The Social Shindig party, the official networking party of Social Media World Forum will be taking place on the middle evening of the event.All conference pass delegates are invited to head over to the Archangel venue situated opposite the Kensington Royal Garden Hotel.  The venue is a10 min walk from Olympia & The Hilton Olympia Hotel – the official event hotel and 5 m ins from High Street Kensington Tube Station.

Please Note: Open only to full conference pass holders – wristbands will need to be shown to gain access Networking Party Partners

About Social Media UK

‘Social Media UK’ is a networking community based in London consisting of a LinkedIn group of 850+ members, a crowdsourced blog www.socialmediamonday.co.uk and a monthly networking event ‘Social Media Monday’ with presentations & plenty of ‘social’ till late… (follow @SocialMedia_UK & tweet about #SMUK)

We’ve grown tremendously over the last 6 months and we’re really proud to be continuing these talks in the Workshops at the Social Media World Forum 2010.

‘Social Media UK’ is organised by the Digital / Social Media recruitment specialists; Fresh Resources. We’re ridiculously passionate about all things digital and absolutely believe that being an active part of the community and contributing towards the industry we specialise in, means we’re poised to consistently deliver precision services to our much adored clients. 

#SMUK loves social media, that why even this description is wrapped up in 140 words!

Ooyala’s player has always supported sharing to popular social networks sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Ooyala now supports deep linking which allows a viewer to share only a particular video within a playlist or a specific scene within a video. These deep linking sharing options are available for its player embeds, its sharing links to social networking sites, as well as the newly released URL link, also available in the player. What’s great about this is that it does not require any custom development work. A publisher can easily enable the various sharing options in Backlot for all their viewers.

Ooyala is a leading video technology company, for details visit www.ooyala.com/blog

Version 2.0 of award-winning Mediaroom TV platform enables subscription TV providers to deliver more entertainment content to more types of screens, using a single cloud-based infrastructure.

LAS VEGAS — Jan. 6, 2010 — Today at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft Corp. is announcing Microsoft Mediaroom 2.0, the next version of the world’s most deployed Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform. Mediaroom 2.0 will enable television service operators to provide their TV services to more subscribers than ever before, delivering more content to more screens than the previous version of Mediaroom — both inside and outside the home.

“Mediaroom 2.0 operators will be able to deliver their live, recorded and on-demand TV service through Windows Media Center on Windows 7-based PCs.” Click for high-res version.

Mediaroom 2.0 is scheduled to be available for operators to start testing beginning next month. Mediaroom 2.0 can be deployed by operators as their entertainment cloud powering the delivery of a complete television service, including cloud digital video recording (DVR), on-demand features, interactive applications, and access to both operator-hosted content and externally hosted content such as Internet TV. The operators’ service can be enjoyed by their subscribers on multiple screens including the TV (with Mediaroom set-top box), Windows Media Center, Web browsers (for Windows-based PCs and Macs), Xbox 360 and compatible smartphones.

Also new with Mediaroom 2.0, service providers will now be able to offer their existing on-demand TV service to their entire broadband customer base using their existing set-top box inventory, thereby expanding their service footprint beyond the reach of their IPTV network. The same on-demand service can also be enjoyed on Windows 7-based PCs using Windows Media Center,* as well as on Xbox 360. Service providers also can offer subscribers access to their on-demand programming remotely using a range of Web browsers running on Windows-based PCs and Macs and, in the near future, on compatible smartphones.

Mediaroom 2.0 also adds support for Microsoft Silverlight and Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) Smooth Streaming for the access and delivery of on-demand content. This enables viewers to enjoy an exceptionally high-quality playback experience, because IIS Smooth Streaming adapts the video stream to the user’s network connection to enable optimum video quality. In addition, support for Microsoft PlayReady preserves the service providers’ ability to secure their content libraries and monetize consumer experiences.

“Our strategy with Mediaroom is to combine the power of client software and cloud-based services to greatly enhance the way consumers experience digital entertainment. We want to make it easier for consumers to find and discover great content, to watch, listen and engage in new ways, and to do so anywhere and on any screen,” said Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president for the TV, Video and Music Business at Microsoft. “Mediaroom 2.0 is a key milestone in our strategy, providing the software platform to power operators’ service clouds to reach more screens, and more people, with more content than ever before.”

More Screens

Watching TV on a PC is a growing trend. For some, it is a second or third screen in the home or is used for watching TV when on the go. For others, the PC may be their only screen for TV. Mediaroom 2.0’s new support for Windows Media Center in Windows 7 means operators can now deliver their premium TV services, including live high-definition (HD) TV, DVR and on-demand programming, to virtually any Windows 7-based PC with no additional hardware tuner required. In addition, DVR and on-demand content can be enjoyed on Xbox 360, a broad range of Web browsers for Windows-based PCs and Macs, and, in the near future, playback on compatible smartphones while on the go.

All of this gives consumers more freedom in where and how they access their TV service, with the benefits of a familiar experience across multiple screens. For example, they could start watching a show on one screen and finish watching it on another. They also could build a video queue on their smartphone and watch it later on their TV or PC. While traveling, they could watch recorded TV on their smartphone and later watch an on-demand feature film in HD on their laptop, accessing the same storefront they enjoy at home.

More Networks

To date, Mediaroom deployments have been delivered over a fixed-line managed Quality of Service (QoS) IP network. By integrating IIS Smooth Streaming technology into Mediaroom 2.0, Microsoft enables operators to offer a premium, HD-quality video-on-demand service, with minimal buffering and fast startup times, even over IP-based networks of varying bandwidths.

This significantly expands the service reach for operators and enables them to serve customers on fixed-line as well as wireless and, in the future, mobile broadband networks. For operators wishing to deliver only on-demand TV-video services to customers via the Internet, Mediaroom 2.0 includes a set-top box client that supports this functionality and is designed for self-installation by the subscriber. This client is upgradable to full Mediaroom functionality without the need for hardware changes.

For consumers, this advancement means that more people in more places will be able to experience the benefits of cutting-edge Mediaroom-powered TV services than has been possible before. It also means that whatever the speed of their network, they will enjoy an optimal viewing experience thanks to built-in support for IIS Smooth Streaming.

More Content

Consumers are demanding access to ever-larger libraries of content, and IPTV operators are looking to meet this demand and further differentiate their services by augmenting their existing content lineup with TV and video from the Web. With Mediaroom 2.0, operators can now easily bring together live and on-demand TV with externally hosted content from Internet TV partners and other Internet-based content sources, all in one place with a consistent, easy-to-use interface. New support for playback of content protected using PlayReady, Microsoft’s advanced content access and protection technology, further expands the base of potential content for operator TV services. In addition, operators can further distinguish their services with applications that provide rich interactivity and seamless blending of Web and TV content using the Mediaroom application development platform, Mediaroom Presentation Framework.

Once a Mediaroom 2.0-powered service is deployed, subscribers will be able to enjoy the content they want to watch in one place on their TV or PC — no more having to visit a multitude of sites to find what they are looking for or connect a PC to the TV. Instead, they will be able to easily find and watch TV shows on demand across different networks using one easy-to-use guide, or simply search through the programming available to find the shows they’d like to watch, all in a consistent playback experience.

More Revenue

According to analyst firm Screen Digest the top five Mediaroom customers generate on-demand average revenues per user (ARPUs) that are on average three times that of the incumbent pay TV operator in their market.

Mediaroom 2.0 includes a compelling new on-demand storefront that further enhances the monetization potential for Mediaroom service operators. The new on-demand storefront is designed to help drive subscriber usage and satisfaction by providing a richly visual browsing, discovery and playback experience, and offering easy access to other elements of the operator’s service directly from the storefront.

Features

About Microsoft Mediaroom

The award-winning Microsoft Mediaroom Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) and multimedia software platform is the most widely deployed IPTV platform in the world. Mediaroom is driving the future of television by enabling broadband service providers to deliver new connected TV and entertainment experiences to consumers worldwide. It provides new ways for consumers to experience TV as part of their connected, digital lifestyle, while also creating new business opportunities for broadband service providers, hardware manufacturers, content creators, advertisers and application developers. Over 20 of the world’s leading service providers across four continents have selected the Mediaroom platform to drive their digital TV services. More information on Mediaroom and the opportunity to deliver the best in TV plus all your media in one place is available at http://www.microsoft.com/mediaroom.

Intersting article on the shelf life of apps stores looking at how developers are promoting themselves in an ever crowded market.  Bango are a mobile analytics company that provides the technology that powers commerce for businesses targeting the growing market of internet enabled mobile phone users.

Bango are Silver Sponsors at Mobile Social Media on the 15/16th March at Olympia, London.

(Bango – 03/02/10)

With the intense coverage that mobile applications continue to attract, the content developers are already starting to investigate alternative distribution channels to the App “Stores” themselves. In the rush to follow the now crowded mobile apps market, developers are starting to realise that after all their efforts to build a mobile app, to get noticed and survive they need to look beyond the app store.

Distribution is no longer about being in the top 10 – almost impossible amongst such fierce competition and undocumented selection methods by store managers. It is now about maximizing distribution and revenues. This is precisely what a recent survey by Bango uncovered. Bango surveyed over 400 developers and content providers in the USA and Europe, and the results revealed:

• 45% of developers plan to monetize their apps directly, in other words outside the app store

• 48% think that although app stores will grow in importance in five years time, these channels will coexist alongside the mobile web

• iPhone tops the list, followed by Android and BlackBerry, for the most important handset/platform to develop an app for in 2010

• Windows Mobile, Palm and Symbian also listed as an important development platform

This doesn’t come as a surprise, as fragmentation in mobile platforms increases the challenge of reaching a mobile audience. With mobile web browser capabilities continuing to improve many are starting to see the benefits of browser-based distribution, over which they have more control.

However, as a distribution channel, Nokia’s Ovi store lags behind and hardly gets a mention in the list. Despite their many attempts to develop a successful app store, the journey for Nokia to achieve this has been very testing. For consumers, as with many other app stores, the Ovi checkout process can be a frustrating experience. In order to purchase content, you must pre-register details on multiple pages to complete the task and make the payment.

Another absentee from the list is Vodafone’s “360” app store. Vodafone is aiming to attract the attention of its 315million subscribers, but as of the date of writing, there are only a few devices supported – It recently announced that it expects 2m 360-capable handsets by the end of March. As many developers know so well, fragmentation is a major headache and Vodafone – which supports the iPhone store, Google’s Android marketplace, the Ovi store and now its own app channel, will need to determine if yet another app store helps move more developers into the mobile marketplace.

What the Bango survey does show is that developers are already looking beyond the app store, and want to reach their customers directly. This is good news for the long-term prospects of the mobile industry and for the billions of customers who eagerly await the next best app.

Social TV is buzzing in the US, but what is it and what does it mean for the UK?   One of the more social uses of TV in the UK many years ago were basic multiplayer interactive TV games like those offered by PlayJam that allowed a few people to participate at the same time or on different devices like those offered by gameplay.  Sms to the TV screen and formats like Idol which have increased the level of audience participation and influence over the years continues to gain momentum.  News programmes using video captured on mobile phones enabled citizens to participate in journalism and has become an accepted practice.  Overlays of sms interaction like AQA’s Mr. Know it All on MTV became common amongst channels targeting younger audiences.

Current TV and other mainstream channels started to use more semi-professional content within or alongside professionally produced programming.  Social networks like bebo and MySpace began “broadcasting” original online TV formats produced by Indies like Endemol.  Then during the the American election night, twitter got into the TV game.  For the first time, the Twitter stream of public conversations about the election, mostly vocal pro-Obama supporters, were broadcast on TV.  Although there wasn’t anything too new about the format since the UK has been doing it for years – it was momentous in that it was Twitter joining the conversation on TV.  Any of these activities as well as many others could be construed as social TV since they are inherently more social than the previous decades of passive viewing where the only social aspect was discussion at the water cooler the next day at work.  Many of the talented executives we’ve gathered here today are responsible for designing and delivering future TV experiences now.  With them, we will explore how we can offer more ways to communication, share and create more value from TV whichever screen your audience chooses and through inter-device interaction.

Those “water cooler” conversations were a crucial form of viral marketing – word of mouth recommendations from people you know and trust.  The US buzz about social TV largely has to do with the creation of recommendations engines that display suggestions from others based on your viewing habits.  Amazon’s “If you like this you may also like this” or “Others who bought this also bought this” approach to programme discovery is  taking “social media TV” to another stage in it’s evolution.  Sky and Virgin are looking at these applications now.  Is this is the best we can do to catapult TV into a new immersive conversation?  Our panellists are here to share their views and inspire your creative imagination.

The most social activities that occur while people are watching TV are the millions of people texting, instant messaging and interacting on social networks while they watch TV.  TV viewing may be passive, but the viewers are actively socializing on other media.  There are some companies that are looking to tap into this social behaviour by enabling device to device peer to peer communications displayed on the TV screen.  What does this mean?  While most 16-24 year olds spend their TV time texting friends or following friends on facebook they can opt in to display their messages on the TV screen.  One person can text another friend on their mobile phone and both friends can choose to see the message on their mobile and the TV screen.  They can also participate in group chat amongst friends on TV with some people communicating from a PC and some on their mobile with the entire chat displayed on TV.  This private chat replaces public chat with people you don’t know and connects you via your preferred communications device.  You can imagine the banter about the ManU Chelsea match.  You can experience the pub with your mates without having to leave your home.  For younger audiences, conversations are about their lives – the stuff they’re already talking about while the telly is on, but now it’s displayed on TV too.  The power of recommendation in this environment is even more powerful since it adds the key time based element causing a real time recommendation with immediate effect.  Seeing a facebook status update from one of your real friends while watching TV means you can stay connected and socialize with friends who may or may not be watching TV and without having to use a keyboard (which never took off).  This, combined with recommendation applications, could create a more social TV experience at least until the development of screens creates immersive in-home environments that teleport you into the location you’re viewing for a true virtual reality entertainment experience.

Today we will explore these themes in depth, providing you with insights and case studies that you can apply to your businesses now and a view into the the not so distant IP enabled future of TV where engagement takes centre stage.

Angel Gambino, Vice President, Business Development, Sonico

Since the launch of BBC iPlayer in 2007 online catch-up services from UK broadcasters have attracted much attention. This segment is growing rapidly – in the UK online TV (including TV shows, sport, news and niche) generated £48.2m in 2008 according to Screen Digest, projected to grow to £92.4m in 2009. The broadcasters’ own websites accounted for 53% of UK free-to-view online TV consumption in 2008.

But how can broadcasters increase their share of online eyeballs and, by extension, revenues? Online, TV is not the only source of entertainment for web users and it must compete with a host of sites demanding users’ time – from passive consumption of music to active participation in social networks and user-generated video sites.

Broadcasters cannot ignore the fragmentation of the traditional TV audience or the swell of traffic which has grown up online. In order to tap into it there are two obvious strategies which can be adopted. One option is to license shows to other online video sites, taking a cut of the ad-revenue (usually around 70%). But third party providers often cannot sustain CPM rates equivalent to those for a broadcaster’s own site. The process of reselling shows to an affiliate may also be complicated by rights issues – for example, many premium shows are from the US, making UK broadcasters’ ability to resell content more complex than if its catalogue was purely locally-produced.

The alternatives are syndication and viral distribution which are likely to be more lucrative for broadcasters on a per-view basis. This involves embedding the broadcaster’s own video player into third party sites leveraging popular destinations and allowing shows to be embedded in blogs directly into the conversation. Although the broadcaster carries the cost of ad sales and video delivery, the benefits of this system are two-fold. Firstly, by centralizing ad sales the broadcaster can maintain the typically higher CPM rates associated with their own catch-up services. With no third party sites competing to sell ads against the same content the downward pressure on these ad rates will be minimized. Secondly, the broadcaster will be able to retain a greater percentage of ad revenues compared to a straight licensing deal.

In the US Hulu, ABC and CBS all syndicate their video players. According to web metrics firm comScore CBS recorded nearly three times as many viewers for its videos across the 300 partner sites which make up the CBS Audience Network as it did visitors to cbs.com in July 2009 thanks to this strategy. In the UK Five is emerging as the most forward-thinking when it comes to tapping into the disaggregated audience. The broadcaster announced in June 2009 that it would begin syndicating its video player to a number of websites, extending its reach beyond five.tv.

Dan Cryan, Editor, Screen Digest

Social TV Forum will explore these topics in conference format – visit www.social-tv.net for more details.