Ustream



**OVERVIEW **

[|Ustream.tv] is a website designed for live video streaming. It is reported to have 2 million plus users, with over 50 thousand hours of live streaming video daily. Boasting on average 47 million viewers monthly, the site streams everything from amateur videos, to live music concerts, and even political debates (Graham, 2010). President Obama’s inauguration was streamed live on [|Ustream.tv], which prompted a record of 3.8 million viewers for the site (Graham, 2010). As [|Ustream.tv] is an internet site with a mighty following, it provides a great platform for advertisers to tap into the global market.



**REASONS FOR ADVERTISING**

According to [|Ustream.tv], the site is ranked 1st on the web for live streaming video with the average viewer minutes per stream in May 2010, being more than 25 minutes (Ustream, 2010). Advertising on [|Ustream.tv] can be achieved through several formats. Some of the methods listed on [|Ustream.tv] are homepage takeovers, branded sponsorships, leaderboard banners (728x90), medium rectangle banners (300x250), and in-video ads (pre-rolls and overlays) (Ustream, 2010). A company can also pay to stream their video live without any other advertisements. [|Ustream.tv] can also be linked to Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Youtube, and other mainstream sites. This enhances the network of advertising capabilities. For example, linking a live stream of your business’s operations (new developments, meetings, etc...), to your business’s Facebook account, increases the number of people capable of accessing that information. Within the first 24 hours, Ustream’s I-phone application was available; it was downloaded over 100 thousand times (Krietsch, 2009). As globalization progresses, and internet access becomes more readily available, there a very few limitation when it comes to advertising in this manner.

**LIMITATIONS **

The only drawbacks occur when you target audience does not or cannot access your advertisements. For example, a lot of seniors have limited computer knowledge and therefore would not necessarily come across an advertisement meant for them on an online format such as Ustream. Target audiences, within nations where internet access is limited, would also be unaffected by this type of advertising. Another disadvantage is the cost of advertising through Ustream as opposed to another website.

**COSTS **

The main difference between [|Ustream.tv] and other video hosting websites is the aspect of //**live**// video streaming. The costs for a live video streaming website are much higher than one that hosts archived footage. Hosting a live event with a hundred thousand viewers at one time requires a lot more bandwidth than hosting archived footage where a select number of viewers might watch videos at different times (Bruno,2010). Another aspect that drives up the costs of advertising is that big live events, being infrequent, create more competition. A large volume of viewers are generated during these big live events, therefore many companies want to advertise during these events causing prices for advertisements to increase. Companies want to advertise leading up to an event, during, and after the event, all times where website viewing numbers are the highest (Bruno,2010).

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**REACH **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Companies in the U.S. are projected to spend 24.9 billion dollars in online advertising, and Companies globally are projected to spend 59 billion dollars in online advertising for 2010 (Plunkett Research,2010). As internet access becomes more readily available globally, there is a natural trend and need to advertise on an online medium. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[|Ustream.tv] has 50 thousand plus hours of live streaming video daily, which generates 47 million viewers monthly (Graham, 2010). This creates a broad and large volume of viewers. This allows for almost any company to find a niche in which to advertise.



**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">SCHEDULING STRATEGIES **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> Advertising for this medium is company and product dependent. During large popular events, companies tend to advertise before, during, and after the event when viewing numbers are high. Other times they can advertise through the use of banners and in-video ads.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">GENERAL IMPACT **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> According to a survey done by Ustream, 70 percent of viewers wanted all advertising removed from the streams (Ustream,2008). For <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[|Ustream.tv] to maintain itself this becomes an impossibility because most of its revenue is generated through advertising. A company can still advertise through this medium by hosting its own live stream of company news which they can make ad free of other companies via a fee.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> **AUDIENCE QUALITIES**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> For the most part, audiences in this forum are the younger generation who grew up with computers (Stelter, 2009). People who are computer savvy or are avid Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc… users supply the largest volume of consumers.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">**REPONSIVENESS**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> Companies can use this platform to generate awareness, interest, desire, and/or action. This platform has such a large and broad audience, with many different types of live video streams, in which to advertise using multiple methods.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">OTHER INTERESTING QUALITIES **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> With such a large following of viewers, celebrities and politicians are using this service to promote themselves and their causes. With the large diversity in the types of streams available, even the most unique company can find an audience to advertise to. Some celebrities that have been utilizing this site are Miley Cyrus, P Diddy, Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj.



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**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">ADVERTISERS USING THIS MEDIA **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> There is a large range of people and companies already advertising on <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[|Ustream.tv]. From people selling [|puppies] via a live stream to show their cuteness, to politicians promoting their ideas, and all the way up to larger companies such as [|Toyota] and [|Microsoft]; there is a niche for all.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">REFERENCE **

Stelter, Brian.(2009, June 2). CBS News to Let a Website Pick up Its' Live Coverage. New York Times. Retrieved from []

Bruno, Anothony.(2010,June 19). You Are There. Billboard. Retrieved from []

Krietsch, Beth.(2009, July 31). CBS News Recently Takes Interactivity to a New Level by Linking with Ustream. PR Week. Retrieved from []

Graham, Jefferson. (2010, july 21). Ustream Sets Sight on Mainstream. USA Today. Retrieved from []

Plunkett Research: Advertising and Branding reseach Center.(2010) advertising and branding overview. Retrieved from []

Advertise on Ustream. Retrieved from [|www.ustream.tv/advertise]

Ustream Ads- Polls and Feedback. Retrieved from []