Veoh
Encyclopedia
Veoh is an Internet television
company based in San Diego, California
. It allows users to find and watch major studio content, independent productions and user-generated material. The company is a subsidiary of Israeli start-up Qlipso
.
The company received media attention after Michael Eisner
, a former Disney chairman, joined the board. In April 2006, he was one of the investors (along with Time Warner
) in the US$
12.5 million second round of financing for Veoh and re-affirmed his status in August 2007 as an investor in the company's US$25 million Series C financing round.
In 2008, the domain veoh.com attracted approximately 17 million unique visitors monthly according to a Quantcast.com study.
On February 11, 2010, in an open letter published on his blog, company founder and former CEO, Dmitry Shapiro, indicated that "the distraction of the legal battles, and the challenges of the broader macro-economic climate have led to our Chapter 7 bankruptcy
." On April 7, 2010, it was announced that Israeli start-up company Qlipso
acquired Veoh for an undisclosed sum. Qlipso aims to use the acquisition to add users and revenue to its multi-user content sharing service.
Included with recent installations of Veoh is a program called OpenCandy
, which some security programs, including Microsoft Security Essentials, class as adware
.
Veoh has raised about US$70 million from venture capital
and media investors. Time Warner
, Michael Eisner's Tornante
Company, Spark Capital, Shelter Capital Partners, Tom Freston
's Firefly3 LLC, Jonathan Dolgen (former chairman of Viacom Entertainment Group), Intel, and Goldman Sachs
are all major investors.
In addition to the user generated content that Veoh broadcasts, Veoh has distributed content from major media companies including CBS, ABC, The WB, Viacom's MTV Networks, ESPN, FEARNet, Billboard, Ford Models, US Weekly, TV Guide, and others. Independent creators found on Veoh include NextNewNetworks, 60 Frames, Can We Do That?, Goodnight Burbank, and Dave and Tom.
In a controversial move, Veoh made its service unavailable to most markets (Africa
, Asia
, Central and South America, Central
and Eastern Europe
) in May 2008.
In January 2009, Veoh announced a new site including support for iPhone
/iPod Touch
and the Veoh Video Compass. Upon introduction, some controversy arose over the lack of friends lists, mail services, as well as some video info.
In April 2009, following layoffs in November 2008, Veoh reduced its staff by 25 more to 45 remaining employees and reinstated Dmitry Shapiro as its CEO, replacing Steve Mitgang. On February 11, 2010, it was reported that Veoh had laid off most of its remaining staff and is currently in the process of filing for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.
, Veoh.com offers a broader selection of network television content and allows viewers to watch full episodes of TV shows and full-length movies. Veoh.com hosts a range of programming, from user generated content to studio content.
Veoh also provided a software application, VeohTV Beta, that enabled "lean back" and remote controllable viewing of web content. In December 2008 Veoh transitioned from VeohTV to the Veoh Web Player. The Veoh Web Player enables users to watch full-length videos on Veoh.com within their browser. It also enables users to download video from Veoh.com and other websites. Veoh Web player comes with Veoh Video compass, many times full versions of the show are not available directly on the website and instead are only offered to those who have downloaded and use their software to access the content.
s, iPod Touch
es, iPod
s and Sony PSPs. Publishers are able to customize the presentation of their content, automatically publish via RSS
feeds, and organize video programming into episodic series or complete channels.
(for its player software application) and Adobe Flash
-based streaming video (for its website) technologies. Veoh claims its use of peer-to-peer in the player application enables distribution of longer form video files at a much lower cost. It also means that bandwidth costs will not rise in direct proportion to the number of users. Veoh systems use LAMP and Java.
According to the official website, Veoh is freeware
.
As of May 31, 2008, upon trying to access the site from a Latvia
n IP address a screen is displayed: "Veoh is no longer available in Latvia & Mauritius"
Without prior notice, users from these countries were denied the ability to back up the contents they have contributed to the website. As of June 2008, visitors (IP addresses) in the vast majority of countries, including Asia
, portions of Europe
, Africa
, Central America
, and South America
, have reported being blocked or experiencing a similar message for their region.
Gaude Paez, a spokesperson told NewTeeVee.com "The markets we are exiting collectively represent less than 10 percent of our viewer base." She maintained that the decision was "not about saving resources but rather refocusing those resources." Recently, however, the restriction has been removed from certain territories such as Puerto Rico. Indian users have reported that the Veoh restrictions were lifted for a month, yet came back in August. Argentina was still blocked in January 2011. As of July 23, 2011, the block has been lifted from Brazil.
As of March 30, 2009, Veoh also blocked the Czech Republic, Lebanon, Malaysia and Serbia. Egypt, Romania, Martinique and Pakistan were also blocked in June. Turkey, Thailand and UAE were blocked as of October 2009. The ban on Malaysia has since been removed. As of September 2010 site was accessible again from Serbia, but starting of December 2010 access was removed once again. Veoh is also blocked in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Mongolia.
As of July 26, 2011 service has been restored to these blocked countries.
Internet television
Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet...
company based in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. It allows users to find and watch major studio content, independent productions and user-generated material. The company is a subsidiary of Israeli start-up Qlipso
Qlipso
Qlipso is an Israeli-American technology company which builds and operates multi-user content-sharing platforms for Flash-based media. The company’s social-viewing platform allows people to extend and enhance their real-life social lives online by providing users the ability to view and share...
.
The company received media attention after Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.-Early life:...
, a former Disney chairman, joined the board. In April 2006, he was one of the investors (along with Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
) in the US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
12.5 million second round of financing for Veoh and re-affirmed his status in August 2007 as an investor in the company's US$25 million Series C financing round.
In 2008, the domain veoh.com attracted approximately 17 million unique visitors monthly according to a Quantcast.com study.
On February 11, 2010, in an open letter published on his blog, company founder and former CEO, Dmitry Shapiro, indicated that "the distraction of the legal battles, and the challenges of the broader macro-economic climate have led to our Chapter 7 bankruptcy
Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 7 of the Title 11 of the United States Code governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States...
." On April 7, 2010, it was announced that Israeli start-up company Qlipso
Qlipso
Qlipso is an Israeli-American technology company which builds and operates multi-user content-sharing platforms for Flash-based media. The company’s social-viewing platform allows people to extend and enhance their real-life social lives online by providing users the ability to view and share...
acquired Veoh for an undisclosed sum. Qlipso aims to use the acquisition to add users and revenue to its multi-user content sharing service.
Included with recent installations of Veoh is a program called OpenCandy
OpenCandy
OpenCandy is a company based in San Diego that produces an advertising software module consisting of a Microsoft Windows library that can be incorporated in a Windows installer...
, which some security programs, including Microsoft Security Essentials, class as adware
Adware
Adware, or advertising-supported software, is any software package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer. These advertisements can be in the form of a pop-up. They may also be in the user interface of the software or on a screen presented to the user during...
.
History
Veoh was founded by Dmitry Shapiro. The company launched an early version of its distribution technology in September 2005 and debuted its full beta service in March 2006. Veoh officially launched (out of beta) in February 2007.Veoh has raised about US$70 million from venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
and media investors. Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
, Michael Eisner's Tornante
Tornante
The Tornante Company is a privately held investment firm founded by former The Walt Disney Company CEO Michael Eisner in 2005. Tornante invests in and creates media and entertainment....
Company, Spark Capital, Shelter Capital Partners, Tom Freston
Tom Freston
Thomas E. Freston is an American entertainment industry executive. He currently is a principal in Firefly3 LLC, a consulting and investment company. Currently he consults Oprah Winfrey, among others....
's Firefly3 LLC, Jonathan Dolgen (former chairman of Viacom Entertainment Group), Intel, and Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
are all major investors.
In addition to the user generated content that Veoh broadcasts, Veoh has distributed content from major media companies including CBS, ABC, The WB, Viacom's MTV Networks, ESPN, FEARNet, Billboard, Ford Models, US Weekly, TV Guide, and others. Independent creators found on Veoh include NextNewNetworks, 60 Frames, Can We Do That?, Goodnight Burbank, and Dave and Tom.
In a controversial move, Veoh made its service unavailable to most markets (Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Central and South America, Central
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
) in May 2008.
In January 2009, Veoh announced a new site including support for iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
/iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
and the Veoh Video Compass. Upon introduction, some controversy arose over the lack of friends lists, mail services, as well as some video info.
In April 2009, following layoffs in November 2008, Veoh reduced its staff by 25 more to 45 remaining employees and reinstated Dmitry Shapiro as its CEO, replacing Steve Mitgang. On February 11, 2010, it was reported that Veoh had laid off most of its remaining staff and is currently in the process of filing for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.
Viewing options
Veoh offers two viewing options. The Veoh.com site allows viewers to watch streaming web video from across the Web including via their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Although somewhat like YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, Veoh.com offers a broader selection of network television content and allows viewers to watch full episodes of TV shows and full-length movies. Veoh.com hosts a range of programming, from user generated content to studio content.
Veoh also provided a software application, VeohTV Beta, that enabled "lean back" and remote controllable viewing of web content. In December 2008 Veoh transitioned from VeohTV to the Veoh Web Player. The Veoh Web Player enables users to watch full-length videos on Veoh.com within their browser. It also enables users to download video from Veoh.com and other websites. Veoh Web player comes with Veoh Video compass, many times full versions of the show are not available directly on the website and instead are only offered to those who have downloaded and use their software to access the content.
Publishing videos
Publishers can use their PC to upload videos for distribution. Veoh transcodes the video file so the video is available on Veoh.com, streamed on the publisher's own web site, and in portable devices like iPhoneIPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
s, iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
es, iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
s and Sony PSPs. Publishers are able to customize the presentation of their content, automatically publish via RSS
RSS
-Mathematics:* Root-sum-square, the square root of the sum of the squares of the elements of a data set* Residual sum of squares in statistics-Technology:* RSS , "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary", a family of web feed formats...
feeds, and organize video programming into episodic series or complete channels.
Technology
Veoh uses both peer-to-peerPeer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
(for its player software application) and Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
-based streaming video (for its website) technologies. Veoh claims its use of peer-to-peer in the player application enables distribution of longer form video files at a much lower cost. It also means that bandwidth costs will not rise in direct proportion to the number of users. Veoh systems use LAMP and Java.
According to the official website, Veoh is freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
.
Recommendations Engine
Veoh's recommendations engine is intended to enable viewers to find content that interests them. The recommendations engine was originally built by co-founder Dr. Ted Dunning, Chief Scientist for Veoh. Subsequently it was renovated by John Dimm in 2007 and finally restructured, refined, and maintained by Alexander Sherbak in 2008 through 2010 utilizing patent pending cluster identification algorithms. Veoh recommendations are based on user view history. As users watch videos, the Veoh recommendation system presents directly relevant video choices based around view histories of users with similar viewing/watch patterns.Blocked Countries
In late May 2008, Veoh discontinued service in many countries. The company stated that the decision was made in order to focus on the more than 33 markets in which it has the most viewers.As of May 31, 2008, upon trying to access the site from a Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n IP address a screen is displayed: "Veoh is no longer available in Latvia & Mauritius"
Without prior notice, users from these countries were denied the ability to back up the contents they have contributed to the website. As of June 2008, visitors (IP addresses) in the vast majority of countries, including Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, portions of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, have reported being blocked or experiencing a similar message for their region.
Gaude Paez, a spokesperson told NewTeeVee.com "The markets we are exiting collectively represent less than 10 percent of our viewer base." She maintained that the decision was "not about saving resources but rather refocusing those resources." Recently, however, the restriction has been removed from certain territories such as Puerto Rico. Indian users have reported that the Veoh restrictions were lifted for a month, yet came back in August. Argentina was still blocked in January 2011. As of July 23, 2011, the block has been lifted from Brazil.
As of March 30, 2009, Veoh also blocked the Czech Republic, Lebanon, Malaysia and Serbia. Egypt, Romania, Martinique and Pakistan were also blocked in June. Turkey, Thailand and UAE were blocked as of October 2009. The ban on Malaysia has since been removed. As of September 2010 site was accessible again from Serbia, but starting of December 2010 access was removed once again. Veoh is also blocked in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Mongolia.
As of July 26, 2011 service has been restored to these blocked countries.
Legal issues
- June 23, 2006: IO Group, Inc. filed a complaint against Veoh Networks, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for California's Northern District. The Court has granted the Veoh's motion for summary judgment, that it was entitled to the statute's "safe harbor" provision.
- September 4, 2007: Universal Music GroupUniversal Music GroupUniversal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
Recordings, Inc. et al. filed a complaint against Veoh Networks, Inc. et al. in the California Central District Court. On September 15, 2009, the case was dismissed with the judge stating that Veoh was taking the necessary steps to stop copyright infringement. Universal Music Group planned to appeal the decision.
- February 12, 2010: Veoh plans to file for Bankruptcy under Chapter 7 on March 19, 2010.
- April 8, 2010: Veoh assets acquired by Qlipso.
See also
- Comparison of video servicesComparison of video servicesThe following tables compare general and technical information for a number of notable video hosting services. Please see the individual products' articles for further information...
- Google VideoGoogle VideoGoogle Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...
- YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- MetacafeMetacafeMetacafe is a web site that specializes in short-form video entertainment in the categories of movies, video games, sports, music and TV.The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and Tel Aviv...
- blip.tvBlip.tvThe website Blip.tv is a platform for web series. The company offers a for the "best in original web series" and also offers a dashboard for producers of original web series to distribute and monetize their productions....
- IO Group, Inc. v. Veoh Networks, Inc.IO Group, Inc. v. Veoh Networks, Inc.IO Group, Inc. v. Veoh Networks, Inc., 586 F. Supp. 2d 1132 , is an American legal case involving an internet television network named Veoh that allowed users of its site to view streaming media of various adult entertainment producer IO Group's films...