Sneak Peek at NBC Olympics Live Video Website! You have to see this!

This is unbelievable. I think we’re really seeing Internet Video take center stage. I just saw a sneak peek of some of the advanced features for NBC’s coverage of the Beijing Olympics. I can't wait to see the Olympics on the Net!

Peggy

The guys behind Microsoft Silverlight explained how their platform works with interactive video elements, can display live video from a number of sources, and add a boatload of bells and whistles. It works across browsers and most platforms.

This is live and on-demand interactive video that will be “beamed” out to millions of Internet users around the world for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.

Tom Honeybone (Senior Director, Silverlight Business Development) and Mark Ramberg (Senior Business Development Manager, Silverlight) showed me a preview page where you see about 4 live feeds which will come from different locations at the Olympics.

Once you select a feed, of course, it’s live, but you still see the other live screens minimized on the page.

You may have seen something like this on CNN.com, but we’re moving into a totally different live viewing experience now.

The small picture-in-picture live screens are good enough to watch in that size, or you can click to the full screen.

That’s just the start.

There’s an interface to guide you to Olympics videos by interest, by sport, location, most-watched and a number of other variables. The way they do that is something you have to see for yourself, since it’s impossible to explain a video navigation screen here.

NBCi is thinking ahead and will be using metadata to change the viewing experience.

You won’t have to click and click and click to find the video or information you want, it’s customized to your viewing preferences, by sports time, content available, and other preferences.

If anything is going to win consumers over to your video on the net, it’s an easy to use website, easy to find videos and good looking Internet video.

The video quality is of great importance to NBCi, and you’ll see video in near high-def quality.


I saw an example of a news alert that pops up. Does this sound like old news!? It’s NOT! The alerts pop up on the live video, click, and you’re off to your next destination.

Finally, we’re seeing hotspots showing up on major media websites.

What’s so important on this? You are clicking on live Internet video and off you go. Let me see if I can explain the experience. If you’re watching full screen video on your computer, phone, portable media device, you can interact with the the live video, and you do not have surf to another web page to get more information. If you click, the information displays (pops up) in a section of your video screen. There’s no need to go to a list of hyperlinks, or open up a web page to do so. It’s so easy to use!

You’re going to see this everywhere, starting out with the major media websites.

A lot of these interactive features we have talked about for years. In 2008 you’ll see this up on the Net on a massive scale, supporting millions of video viewers from around the world. NBCi gurus, I have to give it to you, you are really putting a lot on the line to offer this up to the world live and interactive.

The only thing that might be coming out that could beat this might be interactive video during the Presidential election. We’ll see if if that comes to pass and can beat the NBC experience.

I’m betting on CNN as the place to go for live video coverage during the election. I’ll l be tracking down Tom Gerstel who I know from CNN in the next day. It’s probably too early to get him to tell me what they will be doing. NBC has exclusive video coverage of the Olympics. I won’t even guess how many websites will have live video on election day.

See You on the Net! Now, I don't have any doubts.
Peg

Peggy Miles
InterVox

Coming Up: MTV is getting their Internet video to the net, to mobile phones, here and there, so I’ll let you know about their method from MTV Networks VP of applications Stewart Frey. He was talking all about it at the Media Excel booth.

Coming Up: Jim Long from NBC News in Washington DC also hooked me up with a couple of gurus from NBCi I have a couple of emails from them. I’m off to their booth to see something else. All I know is it’s a box! That could a number of things. What else should I see?

Coming Up: I just chatted with Sandy Malcolm, Executive Producer CNN.com Video, CNN.com Live. I'm looking forward to moderating the panel tomorrow with her and our other digital media friends.

Wednesday April 15, 2008 - Broadband TV World @ NAB
1:50 - 2:40 The Billion Dollar Question: How Will Broadband Video Make Money?

Room 219/220The popularity of digital video notwithstanding, the fact remains that business models for making money from broadband video on the Internet are sketchy at best. If the video must be free, are short ads at the beginning or end of video clips and banner ads really the best way to grab viewers? Are the networks maximizing revenues with the advertising on their websites? And are all networks ready to follow Fox’s example and share revenue with their affiliates from their Web and mobile content? Are the networks maximizing revenues with the advertising on their websites?

Matt Kaplan, VP Creative & Client Services, PermissionTV Paula Reinman, Director, Marketing, Microsoft TVSandy Malcolm, Executive Producer, CNN.com video - CNN.com
Lance Ware, Chief Technology Officer, Technicolor Electronic Distribution Services
Michael King, President, Abacast Inc.
Emily O'Halloran, Senior Executive, Digital Advertising Lead, Accenture
Moderator/Host: Peggy Miles, President, InterVox Communications