Permission TV -

PermissionTV and Move Networks Partner Up

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST

WALTHAM, Mass. and AMERICAN FORK, Utah – Nov. 19, 2008 – PermissionTV, a leading online video platform provider, and Move Networks, a leading provider of Internet television services, today announced a strategic reseller and integration partnership. Under the agreement, both companies will offer an integrated platform, which enables the rapid creation and deployment of rich, interactive, HD-quality video applications, such as those successfully implemented by their initial joint customers, Fox On Demand and the Metropolitan Opera.

The integration of Move Networks’ HD-quality video streaming solution and PermissionTV’s interactive video application platform allows entertainment and media companies to quickly create and deploy next generation, online video experiences that match the quality standards users expect from television, with the increased engagement, interactivity and integration benefits provided by the Web. Move Networks’ proven video technologies and services enable leading media companies such as ABC, ESPN, F ox and the CW to deliver live and on-demand HD programming to millions of viewers without the buffering, stalling and poor quality viewing experiences common with competing technologies.

“With Met Player, our recently launched online video service, our objective was to make the Metropolitan Opera’s performances available in homes around the world in the highest quality video and audio,” said Peter Gelb, General Manager of the Met. “The collaboration between PermissionTV and Move Networks’ video platforms enables the Met to make performances from its groundbreaking high-definition movie theater transmission series, along with historic broadcasts from our archives, available to home users.”

The integration of PermissionTV’s video platform and APIs with Move’s adaptive streaming technology allows entertainment, media, publishing and marketing companies to quickly deploy HD video applications – from raw video to customized player experiences – in hours, not days or weeks. The joint product integration also enables a deeper level of customization with third party services such as advertising, search, geo-targeting, commerce, subscription management and analytics. The PermissionTV platform has already enabled integrations with such providers as Doubleclick Dart, Google AdSense, Real Media OAS, Entriq, Collarity, Quigo, Hitbox and Omniture.

“As the leader in adaptive HD streaming technology with an impressive media and entertainment client base, Move Networks is a perfect partner for PermissionTV,” said Bob Lentz, CEO of PermissionTV. “Move is leading the evolution of Internet TV by transforming Web video to HD quality experiences. With PermissionTV’s SmartPlayerTM technology platform, we’re now able to deliver on the next phase of TV 2.0 – interactivity.”

“Consumer demand for quality online video content is growing rapidly, and we are always looking for ways to accelerate the delivery of premium online video experiences to a broader audience,” said John Edwards, CEO of Move Networks. “Partnering with PermissionTV allows Move Networks to offer turnkey HD video solutions to a much wider array of entertainment and media companies. We expect to see a significant increase in the number of content owners deploying HD video programming in the coming months.”

This integrated offering is available immediately through PermissionTV and Move Networks.

About Move Networks

Move Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet television services that drive the growth and support of online audiences for leading broadcasters and publishers including Fox, ABC, the CW, and Discovery. The video technologies and services developed and managed by Move Networks enable leading brands to deliver live and on-demand programming to millions of people without the buffering, stalling, and low-quality viewing experiences common with competing technologies.

About PermissionTV

PermissionTV provides a flexible online video platform for brand marketers and advertisers, media companies and publishers, as well as their agencies, content producers and technology providers. This platform helps organizations leverage the power of online video to achieve their marketing objectives through the creation and management of customizable experiences. PermissionTV’s online video tools help customers such as Boston Symphony Orchestra, FHM Magazine, Harvard Business Publishing and Intercontinental Hotels capture new audiences, enhance relationships, maximize customer value and generate revenue. For more information, please visit www.permissiontv.com.

OMMA Magazine interviews Matt Kaplan

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST

5 Questions for Matt Kaplan

by OMMA Magazine Writers, November 2008 issue

When asked about his preferred Olive Garden entrées, Matt Kaplan, PermissionTV’s vice president of solutions and chief strategy officer, straddles the casual dining fence: “Chicken Parmigiana is leaner and generally eaten by Republicans, whereas Chicken Marsala contains more fat and is mostly onsumed by Democrats. I’m undecided as to which I like better.” However, he had stronger opinions about the promise of “video 2.0.” And he has the numbers to back up the talk: “In a recent PermissionTV survey of marketers, nearly 85 percent of the respondents agreed that online video will be an important strategic initiative in 2009,” Kaplan says. “So I think we’re onto something.” Kaplan’s worked in the online biz for years — at AdValue Network and Agency.com, to name a few — so we’re inclined to believe him.

What is “video 2.0”?
The era of video 1.0 was all about getting video to play on a Web site. When I think about video 1.0 experiences, what comes to mind is a Web site with a small video player that has your basic 1980s-style VCR controls (play, pause, rewind, stop) and some sharing options (e-mail, link, embed). But all in all, video 1.0 can be characterized by a text-based canvas enhanced with a passive, linear video.
I think of video 2.0 as the age of intelligent video applications. This starts with a high-quality, full-screen video canvas enhanced with interactivity, Web services and Web smarts. Video 2.0 breaks down the linear video model and puts the viewer in control of the story and their own experience. With affordable online delivery of HD-quality video, we’re just starting to lay the groundwork for this era to emerge. The canvas is there, and PermissionTV is now providing the paints and supplies for creating these rich video applications.

Why is PermissionTV a part of that vision?
We’d like to call ourselves the pioneers of video 2.0. Our intent is to evolve video from a linear, passive, broadcast medium to a dynamic, interactive and permission-based one (hence the name PermissionTV).
Our video platform was built with this in mind and supports rich interactivity, nonlinear programming, and integrations with Web services at playback time. This is particularly appealing to marketers who value deepening customer relationships with their brands.

What are the biggest mistakes marketers make when they try to leverage online video?
For marketers, online video is still thought of as an advertising medium, but it needs to be thought of as an integral part of any digital marketing campaign. We recommend that marketers look at ways to leverage online video throughout the customer life cycle, from brand awareness and lead generation to conversion, service and support. For publishers, there’s still an “if you build it, they will come” mentality with online video. You still need to worry about who your audience is and how to attract them. We’ve seen a lot of online publishers put up some video content and expect a ton of viewers to just show up and start watching. Building a successful video destination is hard, and it requires ongoing analysis to find out what people find engaging.

What is your ideal interactive video experience?
Mine is what I call the “Personal NFL Game Day.” Rather than spending three hours watching just one game with lots of time-outs, I could specify all the games that I’m interested in following that day. While the games are being played, I’m alerted on-screen when an exciting play has happened or a team is in the red zone. I can allow the system to automatically switch my game or simply opt-in when I’m ready. I can instantly pull up any game-day video highlights, camera angles, stats or even watch my fantasy team play its opponent. If I missed a game, I simply ask for the 5-, 10- or 15-minute recap and watch all the best plays. Oh, and viewers would get to throw challenge flags and vote on video replays instead of the officials.

Did PermissionTV send Mitt Romney [a client] a muffin basket to console him when his presidential bid failed?
No, but we were holding out for the vice presidential nomination. Little did we know how that would turn out!

Move Networks, PermissionTV and POP Collaborate to Deliver the Pioneering Met Player

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Metropolitan Opera Joins With Leading Technology Providers to Launch the First HD-Quality Performing Arts Subscription Service

NEW YORK, NY, Oct 22, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Today, the Metropolitan Opera debuts its subscription-based online video experience, making its extensive catalog of historic performances and recent high-definition productions available online. The Met is the first performing arts organization in the world to present such a wide variety of performances in an interactive, high-quality format, available via the Web for Internet or TV viewing. Working with the Met, online video technology innovators Move Networks, PermissionTV and POP developed the Met Player to ensure a superior user experience and deliver unmatched picture and sound quality for the Met's long-form programming.

News Facts:

--  In addition to online viewing, users can extend their Met Player
    experience by connecting their computers to HD TV sets and home-stereo
    sound systems.
--  By employing Move Networks' high-definition Internet television
    capabilities and POP's account management application, integrated through
    PermissionTV's smartplayer video platform and APIs, the Met continues its
    groundbreaking distribution of operatic masterpieces, now reaching a global
    audience.
--  Move Networks, a leading provider of Internet Television services
    including adaptive stream delivery, enables the Met to retain its
    unequivocally high production values so viewers do not sacrifice quality
    when enjoying performances via the Web.  Move Networks also facilitated the
    inclusion of subtitle overlays to further expand the digestion and
    comprehension of some of these historic recordings.
--  PermissionTV, a leading online video platform provider, integrated all
    of the technologies, significantly reducing the cost and time required to
    develop the ground-breaking Met Player. With PermissionTV, the Met was able
    to quickly create an interactive, easy-to-navigate online video experience
    that allows users to easily find and enjoy their favorite performances.
--  POP, an interactive agency that crafts innovative digital experiences,
    created a personalized user experience for consumers to easily subscribe,
    manage their accounts and add favorites from one place within the core Met
    Opera website.
--  Continuing its innovative use of electronic media, 120 historic audio
    recordings and 50 full-length opera videos are now available, including
    more than a dozen of the company's acclaimed "The Met: Live in HD"
    transmissions, known for their extraordinary sound and picture quality and
    high production values.
--  New content, including HD productions and archival broadcasts, will be
    added monthly.
--  The service will be available for a monthly charge of $14.99 or on a
    per-view price ranging from $3.99 to $4.99.

Notable Quotes:

--  "Committed to ensuring the quality of experience its content deserves,
    the Metropolitan Opera selected Move Networks to showcase the unequivocally
    high production values of its recordings," said John Edwards, CEO of Move
    Networks.  "Move's unique streaming technology allows the Met Player to
    engage viewers with a high-definition viewing experience. For the viewing
    public and for the Metropolitan Opera, the player is win-win. With top-
    notch content, a superior picture from Move Networks, a powerful platform
    and a best-in-class user experience, this new video player surpasses the
    traditional broadcast experience."
--  "The Metropolitan Opera chose PermissionTV as its online video
    platform to quickly create the most interactive, easy-to-use video
    experience for its subscribers," said John Zahner, Founder and Senior Vice
    President of Business Development of PermissionTV. "PermissionTV enhances
    the Met Player video experience, providing a relevant, compelling user
    experience to further engage opera aficionados around the globe."

Resources:

To preview the Met Player experience:  www.metplayer.org/preview
To register for a subscription:  www.metplayer.org
To download images of the experience:
 http://www.metoperafamily.org/metupload/MetPlayer_Press/Romeo.jpg
 http://www.metoperafamily.org/metupload/MetPlayer_Press/Boheme.jpg
 http://www.metoperafamily.org/metupload/MetPlayer_Press/FirstEmperor.jpg
To read the Met's news announcement:
 http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/press/detail.aspx?id=4906

About the Met

Under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director James Levine, the Met has a series of bold initiatives underway that are designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company's repertory. The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical productions featuring the greatest opera stars in the world.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2008-09 season pays tribute to the company's extraordinary history on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, while also emphasizing the Met's renewed commitment to advancing the art form. The 2008-09 season features six new productions, 18 revivals, the final performances of Otto Schenk's production of Wagner's Ring cycle conducted by Levine, and two gala celebrations. Building on its 77-year-old radio broadcast history -- heard over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network -- the Met now uses advanced media distribution platforms and state-of-the-art technology to attract new audiences and reach millions of opera fans around the world.

"The Met: Live In HD" series is a groundbreaking initiative that transmits performances live in high definition from the Met stage to more than 800 movie screens in 30 countries. Begun in 2006, the series reached an audience of more than 935,000 last season, more than the number of people who saw performances in the opera house. In the 2008-09 season, the HD series expands to feature 11 live transmission, starting with the Met's Opening Night Gala and spanning the entire season.

Another of the company's new media distribution platforms, Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS channel 78 is a subscription-based audio entertainment service, broadcasting both an unprecedented number of live performances each week throughout the Met's season, as well as rare historical performances, newly restored and remastered.

Met Player is the latest media platform to be introduced and will make the company's extensive broadcast content available on demand, both from past performances and as the video and audio catalogues continue to grow.

About Move Networks

Move Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet television services that drive the growth and support of online audiences for leading broadcasters and publishers including ABC, the CW, Discovery, ESPN, and Fox. The Internet television technologies and services developed and managed by Move Networks enable leading brands to deliver live and on-demand programming to millions of people without the buffering, stalling, and low-quality viewing experiences common with competing technologies.

About PermissionTV

PermissionTV provides a flexible online video platform for brand marketers and advertisers, media companies and publishers, as well as their agencies, content producers and technology providers. This platform helps organizations leverage the power of online video to achieve their marketing objectives through the creation and management of customizable experiences. PermissionTV's online video tools help customers such as Bob Vila, Boston Symphony Orchestra, FHM Magazine, Harvard Business Publishing and Intercontinental Hotels capture new audiences, enhance relationships, maximize customer value and generate revenue. For more information, please visit www.permissiontv.com.

About POP Arts Marketing

The POP Arts Marketing team of strategists, designers and technologists is focused on creating digital marketing solutions for the arts. Clients include Royal Albert Hall, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Metropolitan Opera and Royal Opera House. Led by Erin West, formerly the director of marketing & communications at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the POP Arts Marketing team has amassed an unparalleled understanding of the business, creative and technical challenges faced by arts organizations and has developed innovative solutions for helping these clients achieve their goals online. For more information on POP Arts Marketing, visit http://www.popartsmarketing.com/.

Adaptive Video for Television of the Future

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

If you would like to learn about the potential interactive capabilities of television in the future, this video is for you.

Today’s video features Permissiontv.com which is a company that enables clients to create interactive videos for Internet distribution. The capability provides a glimpse of what the television might look like in the future. First is a demonstration of some interactive videos created on the Permissontv.com platform. Second is an interview with Matt Kaplan who is the Chief Strategy Officer.

Permissiontv.com is Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) dedicated to Internet video and to that extent is similar to Brightcove.com and blip.tv. However, Permissiontv.com is distinguished in three ways.

First, its focus is on enabling clients to create interactive videos.

Second, because of the interactivity, Permissiontv.com does not limit its marketing activities merely to media companies but also targets companies (generally with strong brands) that want to use Internet video to interact directly with their own customers.

Third, owing to the technical requirements of building such video applications, Permissiontv.com targets sophisticated users. Typically clients have access to a skilled staff of Flash and XML programmers, either at their own company, or via their advertising agency or web design vendor.

In our analysis, Permissiontv.com is an early manifestation of the smart video of the future. Such videos will adapt to the needs of viewers as they interact with the screen. The Permissiontv.com experience underscores the axiom, “The future has already arrived; it’s just not evenly distributed.”

PermissionTV's BSO Player wins 2008 W3 Silver Award

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Los Angeles, CA - (October 8, 2008) - The Winners of The 2008 W3 Awards have been announced by the International Academy of the Visual Arts today. Receiving over 3,000 entries, The W3 Awards honors outstanding Websites, Web Marketing, and Web Video created by some of the best interactive agencies, designers, and creators worldwide.

“We were amazed at the caliber and quality of work received this year. Our winners continue to push the envelope of internet creativity and web design, and it is gratifying to see such great work from the smallest agencies to the biggest firms” said Linda Day, the director of the IAVA. “On behalf of the The International Academy of the Visual Arts, we are honored to recognize our winners as they continue to set a high standard of excellence for Web development.”

The W³ Awards honors creative excellence on the Web, and recognizes the creative and marketing professionals behind award winning Websites, Web Video and Online Marketing programs. Simply put, the W³ is the first major Web competition to be accessible to the biggest agencies, the smallest firms, and everyone in between. Small firms are as likely to win as Fortune 500 companies and international agencies.

The W3 Awards is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a "Who's Who" of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms. Please visit www.iavisarts.org for a full member list and additional information.

Please visit www.w3award.com for a complete list of W3 Award Winners.

PermissionTV Provides White Label Video Platform Services

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

PermissionTV lets companies create their own YouTube-style video service. Their list of clients includes MGM, Bob Villa and many more well-known names in the entertainment industry. They also serve corporations, agencies, special interest groups and publishing companies.

The PTV platform with customizable flash-based SmartPlayer provides a flexible way to share and manage interactive video content. It also includes useful analytics so you can measure the performance and success of videos that you’ve shared online.

PermissionTV also allows companies to monetize their video content with many hooks into ad servers in an easy to use interface. This means they can embed the exact type of advertisements they want in their video streams. Being able to customize the ads is important because they know their audience better than anyone. The great thing about this feature is that several different ad servers can be connected in the same stream, which is unique and provides a greater variety of choices for companies.

Best of all, PTV’s SmartPlayer syndicates very well which means you can share your videos on any site, blog and social network like MySpace or Facebook without a hitch. Also, within each video you can use features like Hotspotting, which means areas within the video are highlighted for selection to trigger activities such as learning more detail or purchasing a product.

As if all that weren’t enough, PermissionTV provides a development platform for anyone interested in working with online video streaming. They call it the PermissionTV Platform Development Kit (PDK) and it can help developers create their own video players and many other aspects to the video streaming process.

PermissionTV’s white label video streaming solution reminds me a lot of what mZinga does with their white labeling social networking solutions. All this means giving companies the chance to create their very own service that they can customize according to their needs and their customers. These types of tools really give their users the power they need to achieve their goals and objectives online.

Tanglewood brings performances to the Web

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Prat Thakkar, NECN) - Before a whisper quiet audience in western Massachusetts this July, trumpets heralded the American premiere of famed US composer Elliot Carter's "Reflexions".

The performance was part of the festival of contemporary music at Tanglewood, in Lenox Massachusetts, the summer home of the Boston symphony orchestra. It was also part of the beginning of a new movement for the BSO and Tanglewood.

More than 70 years after setting the rolling hills alive with music, Tanglewood is now also taking to the internet, with Tanglewood-web-tv.

A video stream of the summer's performances. Captured in all their acoustic complexity for an at home concert experience... It's the only initiative of its kind by any major orchestra in the world... Rich Bradway is the associate director for e commerce and new media at the BSO...

In addition to hours of concerts, the site lets users branch off music...to do things like take a behind the scenes tour of Tanglewood, watch documentaries on Elliott Carter, and listen to interviews with musicians.

Tanglewood has always been more than a performance venue... For decades it's been home to the Tanglewood music center, a celebrated training ground for promising professional musicians... Among its alumni, conductors Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta and Seiji Ozawa. Fittingly, Tanglewood web TV also has an educational component... With videos from performance workshops. And the BSO is planning to add conducting lessons with maestro James Levine.

Bob Lentz is the president of permission TV, the company that worked with the BSO to create the web TV site...

More than 300,000 people do make it to Tanglewood each year. The tickets almost always sell out. But with Tanglewood web TV the BSO can now captivate audiences around the world. Putting the centuries old orchestral tradition on a digital age platform also gives the BSO a chance to do what much of the classical music industry has been attempting. Reach new young listeners.

While new listeners may automatically bring new revenue, the BSO is also looking to see if web TV itself can become a sound business investment. But for now all the concerts online are free... And that has got to be sweet music to every listener's ears.

Video SEO for Local Television Shows - the PermissionTV interview

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Written September 9, 2008 – 11:54 am | by Grant Crowell |

Many broadcast television shows marketed for general consumer audiences are now providing web-based complimentary versions - a good means of expanding their audience and increase advertising revenue. But can a web-based version also be successful for local television shows? Matt Kaplan, VP of Solutions and Chief Strategy Officer for the online video platform provider PermissionTV recently talked with Grant Crowell to discuss their success in transitioning a local broadcast television show to online video programming - and the Video SEO strategies behind it.

The scenario: NYResidential, a popular local news magazine and cable television program about upscale New York homes and residential real estate, was in need of a companion online video site. Sharing the work scenario of this client, Matt explained what could typical online video needs of a local television program, and how they was able to meet all those needs with the PermissionTV Quickstart Video Player and Solutions Hub.

“We were able to get NY Residential up and running in a few days.” says Matt. “The leverage of the company is time-to-market. Our platform makes this very easy to integrate.”

Standard online video needs for a local television program:

High quality online video.
Minimal time and resources, to get up and running quickly and easily insert show information
Integration with any content delivery network (CDN) provider.
Customized player and playlist.
Ability to drop videos on different areas of a website.
Interactive functionality, especially video file sharing and incorporation of ad-supported video content.

Video SEO solutions - A SEO-friendly video publishing system

PermissionTV chose a promising industry - the real estate market - for their product example. Recently ReelSEO reported on how online real estate videos were shown to increase perceived property values. So what is PermissionTV doing to get their client’s videos out through the search engines and other means of organic, online distribution and sharing? Aside from the standard in-player video content embedding feature (which also includes a bookmarking link and email buttons), the PermissionTV programs also has what they call a SEO-friendly video publishing platform.

“Our publishing system can also be customized to build in a video site map or a Media RSS feed.” says Matt. “The publishing system has the ability to output in different formats. When someone goes in and hits a publish button, it writes it all out in terms of XML files.”

A money-friendly video search platform

Some of PermissionTV’s other clients, like BobVila.com, and their video player allow for automated ad revenue integration with Google’s Adsense. “All of our video content gets pre-indexed, so the most appropriate advertisement from the AdSense network gets picked.” explains Matt. “It’s the same model used for SEO purposes as it would be used for PPC or other paid advertising purposes.”

SEO challenges for NY Residential

Because the NYResidential program has just recently been launched, it is still early to tell how quickly and thoroughly their video content will become indexed in the universal search engine results. As it stands to date, none of the video clips appear to have been indexed by Google. There is also no page generator or speech-to-text program for individual videos. Also, MRSS feeds, while indexable by the search engines, are looked at by some SEO specialists as more a subscription feature than a true search engine indexing-and-optimization feature for video content.

However, examples from PermissionTV’s other sites like BobVilla.com show that there is the capability to generate optimizable video content. The first key difference between that site and NY Residential is that BobVilla.com creates individual page URLs for each video. The next one is a video sub directory, along with making “Videos” a top level feature of the navigation scheme on the masthead. If NY Residential’s distribution goals for their video include search engine visibility, they would be much more likely to achieve success by including both of these components.

Sparkway Uses PermissionTV's QuickStart Online Video Player

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Sparkway is using PermissionTV's QuickStart video player to create and launch new online video programming for NYResidentialTV.com, the Web-based complement to the popular news magazine television program. The web site allows Internet users to watch full-length program content, including in-depth profiles on different New York City neighborhoods and real estate projects, tips for buyers and sellers, comprehensive property searches, as well as interviews with the most knowledgeable and respected real estate reporters and market experts in New York.

Sparkway launched a rich and compelling video program in just a few days by using PermissionTV's Solutions Hub. "We wanted a video solution that could build passion for the most prestigious properties throughout New York," said Jeff Marcus, CEO and Founder, Sparkway. "PermissionTV's solutions are flexible, easy to implement and also allow Sparkway to create a dialogue with our customers. Their team understood our long term vision and their platform is capable of supporting our online video needs as our business expands and our functionality requirements grow."

The PermissionTV QuickStart Video Player

The PermissionTV QuickStart video player gives organizations like Sparkway the ability to get a high quality online video experience, live on their site with minimal time and resources. In addition, this base player provides a foundation for adding all of the interactive functionality that PermissionTV is known for. Sparkway selected PermissionTV based on its ability to incorporate ad-supported video content within any online property as a means to enable advertisers to reach new audiences and for New York Residential to generate additional revenue.

Tanglewood and BSO Pioneer Broadband Use for Arts/Cultural Organizations

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), and also the host of world-renowned musical training programs, has expanded its use of broadband video, helping pioneer how arts and cultural organizations can tap into the power of this new medium. I talked recently with Rich Bradway, Associate Director of Ecommerce and New Media to learn more.

First, for those unfamiliar with Tanglewood, it is a lush former estate in Western Massachusetts' Berkshire Mountains containing an outdoor theater and other performance buildings. Open only for the summer, it hosts a mostly classical program, but also features performances by the contemporary Boston Pops and others like James Taylor (whose annual concerts draw over 20,000 fans). For many the Tanglewood experience means elaborate picnics on its expansive lawn, followed by a moonlit night or lazy afternoon of beautiful music.

This summer, the BSO has created TanglewoodWebTV.org, with its first "episode" around the centenary of the birth of Elliott Carter, a well-known composer who's being celebrated in Tanglewood's 2008 Festival of Contemporary Music. Previously the BSO has launched BostonPops.TV, and both are powered by PermissionTV. Rich explained that Tanglewood and the BSO are using broadband to build awareness, reach a younger and more global audience and drive new revenues.

The episode includes performances along with interviews, documentaries and behind-the-scenes footage. The presentation is very non-linear with an overlay menu providing easy navigation to other video segments, so the user can sample at will. Rich said prior to launch the episode was seeded with archival video, and then during the Festival week it was updated continuously. Since broadband is new for the Tanglewood team a key goal was understanding what's involved in the digital media workflow and how to scale the process over time.

With BostonPops.TV and TanglewoodWebTV.org, the BSO is helping prove in broadband's benefits for other arts and cultural organizations. Yet, as Rich and I talked, I mentioned that it seems to me the really big opportunity here is to stream live concerts from Tanglewood, and then make them available on-demand afterwards. This would extend the full Tanglewood experience to remote users in the same way that the Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts of the New York Metropolitan Opera have been doing for decades. Consistent with that model, the streaming should be free and sponsored, rather than paid by the user.

Rich said that the BSO and Tanglewood have been doing the spade work to enable paid concert downloading, focusing on both technology infrastructure and addressing rights issues with the orchestra itself. Rich reminded me that this is all very new territory for a traditional organization. I understand that and the value of a "walk before you run" approach. Still, for arts and cultural organizations like the BSO and Tanglewood, broadband is presenting exciting opportunities to extend their brands and build new revenues; I believe that these should be pursued as aggressively as possible.