Tag: Real Networks

  • Tivo taps Tara Maitra as VP, GM content strategy

    Tivo taps Tara Maitra as VP, GM content strategy

    MUMBAI: Tivo, which pioneered innovations in the digital video recorders (DVR) arena in the US, has announced the appointment of Tara Maitra as VP, GM content services.

    In this role, Maitra will be responsible for developing unique content offerings for broadband delivery and relationships with content companies. She will report to Tivo VP corporate development, Edward Lichty.

    Lichty says, “Tara’s blend of industry relationships, deal-making skills and experience with new media platforms will enhance our efforts to creatively deliver best-in-class content over broadband to the television and attract new audiences for Tivo” .

    Tivo CEO,Tom Rogers says, “Tara has demonstrated throughout her career the ability to put together unique content relationships, on a cost efficient basis, providing a great way to promote new offerings to the television viewer. Tivo is very fortunate to have her expertise brought to this very important new role for the company.”

    Previously Maitra served as senior director of content development at Comcast, where she was responsible for day-to-day operations of Select on Demand, a collection of new niche non-linear networks delivered via video on-demand and broadband. Maitra helped to create new channels through partnerships, acquisitions and original programming.

    Prior to Comcast, Maitra was Primedia Digital Video executive VP, GM. She developed on-demand and broadband video businesses for Primedia’s established print franchises. Her accomplishments include launching video services on Comcast and Real Networks.

    Maitra also held a series of editorial and management positions at NBC, including vice president, general manager of CNBC /Dow Jones Business Video. There, she helped build and manage one of the first profitable streaming video web sites to offer financial content through both subscription and syndication models.

  • Streaming media subscription revenues up over 100% in the US

    Streaming media subscription revenues up over 100% in the US

    MUMBAI: Revenue earned from streaming subscription and download media in the US is forecast to reach $1.378 billion in 2005, up 109 per cent over 2004.

    This will be ther result of music services enjoying revenue growth of 397 per cent in 2004 and another 154 per cent in 2005.

    The total market is forecast to reach $2 billion in total revenue in 2006, with music, sports and entertainment subscription and download revenue leading all content categories. This data is contained in a market analysis report published by AccuStream iMedia Research.

    Overall, streaming media subscription and download revenue grew by 150 per cent from 2003 through 2004, 109 per cent from 2004 through 2005 and is currently forecast to increase by another 45 per cent next year.

    Music (streaming and download) has been the largest content category online from 2003 through the present. Subscription music services actually led download media revenue in 2003, but positions reversed in 2004, maintained that leadership position by even wider margin in 2005 and forecast to do so again in 2006.

    The download side of the business is forecast at $832 million in 2005, with streaming subscriptions at $237 million. Major brands such as Apple, Yahoo, Real Networks, AOL (MusicNet on AOL and iTunes on AOL), MLB, NFL, NBA, Nascar, StarzTicket, Movielink and many more are analysed inside this report.

    AccuStream research director Paul A. Palumbo says, “Subscriber growth across a range of subscription services in 2005 have been driven by more relevant and customised product offerings better tailored to what subs have utilized in the past. These include complementary services, expanded media player capabilities and additional subscription options that include mobile and unlimited pricing models.

    “Promotion is also as important as reaching subscribers willing to pay for content, convenience and portability. Witness the new marketing and promotional relationship between ESPN and MLB. These two brands have a long-term contextual relationship between viewers and content and that transcends mediums”.

  • Video streams up by over 100 per cent: Accustream Research

    Video streams up by over 100 per cent: Accustream Research

    MUMBAI: The constraint on broadband means that video streaming over the Internet is still limited in its scope in India. Globally however, the picture is the reverse.

    Last year, streaming media registered strong growth with total video streams up by 104 per cent to 7.8 billion and aggregate tuning hours for Internet music radio were 53 per cent higher compared to 2002.

    Around 78 per cent of video streams served were viewed at broadband rates, according to the annual market report published by AccuStream iMedia Research. The report titled Streaming Media 2003: Brand, User and Audience Share Analysis provides a detailed market analysis of the year in streaming media, with extensive data by audience type, daypart, content category, bit rate, site, network, aggregator. It also includes media consumption patterns of high-speed users, forecasts and historical comparisons.

    A company release informs that broadband streams viewed by unique user per month rose to 10.2 in 2003 compared to 6.9 in 2002. This represented a 47.8 per cent increase. The report has noted that the increase in residential broadband users, combined with an already media savvy group of high-speed users at work, plus better premium content and more sophisticated media players helped power robust growth.

    In terms of content popularity, music videos captured a 33 per cent viewing share, followed by news at 28 per cent and sports 17 per cent. The top ten streaming video sites averaged over 400 million streams per month alone last year.

    Most of the streaming growth took place on a few selected big aggregator platforms such as Real Networks, ESPN, AOL and Yahoo.