It seems that niche programming is the way that internet video is heading. Firstly, an online video channel is being used by scientists to open up dialogue about their fields of research and lives. The series is another example of a video series that appeals to a small, but dedicated market that would probably not otherwise become the focus of attention.

Publicized on the New York Times, the series is called Cambridge Nights: Conversations About a Life in Science and is hosted by César Hidalgo, a Cambridge physicist. The program has support from two scientists at the famous MIT Media Lab which has made its name with a number of innovations in the field of multimedia and technology.

The project is very much a product of its environment, as Cambridge and the area is filled with academic research institutions which make rich pickings for interview subjects. We can imagine that if he carried out his research in most other parts of the country, he’d be faced with the usual number of football fans, Party Poker enthusiasts and film buffs, without quite so many scientific minds to probe. Hidalgo explained to the NYT that when he arrived in the area he discovered the intellectual hot house that was the Cambridge area and thought a video series that had not been dumbed down would find both the perfect subjects, and also a responsive market too.

This all ties in with the statement from senior YouTube executive, Robert Kyncl who told the New Yorker recently that the site was looking to deepen it’s niche programming. He explains that niches are more immersive than general programming and the internet has the advantage for advertisers and program makers of being ‘on demand’, so they don’t have to program 24/7. You just need a few hours of content and your target audience will be happy. For YouTube, this is the direction they intend to head.

Jeremy Campbell Guest Post Cambridge, internet video, media lab, MIT, New York Times, niche programming, NYT, online video, series, technology

It was a massive year for online video in 2011, which saw our community’s content from Spidvid exceed 1 million views on UnleashVideo in 2011.

This is my 4th straight year making predictions for the online video space. If you want to see how my predictions fared in other years here’s 2009, 2010, and last year’s 2011 list. For my 11 predictions last year, I rate them a 8/11 which is pretty decent. Let’s see how I fare this year.

12 online video predictions for 2012

1. Yahoo invests $250M into original video content – Yahoo has a new CEO and seems to be getting more and more focused on online video. I think that Yahoo takes a big step towards re-establishing their corporate identity and it’s in the video space.

2. Standards for views and ad creatives are finally implemented – There is still lots of confusion as to what constitutes a video view online, and 2012 will be the year where a standard will be set. Some people think that if a video starts that’s a view, while others think a whole video must be watched for it to count as a view, clarity will come in 2012. Every video ad company seems to have their own formats but this will end as ad standards will be put in place for video, much like display banners abide by now.

3. Mobile video explodes – I’ve been predicting this for a few years and every year mobile video traffic seems to double it’s viewing audience thanks to increased penetration of iPhones, Android based phones, and tablets.

4. Apple’s “iTV” makes OTT mainstream – There are a bunch of great “over the top” products out there for your TV including; Apple TV, Roku, Boxee, and others, but as Steve Jobs says they are just hobby businesses well at least for Apple to date. But in 2012 Apple is going to be releasing TV’s in the 30″-50″ range which will sell like crazy to Apple’s raving fans, and these iTV’s will dramatically increase consumer’s use of iTunes for purchasing video content.

5. Social TV - More and more people are watching TV and sending out tweets about what they’re watching, their perspectives on what they’re seeing, and engaging with other passionate viewers. Social TV will be huge in 2012 as Twitter and Facebook create tighter relationships with the TV networks.

6. HTML 5 – This seems to be the format of choice long term even though it’s still in its infancy right now compared to flash. This format is much more dynamic than all the others and will ultimately become #1, but not until 2015. HTML 5 will see more growth than ever before in 2012.

7. YouTube will buy a company – The world’s largest video sharing site continues to build out its ecosystem both through building features internally, and acquiring technologies externally. YouTube is growing up and is stepping outside of Google’s shadow, and 2012 will be the biggest year ever for YouTube. If you are tired of YouTube coverage now, you haven’t seen anything yet!

8. Hulu gets acquired – There was a ton of speculation that Hulu would be acquired throughout 2011 but it never happened, but in 2012 it will. I’m going to double down on my Yahoo prediction and say that Yahoo buys Hulu to become a serious online video player.

9. Netflix gets acquired – There was also lots of speculation that Netflix would be acquired in 2011, but again much like Hulu nothing happened. Netflix has seen its subscriber base and stock price dramatically decrease since its pricing model changed, but it’s still a strong brand in the streaming video space. I’m going to call Netflix is sold, but not at a price that its CEO, board of directors, or investors are overly happy with.

10. Google Plus delivers big views – Facebook and Twitter drive huge video views as social video emerges. Google Plus’s social network is exploding and as a result it will become a major player in delivering video views, especially to its toddler site, YouTube.

11. More online video stars get movie deals – Famous Fred of YouTube got a deal with Nikelodeon to star in “Fred the Movie” which did quite well from what I heard. There will be more of these kind of deals happening in 2012, mainly to the YouTube partners who have strong character personalities like Fred possesses.

12. Remote video collaboration takes off – With more and more cloud based video editing platforms emerging, along with matchmaking sites like Spidvid emerging, 2012 will be a year that many video creators and talent open up to the possibility of bringing on external talent to their teams and using new tools to help manage those projects.

If you have a 13th prediction to add then please add it below!

Cheers to 2012 which will be online video’s biggest year yet!

Other online video predictions can be found on Media Post, VidCompare, ReelSEO, TubeFilter, New Media Minute, and Streaming Media.

Jeremy Campbell Lists, Rant Apple, Apple TV, Boxee, film collaboration, Fred, Google Plus, HTML 5, hulu, internet video, iTV, movies, Neflix, new media, online video, online video predictions, online video stars, original video, Roku, social networking, social networks, Social TV, streaming video, TV shows, video ads, video collaboration, video entertainment, video predictions, video views, web video, Yahoo, YouTube

2011 was a year when online video took another big step forward. Just a couple years ago you couldn’t talk about online video without hearing the word “user generated content.” That term seems to be on the way out as more and more quality video entertainment is getting created for distribution.

Video production value is starting to matter more and more to viewers online, which bodes well for our collaborative video production community who create and produce “mid-tail” video entertainment.

Some videos are shot on a mobile phone, uploaded, and go on to find large audiences, but unless you have a talented cat or capture a remarkably random life moment then chances are your unedited videos won’t get many views. If a video creator and his or her team don’t spend a decent amount of time on their content it really shows through, and audiences don’t spend much time watching their content as a result.

It’s now 2012, a new year, and an opportunity for a fresh start to explore new and interesting video projects. I got an email from a video creator on January 1st stating that his new years resolution was to create videos that viewers love and are proud to share with their friends and family. This guy has a perfect mindset heading into 2012! Don’t waste your valuable time developing video projects that you aren’t proud of, and aren’t passionate about as you will create a video that even you don’t want to watch. Delete your worst project ideas and stories, and leave them behind in 2011 where they belong!

If you have a killer video or film project you want to launch then get a Spidvid profile and post your Spidvid project, or you can join teams who are collaborating on Spidvid projects by bidding on them. 2012 holds tons of potential for developing new and original video content as audiences are exploding and eager to consume it. If you need to build a team of partners and collaborators then keep our Spidvid platform and community in mind, and don’t be shy to tap into their super powers.

We wish you and your video projects a very prosperous 2012!

Jeremy Campbell Rant, community 2011, 2012, 2012 filmmaking, 2012 videomaking, collaboration, community, film, film production, film project, film team, happy new year, new media, new years resolution, online video, production community, team building, video, video production, video project, video team, web video

It’s always an incredible thing to be recognized for what you build and contribute to the world! We were recently notified that we were voted Best of 2011 by Daddy Van Productions. Daddy Van Productions produce amazing concert videos each year, and do many other video productions as well. These guys love what they do, respect other companies who contribute to the industry, and as such want to publicly recognize those contributions and efforts.

Spidvid was firmly on their list this year, and here’s what they had to say about us:

Spidvid.com is a necessary resource for filmmakers. Young filmmakers. Filmmakers that want to make it in the industry. Their online community and blog feature some of the better insights into how to build a career as a filmmaker. Video production is an industry that can take you a number of places: directing TV spots, acting, dramatic film, and even concert videos. Spidvid offers those producers who are just starting out an otherwise unattainable resource.

We are honored that Daddy Van Productions thought of us, and really love what they do in video production as well. They have collaborated with some of the world’s biggest bands including: Nine Inch Nails, Aerosmith, Maroon 5, Motley Crue, Rascal Flatts, Dave Matthews Band, and countless others, so it certainly is humbling that they gave us the big nod. Thanks guys, rock on!

Jeremy Campbell Mention, News Aerosmith, award, bands, best of 2011, concert production design, Daddy Van Production, Dave Matthews Band, groups, honored, Maroon 5, Motley Crue, new, Nine Inch Nails, online video, production resource, Rascal Flatts, spidvid, thanks, video production

Just recently I was graciously invited onto the XConnect Show to talk about startups, entrepreneurship, online video, collaboration, and of course, Spidvid, with show host and entrepreneur Karim Kanji who’s co-founder of Third Ocean.

Jeremy Campbell podcast collaboration, community, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, founder, growth, host, Jeremy Campbell, Karim Kanji, new media, online show, online video, social media, spidvid, startup, Third Ocean, traction, unleashvideo, viewership, views, web series, web show, web video, xconnect, xconnect show