Apr 16 2008
Local TV Station Owners Push Mobile TV
Evolution is great, it enables the once impossible strategies to come to fruition. .TV owners may soon move into mainstream faster than expected if the Open Mobile Video Coalition is succesful streaming TV to mobile devices. The great thing about the internet is that it is always changing. What is not popular today, may become the next hot thing tomorrow all based on new technology. It will be interesting to see how this transforms consumers behaviors both online and offline if successful.
.TV owners are in a great position as the internet continues to manifest. Patience is a very hard virtue to embrace. My advice to all who invest in domains is to stay the course and embrace your beliefs without allowing individuals to manipulate them. Listen and learn from individuals, but do not allow yourself to abandon your “gut feeling” or what you believe in, unless it is just plain foolish. In the end, those who stay the course will reap the biggest rewards.
The Open Mobile Video Coalition said at the National Association of Broadcasters meeting in Las Vegas that it will push for an open standard by next year that would allow members to bypass cell phone companies and tap into what they think will be a $2 billion market for mobile advertising.
The station owners say transmitting directly to mobile devices would give them a third means of delivering local programming — and capturing revenue — along with broadcasting to TVs and streaming it on station-owned Web sites.
Steve,
No surprise that I agree with you 100%
In a recent chat I had with a station manager of a Major Network affiliate he said ” We see .TV as being the future of online TV media and we want to be apart of what that brand means to our city.” I had sent him an e-mail about my city .tv domain and got a call within 24 hours from him.
Why? because .TV means something to people when they hear about it. They understand the brand.
Steve, what you are writing of is just one more way .TV means something and like you say Steve, development is the key to uncloaking these riches. Riches that no PPC model can even come close to.
It is really interesting to me to see how so many people fail to realize that domaining and running a business are two different things.
My background is in the entertainment industry. I know how to produce content and have a deep contacts in the industry. That is why I was drawn to .TV because I saw all the money being flooded into that space by major media companies. Much of this has not hit the web yet and will be backed by major ad campaigns and media exposure on traditional TV.
This over time will help brand the power of .TV in the public’s minds and make it more intuitive as the play to go to watch online video.
I am following the real world media money I see being spent, not the domaining money. Numerous .TV premiums that cost 5K and up per year are being taken off the board but very few know about this as it is not being reported by the DN Journal.
Many many 5 figure geo .tv sales in the aftermarket are not being reported. I have been a part of numerous ones. There is a major group of people flying under the radar right now buying chunks of these real estate up. The time is coming for us to hit the mainstream soon.
I was at DomainFest this year. I stood up and asked Frank Schilling a question. I said ” Frank, I have a background in the entertainment industry and I am seeing a ton of money being pured into .TV development.” I said, “what do you think of .TV as far as development.” I was careful not mention the PPC model as I know .TV is weak there. That is not its brand. It is about development and meeting an expectation of what TV means to people.
Frank said “.TV is bad for PPC” He kept harping on this and ignoring my question about .TV as far as development. That was not my point. My point was that .TV will be shoved in peoples faces on TV just like major League baseball does with MLB.TV, but Frank went into auto pilot on the PPC model. Someone else asked Frank “Where will the Internet be in 10 years” and he said “Very much the same place with PPC thriving”.
Now, I admire Frank to a great degree. His success speaks for itself. He is very articulate and a great ambassador to the industry. He is a class act.
My point is that his vision is not the only one and certainly not the one that may work best long term IMO. Of course PPC is great for some, but long term development will trump all IMO.
PPC gives you a head start no doubt, but I am seeing first hand so do generic .TV name that means something to people. They want to be apart of this. Hollywood is embracing it and slowly over time the public is becoming aware of the dynamic new web url (they do not care about its history as a ccTLD, it is new and fresh to them for online video) that transfers what they already know and puts it online.
See this is what it boils down to as far as .TV, Why the traditional domainers like Frank never liked it. It has always been different. It stared as a ccTLD as we know, but also, there was a Premium fee attached. This infuriated many domainers. They were playing by different rules. I understand why this turned many off. However, I also saw a tremendous opening that this created for on point development apart from domaining where the premium fees matter.. Now these premium fees are no more than a small price to do business with a distinct brand advantage that will be more and more intuitive over time.
For example, One of my Geo Domains is PalmSprings.tv This domain name costs me $500 per year to own. Now to me that is chump changed compared to the brand advantage I will have in being the online TV station for the City of Palm Springs on the web if I can meet that expectation. It is a small tax write off. If PalmSprings.tv was $7 per year would I have been able to register this in May of 2007 when I got it? I turned down a 5K offer a few months after I got it.
I was dumbfounded that after the Demand Media released these premium names back in May of last year that I could still get them in 2007!. I stayed up late into the night and planned and waited at my computer to register them at the exact time I knew they would be available. This was a gold rush of a different kind that me and several others were involved in while most domainers either did not know or did not care.
History will look back on that as another missed opportunity for many missed the boat IMO. In February of last year, I went out and contacted every single .TV city owner in the top 250 and made quiet deals in the aftermarket for many city names that are non premium ($25 per year) like KeyWest.tv FortWorth.tv SaltLakeCity.tv while many others were fighting to get 5th and 6th tier .com domains.
Turns out many prime .TV names not premiums at all and many that are are just a small price for getting a tremendous brand advantage that would be millions in the .com space. The technology was not there until recently to make .TV pay off.
The net is only in the late forties IMO compared to development of where traditional TV was when it started. There is no doubt that .TV is already providing a huge alternative to .com in the online media space, that means something universally.
This is not to say .comers will not continue to be successful but a new bread is coming that will change the web over the next decades IMO.
Yahoo is doing great even though it passed on buying Google for 1 million.
IBM is still a monster company even though it chose not to buy Microsoft’s operating software and instead license it.
Hewlett-Packard is still a huge company even though it passed on its ownership rights to the Apple Computer.
The question is not if .TV will take off, if you look back over the last few years you would understand it already has begun to take off. Now its just a matter of how far it will go in the coming years. Get used to more .comers coming into the .TV space and with it a nice healthy infusion of cash to make up for lost time.
…Steve,
I am delighted to read this post, but more importantly, I feel like a Gorilla just got off my back. In reality however, we are NOT even CLOSE to where this extension is headed…as I mentioned in posts and PM’s 16 months ago.
Let me explain:
I’ve held my ground and said this since day 1. The future and potential successes of “.TV” are NOT based on the “old school” .com owners and/or domainers acceptance, promotion and trade. It will be based on real world attention, acceptance and development. Month by month, we are seeing this unfold quite literally. Premiums are being sold every day, and .TV’s are popping up left and right.
This TLD is much more powerful and unique than to be swayed by a person or group of people, (heavy .com naysayers), (IMO) trying to conceal and ignore the TLD in hopes of it simply evaporating.
The very second Verisign signed on the dotted line and dished out $45 Million U.S. Dollars, also agreeing to pay millions per year to Tuvalu, it *automatically entered into another level of value, period. The very moment Landmark Communications, NBC, ABC, CBS, TBS, TNT, MLB, NBA, NHL, Oprah, Hearst, MTV, etc, etc, etc…clicked “check out now”, .TV entered into another level of value, period. The first day Howard Stern and MLB said, those words, “visit us at, blahblahblah “.TV”, it entered into another level of value, period.
I know I will be attacked for saying this, and I’ll have to live with that, but for Moniker to not have .TV on their homepage as like Sedo, and for the Dnjournal NOT to report premium .TV domain sales of $xx,xxx and $xxx,xxx is just 100%, undeniably, plain and simply ridiculous. (IMO) These are respected industry leaders in sales, services and reporting and “somehow”…I guess I was the only one holding up red flags here. Obviously, others have finally stood up with me and realized, that just because an industry multi-millionaire states his (biased) opinion, that DOES not and should not EVER have ANY relation to the success of an entire extension. Do you think TNT or ABC care about Tuvalu or what “domainers” think?…I think we both know the answer to that. It is all about the inherent value…and the intuitive branding and competitive advantages .TV can provide. Media is changing in a VERY big way. I personally believe .TV values will triple and quadruple in the next 12-24 months as more people and businesses figure out “the gap is closing”.
Dear Tuvalu, thank you for this opportunity. Dear Naysayers, a double thank you for this opportunity. Others hesitation created a very slim window for others to capitalize on the next generation of domains. To everyone “on the fence” about .TV, …just stand still and watch the 2nd evolution of the Internet birth itself right before our eyes.
I hope your right. Thank you for covering GEO .TV.
Greenspun Media Group has joined the .TV brand. On April 1 of this year the billion dollar media company and owner of Vegas.com purchased the domain LAS.TV and it now forwards to “The Las Vegas Sun”. As many of you know Greenspun is a close associate with Sam Zell owner of the Tribune and is helping him with all online media properties. Stay tuned this could be huge for .TV
Well said Brian. I will see you when we become one of the millionaire who owns state or city .TV.
Cheers,
Emil
That goes to NY as well.
cheers to you folks.
Thanks Emil. Although it once seemed like a long shot, and others joked and laughed behind closed doors, I do believe the day is coming. I have never doubted my instincts and intuition and I do believe others who followed suit will be rewarded in due time.
Shanchay–I agree, this Greenspun development is yet another *prime example of the next generation of media being embraced by another media giant. Rest assured, others will follow.
NY
What everyone here fails to understand is simply this: TV is rapidly becoming .com. Meaning television is moving to IP based delivery. Television, movies, videos, cell phone videos, etc..
Youtube.com. Hulu.com NBC.com CBS.com CNN.com, Netflix.com the list goes .com on.
Sure there will be attempts to brand .TV. But to overcome a consumer mindset where internet = .com is going to be very expensive.
And when TV = Internet. TV = .com
I think I’ll go to .com to type .tv.
good luck.
Major League Baseball spends god knows how much in an uphill battle branding .tv
http://google.com/trends?q=mlb.com%2Cmlb.tv
doesn’t seem to be doing that well.
how about myspace.tv?
http://google.com/trends?q=myspace.com%2C+myspace.tv
ouch
surely it can beat france, for gods sake?
http://google.com/trends?q=.com%2C+.tv%2C+.fr
mais non!
Steve, please allow my post.
Thanks.
NY
Who let this ahole Not Frank Schilling in here? “TV is rapidly becoming .com… Internet = .com And when TV = Internet. TV = .com” Huh? He says: “I think I’ll go to .com to type .tv”. I don’t think he thinks at all, might as well be a bot.
Thats the trouble with open comment forums like this is any airhead with a keyboard can type any BS they’re capable of and the rest of us have to suffer thru it. I predict in the future users will be able to vote away stupidity like yours from view. But since he tried to make stats tell a tale lets look a bit more closely at them.
Naturally anything put up against .com is going to look awfully small.
Have a look at .com v .net:
http://google.com/trends?q=.com%2C+.net&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0
Thats small but .net still shows up. Lets look at another, but keep in mind how .net seems to be declining rapidly. Here’s .com vs .org.
http://google.com/trends?q=.com%2C+.org&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0
Can anyone tell much of a difference between this graph and the one vs .tv? I didnt think so
.tv doesn’t yet beat .fr. but it does beat .us
http://google.com/trends?q=.tv%2C+.us&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0
Beats .info and .biz too and most other ccTLDs. Also notice how nicely .tv is rising. Reset the trendline to “last 12 months” and you’ll clearly see that .tv is growing faster than .com.
Mr. Not Frank Schilling,
I don’t think anyone here is making any statement saying that .com is bad and that it cannot have interactive content. How do you know how much MLB spends and how do you know that it has been an uphill battle? Are you there CFO or having privy information? Please share…….This is no race and myspace does not define the internet. In the early days of .com, did you get any? Where you advocating this has no chance, renewals are too high? Look, it is obvious you like .com, but so does everyone else here, big deal. What some see and others obviously do not is that .TV is making strides, that some very decent developments are happening and that monies are will be made. Ignore it and slam it all you want. Compare it if it makes you feel better. Billion dollar companies are making the move, but I guess you are one up on them.
Guys like “Not Frank” crack me up. I never said .com was not going to be huge in the online video space. Of course it will be, but so will .TV.
THERE IS ROOM FOR BOTH!
With the major development I am seeing and aware of with .TV (much of it by major media companies), this is fact. Sure, .TV will need to meet an expectation and be developed, but if you think it will not be a major force and a viable alternative to .com when it comes to online video, you are very naive.
Once again, just like there are 4 major networks in the traditional media space to access your TV shows. The same will be true online where both .com and .tv will be huge IMO.
Look at Tulsa.tv as an example where it gets twice the traffic of Tulsa.com because it is better developed and provides better information.
I love when .com guys feel they have to puff out their big bad chest and try to argue that only .com will be used for Online TV.
Obviously I hit a nerve with Mr. Not Frank which puts a big smile on my face. I was not attacking .com far from it. Folks, .com is King, no argument here, but there is a new Queen moving in the online media space that will cash in on a nice piece of the pie.
Personally, I think there is room for all of us Geo Owners to work together and increase revenues across the board and the smart .com guys I have talked to realize this and take .TV very seriously. They get it and are smart and realize .TV means something to people.
Expect many more like “Not Frank” as it means something is in the air and when people feel threatened they need to attack.
This is a great sign IMO. We have a long way to go my fellow .TV Geo developers but sit back, work hard, and enjoy the ride. This will be fun and after all if you are not having fun in this business, what’s the point?
I agree with the TV evangelists here
dot TV is climbing speed. I was fortunate enough to get my geodomain with the dot com and the dot TV.
When I bought the tv extension about a year and a half ago I was skeptical of it, but now I know it was a great move to get it.
I see a lot of movement with video on the web lately to the TV extension and see the extension as an actual competitor for ad dollars to any dot com.
I recently found a video of how the dot TV owners will be counting their profits.
Cheers
http://pop.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu4lmd5ISEE
If you effectively develop your site (and market it), the extension is im-material. Outside of .COM, no other TLD gets enough direct navigation traffic to build a business. Therefore any site built on a TLD requires marketing.
Even our BanquetFacilities.com site (which is undergoing an upgrade this weekend starting today if you go to it and get a under construction page) and is #1 on Google for the search term “banquet facilities” and get direct navigation, requires marketing to build a multi-million dollar company.
We were able to make Insuremarket.com, Lifeminders.com, netgenShopper.com work without any direct navigation. Same tactics can be used to make .TV, .US, or any TLD work IMHO.
You either have direct navigation or you buy a high quality domain in another TLD to take advantage of SEO.
Short and sweet, your comments are naive and foolish, plain and simple.
I thought MLB.TV was doing bad?
Hmm…Interesting; Part 1:
“Yahoo To Handle Ad Sales For MLB.TV” (04/10/2008)
Yahoo and Major League Baseball have reached a three-year video and advertising partnership, under which the Web portal will exclusively manage online advertising for MLB.TV, as well as resell subscriptions to the out-of-market broadcasts to Internet users around the world.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6549939.html
Hmm…Interesting; Part 2:
“MLB.TV Launches 2008 Season With Record Viewership”
NEW YORK, April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire/ — MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, announced today that its out-of-market video package, MLB.TV, reached unprecedented Opening Day levels by delivering over 1.7 million live game video streams and adding nearly 36,000 individual subscribers during the first two days of games from March 31-April 1. Both figures represent increases more than double the comparable activities from the same time period in 2007.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/04-02-2008/0004785120&EDATE=
So, “Mr. Not Frank”…I’m sorry for the early wake up call, but you are wrong, *very wrong. But if you have any other questions, just check out Verisign.TV, Godaddy.TV, Enom.TV…or maybe even Macon.TV or Nebraska.TV, but hell ABC should probably hire you for their International marketing department…it sounds like you have a handle on the Internet.
…Thanks Fin, Sanchay, B for the follow-up.
NY
GP…?!?
“Outside of .COM, no other TLD gets enough direct navigation traffic to build a business.”
What?!?
I’m speechless! You and I both know this is not true GP, whatsoever!
…LOL, I think you were just posting this to hike my blood pressure again!
The name is for branding, customer rentention (memory), Seo, etc. (Hence the power of Generics and Geos). With that being said however, *DN* traffic is NOT everything.*(4kids.TV, RealMeals.TV, VBS.TV, Blip.TV, BrightCove.TV, Next.TV, Overlay.TV etc…THINK ABOUT a prime example; RESPOND.COM?). Obviously having a one-worder or prime generic can skim your ad budget, but again, it would be foolish to say you can’t work with it! But this is exactly WHY the Geo .TV’s are the cream of the crop. It’s no secret, the Geo.TV’s traffic are climbing by the week/month.
Another quick note: I will mention “city”RealEstate.TV’s have picked up traffic as well, again. I believe DN traffic will come full circle and people will think, “wait” SavannahRealEstate.com! Well…”let me see what’s at SavannahRealEstate.TV, as more *expect AND *want a little “something extra”. (Insert development here= $). The ad money for video/streaming/live content and rich media content is here to stay…and without a doubt the “next big thing”. A developed Geo.TV with video ads, PIP Videos and other user generated and community networking functionality is THE *BIG TICKET and *CAN and *WILL steal add money from the .com model. (IMVHO)
Thanks for reading, a double thanks to Steve for the opportunity here at simplygeo!
My my my, I see I got you .tvers knickers in a tight little knot, didn’t I? Of course, as Not Frank Schilling, I can understand how insane my domain prescience drives you.
NY, you might want to read the press release a little more closely before throwing words like naive and foolish around. “The games will be available through a co-branded player on Yahoo Sports and MLB.com.”
MLB.tv simply stands for “out-of-market video package”. Meaning does not stand for the domain MLB.tv. Where does one go to view this package? Quelle surprise! MLB.com! From the FAQ:
“How do I access my MLB.TV subscription?
We want to make it easy for you to view the game of your choice, therefore there are multiple ways of viewing a LIVE or on-demand game with MLB.TV.
To find the day’s schedule of LIVE games, go to the MLB.com home page”
Translation: ouch.
George:
“If you effectively develop your site (and market it), the extension is im-material.”
I can haz multi-million $ marketing budget?
Brian:
“if you think it will not be a major force and a viable alternative to .com when it comes to online video, you are very naive.”
There’s that word again! of course. I stand corrected. I forgot that youtube.com, Dailymotion.com, Metacafe.com, Imeem.com, vids.myspace.com, video.google .msn .yahoo .com, livevideo.com were all going to announce their switch to .tv imminently.
Nikos,
I’m not just someone trashing the extension. I have alot invested in GEO .TV. It is a FACT that today GEO .TV domains don’t get enough organic traffic to build a $10M business.
If you develop it and market it, then you can build traffic. But starting from ground zero, you are going to need to find a way to get traffic to your GEO TV domain.
I would not have invested in GEO .TV if I didn’t have experience running a large marketing budget.
Ustream.TV *(receieved $11.1 million in VC, And walked from Microsoft offers of $50 million)
LX.TV (acquired by NBC for $10+ million)
Overlay.TV (received $4.6 million in VC)
Blip.TV
VideoClix.TV
Justin.TV
Verisign.TV
Godaddy.TV
Enom.TV
Viacom
Hearst
NewsCorp
Greenspun
Raycom
Media General
PAPPAS
Landmark
ABC/NBC
CBS
TNT
TBS
It’s a no-brainer, you CAN NOT deny, hide or shelter the facts. The attention, interest and development is here and gaining ground fast, period.
1) GP, YOU and I both know I was not personal attacking you, although it may have been harsh. *(obviously not my intention). Will be in touch via PM today.
My point was, there are hundreds if not thousands of companies that are instant successes without boat loads of DN out of the gate. Like I mentioned, with the proper game plan, staff and creativity, you *CAN build a $10 million dollar business.
2) *Not Frank*, I have no idea why I waste my breath, obviously there is no need. MLB.TV was the *(1) example YOU MENTIONED, and I supported facts on why they aren’t *terrible as you mentioned. I think ANY company would be glad to hear Yahoo! knocking at the door wanting to carry their ad load, but hell what do I know. Again, for some reason you are carrying this conversation and debate into the wrong direction. Just the simple fact I have YOU arguing and trying to support/reinforce the *power of .com automatically shifts as a defense and proves the .TV model is not only gaining ground fast, but has been *ACCEPTED, sought after, and now, *DEVELOPED. (insert, “oops I missed the train, again). The list of companies above, not sure if you’ve ever seen them, but they must have lost your contact info before they made these *international marketing and development decisions. In closing, I’d like to personally let you know, IN THE FUTUE, they plan to set up individual team pages for the LIVE distribution of the games. They will do this by using the TEAM NAME followed by a .TV. ..Don’t believe me? Call MLB, I did. For now however, you can type in every single MLB team with .TV and see what you get.
Again, this is not aimed as a personal attack, to anyone, but the facts are facts. I, as well as the other supporters, have NEVER downplayed the value of .com domains, that would be foolish. HOWEVER, we are bringing FACTS to the table, something that .net, .org, .info, .us, .biz, .ws, .name, …and a half dozen others WERE NOT ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH, ever. Again, .TV will continue to gain INTERNATIONAL attention, and with time and education, it will be the 2nd most developed and valuable TLD on the planet. It will pass all other TLD’S in registration *(besides .com), within the next 36 months. This is (in my eyes), round 3 of 10. Within the next 36 months, we will be seeing xxx,xxx and more than likely a x,xxx,xxx .TV sales transaction. Again, before you come skipping back with .com this and .com that, that is NOT the point. THE point is, .TV by and large, is one of the most solid investments in the industry for generics and geos. It creates “instant credibility” and a branding effect that NO OTHER TLD offers. The WOW factor of this decade. The new COOL TLD. The “NEW” must see and/or must have. It also, when developed, gives the ultimate edge for the *owner as it meets the viewers “new age” expectations and will be more consistently desired.
Thanks.
NY
“Not Frank”
We can go back and forth all day each naming media companies using .TV and .com.
As I’ve said repeatedly but you fail to understand, it is not one or the other. Both can and will be used for the online media space and both can and will be successful.
In fact, many companies will use both as HamptonRoads.com and .tv are owned by the same billion dollar media company.
Vegas.com just bought Las.tv.
Bottom line: You are snooping around in the shadows with no proven track record to my knowledge.
However, one person with a track record I am certain that you can not compare to is Michael Castello (ccin.com), He is one of the people I admire most in this industry, who doesn’t hide behind aliases and actually is a proven winner at the top of the Geo Industry. This man saw the vision before 99.9% of us.
Here is what he had to say on SimplyGeo.com about .TV when asked under the thread “What is a Geo Domain ?”
# Michael Castello on 13 Apr 2008 at 17:04 pm
“Brian. Just as .com is a brand, TV is an accepted brand for information. I believe with the large amount of .tv development that we are seeing, the sky is the limit with its potential. Developers like you will define it. It is probably my second choice in TLDs.”
Case closed.
“Within the next 36 months, we will be seeing xxx,xxx and more than likely a x,xxx,xxx .TV sales transaction”
See all of you in 36 months. Will it be 3 x your future unknown .tv registration fees by then? Or, more likely, 2 x as you cut your losses?
I look at it this way. Until 1979, there were three major networks ABC, CBS, and NBC (plus PBS). That is all we had. Those three networks were Television.
Then came cable and companies started to develop cable channels. The big three are still around. They are still the big dogs, but the TV universe has expanded.
The .COM space is pretty full. Most of the quality top level .COM names are developed, expensive, or parked (with no intention of selling).
StLouis.com is not for sale, so I bought StLouis.TV for $X,XXX.
If someone can develop quality sites under another TLD, just as the cable companies built quality channels….then the internet universe will expand beyond .COM just as Television expanded beyond the original networks.
If you don’t develop (and market-sorry) a quality site, it won’t matter whether you own a .COM, .TV, etc because your site will be .DOA (dead on arrival).
I admire everyone’s passion for their beliefs. That with an idea and drive will make you successful. George is right, you can monetize any extension with proper development and marketing. We see it everyday. We all still prefer .com. Why? Because it is the most developed and marketed extension to date. I like .TV but I’ve never invested into it because the renewals were too expensive, though that will be of benefit to some. Also, its ccTLD status has always left a bad taste. It’ll take a lot of branding to wash that one away. Though it does appear as of late that has picked up steam.
The reality is that everything takes time to develop and that will include .TV. It’s finally catching on in some areas and I wish those invested into the extension the best.
Ironically the real Frank S. owns “ASBN.com” and I’m sure he’ll appreciate and traffic you’re currently sending his way. Keep branding.
Ken