VIDEOTRAK™ helps television industry participants understand the emerging economics and dynamics of the Internet-video sector by offering exclusive analysis of providers, business approaches, market statistics and consumer behaviors that are shaping the fast-growing category.  Learn more...

July 2010
Apple TV makeover may be in the works
Apple TV, branded a “hobby” by senior Apple executives, could rise up as a more serious challenger to existing online video services if Apple is somehow able to harness the vast presence of its iOS ecosystem — the more than 20 million U.S. users of its iPhone, iTouch and iPad devices — and the applications that drive their popularity.
>> Download Report Abstract

June 2010
Hulu subscription plan may hinge on new devices
As the 2nd-largest U.S. online video provider, Hulu has unusual influence on the direction of the category at large. The manner in which Hulu goes about transforming from purely a free, ad-supported video service to a subscription-backed offering could set the stage for an increase in the number of subscription video services available online — and may suggest a corresponding decrease in the range of professionally produced video available for free.
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May 2010
Internet video enthusiasts offer clues to media future
The results underscore how Internet video has become a meaningful part of the television viewing experience for broadband/multichannel TV households in which viewers are watching Internet video content over personal computers and TV screens. High satisfaction levels and strong affinity for leading online video aggregation platforms such as Hulu and Netflix’s Watch Instantly offer evidence of the appetite for Internet video among households that have embraced a new video medium.
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April 2010
Hulu may adopt dual-revenue stream model
Hulu ranks second only to Google’s YouTube in the number of videos served up to U.S. audiences. With 39 million unique viewers, it has cultivated a wide user base, and it commands roughly 10% of the U.S. online video advertising market. But despite these impressive metrics, Hulu appears to be heading toward some sort of online derivation of the same fundamental business model that has long buoyed cable TV networks: reliance on a combination of subscription and advertising revenue. The big question: If Hulu can’t survive solely on advertising in the online video world, can anybody?
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March 2010
Box talk: New devices may bridge cable-Internet video gulf
So far, almost all of the notable Internet video receivers are designed uniquely to process Internet video streams. Because of both business and technology reasons, devices like Roku’s IP video receiver cannot accommodate broadcast video signals. Although it’s widely presumed incumbent multichannel video program distributors want to thwart online video’s march toward the living room, there are signs that some MVPDs may be warming to the idea of integrating online video into the customer experience through existing or nextgeneration boxes and associated user interfaces.
>> Download Report Abstract

February 2010
Internet viewing durations measured in minutes
Despite mounting concerns among multichannel video providers that Internet video may supplant traditional pay TV subscriptions, the evidence so far suggests most Internet video consumption revolves around brief snippets of content, rather than full-length TV shows. A growing number of devices that deliver Internet video directly to TV screens could contribute to longer viewing times, but for now the data suggest Internet video operates on a much different foundation than mainstream TV platforms.
 >> Download Report Abstract

January 2010
Subscription approaches multiply as online video looks for the right model
Online video providers are taking a cue from the cable and satellite TV industries, which have long delivered a wide array of video content for a monthly subscriber fee, producing billions of dollars shared by providers and programmers. The move toward online subscription approaches, although nascent, could have the effect of reducing the amount of video content that’s available online for free. But at the same time, subscription models could improve the economics of online video delivery, potentially making providers more formidable competitors to cable and satellite services. >> Download Report Abstract

December 2009
Apple TV, part 2: A new video vision?
Two years after the debut of Apple TV, an Internet video platform that top Apple executives have branded a “hobby,” Apple appears to be determined to be taken more seriously within the mainstream video category. A series of published reports, highlighted by a detailed 12/21 Wall Street Journal article, indicate Apple is attempting to lock down rights to deliver mainstream TV programming through a subscription-based service that could leverage capabilities of Apple’s existing iTunes video repository. >> Download Report Abstract

November 2009
Blu-ray player: A Trojan horse for Internet video?
With connected Blu-ray players growing in popularity at the same time that Internet video content offerings are proliferating, the first large-scale consumer platform for Internet video to the TV set is becoming a reality. As the installed base rises, Blu-ray players could represent a competitive affront to subscription video providers that historically have had control over in-home set-top devices. >> Download Report Abstract

October 2009
Netflix Survey uncovers high usage for 'Watch Instantly'
Working with media industry research specialist Praxi Group Inc., we surveyed 1,000 Netflix customers in October, collecting responses from a qualified online panel. We found broad awareness and usage of Watch Instantly, which makes roughly 17,000 commercial-free movies and TV shows available over the Internet to customers who pay at least $8.99/month for a Netflix DVD-by-mail subscription. According to the survey, 91% of Netflix subscribers are aware of Watch Instantly, and those who use it watch an average of six titles per month over the streaming video service. >> Download Report Abstract

September 2009
AT&T stakes a claim in online video
AT&T’s launch of an online video site has escalated a battle among multichannel video providers to develop a presence in the fastgrowing Internet video sector before alternative delivery mechanisms begin to draw customers away from traditional subscription TV platforms. >> Download Report Abstract

August 2009
Roku broadens over-the-top content offerings
Introduced in 2008 as a single-purpose device outfitted to play streamed content from Netflix, the Roku set-top receiver has since been updated to accept content from Amazon’s video-rental/purchase portal, two web-video aggregators and most recently, MLB’s subscription-video service. >> Download Report Abstract

July 2009
2009 mid-year review: Authenticating a medium
Cable industry participants appear to be taking the online video segment seriously as they pursue a large-scale authentication approach that would make a large amount of online video content available only to paying cable customers.  While the threat of cord cutting appears to be overstated, there are emerging vehicles for delivery of video online that could pose a competitive threat to incumbent providers. >> Download Report Abstract

June 2009
Xbox 360: An MSO in hiding?
Microsoft is pushing for a bigger footprint in digital entertainment, and the Xbox 360 is its conduit. Although the console is primarily used for videogame play, its wide deployment makes it a potentially viable competitor for delivery of digital video services on a large scale. To date, the Xbox platform has operated mainly as a video download and playback device, falling in the same category as Apple Inc.’s iTunes video store. But the addition of new streaming services from Netflix, from Zune and possibly from a new alliance with Sky TV could make the Xbox platform more competitive as a potential alternative to cable or satellite TV services. >> Download Report Abstract

May 2009
Hulu meets Disney: 3 of 4 TV nets joined in online venture
Walt Disney Co. agreed 4/29/09 to join NBC Universal and Fox Broadcasting’s parent News Corp. as an equal owner of Hulu, giving the popular online video site new clout and new content. After focusing its online distribution efforts on its own portals and an alliance with Apple’s iTunes, Disney and its ABC unit determined the rising popularity of Hulu — its unique viewers soared by 70% from January to March — couldn’t be ignored. >> Download Report Abstract

April 2009
Online migration could affect cable's 'Everywhere' effort
Mainstay cable programming continues to migrate to Internet video sites, potentially complicating a cable industry plan to link online video availability of programs to an underlying cable subscription. Viacom’s MTV Networks and Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN are among prominent cable programmers that recently have arranged to present content through third party Internet video sites. >> Download Report Abstract

 March 2009
Cable looks for bigger Internet video play
Cable operators are working to establish an Internet video offering that provides qualified customers with online access to the video content they receive from their in-home cable TV service. Although cable operators have made varying forays into online video delivery, news reports in late February indicated there are serious talks between operators and major television networks to devise a substantial new product offering that could play to rising consumer demand for Internet-delivered video. >> Download Report Abstract

February 2009
Netflix - Xbox pairing gains major traction
Roughly 1 million Xbox Live users are watching video over Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” streaming-video service, according to Netflix and Xbox. Launched two years ago, “Watch Instantly” delivers commercial-free movies and TV shows over PCs and electronic devices to customers who pay $8.99/month or more for a Netflix DVD-by-mail account. >> Download Report Abstract

January 2009
Internet video: Ready for prime time?
Internet video’s mainstream migration has transformed the way millions of people use video, challenging longstanding assumptions about how, when and where TV shows are watched. Yet despite rapid growth in popularity and usage, the amount of time Internet video users devote to the medium is a small fraction of the time they spend watching traditional television, and there is little evidence to suggest Internet video has carved significantly into traditional viewing patterns. >> Download Report Abstract