Click to enlarge

New digital video platforms are extending the reach of the traditional TV, especially among among viewers 18-34 who are affluent and highly educated, writes MediaPost, citing a new study by Nielsen Analytics together with Scarborough Research.

Perhaps the most surprising finding by Nielsen recently was that digital video is not eroding TV programming; rather, the trend is going in the other direction. Specifically, household viewing has risen by more than an hour a day over the past decade - to 8 hours, 14 minutes per person for the 2005-2006 TV season.

Nielsen says its findings pave the way for all TV content providers to build new digital revenue models. “By researching controlled broadband access, this study concludes that programmers have the opportunity to create new revenue models to benefit content owners and their affiliated stations,” said Larry Gerbrandt, general manager and SVP of Nielsen Analytics, author of the study, titled “Whatever, Whenever, Wherever: How Broadband is Redefining the Economics of Television.”

“Such ad-supported models are uniquely adaptable to the broadband environment and are potentially superior to existing models because they can take full advantage of the digital environment. With broadband streams, for example, fast-forwarding through commercials can be disabled making it more likely the consumers will watch the spots and possibly interact with them.”

Digital video businesses can easily disable fast-forward options so viewers can’t fast-forward through ads, usually 15: and 30: pre-rolls.

The report notes that the 18-34 demo represents 34 percent of those with broadband, while the 55+ demo is expected to grow, meaning this high-income group will become a valuable opportunity.

Hoping to bring some cohesion to a fragmented online video market, and profit from it, NBC Universal has created a company to syndicate video programming to websites.

The newly formed National Broadband Company - NBBC - will offer ad-supported content from NBC networks, local stations, and other video producers, reports the New York Times. The videos will come with pre-roll ads, the revenues from which will be shared among the video producer, the website publisher and NBBC, which is a joint venture between GE-controlled NBC Universal and NBC’s affiliate stations.

Both Chase and Procter & Gamble have signed on to run pre-roll ads, reports AdWeek, quoting Jim Warner, EVP of Avenue A/Razorfish, which helped facilitate Chase’s commitment: “They are increasing the amount of quality video inventory online. And they’re making it easy to buy.”

The idea for NBBC apparently germinated when a “Lazy Sunday” sketch from Saturday Night Live was posted on YouTube and went viral. “YouTube made a lot of money off it,” Randy Falco, president of the NBC Universal television group, is quoted as having said. “In the future, when we have a Lazy Sunday clip, NBBC will make a lot of money on it.”

NBC execs compared NBBC to television syndication. “In short, we are going back into the broadcast business on the Internet,” Falco said.

Black - and proud

Amp’d Mobile has announced development deals with actor/musician Jack Black and 24’s executive producer Howard Gordon, among others, to produce original content for the mobile entertainment carrier in 2007 and allow the audience to vote on what should get canceled, writes Reuters.

Amp’d Senior VP Seth Cummings said he envisions building the next-generation HBO - and hired Black along with partners Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab to develop a series of comedy shorts this year to come closer to that goal.

Gordon will bring his Icebox Internet to Amp’d with Paranormal News, a show about mysterious sightings, and will also develop original content with the help of producers Rob LaZebnik (The Simpsons) and Jon Collier (King of the Hill, Monk).

Donick Cary, creator of Amp’d original animated series Lil’ Bush: Resident of the United States just made the jump from mobile to TV via Comedy Central this summer, and he is slated to work on another Amp’d original, Lil’ Hollywood, featuring Carson Daly.