JUNE 2008
Fans Consumed Record Amount of Video at NHL.com After Game 5 of
the 2008 Stanley Cup Final
After Monday night's triple-overtime thriller during Stanley Cup Final Game 5 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings, on Tuesday National Hockey League (NHL) fans consumed more streaming video at NHL.com than any other single day in the history of the site.
On Tuesday, fans flocking to the NHL Network Online, and tuning to the Game Highlights Channel presented by Verizon Wireless, consumed 50 percent more streaming video than NHL.com's previous daily record. The achievement is particularly notable because the amount of highlight video consumed in the wake of Game 5 eclipsed nights when the NHL has had 15 games being played across North America.
The record amount of video is further indication that, in addition to the high quality of play, star power and drama on the ice, the NHL Network Online is successfully keeping its avid fans engaged and active since end of the regular-season. On Tuesday, the Game Highlights Channel presented by Verizon Wireless saw a record number of visitors and concurrent users.
"The NHL has made digital a central platform for activating avid fans and scaling the business, and video is the key part of that strategy," said John Collins, NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Business and Media. "As a League, we're demonstrating in record numbers the ability to deliver a large audience, both to traditional media as well as New Media platforms that are widely consumed by the most appealing demographics."
The achievement comes on the heels of the news that NBC earned a 3.8 overnight rating and a 7 share for Game 5, the best overnight rating for a Stanley Cup Final Game 5 in six years, and the best for an NHL game on NBC since NBC reacquired the NHL in 2004. The average of 6.2 million viewers made it the most-watched Stanley Cup Final game since Game 5 in 2002 between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Red Wings (6.8 million).
Also, NBC's Saturday night Game 4 coverage ranked No. 1 in primetime in Adults 18-49, Adults 18-34 and all key adult-male demographics. This marks the first time Stanley Cup coverage has scored a primetime win since Saturday, June 9, 2001 (Stanley Cup Final Game 7, Colorado-New Jersey). So far, NBC's three-game Stanley Cup Final average of 3.0/6 is an 88% increase over last year (1.6/3).
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JumpTV and NeuLion to Merge and Create IPTV
and Web Streaming Powerhouse
JumpTV Inc. a leading broadcaster of live and on-demand sports and international television over the Internet and NeuLion, Inc. an end-to-end IPTV service of live and on-demand sports, international and religious programming over the Internet and through set top boxes, today announced the companies have signed a binding letter of intent to merge creating a leading enterprise IPTV provider of online sports, international and religious programming.
The merged entity brings together two IPTV industry leaders to deliver a multi-platform IPTV and set top box solution encompassing:
- Sports: More than 200 partnerships with leading professional and collegiate sports properties, including the National Hockey League (NHL), more than 150 NCAA colleges and universities,the World Championship Sports Network and the 2010 South American, African and Asian World Cup Qualifiers
- International: More than 200 partnerships with premier international networks and channels, such as KyLinTV, the first Internet television service dedicated to the Chinese community living in North America, and ABS-CBN, the number-one TV network in the Philippines
- Multi-Platform: Live and on-demand video streaming over the Internet including NeuLion's Set Top Box solution for streaming to television
- Web Services: JumpTV's end-to-end "One Fan Profile" online customer relationship management (CRM) solution which includes web hosting, video streaming, ticket management and e-commerce
"The combination of our highly complementary technologies and depth of expertise in the areas of sports and international IPTV delivery makes for incredible synergy between the two companies," said G. Scott Paterson, Executive Chairman, JumpTV. "This merger enables us to provide our partners with a complete solution for streaming content live online across multiple devices and viewing platforms." "Consumers are becoming more reliant on broadband and Internet services for their media experiences and this shift creates enormous opportunity for content owners to reach untapped global audiences," said Nancy Li, Founder and CEO of NeuLion. "NeuLion and JumpTV have committed to creating a one-of-a-kind enterprise offering that manages the end-to-end delivery ofcontent through all broadband platforms: the PC, the TV, and an array of mobile devices."
Read the complete announcement
KyLinTV Puts Chinese TV Programming in Your Living Room
Jamie Bernstein, PC Magazine
June 11, 2008
When I got the press materials, I knew I had to check out the KyLinTV. This is a first-of-its-kind offering that puts current Chinese TV programming in your living room no matter where you are on the globe. It's all delivered via the Web, but here's the sweet part--you don't need a computer to access the content. Everything happens in the KyLinTV box, all you need to do is supply a broadband connection and a TV.
I opened the package and found something that looked remarkably similar to a cable TV box, a bright yellow set-top box with a remote control. A broadband Internet connection is required as the input to the set-top box, and the output goes directly to a television. Any cable modem, Verizon FIOS, or DSL line that can provide a link faster than 750 Kbps will do.
You'll find several available channel packages with the KyLinTV, including some from locales like mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, along with a large video-on-demand library. Pricing begins at $16.99 per month for a basic package of 13 channels. In an agreement with the China International Television Corporation, KyLinTV recently expanded its selection with the Great Wall TV package for $29.99 per month. In addition, video-on-demand movies and dramas are available on a pay-as-you-go basis, or unlimited use for a $250 annual fee.
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Video Use Seen Hitting Eight Hours A Day by 2013
Daisy Whitney, TV Week
June 10, 2008
By 2013, U.S. consumers will spend as much time consuming video as they do sleeping, driven by more PC viewing over the next five years. That's the finding of a new study from Solutions Research Group.
Today, the average American 12 and older spends about six hours a day with video-based entertainment, up from 4.6 hours in 1996. That number will increase to about eight hours in 2013. Video-based entertainment includes video games, Internet video, DVDs and mobile video.
But not all areas of the video pie will grow. The study found that PC, Web video and mobile video consumption will rise to about 2.9 hours per day from just under one hour today, while TV likely will shrink in market share.
TV viewing will stay constant at about four hours per day. That will place TV at about 47% of the video pie, down from 64% today. TV's share will stay steady because consumers will watch more TV content on-demand or on digital video recorders and because younger consumers will shift away from TV.
Many of them already have. Today, the 12-to-24 age group watches about 42% of its video-based entertainment on TV, compared with the population average of 64%.
"People are spending a lot more time with alternative forms, like PC-delivered video," said Kaan Yigit, analyst with Solutions Research Group. "We believe the pie is expanding, and the appetite for video is remarkable, and non-video consumption on the net is converting, and there is and will be ambient video everywhere."
Pro Leagues Score Online.
Enhanced Web Sites Directed at Increasing Online Ads Giving Fans New Options
Amanda Fung, Crain's New York
May 18, 2008
In April, the National Hockey League unveiled an online video site, with seven channels of original content, to coincide with the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The move paid off, with traffic on NHL.com soaring to historic highs: The site attracted 12.4 million unique visitors last month, up 43% from the year-earlier period.
That same month, Major League Baseball launched a feature for its video site that lets baseball fans watch six games at once while tracking other up-to-the-minute information, like player stats.
In an effort to cash in on the online advertising boom, the four major professional sports leagues are beefing up their Web sites. MLB is the furthest along in its digital efforts, having invested close to $75 million in the Internet since 2000. The NHL, the National Football League and the National Basketball Association have not been as successful, but they continue to experiment with different game plans.
Focus on young fans "The Web is a natural conduit for leagues to connect with fans," says Paul Verna, an analyst at research firm eMarketer. "Fans are young and largely online."
The opportunity for leagues to generate revenues from the Web is ripe. Online advertising revenues at sports sites are projected to reach $727 million this year, up 33% from 2007 levels, according to eMarketer. Revenues are expected to surpass $1 billion in 2011.
The lift in online advertising has helped MLB Advanced Media become a big moneymaker and one of the league's fastest-growing businesses. Chief Executive Bob Bowman expects the division to generate revenues of $450 million this year, a 30% gain.
Currently, 80% of the unit's sales come from paid subscriber services and online merchandise sales. Fans pay $15 to $120 annually for access to live games streamed online and other exclusive, interactive Web content. MLB Advanced Media currently boasts more than half a million subscribers, and its MLB.com attracts about 8 million unique visitors a day.
"MLB was way ahead of the curve," says Mr. Verna. "It has managed to propagate different business models simultaneously."
While MLB and the other leagues have built-in fan bases, they face formidable competition from sites such as ESPN.com and Yahoo Sports. In addition, their sports are seasonal, which presents them with the challenge of maintaining fans' interest throughout the year. They also have to deal with blackout rules that limit the games they can broadcast on the Web.
The NHL, the NBA and the NFL are still toying with their Web strategies. The hockey league brought the Web sites of all 30 of its teams in-house last year, and it has invested millions online. The NHL has signed up top advertisers, including Verizon Communications, Dodge and Cisco, to sponsor the new video site. The organization will launch a redesigned NHL.com in October.
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