Like them or not, online videos with pre-roll ads can't be stopped, fast forwarded or skipped.  At least until now when MTV debuted an ad for Samsung which can be, well,  fast forwarded. In clever piece of technology, the Los Angeles-based software firm Panache created an ad solution which allows visitors to fast forward, sort of.  Although the ad goes much faster, [...]

Despite the plethora of streaming video and over-the-top options, the vast majority of TV viewers are keeping their cable. In a recent study, the Cable and Telecommunications Association for Marketing found that 84% of Internet video viewers still watch as much TV as they did before, suggesting that cord-cutting is indeed a myth.   What's more, 92 percent of those who watch Web [...]

Subscribers to Verizon FiOS TV now have the ability to download a range of premium video to rent or buy onto several devices including Windows PC's, the Blackberry Storm2, HTC HD2, Motorola Droid 2 and Droid X. Unlike offerings of Comcast which allows subscribers to stream programming, a program referred to as "TV Everywhere" -- the Verizon program could be called [...]

CAMBRIDGE, Mass -- With its acquisition of ON2 and its video codec VP8,  Google is seeking to establish a unified, industry-wide codec for publishers to create HTML5 video. Google's effort is called the WebM Project. It involves several industry hardware and software companies including Adobe. Recently Beet.TV visited the offices of the W3C, the global, non-profit organization headed by Tim Berners-Lee, which [...]

NEW YORK -- Yahoo will significantly increase its original video offering in 2011 with a new business show on Yahoo Finance,  scripted entertainment programming and with news video in a number of vertical areas, say Erin McPhearson, VP & Head of Originals and Video Programming, Yahoo! in this video interview with Beet.TV We spoke with her today immediately after her panel [...]

While Netflix, the MLB.com and Amazon have sophisticated payment systems in place on the Roku platform, smaller publishers have few options to generate subscription or pay-per-view payments. Beginning early next year, Roku will introduce a pay-per-view system for any publisher using the Roku platform, says company spokesperson Brian Jaquet in this interview with Beet.TV Jaquet also explains' the company's new customizable interface [...]

SAN FRANCISCO --  Livestream, the New York-based live webcast platform, had 2.9 million unique viewers in the United States in October, consuming 137 million video views, according to comScore. CEO Max Haot tells Beet.TV in this interview that the average viewing time for these videos is sixteen minutes, rivaling the engagement for long form videos such as Hulu. At the New Tee [...]

MONACO -- KickApps, the New York-based online video platform, known for helping publishers with video integration into social networks, is integrating its player/platform with NBC Universal for all its online video -- both its destination sites and for syndication, says CEO Alex Blum in this exclusive interview with Beet.TV. The implementation will cover some 20 NBCU sites, but does not include [...]

LONDON -- Videoplaza, a growing online video advertising solution provider, which recently moved headquarters from Stockholm to London, has announced an expansion in France with a partnership with M6, a major national broadcaster. In the U.K., Videoplaza is working with a number of publishers including Dennis Publishing. Earlier this year in London, we spoke with Videoplaza founder and CEO Sarosh Tavakoli about [...]

MONACO -- The digital properties of the BBC Worldwide have been quickly growing, up 18 percent over the past twelve months to 65 million unique visitors in October, according to comScore. With this growing footprint, the BBC is developing "rich verticals," says Daniel Heaf, Director of Digital for the BBC Worldwide in this exclusive video interview with Beet.TV The most recent content [...]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Merton, the American singer/piano player, whose videos on YouTube have garnered over 20 million views, has found a way to parlay his fame into a paying gig with a series of piano improv performances at several U.K. airports and other public venues, sponsored by T-Mobile. We spoke with him recently at the New Tee Vee Live conference.  [...]

Online video technology management firm Freewheel has found that the completion rate for watching post-roll video ads is 49 percent, an extraordinarily high number. This is the latest evidence that Internet TV is going to be chock full of commercials, just like regular TV. Also, this week's New Media Minute includes details on why the Digitalsmiths acquisition of Gotuit could potentially [...]

SAN FRANCISCO --  StumbleUpon, the big content referral engine, in which new content discoveries aka "stumbles" are referred to others, is moving directly into video discovery with a new video player and strategy. Last month at the New Tee Vee LIve conference in San Francisco, our correspondent Jamison Tilsner interviewed Oliver Hsiang, Director of Strategic Partnerships about the new initiative. He explains [...]

MONACO -- In an effort to track video consumption of users who view video online, on TV and via mobile, comScore is organizing a global panel of 25,000. CEO Magid Abraham explains the industry need and the new monitoring system from comScore. Beet.TV interviewed him at the Monaco Media Forum earlier this month. Andy Plesser

With its small, one-pound box priced from $60 to $100 depending on features, Roku is the "value leader" in the connected living room, says company spokesperson Brian Jaquet in this interview with Beet.TV The box is priced below Google TV, Apple TV, the new Boxee Box and Internet-ready TV's.  Jaquet says that in the face of this new competition, Roku is [...]

The Chinese government, which had been thought for some time to have been the source of the hacking of Google's servers, leading to Google's departure from China, was directed by China's Politburo, according to diplomatic cables disclosed today by Wikileaks.  The New York Times reports the role of the Chinese government in the Google attacks. For an overview of the the role [...]

MONACO -- Bing, the search engine from Microsoft has made "amazing headway" in the battle with Google for market share through "structured data," says Esther Dyson in this interview with Beet.TV Dyson discloses that she has sold two search-related companies to Microsoft recently.  They are Medstory and Powerset.com  She is also an investor in the search related company Wowd. We spoke with [...]

MONACO -- A small start-up from Copenhagen, 23 Video, has launched globally its online video platform.  Sort of a "WordPress" for online video, 23 provides a video "page" to publish and track video as a CMS solution.  Here is an example. Unlike most online video platform providers which offer a player and related support, the goal of 23 is to create video [...]

Digitalsmiths, company which creates metadata around video images, has acquired Gotuit, a company which produces human metadata authoring, the companies announced today. Earlier this month, at the New Tee Vee Live conference, we spoke with Digitalsmith's CEO Ben Weinberger for an update on his company and on the growing value of metadata around video. More on the deal by Ryan Lawler at [...]

Ran Harnevo, whose video syndication business 5Min was purchased by AOL in October for a reported $65 million, will head the growing online video operation at AOL, the company announced today. News of Harnevo's promotion was first reported by Peter Kafka of MediaMemo. Talking Syndication With the Industry's Thought Leaders MONACO -- I spent time recently with Ran at the Monaco Media [...]