On Digital Media

On Digital Media, Episode #47: The $10 Billion Buyout

In this episode John Federico, Steve Hatch and Ken Gellman discuss:

• Eric Rochow’s flattering account of his participation in ODM Episode #46.
• Traditional banner ads failing on social networks. Collectively, we think LinkedIn probably has the best contextual presentation. MySpace, the worst. (Of course, Martha Stewart is now adding some class to the place with some new wallpaper and drapes…)
• If FaceBook can execute on their ambitious plan to use profile and lifestream data to target advertising, they may indeed improve advertising on social networks by several orders of magnitude. But can it compete with Google AdSense/AdWords?
• Steve tells us about how Lending Club used FaceBook as a test market for its loan application, then used that data as proof points to secure VC funding from Canaan Partners and Norwest Venture Partners.
• FaceBook will achieve $30MM in profit this year on $150MM in revenue. (Respectable…) Peter Thiel thinks it would be worth a $10B buyout for Google. John is incredulous. Even Ken thinks that’s a lot of money. Steve thinks a FaceBook acquisition is “bigger than the YouTube deal, but not as big as the aQuantive deal.” John wants to see the financial model. We analyze this scenario in suitable detail (in case you couldn’t tell…).
• One guy. One dating site. Millions in revenue. PlentyOfFish.com.
• YouTube users are in revolt over the new overlay ads. Film at 11. (We digress into silly food metaphors.)
• Playboy (yes, that Playboy) is going to start a social network for…College Students. It’ll be called Playboy U, of course. They’re building it on the ning platform. Kewl.
• Games (all types of games, combined) are beating online video and social networks in terms of engagement growing by 79% according to a report by Parks Associates.
• Growth in gaming is so good that MTV Networks is shifting its business model to online gaming investing $500MM over the next few years.
• Out of one business, into another: MTV’s Urge online music store is joining forces with Real Networks’ Rhapsody service to sell music downloads. Verizon Wireless’ VCAST will be the wireless distribution partner to complete the triumverate. Microsoft still comes out winning as the provider of the DRM technology. (ValleyWag has a timeline of all of MTV’s activities in digital media.)
• Wal-Mart is starting to sell DRM-Free mp3 music tracks from their online store. But you still need Windoze. And IE 7. No thanks…
• Hearst now has a total of nine mobile web sites up with the addition of mobile versions of Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire.
• Zagat Survey now has a mobile site (Zagat.mobi) that is free and supported by advertising - a shift from their traditional premium model.

Our wine this week is a Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Green Label Syrah-Shiraz, 2004.

Our closing music is Democracy from Alexander Blu.

Send us email to comments AT odmcast DOT com or call our comment line and leave a message: 775-860-2263.

You can also reach us via Gizmo Project by contacting username ondigitalmedia or by leaving a comment in our blog.

Be sure to stop by http://www.odmcast.com to complete our listener survey - we’d really appreciate it.

For partner or sponsor information, contact jaf AT newrules DOT com.

If you weren’t able to download the latest episode, you can always catch it by calling our Podlinez number (818) 688-2754 from any telephone. (Long distance charges or cellular minutes usage may apply. Blah, blah, blah.)

Technorati Tags: Online Advertising, Advertising, John Federico, Ken Gellman, Chia-Lin Simmons, Steve Hatch, Eric Rochow, Google, Acquisitions, YouTube, FaceBook, Wine, Playboy, Playboy U, ning, Social Networks, Social Networking, College Students, AdSense, Adwords, Google AdSense, Google AdWords, Lending Club, Venture Capital, VC, Parks Associates, Research, Online Gaming, Online Video, Streaming Media, Verizon Wireless, VCAST, PlentyOfFish.com, Online Dating, Martha Stewart, MTV Urge, Rhapsody, aQuantive, Microsoft, Digital Media, On Digital Media, Podcast, Podcasting, Digital Audio, Downloads, Media, Traditional Media, Big Media, Alexander Blu, DRM, UMG, Universal Music Group, Jobs, Careers, Career Development

 

 On Digital Media, Episode #47: The $10 Billion Buyout [49:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

23.Aug.07 Episodes Read more Comments (0)

On Digital Media, Episode #46: Easy Being Green

In this episode John Federico, Chia-Lin Simmons and Steve Hatch (and Oliver, John’s Cocker Spaniel…) are joined by special guest Eric Rochow from GardenFork.TV and RealWorldGreen. In addition to discovering that Eric has dog treats in his pockets, we discuss:

• Blackle: does using it really make a difference?
• NBCU is going to work with Hiro Media to distribute their video content as digital downloads through the various peer-to-peer networks, monetized with advertising. But what about the NBCU/Newscorp YouTube-like service?
• Eric’s shows are distributed both as downloads and as flash web videos. Which format of his shows gets more viewership? John saw someone watching Real World Green on their video iPod on a New Jersey Transit train…
• HBO Labs is producing video just for distribution on the Internets. Whowouldathunkit? The content will be distributed through similar channels as UGC, but will be professionally produced by HBO. Will it be purely promotional or will HBO get into the business of ad-supported media? Eric thinks it’s just a big sandbox for them to test new concepts.
• Niche cable goes Internet! The Black Family Channel has abandoned cable distribution for IPTV. Who’s next?
• Time Warner Cable is planning to launch LookBack for those of us who missed a good show on cable in the last 24 hours and appear to be succeeding where Cablevision failed. Perhaps a savvier approach? If you get a chance to use it, send us an email or voicemail and tell us how you like it.
• Listener email: They love us in Stockholm!
• Steve thinks that Google should buy Adobe for their A.I.R. platform and Adobe for Video…and now, so does GigaOm.
• Harper Collins is producing content exclusively for the iPhone. No iPhone? No content for you!
• How to get men to opt-in to marketing messages: SMS and concert tickets. Oh - and beer. Did we mention the beer?
• AdMob is serving a Billion mobile ads per month. (Yes, that’s a capital B.) Chia-Lin waxes affectionately.
• LimeWire will launch a DRM-free music store based on their peer-to-peer distribution software.
• Universal Music Group is going to be selling DRM-free music directly from artist’s web sites, but only for a limited time…and without ANY iTunes distribution. Chia-Lin thinks it’s an A-B test. John thinks the test is flawed. (Geek fight!)
• Check out Eric’s company at ChopLogic.net

Our wine this week is our old standby, the 2004 Coppola Rosso.

Our closing music is Democracy from Alexander Blu.

Send us email to comments AT odmcast DOT com or call our comment line and leave a message: 775-860-2263.

You can also reach us via Gizmo Project by contacting username ondigitalmedia or by leaving a comment in our blog.

Be sure to stop by http://www.odmcast.com to complete our listener survey - we’d really appreciate it.

For partner or sponsor information, contact jaf AT newrules DOT com.

If you weren’t able to download the latest episode, you can always catch it by calling our Podlinez number (818) 688-2754 from any telephone. (Long distance charges or cellular minutes usage may apply. Blah, blah, blah.)

Technorati Tags: Online Advertising, Advertising, John Federico, Ken Gellman, Chia-Lin Simmons, Steve Hatch, Eric Rochow, GardenFork.TV, Real World Green, HBOLabs, Time Warner Cable, LookBack, DVR, TiVo, IPTV, Cablevision, Adobe, Google, Acquisitions, Flash, Harper Collins, iPhone, AdMob, LimeWire, Choplogic, Video Podcast, Vlogging, Vlog, YouTube, Wine, Digital Media, On Digital Media, Podcast, Podcasting, Digital Audio, Downloads, Acquisitions, Media, Traditional Media, Big Media, Alexander Blu, Apple TV, iTunes Plus, DRM, EMI, UMG, Universal Music Group, Jobs, Careers, Career Development

 

 On Digital Media, Episode #46: Easy Being Green [01:00:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

15.Aug.07 Episodes Read more Comments (0)

On Digital Media, Episode #45: Hey, Rupert! Free the WSJ!

In this episode John Federico, Chia-Lin Simmons, Ken Gellman and Steve Hatch discuss:

• We received an oh-so-vague tip that “something would be happening between Hearst and an unnamed web site”. (We learned the next day that it was Hearst’s acquisition of Kaboodle.com.) We think it’s a great fit for many of their magazine titles and companion web sites. The question becomes: will they integrate it well, or will it flounder?
• EMI saw a 13.2% growth in their digital division. (From what baseline, we have no idea.) They’re seeing “encouraging signs of growth through the iTunes Store” (referring to their DRM-free experiment).
• Microsoft is licensing their PlayReady DRM to Nokia for use on their Series 60 and Series 40 phones. We want to know: what the heck is PlayReady!?!?!?
• AmieStreet delivers demand-based pricing for indie music. The company received an investment from Amazon.com.
• Yahoo is preparing to take on YouTube by revamping Yahoo Video. flickr is rumored to be the interface for uploading UGC video. (And Eric Schmidt is George Steinbrenner thanks to Ken’s sports analogy.)
• What if the WSJ.com went free? What if the NYTimes.com went paid? (What if every time one of us says the words ‘Wall Street Journal’ we have to sip our wine? The ODM drinking game! ) We delve deeply into the possibilities.

Our wine this week is our old standby, the 2004 Coppola Rosso and a 2004 Jumilla from Altos De Luzon.

Our closing music is Democracy from Alexander Blu.

Send us email to comments AT odmcast DOT com or call our comment line and leave a message: 775-860-2263.

You can also reach us via Gizmo Project by contacting username ondigitalmedia or by leaving a comment in our blog.

Be sure to stop by http://www.odmcast.com to complete our listener survey - we’d really appreciate it.

For partner or sponsor information, contact jaf AT newrules DOT com.

If you weren’t able to download the latest episode, you can always catch it by calling our Podlinez number (818) 688-2754 from any telephone. (Long distance charges or cellular minutes usage may apply. Blah, blah, blah.)

Technorati Tags: Online Advertising, Advertising, John Federico, Ken Gellman, Chia-Lin Simmons, Steve Hatch, Wine, Digital Media, On Digital Media, Podcast, Podcasting, Digital Audio, Downloads, Acquisitions, Media, Traditional Media, Big Media, Alexander Blu, MySpace, iTunes Plus, DRM, EMI, Wall Street Journal, WSJ.com, New York Times. NYTimes.com, Rupert Murdoch, PaidContent.org, Merrill Lynch, Hearst Interactive Media, Kaboodle.com, AmieStreet. Amazon.com, Amazon, Investments, VC, Venture Capital, ecommerce, Microsoft, PlayReady, Nokia, Symbian, Google, Yahoo, Yahoo Video

 

 On Digital Media, Episode #45: Free the WSJ Now! [46:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

08.Aug.07 Episodes Read more Comments (0)

On Digital Media, Episode #44: Bigger, Longer and Uncut

The first, completely unedited episode of On Digital Media!

In this episode John Federico, Steve Hatch and Chia-Lin Simmons discuss:

• Chia-Lin is moving on to a new gig. More to come in a future episode.
• CBS has contracted with four different mobile ad networks to sell advertising on the mobile versions of their sites. (Text ads, banner ads…and video?)
• The Yankee Group expects an $8 billion mobile video market by 2011
• Google is courting T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless to carry devices that include their software, services - and advertising
• T-Mobile has launched UMA service (mistakenly referred to as UMTS in this episode) in the states
• Google Maps on mobile rocks
• AC/DC to sell their music as digital downloads exclusively on Verizon’s VCAST music service
• Apple has sold 3 billion songs through the iTunes Store
• Jeremiah Owyang introduces the concept of micromedia - and we comment, of course. Steve proposes an entire episode of ODM delivered as a Twittergram. John says no way! (He’d have to edit it…)
• Forrester thinks that the iPhone has changed the concept of the mobile web. (read: it’s gone. you don’t need a mobile web site when your audience has the iPhone.)
• Battery replacement kits for the iPhone have arrived. Use at your own risk.
• AT&T will sell digital music downloads from eMusic
• Companies that include an SMS short code increase their awareness and response rates according to research from 2ergo and O2 in the UK
• Steve doesn’t think that shortcodes have much longevity. John disagrees. (Politely, of course.) We like ScanBuy (and its ilk). Regardless of the winning technology - response mechanisms are important.
• Yahoo’s ROBO study shows that search has a big impact on offline sales. The results of the study are amazing. Check it out.

Our wine this week is our old standby, the 2004 Coppola Rosso, a 2005 Jumilla and a 2004 Cabernet Shiraz from Australia.

Our closing music is Democracy from Alexander Blu.

Send us email to comments AT odmcast DOT com or call our comment line and leave a message: 775-860-2263.

You can also reach us via Gizmo Project by contacting username ondigitalmedia or by leaving a comment in our blog.

Be sure to stop by http://www.odmcast.com to complete our listener survey - we’d really appreciate it.

For partner or sponsor information, contact jaf AT newrules DOT com.

If you weren’t able to download the latest episode, you can always catch it by calling our Podlinez number (818) 688-2754 from any telephone. (Long distance charges or cellular minutes usage may apply. Blah, blah, blah.)

Technorati Tags: Online Advertising, Advertising, BlackBerry 8830, John Federico, Steve Hatch, Chia-Lin Simmons, Wine, Digital Media, On Digital Media, Podcast, Podcasting, Digital Audio, Downloads, Media, Traditional Media, Big Media, Verizon Wireless, VCAST, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Music, CBS, Google Talk, Google Phone, Google Mobile, Alexander Blu, FaceBook API, FaceBook, Jobs, Careers, Career Development, comScore, 2ergo, O2, Yahoo, ROBO Study, Retail, Search Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, eMusic, AT&T, T-Mobile, UMA, Jeremiah Owyang, MicroMedia, The Yankee Group, Forrester Research, iPhone, Twittergram, Twitter, Blogging, MicroBlogging

 

 On Digital Media, Episode #44: Bigger, Longer and Uncut [47:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

02.Aug.07 Episodes Read more Comments (0)