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They may have had difficulties launching their services on the iPhone due to 3G restrictions, but now Sling Media says they are getting ready for the iPad.
Dave Zatz, publisher of Zatz Not Funny, quotes a Sling Media marketing manager as saying “the iPad is a good example of a device where we are hard at work on this, but unfortunately it won’t be there at the April launch.”
The company's Sling Box products are wildly popular with owners (though some complain about support) but fly under the radar with the general public. Owner EchoStar, which bought the company in 2007, has not been a big promoter of the devices.
A Slingbox, for those not familiar with the product, is hooked up to your cable or satellite box. After setup it then can stream your television programming, through the Internet, to other devices such as a laptop, iPhone, or potentially, an iPad. Because of the high bandwidth required, initially the Slingbox could only stream to the iPhone through WiFi, but later the company was able to get AT&T to agree to 3G streaming, as well. This moving of media from one device to another is called placeshifting.
Streaming television from devices such as your computer to your television is becoming popular as television and BluRay manufacturers begin adding some Internet connectivity to their products. But Sling Media continues to lead when the streaming goes the other way.
The importance to media companies? Every company like Sling Media that commits to supporting tablets furthers the use of those products for media consumption -- a good thing for publishers who are worried about whether their development costs can be justified.
(Sling Media's web sites seem to be down this afternoon. I find that a bit worrisome for a company that uses the net to stream media.)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sling Media commits to the iPad; devices stream TV to mobile devices; day one launch not happening, though
WoodWing offers cross-media publishing webinars
A few days ago I posted a video from publishing solutions company WoodWing. The company had posted a video preview of their iPad Tools for magazine production. This must have gotten me on their press list.
So this morning I received a notice of upcoming webinars for both book and magazine cross-media publishing. I thought I'd pass along the information since many times those in the best position to push for innovation are art directors and production folk. Find the schedule here.
Mobile demands more from B2Bs; offers huge opportunities to reclaim readers and advertisers
From inserts to CDs, publishers have often used giveaways to entice readers. The practice, though, has not translated to mobile media because few publishers are also developers and thus are dependent on the ad community -- another group trying to catch up with the fast growth of mobile media -- to bring them new ideas and products.
Whether it is smart phones or tablet readers, mobile media allows readers to carry their media with them, allowing them not only to read the content on the go, but to access other information and applications, as well (obvious, I know). Because of this, media companies, especially B2Bs need to stop thinking of their products as only a series of articles, but incorporate other information and services into their mobile editions.
← An app from Creamer Media's Engineering News,
a South African B2B weekly news magazine.
An example would be Buyer's Guides. Once upon a time these annual issues were like Black Friday for retailers: the issue that made the year. Some believed that bringing these products online would be hugely profitable but it hasn't turned out that way. The reason for this is that consumers now have many search options, a print buyer's guide is just one of them.
One of my browsers, Chrome has done away with the search box -- just type in your search into the address line and Google provides the search results (Google makes the Chrome browser). The point being that it is even easier to type in "skid steer dealer" "Chicago" in a browser address bar than to go to the Construction Equipment web site and navigate their online directory.
But on my iPhone which is easier: opening a browser and typing in my search into the Google bar? or pressing an app with a built-in buyer's guide? I don't know if the app approach is clearly easier, but it is at least on a level playing field again. (A search of the iTunes app stores shows no Construction Equipment app, maybe this will come from the magazine's new owner.)
Monday, March 29, 2010
Ooyala the latest to announce iPad support; company provides publishers with video platform services
Ooyala, a provider of video platform applications and services for publishers, has announced that it will be providing support for the iPad platform. The Mountain View company already provides video services that allow publishers to deliver video directly to iPod touch, iPhones and other connected devices.
Publishers who are already streaming video to iPhone will be able to deliver video immediately to iPad, the company said.
"The iPad is more than just another connected device," says Bismarck Lepe, Ooyala's President of Product. "It's an innovation that will drive new ideas in portability and personalized media. We've supported native delivery of video to the iPhone for over a year now, and in that year we've seen huge growth in the amount of video consumed on the device. We expect that starting April 3rd, iPad will build on the success of iPhone and be another important online video device."
Current Ooyala's customers include Telegraph Media Group, Vice magazine, Johnson & Johnson, General Mills, The Glam Network and Electronic Arts.
BBC Trust delays launch of the BBC's mobile media apps after British newspaper association cries foul
The UK's Newspaper Publishers Association gets its way: the BBC won't release its Apple iPhone applications, at least for now.
The British newspaper group had asked the BBC Trust, the broadcaster's governing body, to rethink the release of their news and sports apps, claiming that the apps would amount to unfair competition from the publicly funded broadcaster.
"It is vital that these proposals are scrutinized properly to avoid any adverse impact on commercial media organizations," the NPA's director, David Newell, Reuters reported. "We are pleased that the BBC Trust has listened to the industry's concerns and acted to delay the planned April launch."
The BBC's apps were shown off at last month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and like most media apps are essentially repackaged content from the BBC's web sites.
Why the Beeb's regular broadcasting would not fall under this same objection I do not know. But it is no surprise that one of the biggest critics to the BBC mobile plans was James Murdoch, heir to the throne of his father's News Corp. empire.
Monday morning briefs: media readies iPad products
Finally, the end of the hype cycle is in view. Depending on the reliability of FedEx, those that pre-ordered their iPads, or those willing to storm their local Apple Store or Best Buy, will finally get their hands on the tablet devices. The reviews will come in and the device will stop being either the savior of print media, or an overgrown iPod, and will simply become another product out in the marketplace.
• Apple confirmed they are set for their launch, sending out a press release this morning. “iPad connects users with their apps and content in a far more intimate and fun way than ever before,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO in the release. “We can’t wait for users to get their hands and fingers on it this weekend.”
Apple retail stores will offer a free Personal Setup service to every customer who buys an iPad at the store, helping them customize their new iPad by setting up their email, loading their favorite apps from the App Store, and more. Also beginning Saturday morning, all US Apple retail stores will host special iPad workshops to help customers learn more about this magical new product.The Times today has a story about iPad hype quoting a series of analysts. One word of advice: discount any story containing quotes by analysts. Each quote sounds like a press release: well said drivel.
• Rumors of apps that will be available have begun to pick up steam. But the media world has been pretty much silent. One expects that the New York Times and WSJ will both have their apps available from day one.
One assumption I have is that media companies will employ one of three models: free app, free content; free app, paid subscription; paid app, free content. The first option -- free, free -- is what the Times uses for its iPhone app now. They may decide to go this route if their iPad app is simply a blown-up version of their iPhone app. But if their developers have come up with a more interactive product they may decide to charge a subscription price.
Many media companies may go this route: free app, with an in-app subscription charge. The Financial Times does this now on the iPhone. paidContent.co.uk this morning reports that The Spectator, a British news magazine will be using their Exact Editions flip books as their app content. This gets the magazine onto the iPad, but does not demonstrate a serious commitment to the format. Nonetheless, I expect that the vast majority of publications will use this method to make their content available rather than building development and production teams to create new versions of their publications specifically for the tablet. The Spectator will reportedly not charge for its iPad app, then will use Apple's in-app purchasing capability to charge the reader for access to the content itself.
