Target and MTV Networks have partnered to launch a new online video ad unit called "The Scrubber."
The Scrubber is a custom video player that allows advertisers to insert product icons into the playback timer and highlight various items as the video plays. The unit is designed to be interactive, relevant and non-interruptive to the user.
What Americans Did Online In July
In July Americans went online searching for information about green initiatives related to automotive transportation driven by the launch of the federal "Cash for Clunkers" program, with visitations to green sites growing 15 percent in July to 17.5 million visitors, according to comScore.
Department of Education: Online Education Beats Classroom
An interesting study from none other than the US Department of Education says that students using online education actually perform better than those who just learn in the classroom. The findings are all the more intriguing, considering the source.
The study examined a number of other studies on the subject to reach its conclusions. Online education programs should be pleased with the results.
Some of the key findings from the study:
Cable Companies Take Advertisers’ Ads Online
National Cable Communications (NCC) and Mixpo have launched an initiative to let cable advertisers extend their TV commercials to the web. This is not aimed at creating pre/post roll video ads like you might think, but videos as display ads in place of traditional banners.
NCC is jointly owned by three of the largest cable companies – Comcast Cable, Cox Communications, and Time Warner Cable. This makes up a good-sized chunk of television advertising in the US.
Online Video Viewing Reaches Record Audience
More than 157 million U.S. Internet users viewed online video during the month of June, the largest audience recorded for a single month, according to a new report from comScore.
The rise in video viewing is mainly due to important news stories during June, including Michael Jackson’s death and the Iranian elections, which generated significant gains particularly at major media properties such as Viacom Digital (includes MTV), Microsoft sites (includes MSNBC) and Turner Network (includes CNN).
500 Publishers Onboard With Journalism Online
Journalism Online, the start-up that plans to monetize newspapers websites by charging readers for content, has announced that more than 500 publications have signed onto to its platform, which is slated to launch in the fall.
What Kids Are Searching For Online
The most popular search terms kids are searching for include sites like YouTube, eBay and Craigslist, as well as social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, according to a new report from Symantec.
The words "sex" and "porn" also made it to the top, ranking number four and six respectively. Number nine on the list was "fred", for Fred Figglehorn, popular fictional character whose YouTube channel has become a hit among kids.
Tips For Online Video Optimization
It’s no secret that online video is popular, from Hulu to YouTube the number of Americans watching video continues to increase. In the SES session "The Next Wave for Online Video," the panelists focused on optimizing online video for search and other strategies.
FTC Stops U.S. Online Retailer From Posing As A UK-Based Site
The Federal Trade Commission has cracked down on a California based online electronics retailer for allegedly posing as it was based in the U.K. so it could deceive residents there into thinking they had stronger consumer protections.
When U.K. consumers received the cameras, video games and other electronic items, they discovered they had been charged unexpected import duties, were left with invalid warranties, and would be charged hefty cancellation and refund fees if they tried to send the items back.
Online Video Has Boatloads Of People Watching
Thank you to Carol Bartz of Yahoo for the new ‘boatloads’ theme. What would we do without it? Back to the news. Of course, we know that lots of people watch online video and SearchEngineWatch tells of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project survey conducted in April of this year and the numbers behind the general statement about online video are pretty interesting.