Ad Supported HBO Broadband Service In The Works? April 28, 2007
Posted by David Kaye in : Business, Advertising, HBO, Broadband , 22 comments
Judging from a number of job postings that have surfaced recently, HBO is stepping up its broadband plans. The company is hiring for several positions related to a new ad supported broadband service:
HBO’s Digital Initiatives Group was recently formed to centralize the development and implementation of new digital media businesses and distribution opportunities that take advantage of the increasingly multi-platform consumption of digital media. As part of this mission, a key focus of the group’s activities will be to develop a business ecosystem to create and deliver advertising-supported broadband channels for HBO utilizing the network’s award-winning programming as well as newly created content.
Digital Initiatives is initiating a search for a Director, Advertising-Supported Broadband Business Strategy to manage the strategy development activities around the simultaneous evaluation and launch of multiple HBO broadband channels. This individual will serve a central role in the creation of the strategic and financial rationale and frameworks for developing new advertising-supported broadband businesses, as well as assist in the operationalization of these enterprises.
So far, HBO has taken only baby steps in putting its content online. There are still no HBO shows available at the iTunes music store (or legally anywhere else on the internet), but last month the company did make documentary series ‘The Addiction Project’ available for free online - a first for the network. Looks like there is much more to come.
Skype Enters The Phone Sex Business March 8, 2007
Posted by David Kaye in : Business, Adult , 5 commentsSkype rolled out Skype Prime today. The company calls it an “expertise marketplace”: it allows Skype users to register as experts in a particular topic and charge by the minute for their services. This is not the first service of its kind - Keen was doing this as early as 1999 - but it’s also an open secret that by far the most popular kinds of expertise to be delivered in this manner are phone sex and psychic readings. Keen’s homepage title admits as much: “Keen: Psychic Readings, Love and Relationship Advice, Tarot, Astrology, Horoscopes and Therapy”. Ahh, therapy. Beautiful euphemism.
Interview with Ariel Poler, CEO Textmarks February 24, 2007
Posted by David Kaye in : Mobile, Business, Interview, SMS , 7 comments
Earlier in the week I profiled Textmarks, a user-generated SMS content startup who just launched a premium SMS version of their service targeted at bloggers and other small content providers. The TechCrunch crowd gave the product a bit of a kicking, so I had a chat with the company’s CEO Ariel Poler to ask some questions about the product and find out why he thinks there’s a market for it.
Cambrian House: the wisdom of crowds or the myopia of geeks? July 31, 2006
Posted by David Kaye in : Business, Product Development , add a comment
This is one of the most interesting and audacious ideas I have seen in a while. Cambrian House, who recently entered open beta, are bringing a pretty revolutionary new approach to product development. They describe their mission as follows:
To discover and commercialize software ideas through the wisdom and participation of crowds. Contributors earn royalties, sharing in the success of the products.
The company is focused on a particular type of product: ones that can be sold/realized entirely over the Internet. So, how does the process work?
Sneakerplay: is this a joke? July 29, 2006
Posted by David Kaye in : Social Networking, Business , 16 commentsBack in the halcyon days of the last Web boom, a VC friend of mine told me about a genuine business plan he received for a company called OnlinePetrolStation.com. That was the worst online business idea I had ever heard - until now.
Mobile phones and Internet are more important to 18-24 year olds than TV July 24, 2006
Posted by David Kaye in : Mobile, Business , 7 commentsThe recently published 2006 Mobile Life survey reveals that, when asked to identify which of the five “modern technological products” listed below was most important in their lives, the Internet leads among men and women 18-24. Mobile phones take second place, followed by TV in third place. This stands in contrast with the population as a whole, where TV takes second place and mobile phones place third.
Another nail in the coffin of old media? More validation for the projected explosive growth in mobile and online content? Alas, I don’t think so.
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Radar: NHN launches Ijji games portal July 7, 2006
Posted by David Kaye in : Avatars, Business, Games , 14 comments
NHN USA, the US arm of Korean online games company NHN, launched their US portal Ijji today.
Funny name.
The site features a mixture of flash and downloadable games, and the whole thing is pretty slick and shiny looking. The games’ production values are decent as well.
Community features include the obligatory customizable avatar (pictured), character levels, and a currency (gems) that are earned through gameplay. Right now the only thing you can buy with the gems is clothing for your avatar, but I’m sure will likely change.
All the games on the site are currently free, but it seems likely they’ll go with the ‘pay for stuff’ model that’s already commonplace in Korea and has been gaining traction here since, well, 1997 when Matt and my company Iron Realms started doing it.
Big thumbs down for the fake ‘user’ reviews on the front page. If you’re going to post fake reviews guys, try not to make them read so transparently like a PR rep wrote them (”How does your site provide games for free when you have to pay to play games on other sites?”), or at least don’t date them as having been posted ten days before the site went live.
Microsoft to launch mobile network in 2007? July 6, 2006
Posted by David Kaye in : Mobile, Business , 28 comments
Microsoft is planning to launch an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) next year, according to Engadget.
I’m pretty bearish on MVNOs in general - a lot of them seem to launch without any clear differentiators. A Microsoft mobile network makes a lot of sense, though, particularly for the enterprise market.
While many MVNOs tend to start with second rate handsets that have been half-heartedly customized and had a logo slapped on, Microsoft is on the third major version of its mobile operating system and their phones rock.
If they combine their hardware and software advantage with a sensible data plan, I’d be pretty optimistic about their chances.
Runescape is the 7th stickiest brand on the web June 30, 2006
Posted by David Kaye in : Business, Games, MMO, Product Marketing , 35 commentsBrowser-based MMO Runescape is the 7th stickiest brand on the web, according to Nielsen Netratings’ Megapanel. Stats like this always make me a little wary - they often say as much about the methodology as they do about the data - but it’s pretty interesting nonetheless.
It’s curious how, despite its size and the extent of its commercial success, Runescape remains a largely under the radar phenomenon. You can learn a lot from looking at the disparities between media hype and hard data, and the great thing about the Web in 2006 is that there are a ton of tools that make doing so easy and fun.
Radar: Infospace launches Moviso consumer mobile content portal June 28, 2006
Posted by David Kaye in : Mobile, Business , 37 comments
Infospace Mobile launched their off-deck, direct to consumer portal Moviso today. This marks something of a strategic shift: up until now, the company has focussed primarily on servicing carrier customers rather than targeting consumers directly. Shawn Conahan has some initial impressions here.
[Full disclosure: Infospace are a former client, and I worked on product development for this project.]
