The MoPR Blog

Internet protocol television (IPTV) is booming everywhere it seems. Everywhere but in North America.

IPTV is not to be confused with Internet TV, which is usually quick to produce and lacks any form of comprehensive monitoring to ensure optimal picture quality (YouTube anyone?). IPTV is not the only way to deliver TV, but it’s the preferred method for phone companies looking to get into the television business. In a nutshell, IPTV is very bandwidth thrifty and can support exceptional picture quality, making it ideal for telcos looking to deliver quality High Definition (HD) and Video-On-Demand (VOD) programming.

Despite the horsepower that AT&T has, its U-verse IPTV offering has generated fairly tepid subscription numbers here in the U.S. While small U.S. telcos are having more success signing on IPTV subscribers – from a percentage of their customers stand point – the total number of IPTV subs is small in the U.S. Wait you say, what about Verizon’s vaunted FiOS service? While it’s indeed TV delivered by a telco, it’s not delivered via IPTV. It’s cable in the guise of telco.

Where IPTV lacks in usage in North America it makes up for it in Europe and Asia.

A recent report by Screen Digest finds that IPTV will claim 10% of the pay-TV market in the European Union as soon as 2009. This means that there will be a remarkable 8.7 million IPTV subscribers in the EU (currently ranked No.1 in the IPTV market), which translates to an approximate 658,000 increase from the previous year. And if you think that number is large, just wait until Asia takes over the first place spot, as it is predicted to later this year.

Enter new solutions from two of our clients - who are not waiting for North America to play catch up. In a continually growing industry, it’s important to remain ahead of the curve. The more IPTV offers the greater the chance for glitches and errors in the delivery.

Companies such as Mixed Signals and RGB Networks have taken this opportunity to expand both of their product lines in order to accompany this industry shift.

Mixed Signals recently came out with an IP Stats enhancement to their groundbreaking Sentry solution aimed specifically at IPTV service providers and their unique needs. Using Sentry’s new IP Stats feature, service providers can perform root cause analysis on the IP network to both monitor the health of the network over time as well as alert service providers when there is excess time taken for a single packet to arrive, thus causing a delay. The upswing is that subscribers will enjoy glitch-free TV service from their telco.

RGB Networks released a product called the Modular Video Processor (MVP) that is touted as a complete IPTV solution, especially if you are interested in advertising on your IPTV networks. The MVP seamlessly inserts ads into video streams enabling telcos to capitalize on advertising revenues.

While most viewers are allergic to advertising, it’s a multi-billion dollar business and the revenue it generates can help telco IPTV service providers bankroll their operations, and maybe, just maybe, keep their monthly subscription rates down. Now that’s something viewers can enjoy, in addition to crystal clear pictures.

The tools for better IPTV delivery are there - Mixed Signals and RGB Networks are ahead of the curve and ready.

We’ve been telling our clients for years that they need to be blogging, have a strong online presence and use online tools to spread the word about their product, strengthen their brand, and achieve the corporate transparency that is expected by customers and partners in today’s business climate.

A new report from Universal McCann proves the very message we’ve been shouting from the mountaintops: If you don’t have some sort of social media strategy, your brand and message will get lost.

Need some proof? A compelling paragraph from the report says:

Contributing to the internet has never been as accessible and less technical. Innovations in web development, computing technology and the proliferation of broadband have come together to drive monumental consumer take up. This is why the phenomenon of social media is important now – it has the potential to impact on all our media consumption therefore shifting the emphasis from professional content producers to the consumer.

So, I’m guessing half of the readers of this post are thinking to themselves, “Great, then we’re covered. We have a blog and we understand the value of online communities.”

The other half? Read on.

The report, “Power to the people: Social Media Tracker” has some compelling stats and lays it out on just how much people [e.g., YOUR customers and potential customers] are using social media to find information:

• 57% have joined a social network, making it the number one platform for creating and sharing content
• 55% of users have uploaded photos
• 22% of users have uploaded videos

Also according to the report, the role for advertisers and brands has never had so much potential – branded applications, content and services all offer huge promise for grand results and return on investment in social media.

And what about blogs - the red-headed stepchildren of traditional mainstream media (MSM)? The report claims blogs are a “mainstream media world-wide and as a collective rival any traditional media.”

Wow.

That’s why most traditional print publications – many struggling to stay alive with sagging circulation numbers and a slumping economy – are finally offering complementary and exclusive online content.

And television is included in this mix, too.

Smarter networks with television shows such as Lost and American Idol have poured money into building and maintaining active online communities; offering sneak peaks and exclusive features for online viewers along with various opportunities to interact within the community with like mined fans.

The report also proves why the PR community takes bloggers more seriously. We plan entire programs to ensure we are communicating effectively with them. We read their work and engage in interactive exchanges with them. We pitch them exclusive content and offer them breaking news on a level playing field with the industry and business publications. And at the end of the day, it’s why we consider a client mention in a blog post often times just as valuable as a mention in a traditional mainstream media outlet.

Sure, getting a client on the cover of Time is still a fantastic win. But at the same time consistent, accurate coverage in a blog that has a pure, core readership made up of the same audience our client is trying to reach should also be considered a homerun.

If that’s not enough to convince you to jump into the social media fray, here’s one last stat:

Social media impacts your brand’s reputation – and so does NOT having conversations with your customers, partners and employees.

• 34% post opinions about products and brands on their blog
• 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs

So, you DO have a blog right? Your CEO or executive team is blogging about new products, issues and trends in your industry, and making themselves available to an audience that expects to have a two-way conversation.

They’re not?

Then we need to talk. Give us a call or drop us an email. We can help you.

Many people who celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a cold beer (or two or three) each May 5th believe that they are celebrating Mexico’s Independence Day.

Not so.

Besides being ano\her reason to break out your sombrero and party, the true significance of the holiday is that on the 5th of May in 1810 4,000 Mexican soldiers defeated the French at Puebla, Mexico. Mexico actually declared its independence from Spain on September 15th that same year.

Here in metro Portland, where MoPR is headquartered, we have many opportunities to enjoy traditional Mexican food and celebrations such as Cinco de Mayo. Every year Portland holds a four-day celebration that attracts more than 300,000 people to the Waterfront Park for a Cinco de Mayo celebration. The fiesta exposes Oregonians to traditional cuisine, art, music and folklore from Mexico and Portland’s sister city of Guadalajara. Needless to say I will be attending.

I became even more excited about these festivities this year when I found out that MoPR client Talkster will be launching its free calling services in 14 regions throughout Mexico for the iconic holiday. With the addition of the Mexico calling area just think of how many people Talkster will help to communicate with family and friends this Cinco de Mayo and year-round!

Oregon’s already huge Hispanic population is growing consistently. Nationwide, the Hispanic population continues to grow at an unfathomable rate – they are the nation’s largest ethnic minority. With this growth, the need for an affordable method of communication for immigrants, business people and U.S. citizens calling to and from Mexico will become even more important and necessary.

Hispanics as a group consume a great amount of mobile technology, with 75 percent of all U.S. Hispanic households carrying multiple mobile phones and over 50 percent regularly using text messaging and other personal handheld technology services, according to a recent study by M: Metrics. In addition, 32 percent of Latinos are moderately or highly receptive to mobile marketing messages and respond favorably to text message advertisements, according to a study by the Mobile Marketing Association.

Talkster’s free calling service to Mexico will offer this enormous population the ability to communicate with their loved ones and business partners for free and can eliminate the need for this demographic to purchase calling cards. Talkster is also giving advertisers another way to target the growing Hispanic market.
This growing demographic is making major waves in the technology and business arenas, and I can’t wait to see how Hispanic-Americans help to shape the future of our country.
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a cold drink, some hot tamales and unlimited free calling to and from Mexico with Talkster!