ITV

Tag: Google

  • Google launches a search product for film, television

    Google launches a search product for film, television

    MUMBAI: The world’s most valuable media firm Google has launched a new search interface, specifically created for the film, television and performing arts communities. It is currently under phase three beta development and is now available for use by the general public and entertainment-industry professionals.

    The development team is also releasing the code for the search box so it can be added to related websites.

    Currently titled ‘The Google Film, Theatre, Casting and Performing Arts Search’ this new film and performing arts search engine is an optimised Google search for topics related to film, television and the dramatic and performing arts, including topics such as movies, multimedia, musicals, dancing, singing, and modelling, with a special emphasis on websites focusing on acting, casting, news/gossip, auditions, and jobs in the entertainment industry.

    The Film and Performing Arts Search allows users to filter out irrelevant content and spam, concentrating on search results that are truly relevant to their needs and interests. Although the Google Film and Performing Arts Search will be improved and tweaked significantly over the next year, the site is now ready for use by all entertainment industry professionals and related websites, including actors, casting directors, producers, models, singers, dancers, writers, and directors.

    This new search engine is being developed using customisation tools and options provided by Google, and the search results are presented using Google’s servers and Google-hosted pages. Although Google is not directly funding or legally responsible for the development of the Google Film and Performing Arts Search Engine or for the engine’s independent development team, the developers are enthusiastic about the possibilities of these new niche search tools and resources recently opened up to businesses, programmers, and the general public by Google Inc.

    Entertainment-industry websites can add the Google Film, Theatre, Casting and Performing Arts Search to their websites either as a stand-alone search box or as an integrated part of their current search options. The technology is entirely free, with no options or obligations involved. All entertainment-industry professionals, webmasters, and enthusiasts are encouraged to submit feedback for continued improvements to this new search engine.

    Users will be able to use the Google Performing Arts search box (on any website site that offers the search box, or from the Google Film, Theatre, Casting & Performing Arts Search homepage) to find content that’s uniquely relevant to the site’s readership. Google will bulk up the results using a worldwide search of all sites, with the results weighted by which sites have been added to the engine as “Preferred sites,” along with weights based upon specific tags/refinements/filters and keywords relevant to the entertainment industry. Full sites and/or specific pages of sites are added as “Preferred pages” for the search engine to weight in a positive or negative manner.

    Users and webmasters can recommend what Refinements (aka, tags, filters, or labels) they’d like associated with any given website as a whole, or specific pages of the sites. That way, when users drill-down the search results using Google Refinements/Labels, they’ll be more likely to find relevant pages in the search results. Current Google Refinements under development for the site include the following category labels: Casting, Auditions, Entertainment Jobs, Acting, Dance, Singing, Comedians, Film, Theatre, Cabaret, Writing, Musicians, Models, Television, Entertainment Industry News, and Reviews and Gossip.

    Webmasters that add the Google Performing Arts search-box to their site should contact the search-development team via email; the team will in turn add the site’s URL to the current rotation of websites that link directly from the main graphic that appears at the top of every search-results page. Currently the main graphic links to a Back Stage MySpace page where this Google Search is already being used (www.myspace.com/casting_calls_auditions), but the plan is to change the link once every few weeks to showcase other relevant websites.

    The Google Film, Theatre, Casting & Performing Arts Search Development Team is led by award-winning writer and content-developer Luke Crowe, the co-founder of the now-defunct RoboFilms.com (a pioneer of offering short films and animation online in the 1990s) who is currently the New York editor of the Casting Departments of Back Stage Magazine and BackStage.com.

  • Google continues growing in popularity in the UK

    Google continues growing in popularity in the UK

    MUMBAI: comScore Networks, which provides measurement services for the internet and other digital media has revealed the top UK Internet properties for October, based on data collected through its comScore World Metrix audience ratings service.

    The world’s most valuable media firm Google (not including its recent acquisition YouTube) edged out software major Microsoft in October to become the most-visited Web property in the UK. eBay is in third position.

    Yahoo!, BBC and Time Warner are also present in the top 10 most popular sites in the UK. comScore Europe MD Bob Ivins says, “We have watched the popularity of Google consistently grow over time. While the current month-over-month increase was small, it was just enough to earn them the number one spot.

    “Also notable was YouTube’s 24 per cent increase in traffic in October. YouTube’s ascent in popularity around the world and in the UK, demonstrated by the site’s month-after-month double-digit percentage increases, has been remarkable.”

    It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
    Retail sites represented nearly half of the top 20 gaining sites in the U.K. in October, indicating an early interest in holiday shopping. Leading the top gainers were Woolworths Group with 2.6 million visitors and HMV with 2.4 million visitors, growing 65 and 30 per cent respectively.

    UK traffic to the Wal-Mart Web property, which includes ASDA, grew 14 per cent to 2.3 million visitors. Littlewoods Shop Direct Group grew 12 per cent to 3.9 million visitors, followed by Tesco Stores (also a top 20 site), which
    grew 12 per cent to 6.7 million visitors. Other retail sites rounding out the list of top gainers include Marks&Spencer, up 10 per cent to 2.4 million visitors; Play.com sites, up 10 percent to 3.6 million visitors; and Dixons Stores Group, up 10 percent to 4.2 million visitors.

    In addition to shopping, Britons were pparently busy booking holiday travel in October, with traffic to British Airways gaining 26 percent to 3.5 million visitors and British Midland gaining 11 per cent to 2.6 million visitors.

  • Google to acquire YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock

    Google to acquire YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock

    MUMBAI: Google Inc. has agreed to acquire YouTube, the consumer media company for people to watch and share original videos through a Web experience, for $1.65 billion in a stock-for-stock transaction. Following the acquisition, YouTube will operate independently to preserve its successful brand and passionate community.

    The acquisition combines one of the largest and fastest growing online video entertainment communities with Google’s expertise in organizing information and creating new models for advertising on the Internet. The combined companies will focus on providing a better, more comprehensive experience for users interested in uploading, watching and sharing videos, and will offer new opportunities for professional content owners to distribute their work to reach a vast new audience, states an official release.

    “The YouTube team has built an exciting and powerful media platform that complements Google’s mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,” says Google CEO Eric Schmid. “Our companies share similar values; we both always put our users first and are committed to innovating to improve their experience. Together, we are natural partners to offer a compelling media entertainment service to users, content owners and advertisers.”

    “Our community has played a vital role in changing the way that people consume media, creating a new clip culture. By joining forces with Google, we can benefit from its global reach and technology leadership to deliver a more comprehensive entertainment experience for our users and to create new opportunities for our partners,” says YouTube CEO & co-founder Chad Hurley. “I’m confident that with this partnership we’ll have the flexibility and resources needed to pursue our goal of building the next-generation platform for serving media worldwide.”

    When the acquisition is complete, YouTube will retain its distinct brand identity, strengthening and complementing Google’s own fast-growing video business. YouTube will continue to be based in San Bruno, CA, and all YouTube employees will remain with the company. With Google’s technology, advertiser relationships and global reach, YouTube will continue to build on its success as one of the world’s most popular services for video entertainment, the release adds.

    The number of Google shares to be issued in the transaction will be determined based on the 30-day average closing price two trading days prior to the completion of the acquisition. Both companies have approved the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2006.

  • Google opens video marketplace

    Google opens video marketplace

    MUMBAI: Live from the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Google Inc. announced the planned opening of the Google Video store, the first open video marketplace enabling consumers to buy and rent a wide range of video content from a major television network, a professional sports league, cable programmers, independent producers and film makers.

    This fast growing collection of videos will include prime-time and classic hits from CBS, a full slate of NBA games from this season and outstanding performances from the past, music videos from Sony BMG, Charlie Rose interviews as well as news and historical content from ITN and new titles being added everyday, informs an official release.

    “Google Video will let you watch lots of high quality video on the web for the first time. You can search and browse, and we make it fast and easy for you to watch,” said Google’s co-founder and president, Products Larry Page. “For video producers and anyone with a video camera, Google Video will give you a platform to publish to the entire Google audience in a fast, free and seamless way.”

    Available soon, people who visit the Google Video homepage at http://video.google.com will be able to browse listings of video by category from the store or search Google’s entire collection of videos by simply entering keywords into the search box, the release adds.

    “This is yet another exciting platform in which CBS can leverage its market-leading content to a whole new audience,” said CBS Corporation president & CEO Leslie Moonves. “Making our programming accessible to the Google Video store guarantees our shows significant new exposure to millions of users who are likely to access this web service and who may not be traditional TV viewers. As the industry’s most prolific generator of popular TV content, it’s only natural that CBS would partner with Google on this service, which is destined to become one of the web’s most popular destinations.”

    CBS’s current primetime hits will include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS, Survivor and The Amazing Race. Library classics will include I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch, The Twilight Zone, MacGyver, Have Gun Will Travel, Mannix, My Three Sons, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. All CBS programs will be presented commercial free.

    Google Video will also feature NBA games from this season and some of the greatest individual performances in NBA history. Marking the first time NBA fans can purchase full NBA contests on the Web, each NBA game for the rest of this season, including the NBA Playoffs and The Finals, will be available to fans in its entirety 24 hours after the contest’s conclusion. In addition, the highest scoring games of several of the NBA’s best players will be available including Kobe Bryant’s 62 point performance in three quarters vs. Dallas last month.

    Additional highlights of Google’s video collection will include:
    Music videos from Sony BMG. The line-up of launch videos includes offerings from some of SONY BMG’s global superstar artists, including Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Kenny Chesney, Destiny’s Child, Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Lil’ Flip, Jessica Simpson, Shakira, System of a Down, Switchfoot, Usher, and many more.

    Feature Length Independent Films from Greencine.com. Including works by legendary Polish director Andrzej Wajda (Promised Land), documentary filmmaker Ted Bonnitt (Mau Mau Sex Sex) and independent actor/director Caveh Zahedi (In the Bathtub of the World).

    Historic, news and educational footage from ITN. This material ranges from coverage of key events in 2005 such as the Pope John Paul II’s death, back to a recording of the 1896 coronation of Tsar Nicholas II – one of the earliest known pieces of moving imagery.

    Charlie Rose interviews. Including interviews with Henry Kissinger, Oliver Stone, Quentin Tarantino, Martha Stewart, Martin Scorsese, Harrison Ford, Dan Rather, Charles M. Schulz, Steve Jobs, Jay Leno, Tom Brokaw, and others.

    Cartoon classics from Classic Media. Featuring many of the world’s most famous animated series such as Felix the Cat, Casper The Friendly Ghost, and Rocky and Bullwinkle.

    Children’s educational programming from CLEARVUE & SVE. Educational video topics vary from teen education on tattoos to explanations about the workings of the human brain.

    Clips from Getty Images’ Archive Films Collection. A diverse collection of short clips that capture personalities, moments and eras throughout history – selected from vintage newsreels and educational film, as well as contemporary news and events from around the world.

    There will be thousands of titles for sale in the Google Video store with more titles added everyday. The list of content producers will also include a broad range of entertainment and educational partners including among others, BlueHighways TV, CareTALK, Fashion TV, here! TV, HDNet, HilariousDownloads.com, Image Entertainment, iWatchNow.com, Kantola Productions, MediaZone.com, Plum TV, PorchLight Entertainment, SOFA Entertainment, Teen Kids, Trinity Broadcasting Network, WGBH, Wheels TV, and Wilderness Film India Ltd.

  • Website marketing firm Intralink launches Search Engine TV

    Website marketing firm Intralink launches Search Engine TV

    MUMBAI: The US-based website marketing and internet market research firm Intralink has launched Search Engine Television, a weekly video stream of the latest on search engine news and website marketing tips, suggestions and processes.

    The first episode is an overview of the current state of the search engine market with a focus on Google, Yahoo and MSN. The first episode also offers interim results of Intralink’s next search engine relevance report due to be released on 2 October, as per an official release.

    The next episode will be released on 18 August at 6 pm (Eastern time) and discusses the latest trends in new media marketing, website marketing and the integration of traditional marketing methods and website marketing, the release adds.

  • China.com forms strategic partnership with Google

    China.com forms strategic partnership with Google

    MUMBAI: China.com Inc., an online game, mobile value added services and internet services provider operating principally in China, and a 77 percent-owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation, has formed a strategic partnership with Google.

    Under the agreement, Google will provide search engine technology for China.com to support searches of its English and traditional Chinese content by its users in China.

    Leveraging on its unique and valuable URL and the attractive demographics of its core user base, China.com has launched a group of websites focused on various countries and regions to help global businesses access the increasing affluent consumers in China, one of the fastest growing consumer markets in the world. The proposed partnership will be one of the most comprehensive partnerships between Google and a China internet portal since Google entered the China market, states an official release.

    The partnership with Google is expected to further enhance the user experience for China.com’s expanding base of domestic and international users, and is another demonstration of the company’s strategy to grow its user base by continuously upgrading its services and introducing new and compelling products. To maximize the benefits of the partnership, China.com and Google will cooperate across several areas including branding, content and advertising operations, adds the release.

    “China.com firmly believes that this partnership between the world’s premier search company and one of China’s leading portals with over 5 million daily users is a perfect fit. By harnessing Google’s innovative technology to China.com’s deep understanding of the China market, we can rapidly expand the user base and generate new revenue opportunities for both companies,” says China.com executive director & CFO Dr. Xiaowei Chen.

    “China is a key area of focus for Google and we are rapidly expanding our presence and operations in this important market. We are excited about our partnership with China.com and we expect our current partnership to bring significant strategic benefits. We are also looking forward to exploring with China.com further areas where our companies cooperate,” states Google president of Sales and Business Development for Greater China Johnny Chou.

  • Fox Interactive Media inks $900 million deal with Google

    Fox Interactive Media inks $900 million deal with Google

    MUMBAI: News Corporation’s Fox Interactive Media and Google Inc. have inked a multi-year search technology and services agreement whereby Google will be the exclusive search and keyword targeted advertising sales provider for Fox Interactive Media’s growing network of web properties including MySpace.com.

    Under the terms of the agreement, Google will be obligated to make guaranteed minimum revenue share payments to Fox Interactive Media of $900 million based on Fox achieving certain traffic and other commitments. These guaranteed minimum revenue share payments are expected to be made over the period beginning in the first quarter of 2007 and ending in the second quarter of 2010.

    The agreement calls for Google to power web, vertical and site specific search for MySpace.com and the majority of Fox Interactive Media properties. Google will be the exclusive provider of text-based advertising and keyword targeted ads through its AdSense program, for inventory on Fox Interactive Media’s network. Google will also have a right of first refusal on display advertising sold through third parties on Fox Interactive Media’s network.

    The integration of Google’s services including consistent search navigation across Fox Interactive Media’s network of properties is slated to begin in the fourth quarter 2006 and will provide users with access to Google’s industry leading search capabilities as well as text and display advertising from its global advertiser base.

    “Our partnership with Google underscores News Corp’s continued evolution to become a powerful force in the digital media marketplace. To have come this far and gained this much momentum in just over a year is truly remarkable. This is an exciting time in our history as a forward thinking media company and this is just the first of many steps we plan to take with Google. We look forward to expanding our relationship into many new areas over years to come,” said News Corporation president and COO Peter Chernin.

    “We believe that our innovative technologies will be of real benefit to Fox Interactive Media’s growing number of users. MySpace.com is a widely acknowledged leader in user-generated content and incorporating search and advertising furthers our mission of making the world’s information universally accessible and useful,” said Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

    “This deal is the next step in our evolution as a significant interactive player. Forming a strategic partnership with one of the most innovative companies in the world to expand our business together, monetize our platforms effectively and leverage our combined scale will provide substantial growth for our businesses,” said Fox Interactive Media president Ross Levinsohn.

    “This agreement demonstrates our commitment to bring the same innovation to monetizing user-generated content that we brought to search advertising. We look forward to other opportunities to partner with News Corp. to the benefit of its community,” said Google senior vice president, global sales and business development Omid Kordestani.

    In addition to MySpace.com, Fox Interactive Media properties that will benefit from the Google integration include online videogame and entertainment site IGN, pro sports network Scout.com, site for movie lovers Rottentomatoes.com, men’s lifestyle site AskMen.com; as well as Gamespy.com, Gamespyarcade.com, Fileplanet.com, Direct2drive.com, Teamxbox.com, 3dgamers.com, Gamestat.com, Cheatscodesguides.com and Gamermetrics.com.

  • Google to distribute ad supported MTV content

    Google to distribute ad supported MTV content

    MUMBAI: Media company Google has inked a deal with US media conglomerate Viacom.

    The online search behemoth will distribute clips of MTV’s shows that contain advertising to other web sites.

    Media reports state that sites that are part of Google’s AdSense Network will get MTV’s content. Google, Viacom and the AdSense partners will split revenues derived from the tie-in of advertising and content.

    The content will include SpongeBob SquarePants and Laguna Beach. The move will give Viacom a much broader reach than traffic to its own Web Sites. Google now uses the AdSense network to place paid-search ads for advertisers.

  • Global broadband households will more than double between 2005 and 2010: InStat

    Global broadband households will more than double between 2005 and 2010: InStat

    MUMBAI: Worldwide broadband households will more than double between 2005 and 2010, growing from about 194 million in 2005 to more than 413 million by 2010.

    Market research firm In-Stat notes that of all broadband households today, 12.8 per cent are already regularly viewing professional content via online content aggregators.

    Traditional broadcast TV networks are finally figuring out that they need to capitalise on “all this personalization stuff” or they will have deep trouble ahead.

    The Pay-TV services have realised that personalisation is the trend for the future, and they won’t be left behind while TV keeps expanding onto the Internet.

    Although online content aggregators are in the early experimentation stages of rolling out video services, they will have some dramatic revenue-generating opportunities in the next five year. The worldwide market for online content services is expected to expand by a factor of 10, growing from about 13 million households during 2005 to more than 131 million households by 2010, the high-tech market research firm says.

    In-Stat analyst Gerry Kaufhold says, “AOL, Google, Yahoo!, MSN, Apple, major broadcast TV networks, Pay-TV services and local TV stations are all working on ways to blend their video assets with personalised TV services.

    “The future of television is slowly being defined online, where the big Internet portals are finding ways to blend professional video with their high-touch services that follow consumers from screen to screen during the course of a typical day.”

    Although there has been much hype about multimedia home networks, low-cost portable storage devices that can move content throughout the home via sneakernet may win the favour of consumers because luggable media provides low-cost, high availability and convenience.

  • Time Warner to offer AOL service free-of-cost

    Time Warner to offer AOL service free-of-cost

    MUMBAI: What is perceived as a last ditch attempt to save its sinking internet business initiative AOL, Time Warner has decided to switch the service to free-to-access mode from September.

    With this move, AOL will attempt to transform itself into a full-fledged online media business venture, banking purely on advertising revenue and competing directly with rivals in this space Google, Yahoo and MSN. Approximately $2 billion subscriber revenue, which the company will miss now with the move, is expected to be made up in advertising.

    Time Warner will be implementing the free service in September this year. Former customers will be able to reactivate their accounts for free when the effort takes effect in September. According to industry estimates, AOL has lost a third of its subscribers since 2002.

    This is the next logical step for AOL to capitalize further on the explosive rise in broadband usage and online advertising. With its robust and rapidly expanding advertising operation, we expect to put AOL back on a growth path,” Time Warner president Jeff Bewkes has been quoted in media reports as saying.