely of user-contributed

video clips,disclosed that barely three

months after launch it was streaming

more than 30 million video clips per day;

the Associated Press launched the AP

Online Video service,available on a syndi-

cated basis through the websites of its

4,000 member organizations.

May: ABC launched online,free,ad-supported

streaming of its most popular television

shows, including Desperate Housewives,

Lost, and Alias; Microsoft and MTV

launched MTV URGE,an online music

service integrating streamed and down-

loadable music, a choice of portable

media players, and music videos and

video programming from MTV.

June: The Disney Channel launched

online streaming of its most popular

shows,with each week’s episodes avail-

able first on the Internet–before they

appeared on television.

In addition to these brand-name Internetmedia services,hundreds,perhaps thou-sands,of less well-known services werelaunched during 2005 and 2006.By way ofdemonstration,at Limelight Networks ourcustomer count more than doubled from thebeginning of 2005 through mid-June 2006,growing from just under 300 customers toover 600.A few examples of media contentavailable from these smaller,more niche-ori-ented services include: minor league hockeygames; independent, rights-cleared music;and meditational music and videos.

The surge of Internet digital media showsno signs of slowing down; in the few weeks itwill take for this whitepaper to make it intoprint,dozens more such content services willno doubt be launched.

Users approve, are taking advantage ofthe surge of content to the Internet, andas they do so their media-related behaviors change

The statistics are unambiguous–user con-sumption of Internet digital media is rapidlyincreasing.Legal music downloads quadru-pled during 2005,with consumers down-loading more than 420 million single tracksand racking up digital purchases of singles,albums,and music videos of more than $1.5billion worldwide.Half the purchases ofValve Software’s Half-Life 2,one of the mostpopular video games in history,were deliv-ered online in 2005; the original Half-Lifegame was sold only in stores.Fourteen mil-lion NCAA Tournament basketball gameswere watched via CBS’s March 2006 onlinebroadcast.From October 2005 to March2006,ComScore reports an 18% increase inthe number of Internet users watching videoonline and an 18% increase in average view-ing time per user.And according to someestimates, Internet video traffic is now dou-bling every 3 to 4 months.

This change in user behavior is beingdriven by a simple fact: unlike in 1999,Internet delivery of digital media content in2006 works.After all,users know exactly whatmedia content looks like,sounds like,andfeels like–every day, they see it on their TVs,hear it on their CDs and DVDs,and play it ontheir video game consoles.Having seen thefailures,both spectacular and routine,of ear-lier attempts to deliver digital media contentvia the web,consumers were naturally skepti-cal–so skeptical, in fact, that even as late asFebruary 2006,when CBS announced thatevery game from the first two weeks of the2006 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournamentwould be broadcast online,most user com-ments posted on bulletin boards were nega-tive,predicting massive outages and crashes,and frequently pointing to the 1999 Victoria’sSecret webcast as an example of what toexpect.But the online basketball broadcast(delivered for CBS by Limelight Networks

and Akamai) worked without a hitch,andevery viewer who wanted to watch a gamewas able to watch it.

This was a watershed moment.Once usersknow that clicking a link will immediatelystart a high-quality video that plays smoothlyto the end–that doesn’t stop or skip–theyflock to it, just like video on TV,except thatvideo on the web is not subject to the limitsof TV.To be fair, it’s also not viewed (yet) onthe big,beautiful screen in the living room,but often that doesn’t matter,particularly ifthe web video is more immediate,moreportable,or just plain available.Users love it.And the same is true for music and forgames.Web-delivered digital media contentcomes with all the built-in advantages of theInternet–what I want,when I want it,where Iwant it,and I get to actively participate.

As users consume more of their mediacontent via the Internet,other media-relatedbehaviors change as well.For example: whereon the Internet do users go to search for andget things? In the case of video,as it turnsout,not where one might think.According toHitwise,as of May 2006,YouTube.com andMySpace.com were the #1 and #2 videosearch and delivery sites,with 42% and 24%shares,respectively–far outpacing Yahoo,MSN,and Google (each with a video shareunder 10%).Two young companies,one lessthan two years old and one less than threeyears old,together attracted more than three-fourths of video searches and deliveries,while Google,the market leader in text searchwas only #5 in video,with less than 7% share.

Internet users are responding enthusiasti-cally to the broad availability of media con-tent,and their behavior is changing to takeadvantage of the new opportunities theInternet creates.

Advertising has embarked on a dramaticevolution, which will be rapid,fundamental, and permanent

Change is underway in advertising, interms of strategy,objectives,creative,and

In addition to brand-name Internet media services, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of less well-known services were launched during 2005 and 2006.


brand management.The initial changes arewell-documented: better targeting;improved management of frequency andrecency; more and increasingly clever prod-uct placements; better and more precisemeasurement of results; and a commitmentto better,more interesting creative.Thesechanges are the harbinger of a fundamentalshift, powerfully accelerated by Internet-driven changes in content availability andaudience behavior, to a more nuanced,balanced,and equal relationship betweenadvertisers and audiences.

The old model of a captive viewer subject-ed to a stream of wanted or unwanted, inter-esting or uninteresting,explicit or hiddenadvertisements is evolving into a mutuallyrespectful relationship where promotionalcontent is accepted because it is interesting,useful,emotionally compelling,and ultimate-ly desired (not merely tolerated) by the user.Marketers sometimes talk about informationgathering and ad targeting as “good for theviewer”because they lead to relevant ads;inevitably,however, this is a first step that willgive way to genuinely valuable advertisingand other promotional content that man-ages to be interesting,even sought after,while still fulfilling its mission to persuade.Ad-skipping,currently one of the industry’stop-of-mind issues,will become a long-for-gotten problem of the past as advertisingcontent compels users to watch, listen,andparticipate.Search advertising–initiated byusers,useful,and timely–is an early indica-tion, though by no means the ultimate fulfill-ment,of how advertising,and the balance ofpower between advertisers and users,willfundamentally change.

The value of content is increasing and willcontinue to increase

Content that is relevant,deep (detailedand specific),and available anytime,any-where,and on whatever device the con-sumer wants, is content that is valuable to

consumers–much more valuable than contentwith limited relevance,depth,and/or avail-ability.The text Internet demonstrates thisclearly–no one has ever said about theworldwide web,“ten billion pages and noth-ing to read.”Despite the proven power ofmultimedia formats–music is the “soundtrackof our lives”; video combines sight,sound,and motion to create powerful,evocativeexperiences; and video games are arguablythe most immersive and addictive media for-mat yet invented–the full value of most con-tent has not been realized because of limita-tions imposed by historical distributionmethods.Plastic–CDs and DVDs–must bepressed,shipped,and inventoried.Broadcast,including local terrestrial,satellite,and cabletelevision, is limited by the carrying capacityof the available spectrum (through the air orthrough a coaxial cable).Film stock must beprocessed,distributed,and exhibited.Thesetraditional media distribution methods inher-ently limit the availability of content, to eachparticular person and in terms of time,space,and range,making it difficult or impossiblefor each person to get the content that he orshe finds most interesting.

These limits are minimized on theInternet–the Internet excels at connectingpeople to the things that interest them.Thisability to better connect people to the con-tent they want increases the value of thatcontent to users–people will spend moretime with deeper,better content that particu-larly interests them than with content that isnot quite on target (at times,not even close).Whether that time spent with the content ismonetized directly, through increased priceper title,subscriptions,or pay per use,orwhether it is monetized indirectly, throughadvertising or promotional value, theincrease in user value directly translates intoincreased value to the content owner.

Nor is Internet distribution of even masspopular content a zero-sum game–anexpanded market means expanded value,

not just value shifted from one venue toanother.As an example,ABC’s launch in May2006 of free Internet streaming of populartelevision shows, including Lost,DesperateHousewives,and Alias,coincided with ratingssweeps month.More than three millionviewers watched Internet-delivered episodesduring the first two weeks of May,an incre-mental audience of about 10% over broadcastfor some shows,and without a measurablereduction in the television audience.Comments on blog sites and message boardsprovide several reasons for the expandedaudience, including time shifting,place shift-ing,and displacement of pirated downloads.These are all predictable results of combin-ing high-quality media content and the par-ticular advantages of the Internet.

The increased value of content unlockedby the Internet is important not only becausebusinesses are in business to make a profit,but also because it is proof certain that thesechanges are fundamental,not momentary.

These four initial waves of change demon-strate the permanence and importance ofthe migration of media content and mediaconsumption to the Internet,and provide ini-tial insights into how this migration willevolve over time.While no one can predictthe details with certainty, it is clear that thisevolution will create enormous opportunitiesin the years to come.

ABOUT LIMELIGHT NETWORKSLimelight Networks is the high performance

content delivery network for digital media.

Limelight’s massively scalable, global delivery

solutions are uniquely tailored to those doing

on-demand and live delivery of video, music,

games and downloads to broadband and

mobile audiences. Limelight leads the industry

in “Delivering the Digital Lifestyle™.”

866-LIGHT31

[email protected]

www.llnw.com

Web-delivered digital media content comes with all the built-in advantages of theInternet–what I want, when I want it, where I want it, and I get to actively participate.

A Powerful Trend cont’d from page 31

THOUSANDS OF FANS WATCHED THE LIVE WEBCAST.TOO BAD THE PAY-PER-VIEW SOLUTION DIDN’T WORK.

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