Here’s an overview of what has been happening in the video world over the last week, with highlights from YouTube, Publicis Groupe, Walker Media, Yahoo Japan, Videology, Doubleclick and Unruly. To stay up to date and have the latest industry news and insights delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for the weekly VAN newsletter.
More than a Third of YouTube Viewing Now Coming from Long Form Content
While Google’s content strategy is frequently criticised, the tech giant now says that more than a third of YouTube viewing is now coming from long-form content.
Publicis to Buy Majority Stake in Walker Media
M&C Saatchi are in discussions with Publicis Groupe to buy a ‘signficant stake’ in Walker Media. Brand Republic report that Publicis will take a majority stake, approximately 75 percent, for £35 million, and Walker Media will be combined with ZenithOptimedia. Publicis Groupe confirmed they are in negotiations via a public statement.
ITV’s Online Strategy Continues to Fuel Growth
ITV’s online strategy is paying off, according to the UK broadcaster’s latest interim results. The company has seen total revenues rise 6% to £1,664m (2012: £1,573m), with a 17 percent jump for online, pay and interactive.
Yahoo! JAPAN and Videology Form Strategic Video Partnership in Japan
Yahoo! Japan announced last Friday that it has selected Videology, a video advertising solutions provider, as its video advertising technology partner. This announcement was made in conjunction with Yahoo! JAPAN’s launch of an expanded premium video advertising offering in Japan, which is the world’s second largest television market. Yahoo is also the top web portal in Japan for both search and audience reach.
Google’s Doubleclick Launches Certification for Interactive VPAID Ads
Google have introduced certification for VPAID (Video Player Ad Interface Definition) video ads, allowing Doubleclick Studio developers to become qualified. VPAID is a hybrid creative format for in-stream ads that enables users to pause and resume videos, pull up options to learn about products. Put simply, VPAID gives brands a way to create a micro-site experience directly within an ad unit.
Unruly Releases Top 20 Most Shared Ads of 2013
‘Dove Beauty Sketches’, created by agency Ogilvy Mather for the Unilever brand, came out on tope of the 2013 Top 20 Global Social Video Ads Chart —an annual ranking of the year’s most socially-shared video ads — released today by Unruly. The ad attracted 4.24 million shares across Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere since its launch in April, putting it just ahead of GEICO’s ‘Hump Day’ commercial (4.03 million) in second spot. It’s also the most viewed online video ad of all time according to the Unruly Viral Video Chart, which has been tracking the most shared videos on the web since 2006.
