Final Breaths for Bud.TV?

We've talked a lot about Anheuser-Bush's attempt at creating its own branded online channel called Bud.TV. It has a lot of flaws, an aggravating age verification system keeps the content from spreading virally, the funny films were not funny, it is expensive, very expensive.
Everyone in the Ad world was looking to see AB's efforts pan out so that they could finally bid adu to the networks whose ads are being viewed by less and less people. AB thought it might even have a chance (as evidenced by its diverting television dollars to the project). All of Madison Avenue was watching but after its debut the night of the 2007 Super Bowl ratings went in the wrong direction. Receiving after a few months literally onlys tens of thousands of hits a day, viewers of Bud.TV had some of the most highly paid for eyes in advertising history.
Today day though, as Bud.TV takes in their few final breaths they've sent an email to their members looking for some saving wisdom. A poll sent out by Bud.TV this evening asks members to rate the "Swear Jar" film, one of the most viewed videos to come from Bud.TV, on a scale of one to ten.
The poll goes on to if Bud.TV could only have one type of content what would the user want it to be (options including reality content, stand up comedy, humorous ads, ect). Then they are asked their interest in social networking being added to Bud.TV.
The implication of the poll is that AB hasn't given up but that there will be a conservation of resources as they look to build a solid base.
That's right, they'll restrict new content and grow the users.
Well I guess this means that Bud.TV truly is on its last legs.
Smart people learn from their mistakes, brilliant ones learn from the mistakes of others. The next few months of Bud.TV will surely be watched by every genius on Madison Avenue.

iPhone: The Musical -- You just got to watch this one

I'm going to make a prediction here. I blogged about David Pouge, the New York Times technology columnist earlier in the week and his hilarious tech podcast about being one of four people in the U.S. outside of Apple to have an iPhone. Today he has one that tops it called iPhone: The Musical. Pouge sings the song (dubbed "I want an iPhone) then halfway in gets back up vocals from the crowd standing outside the 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York City.

My prediction... Pouge has been living in Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg's shadow for sometime, these webisodes could just bring Pouge into the sun and make Mossberg's black and white just look old fashion.

An Ad by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet

As I may have said a few times one of my favorite ad models for online video is ABC's video player, hands now. The video is beautiful, they'll be launching an HD player with the fall season, and the ads truly take interactive advertising to a new level.

New TeeVee has a great post about their advertising today... read more a NewTeeVee

Free Online Full Langth Classic Films from SciFi

They aren't exactly webisodes, but the SciFi Channel has posted full length classic films on their site under the title "SciFi Drive In", no ads, and uncut. They are some of the greatest B-grade moves of all time like Killers From Space (Mission Impossible's original Mr. Felps) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916) and who could forget Prehistoric Woman, the only color film among the selections. SciFi has some great descriptions like the one for the 1959 thriller The Killer Shrews.

Not Desperate Housewives, but dogs dressed as huge, ravenous shrews. This is the poor man's Island of Dr. Moreau, and stars James Best, better known as Roscoe P. Coltrane of The Dukes of Hazzard.

Check them out. Most are over an hour long but includes some real treasures. The 1902 French film often referred to as the first SciFi film, Le Voyage Dans La Lune, about a professor's voyage to the moon where he classically crashes his rocket into the moon's eye.

My only complaint is that the sound sync is often a little off. SciFi, owned by NBC|Universal is using the same video player as NBC Rewind, which also has sound sync issues over time, but isn't an issue often when shows are cut into ten minute acts. With these films running sometimes as long as 100 minutes, the delay can get to at least a half second off.

Jaman, now playing on AppleTV

Jaman.com (think iTunes store for HD foreign & independent films w/ faster downloads) has hacked the AppleTV to play their content without losing the DRM and it syncs like iTunes.

read more | digg story

The Webisode Blog Could Use Your Help

So I've been running The Webisode Blog for about a month or so now. Every post that goes up is getting just a few more hits than the last, this month I'm even expecting to exceed a thousand page views, not a ton, but it's a few.

The only thing that is keeping it from growing faster is lack of content. Which is where you all come in. I need a few people who similarly enjoy watching online videos and are willing to share the good, the bad and the ugly with people. Write what you want to write about, I'll write the rest and it will be a big happy family.

If you're interested write to me at webisode.editors[at]gmail.com. Tell me your background and what kind of topics you want to cover.

Cheers!

Everyone’s After YouTube??

The focus and experimentation on IPTV is switching away from watching short clips on YouTube to watching full length shows on downloadable TV applications.

read more | digg story

Could "The Rock" Change the '08 Presidential Race?

It took almost a month for it to really 'hit' but a short video on YouTube uploaded on May 27th could perhaps be the most Earth shattering online political video yet of the 2008 presidential campaign.
For more than a minute, former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel and current candidate for the democratic presidential nomination sternly stares at the camera before turning around throwing a rock into a lake and walking away.
Yes, instead of attacking his opponents or stating political hyperbole, he throws a rock in the water.
What does it all mean? Well it turns out this video wasn't produced by his campaign in the first place. Rather two 24-year-old art teachers in the bay area requested he take part, and without Lew Dobbs beating down his door (Gravel is currently running about 1 percent in the polls) he agreed, and spent a day shooting three segments.
Two of the segments are currently making the rounds on YouTube, The Fire, in which Gravel collects wood from a forest and builds a fire, and the more publicized video, The Rock. Since its release Gravel has been gaining traction on the internet, likely helped by the dozens of policy speeches that are show up next to The Rock on YouTube.
UnknownParameters had a great comment on the message board:

First the rock now a fire. His state of the union [address] would be an hour of silence followed by him taking [off] his right shoe.

Will it help Gravel win the election?
It most likely won't be enough, but this is a former senator with so little name recognition before that newscasters covering the videos have have been mis-pronouncing his name with a hard 'a' yet hardly anyone knows to correct them.
Webisodes are not a new thing to the 2008 race though. At first there was the "Let's Start a Conversation" videos from the client camp, then there was the spoof the iconic 1984 Apple ad featuring Big Sister Clinton (using the conversation videos) produced by Obama supporters. Most recently there were a series of webisodes coming from the Clinton camp leading up to a Sopranos spoof announcing their campaign song that made us wonder why, if he is such a bad actor did we ever believe Bill about the Monica thing.
But Gravel's video is something more than those. They were at best well done political ads that talk about issues directly but quickly turn people off, the best they get is a mild chuckle. Gravel's videos, even if it wasn't his intention, have branded him as the independent free spirit that he wants to be known as. They've given him tens millions of dollars of name recognition, and perhaps the first chance that he has yet had in this race.
Many reports touted his most recent debate appearance as his most impressive appearances yet, which may be--in part--due to confidence gained by a solid online conversation about his candidacy. But now the question is... where to go from here.
Building on a small group of young tech savvy fans, Gravel could create a ground swell by capitalizing on these troops and getting them to spreed his message. Use user generated content to get teens and 20-somethings with too much time to start recruiting their friends and build a base that can shake his black sheep label.
The spots are clever and intelligent and though may not be beating down doors with the issues he cares about, like tax reform and getting troops out of Iraq, but they do make people want to listen. And when was the last anyone wanted to hear what a politician had to say? These webisodes are a job well done.

The Broadsheet Goes Broadband

Now it might not be anything new to most people to hear that the venerable New York Times is putting up videos on its website to support its articles. It has in fact long been the case that small videos of reporters with a face for print journalism would recount the highlights of their story with cadence that made NPR sound like The Price is Right.
What may surprise may though, is that they have some really great original content. David Pouge, The Times famed technology columnist has a particularly exciting companion video series. This week, as part of Pouge's glowing review of Apple's iPhone, he documents how receiving an iPhone from an Apple PR flack changed his life in a webisode. He's chased down on the The Times newsroom at one point, or in another particularly funny moment when his editor, after being denied a preview of the device puts in a call the rival Wall Street Journal technology columnist, Walt Mossberg.
The videos are done very much in tong and cheek and run about three or four minutes long and have fine production values. Pouge, despite his throughly dorky selection in button downs, has great comedic timing. The pieces are equally balanced between humorous and informative.
The episodes come out regularly every week at the same time as his State of the Art column on Wednesdays.