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–Unveils PowerVideo Suite, Incorporating Metadata-Powered VideoMixer
–Signs Deals with National Hockey League, Major League Soccer

Gotuit Media–which 1) has developed a search/navigation system that combines segment metadata with VOD content, allowing viewers to use their remote control to quickly access the specific parts of an on- demand show that interest them (the company has used the system to power VOD services that have been deployed on a number of Time Warner Cable and Comcast systems in New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio), and which 2) recently entered the broadband video space with the launch of a broadband video portal, Gotuit.com, which it touts as using its search and navigation technology to make "loading, buffering, and waiting to watch videos online a thing of the past" (see [itvt] Issue 6.87 Part 3)–has launched a suite of software tools, dubbed the Gotuit PowerVideo Suite, that is designed to power video libraries across broadband and mobile platforms. The suite, which is based on Gotuit’s metadata-driven technology, includes a number of existing modular offerings from the company, as well as a new module, the Gotuit VideoMixer. The company claims that the suite will allow video publishers to optimize both the video-viewing experience and their ability to monetize their content libraries via keyword-targeted video ads.

The Gotuit PowerVideo Suite’s modules include:

• Gotuit VideoPlayer, which the company says allows publishers to use its metadata-based technology for an improved video discovery and playback experience. According to the company, publishers can design and build their video application to their own specifications, with such features as targeted advertising, viral sharing options, user favorites, commerce and/or merchandising, and an embedded player (for scenes, videos, playlists or remixes). The VideoPlayer module is available with both broadband and mobile options.
• Gotuit VideoDiscovery, which provides in-video search and discovery, using Gotuit’s flagship metadata technology. According to the company, each video in the source library is marked for its logical scenes, with each scene receiving its own title, description, time in/time out, tags and attributes. Scenes across the library are then organized into playlists for the viewer or advertiser. Gotuit stresses that the entire dataset is searchable, allowing viewers to search both inside the videos and across the entire library.
• Gotuit VideoMarker, which uses technology first made available on Gotuit’s www.scenemaker.net site to enable publishers to allow end-users to mark and define their favorite scenes. The end-user gives each scene its own title, description, time in/out, and tags to facilitate searching by other users. User-defined scenes can then be remixed within Gotuit VideoMixer.
• Gotuit VideoMixer, which enables publishers to allow their users to remix videos by manipulating the video metadata. According to the company, publishers can seed the VideoMixer with their own predefined scenes and/or allow users to define their own scenes using Gotuit VideoMarker. Gotuit says that a new video experience produced with VideoMixer does not actually create a new video–instead it creates a new metadata file that describes the video and its various "play points." In this way, the company claims, it succeeds in delivering a compelling and intuitive experience for the viewer, while making matters simpler for the publisher–in that the latter does not have to store and manage thousands of user-remixed video files.

Gotuit is showcasing the new PowerVideo Suite via a new feature on its gotuitmusic.com broadband video portal, called "Artist Remix." A number of artists on the portal will have new microsites that include a customized player environment and the ability for end-users to remix their videos. The first such microsite is Akon Remixed (akon.gotuitmusic.com), which allows Akon fans to remix new video sequences from the artist’s library of music videos.

In other Gotuit news:

• The company’s video platform has been selected by the National Hockey League (NHL) to provide end-users with personalizable access to video highlights from the NHL Network’s flagship show, "NHL On The Fly: Final." The show, which is advertising-supported and which is available on the NHL’s Web site free-of-charge, consists of a wrap-up of the previous night’s games, together with game highlights and expert analysis. "With help from Gotuit Media, we have transformed the experience of watching ‘NHL On the Fly: Final’ online for our viewers by making it easier to quickly find and watch their favorite video highlights," Keith Ritter, president of NHL Interactive CyberEnterprises, said in a prepared statement. "Now our fans can jump right to the action of their favorite team or game, and instantly watch the goals, saves, or best hits of the night. We are pleased to give our fans this compelling and user-friendly experience." According to Gotuit, key features of its collaboration with the NHL on "NHL On The Fly: Final" include: 1) complete access to the show’s entire video library (including video highlights of all the previous day’s games, plus an archive of past episodes of the show); 2) no time delays as the viewer switches from highlight to highlight; 3) the ability for viewers to get to any game segment within the show via a simple selection; 4) individual views dedicated to the goals, saves, best hits, and top five plays of the day; 5) user-created favorite playlists (viewers can mark any highlight as one of their favorites, which is then viewable on their favorites channel); 6) the ability to search for video not only across the library of past "NHL On The Fly: Final" episodes, but within those episodes; and 7) the ability for viewers to email links to their favorite game highlights or to embed those highlights into their Web page or blog, using the Gotuit embedded player. "We are honored to be the chosen partner of NHL.com as we personalize their fans’ video experience through Gotuit’s patented platform technology," Gotuit CEO, Mark Pascarella, said in a prepared statement. "Now, NHL fans can discover, instantly access, and share their favorite video highlights within each 60-minute episode. Our defining utilization of rich video metadata unlocks tremendous benefits for our partners looking to hold, grow, and monetize their audience."
• The company says that it has renewed its contract with Major League Soccer (MLS) to power the latter’s broadband video portal, QuickKicks, for the 2007 season. The portal, which was launched last season, uses Gotuit’s metadata-driven technology to allow MLS fans to search and navigate its video, including highlights, goals, saves, best runs and their favorite players’ plays. It is offered free-of-charge, and is supported by periodic video advertising: Gotuit says that its technology allows the portal to deliver a "superior" video experience, with a mix of pre- and mid-roll advertising. "We received an extremely positive response from our fans last season to the QuickKicks video portal powered by Gotuit," MLS president, Mark Abbott, said in a prepared statement. "Fans loved being able to quickly get to the game video or highlight that they were most interested in, and now they expect this kind of personalized video experience. We were the first major sports league to offer this and are pleased to be able to provide it again for 2007." According to Gotuit, QuickKicks’ key features include: 1) making each televised game video available and viewable through a variety of video playlists, including Game Highlights, Goals, Saves, Best Runs, Set Pieces, and specific player highlights from two players on each team; 2) deep search and navigation capabilities across and within the entire video library (searches can be conducted while the currently playing video plays on, allowing viewers to queue up the next segment and jump into any video they want at anytime, without delay); 3) "virtually no latency" as the viewer chooses new video to watch; 4) the ability for viewers to save their favorite segments to a personal video channel; and 5) an embedded player (note: this feature is new for the 2007 season) that allows fans to embed their favorite plays on their own blogs and Web sites.

Originally Published: May 30, 2007 in [itvt] Issue 7.32 Part 2

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