Sunday, January 22, 2012

2012 Predictions from Around the Web, and Why OVPs Should Give a Puck

Each year the predictions on what the new year will bring start to appear on the web as the current year winds down, and by January they're in full swing and just keep on coming. I've been collecting, sharing and curating the predictions for the online video, social media and technology industries the past four years, and now that we're several weeks into 2012, I present another collection of predictions from around the web. Some are bold, some are obvious and most are simply best guesses based on current and emerging trends. Many are saying that there will be a big transformation in TV, more US households will be watching Internet video in the living room, multi-screen experiences will mature, content producers and advertisers will turn up the dial on social video, YouTube may finally become a media company, more brands and retailers will embrace video marketing, video content production will shift from UGC to professional quality, video advertising will move beyond the pre-roll to interactive ads across all screens, HTML5 video will take center stage, and recently at CES YouTube's Robert Kyncl claimed that very soon 90% of Internet traffic will be video and that the web is poised to become the premium channel for entertainment.

As part of VidCompare's third annual Online Video Platforms (OVPs) Predictions piece, 2012 Online Video Predictions – OVPs « Online Video and Video Providers - VidCompare, I shared my thoughts on what OVPs should focus on in 2012. The OVP space has over 100 companies that provide similar services that include: video hosting, encoding, custom players, syndication, analytics, as well as interactivity and monetization through a variety of online advertising options typically 3rd-party ad-servers. Many of the OVPs have differentiated themselves with new products and services like Brightcove's cloud-based application management, Ooyala's integration with Facebook on Social TV and real-time video analytics, Kaltura's open source app exchange, RealGravity with syndication and its content marketplace, Unicorn Media and Twistage on video workflow, DaCast with streaming as a service, and so many other examples within the crowded space.

But as we move into 2012, we're going to need more than just tools to publish video online and measure ROI, because publishers will need to create fully immersive transmedia experiences for viewers across multiple screens. It won't be enough for companies to just provide the standard suite of tools if they want to stay in the game. So I drafted the following advice for OVPs, based on conversations with my good friend @zbutcher who inspired this post.

Why OVPs Should Give a Puck
“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” – Wayne Gretsky

The rapid growth of online video industry is one the biggest stories that continues to write itself. Major developments of the past year shape the future and the tools we use to collect and share information. As our connected lives intersect on the web, living room and mobile, we’re moving away from traditional methods, static pages, formats and styles to fully “immersive HD experiences”.

Rather than reading and clicking, viewers now want to see and experience. The presentation layer is about storytelling and for video to move forward in 2012, the OVP industry should pay attention to the three I’s: immersion, integration and implementation.

Immersion – It’s time to go beyond the frame, box, blog and immerse ourselves in storytelling. People want to personalize it and interact with the stories. Applications that offer seamless HD video experiences across the web, tablets and mobile devices will inspire storytellers to expand their narratives to reach every audience. Second screen and web back channel applications will set the pace for great opportunities, innovation and growth in the coming year.

Integration – While video has seen astounding growth over the last year and is predicted to be over 90% of the Internet traffic in the next few years, it’s still a second class citizen. We still have multiple files, formats, players and countless work arounds to make video work. OVPs need to support immersive experiences through an integrated approach and offer value added, forward thinking services to differentiate themselves.

Implementation – No matter how good your integration is, it’s only as good as your implementation. It comes down to user experience and user interface. Producers and publishers are looking for consistency across all platforms and devices. OVPs need to execute on products and services and keep an eye on where the puck is going to be, not just where it is.

2012 Predictions from Around the Web

Online Video
2012 prediction: The slow death of coax begins — Online Video News
2012: The Year Of The Video View Standard
2012 Trends: Video Leads Online Ad Growth - eMarketer
2012 Video Commerce Predictions
2012 Video Trends | VMakers
2012 Year of the Video | The Online Sage | Online Marketing Indianapolis
12 Things That Won’t Happen In Online Video in 2012 | TechCrunch
12 Online Video Predictions For 2012 | Spidvid's Blog
12 predictions for social TV in 2012
7 Online Video Trends to Watch in 2012
7 Predictions For Online Video In 2012 - SocialTimes.com
Five Predictions For Online Video In 2012 | TechCrunch
4 Predictions for 2012 - TDG Opinions
A Look Ahead to 2012 in Online Video
Expect More Broadcast Quality Original Online Video in 2012 | VideoMind
Mr Video’s Video Predictions for 2012 | askmrvideo.tv

Top 3 Video trends for 2012 - Viral Marketing - BizReport
Trends For 2012: Cord Cutting, Tablets Go Mass Market, Twitter Takes Over
Video Marketing Trends in 2012 - Search Engine Watch (#SEW)
Video Prediction Mashup for 2012
VideoMind’s Top Online Video Trends | VideoMind
"Virtual" Cable Coming on the Web in 2012: Rich Greenfield - Peter Kafka - Media - AllThingsD
Will 2012 be the year of the virtual MSO? Don’t bet on it — Online Video News

Daisy Whitney » Three New Media Predictions for 2012
In many ways, 2011 was the year of the tablet, while social TV and online video partnerships enjoyed a robust twelve months as well. Looking ahead to 2012, keep an eye out for standards in tablet measurement, advanced online video deals in measurement, and an increased use of social TV for Web TV discovery. Those are the 2012 predictions in the final installment of the New Media Minute this year.



HipMojo 22: 2012 Predictions | WatchMojo.com
HipMojo is a raw and unedited weekly show covering timely news in the world of business. In show 22 of HipMojo, CT offers his predictions for 2012 while Ash counters with his anti-predictions, based on his latest Techcrunch article on the subject.








Online Video Industry Forecast 2012: Streaming Media Magazine
This is Streaming Media's collection of sponsored articles appearing in the December 2011/January 2012 issue of Streaming Media magazine.
ChinaCache
Cinsay
Digital One/ClickStream
Concurrent
Digital Rapids
Digitalsmiths
Discover Video
DVEO
Edgecast Networks
EyePartner
Front Porch Digital
Grass Valley
Haivision Network Video
Highwinds
Ignite Technologies
Media Excel
MediaPlatform
Microsoft
Mixmoov
NewTek
PeerApp
PowerStream
Qumu
RealNetworks
RealGravity
Sorenson Media
Soup Digital Innovations
TalkPoint









Video Predictions for 2012: A Year-End Series
Will Richmond - 'I've reached out to a number of media and technology executives to ask for their top 3 video predictions for 2012. I was very open-ended in my outreach: predictions can be big picture or small picture, business model or tech focused, serious or humorous, etc.'
Jim Louderback, CEO, Revision3
YuMe's Jayant Kadambi
AdoTube's Steven Jones
Irdeto's Jan Steenkamp
RAMP's Tom Wilde
HealthiNation's Raj Amin
FreeWheel's Doug Knopper
AEG Digital Media's John Petrocelli
TidalTV's Scott Ferber
Kantar Video's Bill Lederer
thePlatform's Ian Blaine
YouTube's Suzie Reider
Jivox's Diaz Nesamoney
Tremor Video's Team
LiveRail's Mark Trefgarne
AOL's Ran Harnevo
Metacafe's Erick Hachenburg
LongTail Video's Dave Otten
Thought Equity Motion's Kevin Schaff
CineSport's Gregg Winik
Digitalsmiths' Ben Weinberger
Summarizing the 2012 Video Predictions Series

Online Advertising
2012 Online Video Advertising Forecast - Industry Experts' Predictions
2012 online video advertising predictions by Goviral
12 predictions for online video advertising in 2012
5 Key Digital Media and Advertising Trends for 2012 [VIDEO]
3 Online Advertising Trends To Watch In '12
How Online Video Advertising Will Evolve In 2012
Pre-Roll, Mobile Top Video Ad Formats for 2012 - eMarketer
The Big 2012 Prediction Round-Up: Video Ad Trends By Theme | VAN - VideoAdNews.com

Mobile
2012 Predictions, Mobile Edition: Dan Rowinski
2012: Predictions For An Increasingly Mobile World | TechWeekEurope UK
16 predictions for mobile in 2012 — Mobile Technology News
12 prediction for 2012
Twelve Mobile Predictions for 2012
Ten Mobile Social Trends For 2012
Mobile phone predictions for 2012 - The Operating System | ITProPortal.com
Mobile Video Vendors Boost Their Ad Offerings for 2012

Social Media
30 Social Media Predictions for 2012 ‹ Orlando Video Production, Social Media, SEO | GreenHouse Social Media
7 Social Media Predictions for 2012
5 Predictions for Social Media Law in 2012
What’s in Store for Social Video in 2012?
2012 Social Media Marketing Predictions [Charts] | Heidi Cohen
So-Called Predictions For A Social 2012

Technology
2012 And Beyond: A Mega, Meta Mashup Of Predictions | Fast Company
2012: Nine business tech predictions | ZDNet
2012 Predictions: Bluechipworld MD Simon Hassell
2012 Predictions: CCS Insight chief of research Ben Wood
2012 predictions: It’s doom & gloom for Amazon, RIM and Zynga | VentureBeat
2012 Predictions: What Will Be Big in Small Biz Tech This Year
2012: Siri Is a Stunner, Amazon Is Amazin' and Security Gets Spendy - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD
2012: the year back-end enterprise systems open up to the world
10 tech trends to watch for in 2012 | News | TechRadar
Seven Technology Predictions for 2012
Five predictions for the communications world in 2012 | Technology | guardian.co.uk
Five big things to watch out for in 2012 — Tech News and Analysis
5 trends to watch in 2012
5 Predictions for Online Data in 2012

A tech toy timeline for 2012 (video) | Digital Media - CNET News
Analyst Predicts 'Monster' iPhone 5 Launch in 2012 | PCWorld
Connected Consumer 2012: A year of consolidation and integration — GigaOM Pro
Curation and amplification will become much more sophisticated in 2012 » Nieman Journalism Lab
Experian's digital and marketing predictions for 2012 | The Drum
I Predict: Five 2012 predictions for the coming year in apps - iPhone app article - Dan Kricke | Appolicious ™ iPhone and iPad App Directory
IBM Predict Home Electricity From Your Bike, Mind-Reading Computers - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD
Importance of Content Recommendations Predicted in 2012 « The Outbrain Blog
McAfee predicts more high-profile, targeted attacks in 2012 | ZDNet
Marc Andreessen: Predictions for 2012 (and beyond) | Digital Media - CNET News
Mashable’s Digital Predictions for 2012

Next Wave with Gary Vaynerchuk: 2012 predictions - YouTube

Gary V. makes bold predictions for the technology business scene in 2012, including big moves for Twitter and Facebook, bad tidings for BlackBerry and an explosion of what he calls "box mania."

Predicting 2012: Rapid implementation in focus
Predictions for 2012 | Guardian Sustainable Business | The Guardian
Tablets in 2012: what to expect | News | TechRadar
TechRadar's phone and tablet resolutions 2012 | News | TechRadar
Time for some 2012 predictions …
Unisys Releases 2012 Enterprise Technology Predictions - MarketWatch
YouGov releases consumer predictions for 2012 | Econsultancy
Zynga CTO: Four predictions for 2012 | Digital Media - CNET News



The Big List: 226 Marketing Trends, Predictions & Resolutions For 2012

"For the third consecutive year, we’ve collected all the articles we could find related to online marketing tips, trends, predictions and resolutions in 2012. We had 80 links in 2010 and 168 last year. We shattered that collectively this year. Here’s our 2012 Big List: 226 articles covering tips, trends, resolutions and predictions about online marketing in the new year..."


Facebook, Google, Twitter and More: 12 Predictions for 2012 - Forbes
No. 1: Facebook Goes Public, But Won’t Start IPO Landslide
No. 2: Facebook Ad Business Booms–But Not at Google’s Expense
No. 3: Image Ads Finally Find a Home on the Web
No. 4: Data-Driven Advertising Accelerates
No. 5: Web-Native Brand Ad Formats Will Remain MIA
No. 6: Twitter (Almost) Becomes a Real Business
No. 7: Mobile Ads Finally Get Moving
No. 8: Amazon.com Becomes an Online Advertising Player
No. 9: App Overload Sets In
No. 10: Tabzines Debut
No. 11: This Revolution Will Be Televised
No. 12: The Web Startup Bubble Will Start to Deflate








CMO Predictions for 2012 -- Part 1: Dominos, Motorola, Progressive, RadioShack Say it's Mobile, Mobile, Mobile! - Forbes
CMO Predictions for 2012 -- Part 2: Dell, Diageo, Saks, Tory Burch Double Down on Social Media - Forbes
CMO Predictions for 2012 -- Part 3: General Mills, Gogo, L'Oréal, NASCAR, Visa Hail Content as King - Forbes

Lastly, the big question, will the world end in on December 21, 2012?
My prediction is no, it's extremely unlikely.

Disclaimer: VidCompare is sponsor of this blog