Daily Marauder

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ComScore released its October search-engine market share figures for the U.S. last night. Overall search volume grew 20.1 percent year-over-year to 12.6 billion queries, a decline in growth from the 25.5 percent pace we saw in September, but still quite healthy. Correspondingly, the annual growth in Google’s U.S. search volume slowed from 38.6 percent in September to 29.6 percent in October. Google still managed to eke out an overall market share gain of 0.2 point to 63.1 percent. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/25/google-gains-us-search-market-share-in-october-but-growth-slows 11/25)

Blockbuster has started offering customers a small box made by 2Wire that, when attached to a TV set, can play the company’s videos once they’ve been downloaded over a broadband line. The move, according to this report, is an attempt to blunt the success of competitors such as cable companies, with their vast on-demand offerings, and Netflix. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (11/25) , Reuters (11/25)

The production arm of Warner Home Video – Warner Premiere – will produce a series of original live action webisodes with top-shelf Hollywood director Bryan Singer, reports THR. The two parties are in talks to develop the cyberpunk sci-fi thriller “H+,” which picks up after a terrorist fries the brains of a segment of the population “jacking” into the net. (Cynopsis 11/25)

Facebook sees a bleak economy as all the more reason to press ahead with growth plans. The social-networking site is said to be gearing up to make acquisitions. Options could include sites in Brazil, Germany, India or Japan, where Facebook is yet to have a strong presence. (Iwantmedia 11/25, http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_48/b4110084423202.htm 11/20)

YouTube has apparently changed all videos on its site to play in widescreen format. Because most videos on the site were originally uploaded in a ratio closer to 4:3 (the standard size used on non-HD televisions), most videos are playing with horizontal black bars on the side. Some videos (like this one) are taking advantage of the full space, but are shrunk down to the normal size when they’re embedded elsewhere. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/24/youtube-goes-wide 11/24)

Online entertainment portal No Good TV christened its own new television production arm with the 8-part VH1 Classic One Hit Wonders. Hosted by NGTV’s own Carrie Keagan, the show re-imagines the well-worn countdown format with irreverent touches, high-end animation and innovative visual effects. VH1 Classic will premiere two new episodes each night beginning Dec. 1. (Cynopsis 11/25)

Fox Interactive Media’s gaming-themed IGN.com announced a series of production and distribution agreements with nearly a dozen publishers to distribute original IGN video productions across their sites including Black20 Digital Studios, Machinima.com, CollegeHumor, ScrewAttack.com, g-NET and Comedy.com. (Cynopsis 11/25)

Video online and on mobile devices remain additive to the overall pie as total viewing hours continue to rise across all available platforms, according to Nielsen‘s Q3 A2/M2 report. Television remained the dominant choice for video consumption as viewers watched more than 142 hours/month – 5 hours more than last year. The amount of hours audiences spent watching timeshifted TV rose by 34% year-over-year as DVR penetration increased to 27%. Major online events such as the Olympics, Major League baseball and political conventions contributed dramatically to the growth of online video usage. (Cynopsis 11/25)

Monthly Time Spent in Hours: Minutes – 3Q 2008
K2-11 T12-17 A18-24 A25-34 A35-44 A45-54 A55-64 A65+
Watching TV in the home*    108:34 110:59 108:36 133:00 134:51 159:23 175:18 196:23
Watching Timeshifted TV*       5:25     4:55    4:36   10:04     8:15     7:19    6:32     3:44
Using the Internet**              5:38    12:48  12:59   28:40   37:56   35:24   35:05   26:39
Watching Video on Internet**  2:05     2:55    3:57    3:21     2:44     2:17     1:37     1:07
Mobile Video Subscribers          n/a      4:20    3:15     4:20    3:37     2:10      2:53      n/a
Watching Video on a
Mobile Phone

Video Audience Composition by Age – 3Q 2008
K2-11 T12-17 A18-24 A25-34 A35-44 A45-54 A55-64 A65+
On TV*                 11%     7%       7%      13%     14%     17%    14%  17%
On the Internet**    7%     9%       8%      15%     19%     20%      6%   7%
On Mobile Phones     n/a   18%     15%      32%     20%     10%       6%  1%

Video Audience Composition by Gender – 3Q 2008
F2+ M2+
On TV*                  54% 46%
On the Internet**   55% 45%
On Mobile Phones    40% 60%
FOOTNOTES FOR ALL CHARTS:
Source for all charts: The Nielsen Company Check the Nielsen blog for footnote references