Tag: tv

Fox Sports Inks 5-Year Virtual Reality Content Deal With NextVR

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
More sports content will soon be available in virtual reality, thanks to a new multi-year content deal that Fox Sports struck with NextVR, a leading VR content platform. Under the 5-year deal, Fox Sports will make a range of top sporting events for which it holds broadcast rights, such as this Sunday’s Daytona 500 NASCAR event, available for immersive viewing through NextVR. Owners of Samsung Gear VR headsets can watch VR live streams for free via the NextVR app. Previously, Fox Sports has worked with NextVR to test live VR broadcasts at the Auto Club 400 NASCAR race and the U.S. Open Golf Championship event last year.

What Brands Need To Do
With the quickening pace of VR content development and the increasing number of platforms supporting VR content, virtual reality is fast becoming the next frontier for content creators and media owners to explore. As the audience size for VR content continues to grow, it is important for brands to follow the good examples set by early adopters like Marriott Hotels and JCPenney, and start developing branded VR content in order to capitalize on the growing consumer interest in immersive experiences.

 

Source: TechCrunch

Header image courtesy of NextVR

Two New Tools To Help Brands Build Their Own Apple TV Apps

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
The launch of the new Apple TV created a new channel for brands to reach consumers in their living rooms with content marketing. Now, two companies have come out with tools to help brands build their own OTT streaming portals. Earlier today, video distribution platform VHX opened its API to let developers create their own streaming apps for Apple TV or Roku set-top boxes.

Similarly, brands hosting video content on JW Player’s platform will be able to use its newly released open-source tvOS app framework to create their own version of Netflix with ease, which Tasting Table, a food website, used to build and submit an Apple TV app for review in less than 24 hours.

What Brands Need To Do
As consumer eyeballs shift away from a rigid programming grid to time-shifted viewing due to the increasing availability and variety of streaming content, there are new opportunities for brands to reach consumers with branded content, which can live alongside traditional media content and is equally discoverable through universal search on advanced TV interfaces. Therefore, brands with video content would be smart to use the new tools available to create their own content portal apps for streaming platforms.

To read more on how brands can reach viewers on OTT platforms with branded content, please check out the Appified TV section in our Outlook 2016.

 

Sources: The Next Web & 9to5 Mac

Nearly Four Million Viewers Watched The Super Bowl Via Streaming

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
A record number of viewers watched Sunday’s big game on streaming platforms, according to CBS. The network reports that 3.96 million unique viewers tuned in to watch the match across all streaming services, compared to the over 1.3 million people watched the Super Bowl through NBC’s web stream last year. CBS also reports that those viewers consumed over 402 million total minutes of coverage, watching for more than 101 minutes each on average.

It should come as no surprise that the number of streaming audience continues to grow, as the network and NFL have been making it easier for viewers to streaming the game. This year, for example, CBS made the live stream available on its CBSSports.com website on PCs and tablet, as well as via its CBS Sports app across a variety of mobile and streaming devices, including Roku, Xbox, and the new Apple TV.

What Brands Need To Do
Unlike the previous year, CBS made the decision to bundle the broadcast and streaming ad sales for this year’s Super Bowl, which means the viewers who streamed the big game also saw the same ad spots as the viewers who watched it on TV, further expanding the already humongous reach of Super Bowl spots. As more and more viewers continues to opt for streaming content and time-shifted viewing, it is up to brands and media owners to catch up with the shifting consumer behaviors and make their content more easily accessible.

For more information on how brands can reach their audiences on streaming platforms, check out the Appified TV section in our Outlook 2016.

For more stories on how brands are leveraging new technologies to reach Super Bowl viewers, check out our coverage on Super Bowl 2016 here.

 

Source: TechCrunch

Apple TV Extends Universal Search To 3 New Apps

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Apple launched the 4th generation Apple TV last October, which allows viewers to search for keywords across content channels using Siri. At launch, only iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Showtime had universal search compatibility, and PBS was added to the list last month. Now, three new apps has joined the roster as the tvOS apps from FOX, FX, and National Geographic added support for this crucial discovery feature.

In related news, Apple is reportedly in talks with the NFL for the streaming rights of its “Thursday Night Football’ games. While earlier reports indicated that Apple had been “frustrated” by the difficult negotiations with media owners to get live TV content, the latest news suggest that Apple is still actively trying to get content for its own rumored OTT service.

What Brands Need To Do
As new TV interfaces shift away from a rigid programming grid to time-shifted, on-demand viewing, universal search becomes a crucial feature that makes it possible for viewers to discover content on channels (aka apps) that they weren’t typically looking at. As Apple continues to build out its Apple TV ecosystem, brands should take the initiative to properly index their content to prepare for its expanding universal search support.

For more information on how brands can reach viewers on digital platforms with branded content, check out the Appified TV section in our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: Wall Street Journal

NHL’s New App Showcases The Future Of TV-Watching

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
On Monday, the NHL unveiled NHL.TV, a new app that brings a next-level interactive viewing experience to hockey fans. Available for both iOS and Android, as well as all major OTT streaming devices like Roku, XBox, PlayStations, and Chromecast, the new NHL.TV app allows hockey fans to watch live, out-of-market hockey games, choose their own angle of view from six HD video feeds, and keep up with their favorite teams with a customizable dashboard showing scores and stats. The app was made by MLB Advanced Media, the same company providing the streaming infrastructure for HBO Now, the WWE, WatchESPN, and, of course, the MLB app.

What Brands Need To Do
As Tim Cook said when he introduced the revamped Apple TV last October, “the future of TV is apps,” which is evident in this new NHL streaming app. It provides the audience with much agency in choosing the way they want to watch games and engages fans with interactive extras and personalized content feeds. Any brand with video content should consider developing an app to host their branded content and leverage the parity of new content distribution model on streaming devices. In that regard, this new NHL app provides a good example in design and execution.

For more information on how brands can engage with their audience with new interactive viewing experiences, check out the Appified TV section in our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: Business Insider

Header image courtesy of NHL.TV

IPG Media Lab Releases Outlook 2016

Posted on by Lab Team

Check out our brand new 2016 Outlook here.

Every year here at the IPG Media Lab, we round up the ideas that excite us: the market trends, new technologies, and consumer shifts that are changing the ways we evaluate, buy, and consume media. And today, we are happy to present you with our Outlook 2016 – “At Your Service”– which examines the rising challenges and opportunities for marketers in the age of media abundance and how brands can deliver true value and become “lifestyle” brands in order to break through.

Take a look and let us know what you think @ipglab on Twitter or contact our Client Services Director Samantha Barrett ([email protected]); we’d love to hear from you.

Check out our special interactive Outlook webpage here: https://ipglab.com/outlook2016/

Apple Extends App Analytics To Apple TV

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Apple announced on Monday that it has extended App Analytics feature to support tvOS apps, allowing developers to get detailed feedback on how users are using their apps on the new Apple TV. Now developers and brand marketers can granularly measure marketing campaign, get app usage information, and track in-app purchases for their tvOS apps.

What Brands Need To Do
With its App Store and Universal Search, the new Apple TV offers a great platform for branded content to live alongside with traditional media content. This new analytic feature can help brands closely measure how their apps are doing and better understand which piece of content is working, and adjust their app design or update their in-app content accordingly. For more actionable suggestions on how brands can market on Apple TV, check out our Fast Forward here.

 

Source: 9to5Mac

 

CES 2016: What’s TV To Do? NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke Has Answers

Posted on by Lab Team

Yesterday afternoon, NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke took the stage at CES 2016 to make a case for the traditional TV business. Facing increasing competitions from the new Internet TV services like Netflix and digital videos, the TV ratings has been in steady decline for the past few years, but Burke firmly believes that the TV business is going to adept and hang around “for many, many years.”

Throughout his conversation with MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan, Burke stressed several times on the incomparable mass reach that TV possesses. “Niche content might work with targeted digital ads,” he admits, “but if you want a blockbuster, you better advertise on the Super Bowl.” He thinks too many marketers have been treating digital videos as a “shining new thing” that will magically replace the scale of TV, and warned against such mentality.

Nevertheless, the TV industry still needs to adept to the shifting viewing behaviors and pick up a few tricks from their digital competitors to connect with today’s mobile-first consumers. When asked about NBCUniversal’s recent investment in Vox and Buzzfeed, Burke said one of the reasons they invested is “to learn from them, to go to market with them.” He regards consumer data and premium content as the two key weapons that will help TV compete with its digital videos.

When asked if services like Netflix were enemies, friends, or frenemies, he said “all of the above,” and admitted that Netflix has definitely impacted the ratings, “but not as much as time-shifted viewing.” He concludes that all players in the content space will have to continue to evolve, and figure out how to get better at distributing content in digital spaces. To that end, NBC’s new OTT comedy streaming service SeeSo seems like a step in the right direction.

 

For more of the Lab’s CES coverage, click here.

 

You Can Now Watch Jeopardy And The Lion King In 360-Degree Videos

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Following Facebook adding support for 360-degree videos in its iOS app last week, the VR-lite format continues to gain momentum in mainstream media. One of the longest-running game shows, Jeopardy, has announced its plan to create its own 360-degree video, which will let viewers experience the last five minutes of its Tournament of Champions as if they were on set. Similarly, popular Broadway musical The Lion King also created a short 360-degree VR experience which will let viewers watch the opening number from a front seat.

What Brands Need To Do
Considering that the median viewer age of Jeopardy is over 60, it seems safe to assume that the majority of the show’s audience won’t be too familiar with 360-degree videos, and that the show is aiming to attract a younger audience with this move. Along with The Lion King, this example shows that this kind of VR-lite 360-degree interactive video is rapidly becoming an entry point for marketers and media owners to experiment with virtual reality technologies. Some early-adopting brands, such as Marriott Hotel and Target, are already dabbling in producing their own branded VR content. And if Jeopardy can try it, so can your brand.

 

Source: AdAge and Wired

Viacom Teams Up With TiVo For More Audience Data

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Viacom is about to offer advertisers a lot more audience data that goes beyond the usual metrics that Nielsen provides. Striking a new partnership deal with TiVo, Viacom will be able to use its set-top box data from over 2.3 million households using TiVo devices to boost Viacom Vantage, its ad tool that allows advertisers to target their buys based on consumer habits.

What Brands Need To Do
Following Comcast’s recent move to tap its set-top boxes for more viewer data, Viacom is likely hoping that this move will help increase the value of  its ads in the face of its declining ratings. For brands advertising on Viacom networks, this new partnership should provide them with better targeting tools and more accurate audience insights to help reach their desired audience segments.

 

Source: The Hollywood Reporter