Daily Marauder

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA

comScore on Wednesday announced its latest data showing July 2008 Web video views. And although everyone expected Google to beat up on its competitors, the company did so in convincing fashion by serving nearly half of all the videos viewed online during the month. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/10/google-trounces-web-video-competitors-with-5-billion-views 9/10)

Disney says its video streams hit a record high of 187 million in July, suggesting that it attracted a big lead in streams over NBC-News Corp.’s Hulu, with its 105 million in the same month. “Video is a huge priority for Disney.com,” says Disney Online exec Paul Yanover. (Iwantmedia 9/10, http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/09/disney.html 9/9)

On Monday we posted a leaked screenshot showing a redesigned AOL homepage that included integration with third party email services (Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo Mail), personalized bookmarks linking anywhere, integration with third party social networks (Facebook and MySpace) and a RSS reader.  AOL is now rolling out some of these features. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/10/aol-pulls-the-trigger-direct-access-to-competing-services-on-aolcom 9/10)

Google’s share of the U.S. search market continues to rise. In August, according to Hitwise, Google accounted for 71.01% of U.S. search queries, up from 70.77% in July and 63.98% a year ago. Yahoo’s share dropped to 18.26%; Microsoft‘s slipped to 5.32%; Ask.com’s fell to 3.45%. (Iwantmedia 9/10, http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2008/09/09/google-again-increases-search-market-share 9/9)

Ooyala, a video platform founded by two seasoned Google veterans, has launched a powerful new analytics backend for its service that it calls Backlot Analytics. The new analytics software allows content providers to get an extremely detailed data on their users’ viewing behaviors, helping them tweak their ad placement and future content selection. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/10/ex-googlers-video-platform-ooyala-launches-powerful-analytics-software 9/10)

Some of the world’s top media companies are shedding noncore businesses to give themselves leeway to nab new assets in growing areas, such as the Web and digital television, consultants say. The ability to deliver content via broadband will set off “a new scramble for assets.” (Iwantmedia 9/10, http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2008/tc2008099_662863.htm 9/10)

News Corp., the owner of MySpace, is interested in expanding its digital portfolio of businesses, says COO Peter Chernin. MySpace’s ad business is “above budget.” However, the company is not looking at any big buys. “Most of the things we’re seeing seem a little pricey.” (Iwantmedia 9/10, http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0934136420080909 9/9)

Disney CEO Bob Iger is calling on Internet service providers to ban people who illegally download content. “We are simply asking for people who are downloading illegal files to get a warning initially then to get their service cut off.” We won’t “show up with law enforcement.” (Iwantmedia 9/10, http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/10/digitalmedia.internet 9/10)

ESPN has added a new branded channel to AOL-owned social-networking Web site Bebo. The channel will include video clips from ESPN favorites such as “Pardon the Interruption,” “Around the Horn” and “SportsCenter Right Now.” Mediaweek (9/9)