Unreel.me Partners Up with Emerging Sports TV

Unreel.me is excited to announce that we are teaming up with Emerging Sports TV, a leader in a new category they call the “3rd Wave of Sports Broadcasting, covering well-developed events, compelling athletes, and the most visually stunning venues in one of sports  fastest growing segments.”  Emerging sports has a potential reach of 60-80 million unique views, a number that has consistently been on the rise.

 

With Unreel, Emerging Sports seeks to expand their reach and provide a bridge for advertisers with events, viewers, and fans of the programming. Unreel will power Emerging sports OTT self-distribution strategy with a lineup of SmartTV, mobile, and desktop apps and sites.  Utilizing Unreel.me’s patented social Big Data A.I, Emerging Sports seeks to increase engagement with its viewers and gain valuable insights about their content.

 

To learn more about Emerging Sports and our new partnership, view the Press Release here.

 

To find out why the largest networks in the world trust Unreel to power their OTT strategy, click here.

 

 

 

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Jash and Time Inc. Team Up for Big Laughs

Unreel.me partner Jash has announced a partnership with media titan Time Inc. to produce branded content.

 

Jash, a comedy network founded in 2012 in part by comedic heavyweights Sarah Silverman and Michael Cera, has made a name for itself by producing well-received branded content for numerous national brands. Former successes of Jash include campaigns for Chevrolet, Stand Up to Cancer, Captain Morgan, and the anti-smoking “Truth” initiative. This new strategic partnership will pair Jash’s comedic talents with Time Inc. brands and resources to produce humorous video projects for advertisers.

 

According to Jash Executive Chairman Doug DeLuca, ““The appetite for smart, premium comedy content is high, especially in the branded world.” By leveraging Jash’s network of rising and established comedians in union with Time Inc. brands the companies will produce high impact comedic assets; one of the most lucrative verticals in the marketplace.   The value added by Jash’s standing in the world of comedy allowing them to draw from an unmatched pool of talent cannot be understated.   Jash’s consistent delivery of fresh ideas with on-brand messaging opened the door for a  partnership to form “a new content vertical,” in comedy that Time Inc. was looking to develop.

 

Unreel is proud to be a partner of Jash Network, powering their site, Jash.com, as well as their up and coming OTT apps.  With this announcement it is clear Jash has become a comedic branded content powerhouse with a very funny and unreal future ahead.

Learn more about the OTT services Unreel provides Jash here.

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The Ultimate Tool to take Control of your Fan Base

TL;DR: Unreel has integrated with MailChimp, the web’s premier email marketing service, to allow networks, creators, and brands to collect their OTT app’s user’s emails.

 

Create a direct connection with your fans through email

Fans are the lifeblood of content. Without their passion and support creators would be unable to consistently produce videos worth watching. Every network, creator, and brand knows the relationship with their most passionate fans is vital to the bottom line of their business. New viewers are nice, but nothing matters more than keeping current fans engaged. That’s how content grows, spreads, and in turn generates new fans.

How it works:

When content owners launch their video streaming service with Unreel, they are not only getting powerful OTT apps, they are also gaining access to the most powerful marketing tool around; email. No other form of distributing content allows the content owner to collect fan’s emails once they begin engaging with content.  By accruing an email list, an unprecedented direct line of communication is opened for the content owner. Now content creators, networks, or brands can promote themselves however they choose, directly to the exact audience that wants to be targeted; fans.

 

Email marketing is by far the most effective way to promote oneself

The instant new content debuts across your video streaming apps you can alert fans directly. Sending your coalition of faithful viewers to new content starts the viral snowball rolling, ensuring strong viewership numbers. Consistently emailing your fans allows you to both effectively strengthen your bond with them, as well as encourage sharing, to bring in new viewers.

                                            Who Doesn’t Love Getting Mail?

To learn how to  collect your fan’s emails, click here!

 

Don’t have an Unreel.me powered site yet?

 

Unreel provides creators, brands, and networks connected OTT apps across all platforms. Our patented streaming platform leverages social data to understand and engage viewers in new ways and deliver rich analytics to content owners. We are currently working with some of the largest networks in the world developing their OTT solutions.

Get Started Here.

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67 Billion reasons to go OTT

By 2021 video streaming apps will generate 67 billion dollars in revenue, how much of that will be yours?

 

Learn about what OTT is here!

If you have been on the fence about jumping into the OTT pool, get ready to leap in headfirst.

OTT is consistently touted as the future of video and this year it became the present. In 2016 the OTT market is on track to generate ~25 billion dollars, accounting for 5% of the global video industry. What is most noteworthy is this represents a consistent 20% annual growth for the OTT market compared to traditional Broadcast Television’s paltry 2% growth.^[1] Consumers are sending a message that cannot be ignored—they want to control watch what they want on the devices they want. Those clear demands can only be delivered by an OTT experience.

 

The opportunity:

 

A recent estimate from TechSci Research projects the OTT market to exceed 67 Billion dollars annually by 2021. This exponential increase in growth could balloon OTT’s share of the worldwide video industry to nearly 15%.^[2] Rapid as its growth may be, OTT is just on the cusp of its potential ascent to distribution dominance. At the moment OTT is limited by its potential reach. SmartTV’s penetration of the market is still very much in its infancy, with only 20% of US households equipped with a connected set. The percent of US homes with a SmartTV however is set to explode very quickly to 50% over the next 3 years.^[3]   In a very short amount of time, reaching a majority of viewers with apps on connected televisions will not only be possible, it will be preferable.

 

OTT offers advantages for each party involved that contribute to its impending domination.

 

Consumers:

It starts with consumers, who need to deliver the eyes to get the ball rolling for content owners and advertisers. Consumers are already demonstrating their distaste for traditional broadcast television, particularly the highly coveted millennial generation, who are leading the cord cutter movement. The demand for content on the new devices millennials want to engage on, Smartphones, Tablets and SmartTvs, is there and that will bring the content owners.

 

Content Owners:

 

-Networks and creators are yearning for the freedom and benefits that reaching their fans directly through OTT apps afford. The perks of owning the relationship with their fans and opportunities to further engage them cannot be overderstated. Direct marketing, powerful data, and recommendation engines all can be powered by the right kind of OTT apps.

Advertisers:

-For advertisers the unparalleled precision targeting possible on OTT apps means reaching their target market more effectively than on any other medium. This results in sky high CPM’s that stand to make networks and creators billions. If the consumers are there and advertisement friendly content is there, the marketers will do whatever it takes to make sure they are there too.

 

 

Now is the time to capitalize:

 

The chance to lead the OTT charge has not passed. Apple TV for instance was believed to have roughly 100,000 apps as of early 2016. In comparison, the Apple App store for IPhone has over 2,000,000 apps.^[4] The OTT waters are still blue for now, as it is early in the game. The mammoth trailblazers (Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon) have been rocking the OTT world for several years, but it is not too late to join the pre-party. The door to get in on OTT at the ground floor is closing fast. There is still room however for networks and content creators to pounce on the early adopter movement and dominate the early world of OTT. Those who rule OTT early will most likely rule OTT late.

 

Ready to take the leap?

 

Unreel provides creators, brands, and networks connected OTT apps across all platforms. Our patented streaming platform leverages social data to understand and engage viewers in new ways and deliver rich analytics to content owners. We are currently working with some of the largest networks in the world developing their OTT apps.

Learn more about launching your OTT apps with Unreel.me here!

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The Greatest Threat to OTT’s Reign

Two Points of friction that will keep fans away from your OTT apps

 

OTT may be the future of video but the path is not completely clear. Two significant friction points stand in the way of OTT’s rightful place as heir to the content distribution thrown. Two phenomena, Show dumping and Network dumping, are significant roadblocks temporarily obstructing OTT’s rise to dominance. Show dumping occurs when a viewer stops watching a specific show because it becomes too difficult to access. Network dumping is when an OTT app fails to engage fans once the content they originally came for has been completed. Although both dilemmas will prove challenging obstacles, solutions exist; show dumping and network dumping can be overcome and the networks that figure out how will win the OTT crown.

 

Show Dumping

 

The immediate but more easily remedied issue facing OTT is show dumping.  According to a global TiVo study 37% of viewers have dropped a TV program once it has gone OTT due to difficulties accessing it.[1]  When a show is only available through an OTT premium app there is the potential for drop-off. Fans who do not own the hardware necessary to view OTT content are left in the dark and viewers who have yet to cut/ shave the cable cord may be unwilling to pay a la carte style for premium content. The solution is simple in this case, time. OTT is still in its early years. Only 20% of households currently have some form of SmartTV.  Although that is already a large market, over 20 million households, by 2019 it is predicted half of all US homes will have connected SmatTV’s.[2]  In conjunction with the rapidly growing number of cord cutters joining the ‘never cable’ millennial crowd, the days of show dumping are clearly numbered.

 

Network Dumping

 

Show dumping for the most part is due to take care of itself. However, Network dumping is a critical hurdle that requires direct action by a network to overcome. Networks that can thwart network dumping will be the ones who win at OTT. Once a fan has finished a show or a specific video, what will keep them engaging with new content? The answer is something the current king of OTT has known for years.

 

The Recommendation King

 

Netflix has mastered the art of keeping viewers engaged. Their secret sauce; a powerful recommendation system that the company claims is responsible for 75% of user activity.[3] The instant a user starts viewing on Netflix, it tracks their behavior, quickly developing a profile that will allow a recommendation system to predict what that user wants to watch next.

 

The Ultimate discovery tool is curated recommendations

 

Recommendations are not only a nice addition for a video-streaming app, they are vital. 53% of Millennials expect apps to recommend to them what else there is to watch.[4] It is crucial that networks deploy OTT apps that are constantly analyzing user preferences, and presenting them with recommendations pointed at content within the app, or other apps within the network’s family. To do this networks will have to ensure their apps are interconnected, sharing each other’s user’s preferences and promoting one another through recommendations. By doing so a network can protect itself from being dumped and assume its place among OTT royalty.

 

How to power a recommendation system across your OTT apps

 

Unreel.me builds OTT apps across every platform with a focus on networks.  Using Unreel, networks are able to launch custom interconnected OTT apps across all platforms for every brand in their portfolio. Each of these apps will be able to recommend content from one another to users based on users preferences.  Unreel is already working with some of the largest networks in the world to power their OTT solutions with a powerful recommendation engine.

Click here to Learn more about Unreel.me Powered OTT apps for networks.

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Get Paid Instantly with Stripe!

Integrating Stripe means content owners get paid the instant their fans purchase content.

At Unreel we believe in putting content owners in the drivers seat. That means everything from distribution to monetization. We also want to make sure that once fans pay for awesome content, the content’s owner gets paid as quickly as possible with an understanding about exactly where revenue is coming from. In order to accomplish this, we have integrated with Stripe, the webs premier transaction platform.

 

With our new Stripe integration, earning money from your Unreel properties is faster and more transparent then ever.

 

Stripe is a powerful online payment platform trusted by some of the largest companies in the world.  With a free Stripe account content owners on Unreel are able to receive funds the instant they sell content on their site. They also will have access to payment reports around customer transactions on their Unreel.me properties.  This will allow unreel.me content owners to understand everything around how users are purchasing videos, tipping them, and subscribing. Understand your business to make better decisions!

 

Unreel.me provides OTT apps and sites for the largest Networks and creators in the world. 

Already have an an Unreel.me site or apps? Click here to learn how to create and synch your Stripe account!

Want your own Unreel.me powered site and apps? Click here!

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Demonized and Demonetized: The 5 Things You Can’t Do On YouTube

A not so recent YouTube policy has Youtubers feeling “stabbed in the back.”

Starting August 31^st Youtubers began receiving notification from the site alerting them that specific videos of theirs violated guidelines and would no longer be monetized.  Many of YouTube’s stars, large and small have suddenly realized that a number of their videos, going back many years, are not generating revenue because of violations. The majority of Youtuber’s are making it no secret they feel betrayed, as the most sacred aspect of online video, freedom, seems to be under threat. The truth is however, they never had any freedom at all.

 

Since the dawn of monetization on YouTube there has been “Guidelines for advertiser friendly content.”

These rules give YouTube the right to yank the ads from any monetized videos their algorithm does not deem fit.  At the end of August 2016, in a ‘too little too late’ move of transparency, YouTube decided to start alerting creators when one of their videos failed to meet guidelines. Although these guidelines have been enforced for years, YouTubers only now finding out about violations feel betrayed. Most notably, platform star, Philip DeFranco has claimed it feels like he has been “stabbed in the back” after dedicating 10 years to the site. For creators trying to support themselves by monetizing content, the sudden realization that failing to meet strict and ill-defined guidelines has and will cost them in the future is terrifying.

 

 

Which begs the question:

What can’t you do on YouTube when monetizing content?!?!

 

Get ready to be told what to do by socially conservative men in suits!

 

1. Drugs are bad, Mmmmkay

You can’t “Promote drugs and regulated substances, including selling, use and abuse of such items”

Drugs! Of any kind. From caffeine in your coke, to coke in your coke, using, or even promoting the use of drugs is enough to loose your rights to monetize.  Legal or not, they are banned.

 

2. No F*#@$#% cursing

You can’t use “ Inappropriate language, including harassment, profanity and vulgar language”

Unsure what “Inappropriate language, including harassment, profanity and vulgar language” looks like? Take a gander at literally any YouTube comment section. This gives YouTube ultimate power, as inappropriate language is an inappropriately subjective term. What constitutes inappropriate language is not defined, meaning YouTube can claim just about any word may be vulgar, or harassing.

 

3. America’s favorite, Violence!

You can’t show “Violence, including display of serious injury and events related to violent extremism”

Once again an ill-defined term by YouTube. In this case violence, gives the site disturbing power of discretion here. Is all violence banned? Is a boxing match considered violent? What about all those video games our parents thought would make you a serial killer?  Is cartoon violence a violation?

 

4. Lets talk about sex baby lets talk about…oh we cant talk about that, ok never mind.

You can’t have “Sexually suggestive content, including partial nudity and sexual humor”

Cover up those ankles and wrists; you do not want to excite those ad executives. This is the Internet and there are other sites for these types of things, however suggestive content and sexual humor are the basis for an overwhelming number of videos. Stand up acts, pranks, sketches, skits, adult cartoons and shows often have jokes and underlying themes varying from innuendo to obscene.

 

5. LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE!

You cannot have videos with “Controversial or sensitive subjects and events, including subjects related to war, political conflicts, natural disasters and tragedies, even if graphic imagery is not shown”

We are going to call this one YouTube’s Drumpf card. Primarily because it gives them unlimited, unchecked power. If what you are saying for any reason offends the sensibilities of YouTube, you have violated the guidelines. No matter how thin a tightrope you walk, YouTube reserves the right to make certain subjects untouchable.

 

Absolute power corrupts absolutely…

It is this sort of vagueness leaving definitions up to YouTube’s discretion that essentially yields the site unlimited power. When people’s lively hoods are at stake, this lack of transparency is horrifying. When your job is to produce videos that get views, working under such ambiguous and strict terms is stifling.

I know what you are thinking. “But creators don’t have to monetize their content if they want to ignore these terms. Also I’ve seen monetized videos that violate all of these rules, YouTube is not that strict.” That may be true, but many creators rely on 100% creative freedom to produce their content, that is why they turned to the platform in the first place. YouTube may be flexible on these terms now, but as many Youtubers found out recently, at any moment, a switch could be flipped and their primary source of income could be gone forever.

 

Does freedom still exist online for content creators?

Creators are forced to make a difficult decision every time they commence production on a new video. Do they sell out and conform to collect their cut of the ad revenue, work around the rules and risk making nothing, or do something revolutionary; take their videos off platform!

Unreel.me provides creators with their own custom branded video streaming site and apps for free. As the creator, you become the platform, you decide your own guidelines, and you get to keep the lion’s share of the revenue. Enable ads or place your content behind a subscription or VOD pay wall. As your own platform, you have the freedom to express your artistic creativity as you wish. Make videos you know your fans will love worry free and make more money with a much fairer rev share model.

 

To learn more about Unreel.me and launch your site instantly for free, click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

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