Daily Marauder

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA

Today’s the big day for the official, no-longer-beta release of the Firefox 3 browser. There is even a campaign to make today, June 17, Download Day and “set a Guinness World record for most downloads in 24 hours.” They are shooting for 5 million. Although, I’m not sure that there was a previous Guinness record to break, so any number might qualify. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/17/its-firefox-3-world-record-download-day-but-im-still-waiting 6/17)

Online video ad network YuMe struck a deal with Microsoft to sell MSN‘s unsold video ad inventory across its network of thematic channels. YuMe’s software includes a contextual targeting system that helps match ads with videos that best fit targeted demographics. The deal expands upon an agreement Microsoft and YuMe has placing ads through Microsoft’s Windows Media Center platform. (Cynopsis 6/17

NBCSports.com was one of three online outlets golf fans turned to yesterday to watch the Tiger/Rocco showdown while at work, as rights holders seemingly loosened their ties to let the largest audience possible tune in. ESPN 360.com, available to select ISP customers, and The USGA’s IBM-powered U.S. Open site also streamed the full round. Midway through the round NBCSports.com began experiencing video delays and other problems then eventually linked to the USGA’s live stream. (Cynopsis 6/17)

Tiger Woods

The next big event ESPN is gearing up for in terms of digital coverage is Wimbledon. A new 6-year agreement with the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club enables ESPN to broadcast all day matches on ESPN360.com with 5 streams of coverage beginning June 23. Wimbledon coverage can also be found on ESPN.com and, for the first time, on ESPN Interactive Television, featuring a 6-screen mosaic of matches. (Cynopsis 6/17)

ESPN and Fox are preparing to make aggressive bids for the 2014 and 2016 Olympics, and if the cable sports network prevails, it could dramatically change the way the Games are covered, according to Horizon Media’s Brad Adgate. “ESPN is interesting because [it's] cable,” he said. “And some of the best brands launched in the past 25 years … have been on cable.” (New York Post 6/26)

An arbitrator is ordering Media Breakaway and CEO Scott Richter to pay MySpace $4.8 million in damages and $1.2 million in legal fees. News Corp.’s online social network had accused Media Breakaway of launching phishing attacks and sending unsolicited messages to its users. (Iwantmedia 6/17, http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9969899-7.html 6/16)

(Below) If you haven’t noticed that the MSO’s/telcos of the world such as Comcast, AT&T, and Time Warner Cable are beginning to charge a fee for usage over a capped amount, perhaps these stats will help you take notice.  Notice that 90% of traffic on the internet in 2012 will be expected to be streaming video.  There’s no breakdown for HD vs. SD but keep in mind that HD video is much larger in terms of data size.  With all of us watching that much video, don’t feel so comfortable that you won’t become what is now coined a “super user.”  This is a very smart move from the broadband service providers’ end.  They are trying to convince you that you will never be one of those super users being charged additional fees. Yet, at some point, based on these stats, most of us will become that heavy user paying additional fees for, what at least now, amounts to sub-par broadband fees.

Video and web 2.0 social networking applications will push global IP traffic up to 44 exabytes/month by 2012, compared to less than 7 exabytes/month generated in 2007, according to the new Cisco Visual Networking Index forecast. (That’s an annual growth rate of 46%!) Internet video jumped from 12% of the global consumer internet traffic in 2006 to 22% in 2007. Video on demand, IPTV, P2P video, and streaming video are forecast to account for nearly 90% of all consumer IP traffic in 2012. Mobile data traffic will also roughly double each year from 2008 to 2012. Click here for a white paper on the study. (Cynopsis 6/17)