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February 23, 2010
Posted by:
Ariel Diaz 

Content Wants to be Monetized - Fighting Online Streaming Piracy

Content doesn't want to be free, content wants to be monetized. 

If it can be effectively monetized through advertising, then it can be "free" to the viewer.  This makes sense for videos with large viewership, like NFL games and major sitcoms. However, even though this is the prevalent understanding of content distribution, there is plenty of content that can and should be monetized through direct selling, in which case content doesn't want to be free.  

UFC and other MMA producers have created a loyal following of people who are willing to pay to view their content, even as they have grown beyond niche audience sizes. They have a right to continue to protect their brand and monetize by charging customers.  

Recently these producers, UFC in particular, have begun to more aggressively protect their content and started targeting online piracy.  Even Justin.tv had to testify before congress for streaming UFC fights, not for the thousands of other copyrighted material they've streamed over their history.

It's interesting but logical that UFC is leading the legal battle against online streaming piracy, as opposed to the major networks.  This makes sense because content owners that make money by charging the audience a pay-per-view or other subscription fee have more to lose with online piracy.

Major networks make most of their money through sponsorship and advertising.  Therefore, having someone watch a live NFL game on Justin.tv is an issue of controlling distribution and brand, but there is no direct loss of revenue.  On the other hand, anyone selling video directly is potentially losing money every time someone pirates a stream. 

At YouCastr, we believe content is valuable, and content owners should have the right to choose how they make money with their content, whether it's through advertising or selling it directly.  We even have some MMA fights on YouCastr, including an upcoming MFC Heat XC fight, streamed live this coming Friday night:

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Filed under  //   Industry Commentary  
Posted by Ariel Diaz 

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February 16, 2010
Posted by:
Fahd Altobaishi 

7 Reasons You Should Be Selling Video Online in 2010

The online video wave is gaining momentum. YouCastr and the YouCastr blog show people who are not entirely familiar with the concept of selling video online how easily it can be done. Here are 7 reasons why 2010 is the year that video monetization on the web really takes off. 

1 - Watching videos online has become the norm
We are all in some way or another part of the web phenomenon that is making online viewing more popular than TV. How many online videos have you watched today? If it’s one or more then you should be aware that online video will become the dominant broadcasting medium.

2 - It’s easier than ever to produce and distribute videos
Many online video companies offer free ways to get started, but might limit the features or capacity available. You’re given a user name and a password and all the tools you need to start broadcasting your videos and selling them too.

3 - All you need is a computer and an internet connection
To some of you by now, some of this might be sounding suspiciously easy. Seriously though, all you need is to be connected online to do anything and everything you’ve wanted to with online video. That includes making money. You would be surprised how many people automatically dismiss whatever ideas they have for broadcasting videos and distributing them just because they think that they need to set up a studio or be working from an office. All you need is to get the necessary equipment and pick the right camera and you’re off.

4 - You can upload and sell videos without a higher authority’s approval
Not only do you not need an office or a studio to broadcast and sell online video, you’re also free of the wrath of network and film executives who dictate their opinions and tell you what you can and cannot air. Online video gives you the true freedom of doing what you want.

5 - You can join online communities that share your interests and build an audience
There are thousands of people from all over the world who participate in your hobbies and interests. Online video is a great opportunity to connect to your community and build an audience, especially for niche loyal audiences.

6 - You can personally profit from video monetization
Many websites and video companies help users make money with online video, offering a variety of opportunities. Some companies share advertising revenue with video producers, others allow users to pay monthly subscriptions, and some offer the ability to sell individual videos or collections of video. Take a minute to find what suits your needs the best. 

7 - You can be successful whether it's your hobby or profession
If the last decade did anything, it confirmed that the power of the online world to simplify everyday life is limitless. 2010 will surely usher in a new decade where the Internet is crowned entertainment king with online video as its best asset. If you understand the power of the Internet and are interested in any aspect of broadcasting, then start putting your video to work!

2010 will be the year that really offers video producers better ways to make money and support their productions.

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Filed under  //   video monetization  
Posted by Fahd Altobaishi 

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February 2, 2010
Posted by:
Colin Ulen 

How to Integrate YouCastr with TriCaster for Live Streaming

The TriCaster series of products from NewTek are great production tools that can help professional and amateur video producers immensely.  These devices bring slick video production capabilities to the masses with multi-camera switching, graphical overlays, and HD quality video recording all in the size of a small backpack. While these features are great for recording and producing your valuable video content, they don't distribute it to your audience all over the country or around the world. YouCastr offers a very simple process to set-up and integrate TriCaster's amazing video production with YouCastr's rock solid video streaming and on demand monetization platform. No messing with flash profiles, XML, or vaguely worded instructions. Just a simple copy and paste.

Getting started with a sample walkthrough
Let me walk you through the process of streaming TriCaster on YouCastr to show you how simple it really is. First, here is what you need to have to ensure this process is as smooth as possible:

Once you have satisfied these requirements, broadcasting your content live and selling your video online is as easy as following these steps:
  1. Log into your YouCastr broadcasting account and go to your dashboard. (Create a free account if you don't already have one by going to www.youcastr.com)
  2. Schedule a live video broadcast for right now by clicking on 'New Video' in the top right corner. Set your own prices for live/on-demand, downloads, and DVDs
  3. On the next page, click the big green button that says "Begin Live Broadcast"
  4. Under the third option (entitled "Broadcast via 3rd Party App"), you should see an Address and Stream Name. Copy the Address.
  5. Open your Tricaster unit and go to the "Record Stream" tab
  6. For the "Stream Type" choose a push Flash option using H264. We recommend starting at 15fps with the highest resolution and around 500kbps bitrate. Please see below for a discussion of optimal settings. 
  7. For the "Location" paste the Address you copied from YouCastr (the only paste you will need to do!)
  8. For the "Stream ID" type the word "stream" in all lowercase.
  9. Ignore the "Username" and "Password" fields
  10. Begin recording the live stream in Tricaster

Determine out your bandwidth limitations
As you may expect, you can't broadcast HD quality from a dial-up connection.  This isn't YouCastr putting a damper on your idea, but the laws of the Internet at play. In this four-part variable equation, we have to balance bandwidth, framerate, resolution and bitrate to determine the optimal broadcast settings. The biggest constraint, by far, will be your bandwidth. To check your bandwidth, go to http://www.speedtest.net. This will give you an idea of the kind of bitrate your connection can support. Do not set the bitrate of your broadcast right up at the limit of your connection--there should be a good amount of extra bandwidth left for other processes on your computer. If you are are up against the bitrate you will notice that your video signal is choppy and/or pixellated.

Optimize the framerate - stick with 15 fps
After bandwidth, your biggest concern is going to be framerate. The more frames you try to push through your Internet Service Provider (ISP) at once, the more bandwidth will be eaten up and the worse it will look. This is because syncing real-life time with the video playback for the audience requires frames to be 'dropped'. So the more frames (and the higher each frame's resolution) the worse your picture quality will be. Counter-intuitive, right? We recommend not going above 15fps for just this reason. 

Set resolution and bitrate for sharpness
Finally we come to resolution and bitrate. Assuming you stay below your bandwidth maximum capabilities and you are broadcasting at a decent 15fps, then bitrate is going to be your king of clarity.   The higher you can make this number, the better looking your broadcast will be. Generally anything above 500 kbps is great for high quality video. In regards to resolution, Flash players aren't the best at scaling (blowing-up or shrinking) video content. In other words, even if you had the best quality 320x240 video, trying to play that video in a player the size of 640x480 would make the video appear very pixellated and blurry. This is a limitation in how Flash works and not specific to YouCastr. So we recommend using an appropriately sized video player (which we allow you and your audience to customize) for your content by making the player the same size as the source content. Again, we recommend you use the highest resolution size available to you. Also, if you have the option to de-interlace your video, we highly recommend it

Recommended default settings
While the process for finding out what optimal settings you should use for your Tricaster Stream Type would take up a whole post of it's own, the place to start is push 15fps H.264 Flash stream with the highest available resolution and bitrate. Unfortunately, given the wide range of possible Internet connection speeds between different venues or even at the same venue on different days, it is tough to come up with a single set of stream settings to cover every situation. Much like wearing sneakers to the Opera or loafers on a basketball court, by knowing what your available bandwidth is you can have a better idea of what settings will be more appropriate than others. However, to really know you have to test the settings live and YouCastr makes that easy to do. 

Testing different configurations
First, just follow the 10 simple steps above to get up and running with 'default' settings. Then, using another computer, log into YouCastr to view what the stream looks like to your audience. If you are seeing pauses or dropped frames or pixellation, then you need to scale your broadcast settings down a bit.  The first setting you should turn down is your bitrate. Choose something that is one step lower than what you have right now. To turn your settings down, stop the TriCaster stream, change the Stream Type dropdown box to the setting you want and then start the TriCaster stream again. There is no need to do any action on the YouCastr site, the stream will automatically readjust to the new settings. If you are happy with the quality then you are ready to broadcast live, otherwise continue to stop and change settings until you find something you do like. 

Please Note: If you do change the "Stream Type" during a live broadcast, our system will NOT be able to archive the file for on demand viewing after the event is over. While this isn't a concern for test broadcasts, be sure not to change settings during real broadcasts as this action can't be undone and the archive cannot be salvaged. Also, keep in mind that there is a delay of a few seconds in live broadcasts, so changes won't show up immediately.

Play Ball!
The uses of TriCaster are endless, but paired with YouCastr and our ability to broadcast from Ethernet, WiFi, and 3G, the solution is unstoppable. It's like having a mobile video production unit that you can carry, ready at a moments notice to broadcast anything you want, from multiple angles, to the far corners of the globe and to everywhere your audience is. Enjoy your new-found freedom and please get in touch with us if you have any questions or comments. We love to know more about how our customers are using the system.

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Filed under  //   howto   video production  
Posted by Colin Ulen 

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January 29, 2010
Posted by:
Ariel Diaz 

How to Monetize Online Video Based on Audience Size

There are many ways to segment online video. One simple and unambiguous way is to break it up by the volume of potential viewers.  When you break it up that way, it becomes easier to think about how each of them should be monetized, which may be inconsistent with general market expectations.

Large Viewership = Advertising
For video with audiences in the millions, advertising is an effective and attractive medium. It is attractive to many companies that spend a lot of money on "branding", and are in fields that are mainstream but essentially commoditized, like wireless phone carriers, automotive companies, and all other companies and ads you'd see during an NFL game, which gets over 15 million viewers per game.  

Of course, this argument is predicated on the fact that online video will or even should reach millions of simultaneous viewers, a position that Mark Cuban in particular opposes, most recently claiming that the Internet will not replace cable. 

Medium Viewership = Subscription and Sponsorships
For medium sized audiences, say between tens of thousands and millions, subscriptions and sponsorships make the most sense.  This might be popular TV shows, whether purchased as a season (e.g. iTunes), or as part of a subscription like the rumored Hulu subscription fee. Other medium scale videos might be sponsored, such as Mike Langford's NomX3, which had their trip and video production in SXSW sponsored by Kodak. 

Niche Audiences and Content = Paid Consumption
Finally, for smaller audiences, there is a higher likelihood to be able to sell the video directly for the audience. Specialized and niche content is likely more valuable to the audience that is actually interested, and therefore they are more likely to be willing to pay.  This type of content can be high school sporting events that parents need to watch, detailed instructional or tutorial videos, or expensive conference keynotes. For these videos, the loyal audience will likely be willing to pay to watch the video, which in turn supports the creation and production of more videos that they are interested in.  Advertising doesn't work the that type of volume, and the niche audience makes sponsorship hit or miss, depending on the target demographic.

Eric Schmidt generally agreed with these segmentations, though tends to skew the viewership volumes way up, thinking more about total lifetime views versus live or short term views. Here are his comments from an interview with Charlie Rose: 
For things which are going to be viewed by 2 billion people, you’re going to use advertisements. . . In a smaller audience, say, you know, 20 million audience, 2 million audience, you can imagine that you’ll have micropayments. . . . For highly, highly specialized, they’ll pay big bucks . . .

Eric Schmidt - via TechCrunch

He foresees micropayments for medium volume videos, though I have a hard time seeing people paying a few cents to watch a funny video on FAILblog, but I could see someone paying a few dollars a month for an aggregator of similar videos.

Now granted there are and will continue to be examples that cross their respective category (e.g. high volume pay-per-view UFC fights, direct paid TV shows on iTunes), but generally it provides a solid framework to understand how best to earn money based on the type of content being created and the likely potential audience.

Too often video producers and creators try to force the advertising model, when their content would likely be more suited to a subscription, sponsored, or even paid model.  

At YouCastr, we are focusing on enabling the small and niche audiences, which are underserved in today's market.  Making it easy for smaller video producers to sell their videos online will go a long way to supporting their art and expanding that market.


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Posted by Ariel Diaz 

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