Vessel Says It’s Exceeding Revenue Goals For Creators

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by Jessica Klein

Vessel’s written a blog post letting people know what’s gone down on the subscription/ad-supported video service since its launch about a month ago. Basically, the message is, “We’re doing very well, thank you.”

Addressing the possible concerns of creators wondering whether they can build a long-term business on the platform, Jason Kilar’s company made sure to note that early access content, one of its major distinguishing points from the likes of YouTube, is successfully drawing business. Vessel reports that over 80 percent of its “active” subscribers watch the videos that creators release first on Vessel before they come to YouTube (or elsewhere) 72 hours later.

This seems to be working out in terms of revenue, too. Vessel’s blog post also notes that the company’s monetization goals for creators have “exceeded…initial estimates.” Those initial estimates were $50 for creators per about every 1,000 views their videos get.

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This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.

 

Can the Feature Film Business Work for YouTube?

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By Sarah Ullman

Movies starring YouTube creators on YouTube in partnership with AwesomenessTV will arrive this fall, per a YouTube blog post. Furthermore, YouTube will finance original series for four creators: The Fine Brothers, Joey Graceffa, Smosh, and Prank vs. Prank. Also, take note that YouTube recently “acquired” the new StampyLonghead series “Wonder Quest.” Presumably, this means Stampy’s show will live only on YouTube and the YouTube kids’ app, and not on other platforms like Maker.tv.

Firstly, is the platform really “ready” for long form The UI/UX is continually adjusted, including a transparent video player perhaps meant to improve the viewing experience. Features published on YouTube will also have the added benefit of the analytics suite to review audience retention. (Hooray!) Producers will likely adjust the movie based on data gathered from the first YouTube window. Are we approaching a future when a feature is never truly “locked,” meaning each cut will be adjusted based on data feedback and distribution platform

Keep reading…

This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.

 

ION Counts Down YouTube’s Product-Savvy Beauty Gurus

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Beauty is big on YouTube. By now, you’ve already heard of Michelle Phan and Bethany Mota, both of whom you could say are the titans on the platform. But what about the rest What other beauty vloggers should brands be paying attention to Here are ION’s curated picks, from tutorial-makers to product-unboxers and more.

YouTube Thrives With Its Millennial Reach

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The Digital NewFronts event, which kicked off this week with hundreds of companies and producers in attendance, has a primary focus on original content being offered to many different distributors. When it comes to YouTube, however, it appears that reach is a more important factor.

Adweek recently reported that the Google-owned video channel hosted its own NewFronts presentation last night. Rather than focusing on trailblazing new programming, YouTube instead opted to discuss the power of its young audience. Stars like Grace Helbig, Justine Ezarik (iJustine) and John Green took the stage for the presentation, along with other content creators, discussing the sheer enthusiasm of said audience.

“Millennials actually want to hear from you (brands) on YouTube,” said Robert Kyncl, head of content and business operations for YouTube. “They are nearly twice as likely to prefer watching your ad on our platform than anywhere else.”

Content-heavy companies like BuzzFeed and Universal Pictures also took part in the presentation, as well as musicians like Mark Ronson (with Bruno Mars, performing the hit “Uptown Funk”) and Nate Ruess, as part of the musical groups that have found success on the platform.

Helbig, who has since gone on to host her own show on the E! Network following her viral success, said, “Because people come to my channel specifically to watch videos, your ad will resonate a whole lot more because they are engaged. How do I know this Well, in the last year, I’ve experienced first-hand how my engaged fan community drives sales. My fans made my book number one on the New York Times best seller list. My podcast debuted at number one on iTunes. They went to Netflix to watch my movie, Camp Takota. And thousands came to over 20 cities to watch my #NoFilter comedy tour with my best friends Hannah Hart and Mamrie Hart. It was all very humbling.”

YouTube also stated that its number of visitors was on the rise more than 40 percent year-over-year, serving more viewers between the ages of 18 to 49 than any other cable network.

The company also hosted a popular after party, with rap superstar Snoop Dogg playing the DJ role. His specific YouTube channel has performed well, with more than 1.2 million subscribers tuning in.

Microsoft Build: What Will Devs Do With HoloLens?

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Today Microsoft kicked off day one of their three day long event, Microsoft Build, with a lot of fanfare. There was code. Lots and lots of code. After all, it is a developer event.

You can tune in to watch the livestream and watch recorded footage from the event here, but we’ve condensed some of the biggest takeaways from today in a digestible format below.

Windows 10’s A-Comin’

According to Microsoft, they expect to see Windows 10 on at least 1 billion devices in the next 2-3 years. Providing current users of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 will certainly be helping to make this possible.

Visual Studio 2015 Will Work Across Platforms

Why should you be excited about Visual Studio 2015 Because it will allow developers to write cross-platform applications and supports Universal Apps that will run on Windows 10 devices, whether they’re phones, PC’s, Xbox’s, tablets and HoloLens. Synchronicity is the game on Windows 10.

Goodbye Internet Explorer, Hello Microsoft Edge

 

At Build, one of the most exciting opportunities was the hundreds of HoloLens devices for developers to test out and see just how real the tech is. We also found out today that Unity is not just for Oculus, but will also be able to build games for the HoloLens as well. How cool is that

And this too:

 

We remain absolutely excited to see what the future holds for this device.

Nadella’s Build 2015 Keynote In 9 Minutes

80% Of Millennials Watch TV Shows Because Of Shared Online Promos

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by Jessica Klein

It looks like the pathway to watching a TV show for millennials starts on the internet.

According to a recent study from Unruly, “The Science of Sharing: TV Promos and the Millennial Shift,” 80 percent of this demographic are likely to watch a TV show if someone shares a promo for it with them online, promos being any short clip, trailer, or original piece of video content meant to increase awareness of the show. Meanwhile, just 66 percent of “the average TV viewer” will follow the shared online promo to actually watching a TV series.

This is important because online promo sharing actually does correlate to higher ratings for TV networks. NBC serves as a good example. It has a solid grasp on social video, accounting for 48 percent of total online series promo views and 39 percent of shares, and it got 33 percent of Nielsen’s overall ratings.

Keep reading…

This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.

YouTube Partners With AwesomenessTV, Creators On Long-Form Content

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by Jessica Klein

YouTube has partnered with some of its top creators and AwesomenessTV to roll out new series and even feature films across their channels on the video platform.

As for creator partners, YouTube will be working with the Fine Brothers, Jesse Wellens and Jeana Smith of Prank vs. Prank, Joey Graceffa, and Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox of Smosh to develop new series. Though none of the series have been named or given debut dates, you can get the gist of them based on descriptions we’ve been given so far.

The Fine Brothers will be releasing a scripted comedy series that plays on the idea of reality singing competition shows. It’s being produced in partnership with Mandeville Films. Meanwhile, Prank vs. Prank will bring celebrities into their ongoing prank war, and Smosh will have a new, scripted comedy series starring the duo as they work at a themed restaurant and have to deal with its various, colorful clientele.

Keep reading…

This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.

VI Power-Sixer: Sling TV’s Roger Lynch Is Years Ahead Of You

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by Sahil Patel

The NFL raised more than a few eyebrows earlier this year when it announced plans to live-stream a regular season game next season. The move is certainly interesting, and could pave the way for the league to distribute more games digitally in the future.

Except it’s not the first time the NFL has delivered a broadcast exclusively via the internet. The league has done it before. It was in Europe. In 1999. And it wasn’t just one game, the NFL streamed one game every Sunday during the entire season.

This all happened because of a European ISP provider called Chello Broadband. The CEO of Chello at the time Roger Lynch.

Look at the career of Roger Lynch, who started out as an investment banker for Morgan Stanley, and one thing is apparent: He has a knack for beating other innovators to the punch by several years — if not a decade.

In the case of the NFL, it was distributing games in a fashion that is still considered groundbreaking 16 years later.

Read more…

This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.

 

Facebook Gets 4 Billion Video Views Daily; Shifts To Mobile

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Those thinking that Facebook’s video component still has a long way to go before catching up with YouTube may want to take a look at the social site’s latest numbers – because they’re quite staggering.

AdWeek recently reported that the company’s Q1 2015 ad revenue numbers are adding up, showing a 46 percent growth to $3.3 billion. That’s an incredible growth, especially considering the mobile side of things, with 73 percent of overall ad sales. That’s a four percent increase from the previous year’s numbers.

Despite the huge numbers, however, this actually indicates a slight decrease in business sales, although there’s not much to complain about. The market share in general continues to hold strongly, with Facebook accounting for eight percent of the overall $145 billion online advertising space for this past year – up from six percent the previous year, according to eMarketer numbers.

This won’t stop the company from continuing to try and make its video features more prominent for advertisers, especially considering that partnerships have managed to drive home big numbers, benefiting both parties.

Other stats from the company’s recent earnings report:

 

  • Monthly active users (MAUs) rose 13 percent year-over-year
  • Mobile-only MAUs totaled 581 million, marking 40 percent of the platform’s total audience
  • North America accounted for 49 percent of its overall revenue
  • Revenue from payments and other fees managed to fall five percent from the previous year, but this is due to a consumer shift from desktop to mobile gaming

 

Re/code also reported that the popular social site has managed to reach four billion video views daily, a huge leap over the one billion reported back in September 2014. 75 percent of those overall views came from mobile devices. Most of that comes from successful formatting. “We’ve always believed that the format of our ads should follow the format of what consumers are doing on Facebook,” said COO Sheryl Sandberg during a recent investors call. “The fact that there’s so much consumer video, that gives us the opportunity to do more marketing video as well.”

In the meantime, Mark Zuckerberg and company will keep a close eye on trends and see what more it can provide for brands. The second quarter numbers should certainly be interesting.