Yahoo and NBC Sports Group to combine sports content

Yahoo! Inc and NBC Sports Group said they will integrate and promote each others sports content on the Internet as well as on television in a move that would help both the companies draw on their respective strengths across both mediums.

The collaboration will increase NBC's digital presence as well as bolster its college and fantasy game coverage, while Yahoo will gain access NBC's video content, live sports coverage and big name television personalities.

The two companies will maintain separate websites and independent newsrooms, but will collaborate on big sports news stories as well as events coverage both online and on the air, the companies said in a statement late on Sunday.

The sports news providers will also jointly develop made-for-web video programs that will appear on both Yahoo Sports and NBCSports.com as well as collaborate in how they provide advertising.

Source: http://goo.gl/BD5Lw

Balakam interview at Streaming Media West 2012

Daria Golyanina and Alexey Fomichev from Balakam are speaking on the key features of a search system for live broadcasting Internet radio and TV during a red carpet interview at Streaming Media West 2012.

Infographic Details Q3 Online Video Ad Spending and Performance.

Videology Group has released an infographic with useful data about Q3 online video advertising spending and performance.

- Despite the buzz over mobile and connected devices, 90% of video ads were still served online.

- Almost two-thirds of video ad impressions were placed on sites classified as entertainment-oriented (the third quarter in a row this has been the case). A distant second, with 8.4% of video ad impressions were portal sites.

- Just 10.1% of video ad impressions were targeted to the tech-savvy 18-24 demo; the majority (63.9%) were targeted to the 25-54 demos.

Do you know this guy? | Internet Explorer

NetMarketshare reports that IE8 and IE9 alone account for around 25 percent of the market as of October, a nearly 10 percent lead over Google Chrome 22, which holds 15 percent of the market. This makes sense considering that Chrome automatically updates, whereas users have to opt-in to update Microsoft’s browser.

Like this little fella?

Then listen to BBC Radio 1 on Balakam - http://goo.gl/y8q1Z - and don't forget to share with your friends!

Like this little fella?

Then listen to BBC Radio 1 on Balakam - http://goo.gl/y8q1Z - and don't forget to share with your friends!

Ahoy, mateys!

Thar we blow again! Does anyone enjoy the music of Ireland? Well, here you go: an awesome RTE radios compilation right from Dublin, Ireland!

http://goo.gl/Yysss - RTÉ Pulse - dance music

http://goo.gl/D5Of7 - RTÉ Radio 1 - news/features
http://goo.gl/PbGs0 - RTE Choice - music/features
http://goo.gl/8WzyN - RTÉ Gold - the greatest hits of all time

Enjoy, Like and Share with friends! Have a nice Friday! And... Arghhh!!!

‎Veveo Pioneers "Siri on Steroids" Voice-Based Video Search

Veveo, a provider of search solutions for connected devices, has debuted a new voice and natural language-based, "conversational interface" technology for video search which is available for trial currently and for release in Q1 '13 in its Reveal 3.0 product.

The new voice capability is targeted to pay-TV operators, connected device manufacturers and set-top box providers eager to give users more flexibility in how they navigate the ever-increasing array of video choices.

 Sam Vasisht, Veveo's CMO, discussed three key ingredients to making conversational interfaces effective: disambiguation, statefulness and personalization. Disambiguation means being able to identify a user's intent (e.g. distinguishing "Cruise" from "Cruz") or to ascribe the correct meaning to a word (e.g. "Eagles" as football team vs. as a rock band). Statefulness means either maintaining the context of the user's search or adapting quickly to a new one (e.g. from movies to sports). Personalization means retaining knowledge of a user's prior searches in order to inform subsequent ones.

Looks like Siri just got yet another strong competitor and Apple has a lot to think about. Agree?

 

‎Viggle Acquires GetGlue For $25M Plus 48.3M In Shares To Expand Social TV Presence

All 34 GetGlue employees, including founder and CEO Alex Iskold, will migrate over to Viggle, with Iskold taking a senior executive position and a spot on the board of directors.

In case you’re unfamiliar with these companies, they’re quite the match made in heaven. GetGlue has an app that lets users check-in and socialize while watching TV, and their 3 million users prove just how much demand there is for a well-executed product in this space.

On the other hand, Viggle (which launched just a year ago) uses audio verification technology to reward users for loyally returning to their favorite TV shows, whether they’re live or on DVR. Users can then redeem points for real-world prizes from Hulu Plus, Fandango, Best Buy, Amazon and iTunes.

Source: http://goo.gl/QZT8T

‎Amazon.com Confirms It’s Ended $7.99 Monthly Prime Trial

In the beginning of November we wrote about Amazon Prime which offered unlimited TV and movie streaming for $7.99 per month.

Amazon provided TechCrunch with the following statement confirming it has suspended the service:

"We regularly test new options for our customers. At this time, we are no longer signing up new customers for monthly memberships of Amazon Prime."

Amazon would not comment on why the test has been terminated after such a short period.

Source: http://goo.gl/lWBbg

Apple TV Is 'Imminent'

Apple's entry into the TV market is "imminent," says Jefferies analyst James Kisner. Kisner talks about Apple TV in a note about ARRIS, a cable tech company.
"... at least one major N. American MSO is working to estimate how much additional capacity may be needed for a new Apple device on their broadband data network..." says Kisner.

What's interesting about this wording is that it suggests Apple is going to be doing something over broadband, as opposed to normal cable. We've been hearing about an Apple television for a long time now. The big problem for Apple seems to be figuring out how to get cable companies and content companies on board. This isn't like launching the iPad, where Apple just makes a tablet and then developers build apps.

Content makers have restrictions in their deals with cable companies on their content, which could limit what Apple would like to do. Apple has to negotiate with both groups simultaneously to crack the TV market.

And, even when Apple figures that out, the TV market is not like the smartphone market. People aren't going to buy a new TV every year, or every other year. So, anyone looking at Apple attacking a huge new market, should temper expectations.

Source: http://goo.gl/D8HCm

Like this if you think Apple will 'crack' the TV market, and let us know in the comments the why of your decision.

 

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Among the key findings of the Adap.tv March-April 2012 report were that 62% of respondents see online video ads as a complement to TV, up from 56% last year, while just 10% see it as a replacement. In addition, 48% of respondents from brands and agencies said that TV and online video ads are planned together, with another 25% saying they will be planned together within the next 12 months.

Elsewhere in the report, industry professionals remain bullish on online video advertising, with 96% of brand, agency and ad network respondents saying their budgets will increase by 23% this year, with CPMs reportedly up 11% over last year.

In addition, 50% of ad networks and DSPs are using real time bidding (RTB), but only 36% of advertisers and agencies, and just 17% of publishers. Reflecting the early state of the digital video upfront marketplace, only 20% of advertisers expect to buy their ads at an upfront, with 70% saying it will account for less than 10% of their total buy.

Do you use RTB while online advertising? 'Yes' - Like this post, 'No' - let us know in the comments the why of your decision.

Hard rock for all die-hard fans out there!

Freshly compiled music recommendations from Balakam - to all of you Hard rock and Melodic rock die-hard fans out there! Like this and listen to awesome music only with Balakam!

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=4122 - Munich's Hardest Hits - Webradio

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=117976 - Netrock 101

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=219667 - Hard Rock Radio Live

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=1877077 - Pure Rock Radio Inc.

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=3248852 - Fuel Radio

‎Google Releases Search App For Microsoft Surface & Windows RT

Google announced this on their Google+ page saying:
"If you just got a new Windows RT tablet and want to use Google Search, you’re in luck—you can now download the Google Search app optimized for Windows RT. It’s got all the good stuff: voice search, instant results and doodles. Just go to our “Get Your Google Back” site at http://www.google.com/homepage/windows8/ to learn more, and here’s a shot of the Google Search app homepage in Windows 8"

Source: http://goo.gl/r8F5i

Would you prefer the new Windows Surface over the new Apple iPad?
'Yes' - Like this post, 'No' - let us know on the comments the why of your decision.

Startups Are Running Out Of Cash

Brooklyn's Loosecubes — which raised more than $7 million a few months ago — shut down today. Campbell McKeller (photo) is the founder of Loosecubes.

The thing is that many of the startups that were able to raise seed rounds or their first venture-capital financing — a Series A — have run out of cash. The number of expansion-stage deals — generally Series B or later — collapsed from 305 a quarter to 207 earlier this year, according to a National Venture Capital Association study.

The fiscal cliff for startups funded in the recent explosion of seed-stage deals has arrived: LA-based BetterWorks, for example, shut down its service over the summer just one year after raising a $10 million Series A. Earlier this fall, Bravo reality star Dwight Crow put his startup up for sale and landed at Facebook. San Francisco's DailyBooth and New York'sFondu both found homes at Airbnb.

Source: http://goo.gl/fXZgR

What do you think: is this much tech startups and their failures good for the economy? If "Yes" - Like this post, "No" - let us know the why of your decision in the comments.

Spotify will only lose $40 million this year. (Yes, that's considered a success.)

Spotify, the streaming music startup, was having serious trouble paying its bills, if you believed reports from earlier this year. Its 2011 financials showed a loss of nearly $60 million on revenues of $244 million. But it made $200 million in total revenue over the first six months of 2012, and is on an annual run-rate that could put it around $500 million by January.

 Its deal structure with the labels requires either a $200 million annual payment, like what it had to do last year, or around 75% of total revenue (whichever is higher). 2012 will be the first year that revenue is high enough for the percentage structure to kick in.

The company is projecting profit after cost-of-sales to be around $60 million. It still has another $100 million in engineering, marketing, sales and other operating costs, on top of the licensing burden, so it’ll likely post an annual lo

ss of roughly $40 million.

The situation still sounds painful, but it’s not bad at all. The record labels are happy with Spotify’s progress so far because internal data has shown that it is growing the digital music market; the company is working on a large new round of funding — more than $100 million at a $3.25 billion valuation, according to a Wall Street Journal article; and it's building a browser-based version of its desktop software.

http://goo.gl/uxuXG

YouTube prepares its second YouTube Channels push, 60% of content partners to lose funding.

YouTube introduced professional channels — an initiative to add original content to the Web’s top video site — back in December 2011, after an investment of $100 million; but the fresh money will only be seen by 30 to 40 percent of its 100 plus channel partners, which were recruited to make the service more TV-like and competitive against video-on-demand (VoD) services.

The money is, as it was last year, not a free lunch since it is essentially an upfront payment of one year of advertising revenues. Each producer must earn the money back via ads attached to their content before they can make additional revenue from the service. For example, $1 million comes it at 50 million views on a $20 CPM (cost per mil/thousand) – fairly high stakes.

Netflix recently announced Q3 revenues of $905 million and the US firm expects to make $400 million of operating income this year after covering its global operating expenses. Amazon, which owns UK Netflix competitor LoveFilm, is also in the game and is trialing an $8 per month subscription for its Prime service.

http://goo.gl/xZQAT

Image via http://goo.gl/GBOQ2

As usual, an awesome music compilation from Balakam!

This time - hot Latina rhytms ;)

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=3047 - Clube Brasil Integrale

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=10340 - SKY.fm Salsa

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=15632 - Capsao Rct

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=22690 - La Fiesta Latina Radio En Vivo

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=117965 - Supernova Radio - La Radio Que Tú Te Mereces!

Enjoy, Like and Share with friends!

Web radio growing faster than on-demand services.

Webcasters, such as Pandora, saw following increase by 27 percent while on-demand players, such as Spotify andRhapsody grew by 18 percent.

NPD Online Research said that contributing to part of those declines was Pandora's successful move into automobiles. The research company said that 34 percent of Pandora's users are now listening to the service in their cars.

 

Pandora is supporting legislation that would lower the royalty rates that Web radio services pay labels and artists to play music, and it's not hard to figure out why the music sector and Pandora Media are preparing to go to war with each other.

Also, there's one more juicy revelation from NPD's survey: listening to digital music files on portable music players dropped 21 points. Are you seeing this Apple?

http://goo.gl/b4vD0

What is your favourite way of listening to music? Answer in the comments.

 

Netflix Has Plenty of Competitors, and None of Them Are Close.

Sandvine says that during the Web’s primetime hours, Netflix accounts for 33 percent of “downstream” traffic in North America, and it’s higher than it was in the spring of 2011, before Netflix raised its prices and lost some of its best-known movies.

YouTube accounts for 15 percent of Web use, but that site is almost entirely free. Netflix’s paid competitors generate much smaller numbers: Amazon is at 1.8 percent, Hulu is at 1.1 percent and HBO Go comes in at 0.5 percent. Bear in mind that Sandvine is tracking the flow of data via broadband pipes, which means it is tracking usage — and file size – instead of reach. Netflix, for instance, has about 25 million subscribers worldwide, while YouTube boasts some 800 million monthly visitors.

http://goo.gl/cIpqN

Source: Sandvine

Val Kilmer got onto the stage during The Black Lips performance.

Val Kilmer got onto the stage during The Black Lips performance at the Fun Fun Fun Fest.

The actor began screaming in the mic, breaking equipment and at some point cut off a piece of his hair with a penknife.

Wanna get as crazy as Kilmer? Listen to The Black Lips with Balakam - http://balakam.com/search/item?id=10346 - and don’t forget to share with friends! 

Syndication Wins: AOL's Video Revenue Jumps From $10M to $100M in 2 Years.

CEO Tim Armstrong said AOL's video ad revenue jumped from $10 million 2 years ago to a projected $100 million in 2012, with more growth ahead in 2013. The results are mainly due to video syndication, powered by AOL's acquisition of 5Min in 2010. AOL is capitalizing on the concept of the "syndicated video economy" - AOL's large video syndication library (which has grown from 30K videos to 450K today) feeds both its owned and operated properties and its network of 30K publishers. All of these sites are hungry for video for 2 important reasons: they meet users' increasingly video-oriented expectations and their adjacent ad inventory is monetized at far better rates than traditional display.

http://www.videonuze.com/article/syndication-wins-aol-s-video-revenue-jumps-from-10m-to-100m-in-past-2-years

Do you use online video syndication for your business?

Google decline in China continues.

It’s been more than two and a half years since Google left the Chinese search market, and now it's at fourth place with 4.72 percent of page views, down from 5.1 percent the month before.

Part of the reason for that is the arrival of search newcomer Qihoo 360, which is believed to have captured 9.64 percent of the market last month. CEO Zhou Yongyi has set his sights on a 15 to 20 percent share of the market, enough to “destroy” Baidu’s monopoly.

http://tnw.to/obXI

Amazon takes on Netflix and Hulu Plus.

Amazon Prime offers unlimited TV and movie streaming for $7.99 per month. Amazon is clearly hoping that price-matching its competitors will help drive more subscriptions.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/prime

Balakam, live stream search developer, starring at IPOboard.

Balakam, the developer of a solution to search for online broadcasting content, participated on October 29 in a presentation of IPOboard companies for potential investors and was identified as one of the best companies on this online exchange platform in Russia, the official Russian Venture Company (RVC) website reports.

Information and trading platform IPOboard, also known in Russia as RII-board, has been established by the Moscow Stock Exchange and Russia’s Rusnano to facilitate the raising of investments by privately owned Russian hi-tech companies. Balakam joined the platform in May 2012. 
A portfolio company of the RVC Seed Fund, Balakam focuses on the development of an Internet service to optimize search of audio and video streams that run live on the Web. 

The Balakam search system is said to be based on a unique patented technology that speeds up the process and boosts efficiency. The new solution reportedly pinpoints special identifiers that help it locate, recognize and save links to the sources of audio and video content being broadcasted on a real-time basis.

A system prototype is currently available at their project website. The commercial launch of the product is slated for the end of this year. 

Balakam received seed capital from the RVC Seed Fund in 2011. Also last year it joined the IT cluster of Skolkovo, the state-sponsored innovation hub currently under construction outside Moscow.

http://www.marchmontnews.com/Technology-Innovation/Central-regions/19110-Balakam-live-stream-search-developer-starring-IPOboard-.html

Bloomberg TV goes behind the scenes at Zynga.

Bloomberg TV goes behind the scenes at Zynga to find out how the things are going on with FarmVille 2; the game is supposed to make Zynga "stay dominant on the desktop".

http://bloom.bg/RBZ4P5

Watch Bloomberg TV with Balakam here and share it with your friends! :-D

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=6404708

Yet another awesome Balakamous music compilation.

This time - funk house:

http://balakam.com/search/ item?id=5287 - KIF Radio

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=1742560 - PolskaStacja.pl
http://balakam.com/search/item?id=11228083 - Pressure Radio
http://balakam.com/search/item?id=11274193 - ZerkaloMillenium
http://balakam.com/search/item?id=11648497 - krissradio.com

Enjoy and share with friends. Have a nice Friday!

Mark Cuban: An Apple Set-Top Box "Would Be A Huge Success." And he's right.

Though experts say that's exactly why such a product won't see the light of day. The reasons are:

1. They would be turning over their user experience to Apple, allowing the company to drive the UI and therefore reshape the video experience as it determined, just as it has done in music with iTunes.

2. The pay-TV industry finds itself in no quandary, and in no need of Apple's rescue. F.ex., Apple TV still remains just a "hobby." It's a niche product that for most people is not going to supplant a pay-TV subscription any time soon.

What do you think, will Apple conquer the world of pay-TV subscription? Share your thoughts in the comments.

New Google Search app approved for iOS.

New Google Search App With Siri-Like Voice Responses Finally Approved For iOS.

Announced in August, Google’s new Google Search app for iOS has been apparently stuck in Apple’s app approval process for over two months. No longer. Google’s just announced that the new app is out.
It was never clear exactly why it took the app so long to emerge after it was submitted. Neither Google nor Apple said. But it’s available now through iTunes for those with iOS devices like the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.

For those wanting a Google Maps app for iOS, keep waiting.

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Yesterday comScore released its September 2012 Video Metrix data which showed YouTube accounted for approximately 13.1 billion videos viewed out of the monthly total of 39.4 billion. 

At 33.2%, that's the lowest market share YouTube has had since Aug. '10.

As recently as July '12, YouTube had a 53.1% share (with 19.6 billion videos viewed), though as I pointed out previously, in August, its share dropped unexpectedly to 36.5%.

“In 10 years from now, people will be sharing 1,000 times as many things as they do today.”

People are generally laughing at Mark Zuckerberg for this quote, claiming that they couldn’t post 1,000x more per day updates or pictures of what they are eating. I submit that these people are stuck in the status quo and suffering from a lack of imagination around the awareness of devices that are here now or will be soon.
Google Glass is around the corner at approximately $1,500 and the Memoto’s life blogging camera for $249 is in kickstarter mode right now, already reaching their modest $50,000 goal and pushing towards $150K. This wearable device will take a 5 megapixel picture every 5 seconds tagged with Geolocation data.

Wearable cameras with a computer like Google Glass and more dedicated recording devices will grow in adoption and acceptance. In countries where automobile accident fraud is a problem or corrupt police try to shake you down for bribes, people have resorted to protecting themselves by installing their own hidden dash cams in their cars like cops in the U.S. are mandated to use.

The future is here, it’s just not evenly distributed.

http://www.kloustin.com/people-will-be-sharing-1000x-sooner-than-10-years/?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRoluanJdO%2FhmjTEU5z17u8sWqeyh4kz2EFye%2BLIHETpodcMT8NmNLHYEhcSI4JkxgVAR%2Bece5lB

Pandora updates for iPhone and Android apps.

Pandora updated its mobile app Monday.

The service added new features and completely overhauled its mobile music listening experience. “This is our biggest update to our iPhone and Android app since we launched on both platforms,” Asi Behar, Director of Product, User Experience at Pandora.

Pandora 4.0 is available now for iOS, and will be available for Android in the coming weeks. Behar says the Android version will arrive later, simply because Pandora wants to support every Android device, of which there are many.

Comcast Loses Subscribers: still feeling good about the future.

Last Friday morning Comcast reported strong Q3 '12 results, including its 8th straight quarter of lower year-over-year video subscriber losses. For Q3 '12, it lost 117K subscribers, vs. 165K in Q3 '11. 

This pattern stretches all the way back to Q4 '10, when Comcast lost 135K subscribers, vs. the 199K it lost in Q4 '09. 
Obviously no business likes to lose customers, but Comcast's (and all cable operators') reality is that with the incursion of telcos and satellite operators, some market fragmentation was inevitable.

Jazz Comp form Balakam!

Here's an awesome Jazz compilation form Balakam:

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=1741 - Radio Swiss Jazz of Switzerland
http://balakam.com/search/item?id=2172 - PlayMistyforMe of Belgium
http://balakam.com/search/item?id=2178 - Adore Jazz on 1.FM. only the finest Vocal Jazz. 24x7. of the US
http://balakam.com/search/item?id=2631 - Jazz Classics of Sky.FM of the US

Don't forget to Like and Share with friends!

Taylor Swift - Begin Again

Watch the new video for Begin Again - Taylor Swift - incredibly beautiful and exceptionally artsy music clip for the second single from the fourth album “Red”.

 

Listen to Taylor Swift with Balakam on the KHBR Live Radio - http://balakam.com/search/item?id=6539150 - and share with friends!

The Wolverine. Gangnam Style

Hugh Jackman dances in the Gangnam Style with PSY - wearing Wolverine claws.
The actor has been snapped on the set of The Wolverine earlier this week while PSY's been teaching him the moves from the outstandingly popular dance.

Listen to PSY on the Korean FM927 Radio - http://balakam.com/search/item?id=6215334 - and share with your friends! :-D

Kings of Leon new album is coming along.

Kings of Leon new album is coming along. Band's bassist Jared Followill says in the BBC 6Music interview: "We are in the writing process right now and it's coming along pretty quickly; we have no plans of finishing it this year but definitely early next year, so I think people should expect something from us sooner rather than later".

Listen to Kings of Leon on rock-radio WNRM - http://balakam.com/search/item?id=11098325 - and share the link with your friends! }:-D

Jake Bugg's gonna beat the hell out of Official Singles Chart?

Jake Bugg's debut album sets to move Mumford and Sons' 'Babel' from the top spot. Nottingham, United Kingdom own has already beaten Leona Lewis and Bat For Lashes.

Listen to Jake on indie radio Radio Neo - http://balakam.com/search/item?id=20447 - and don't forget to share his beautiful music with friends! :-D

Beyonce Confirms Super Bowl Performance

Beyoncé confirmed her performance during the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show on Feb. 3, 2013.

It will take place at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Madonna was the one to perform this year.

Listen to Beyoncé and Madonna on Balakam and don't forget to share with your friends! :-D

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=3701 - RauteMusik
http://balakam.com/search/item?id=3639 - Audio Popsicle

P!nk - Try

Pink has a new video for her "Try" song from "The Truth About Love" album!

Amazingly intense and pretty aggressive video shows Pink and dancer Colt Prattes physically 'illustrate' the lyrics of the song which are about (surprise, surprise!) difficult relationships and trying to mend them...

Listen to P!nk with Balakam:

Heart 106.2: http://balakam.com/search/item?id=3519721

Kiss 100 fm: http://balakam.com/search/item?id=10942679

And don't forget to share with friends :D

Happy birthday, John Lennon!

Today the most prominent British musician would have been 72.

Balakam would like to make a certain contribution to the celebrations, and gives you the opportunity to listen to the best The Beatles radio - 

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=14633969 The BeatlesRadio

Also, listen to The Beatles tribute on SKY.fm Radio -

http://balakam.com/search/item?id=1881455

And don't forget to share with friends!

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We wanted to write something sad, unusual or even mournful. But instead, we put here his best, in our opinion, quote: "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life".

RIP Steve Jobs.

Brand New Interface. Yet again.

We have changed our main page interface yet again.
Because we constantly think about your tastes and grooves; because we want you to take absolute pleasure in using our service.

We have narrowed it to three languages, which allows us to make recommendations even more pertinent for you!

Do you think that's a good idea? Please visit us at www.balakam.com to fully enjoy it and give us your feedback - and don't be shy to make it negative but relevant :D