• 17Jun

  11 Billion Videos Viewed Online in The U.S. in April 2008

  case studies 1 Comment

  18-34 Year Olds Viewed Nearly 5 Hours of Online Video per Person during the Month

  RESTON, Va., June 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released April 2008 data from the comScore Video Metrix service, revealing that U.S. Internet users viewed 11 billion online videos during the month, with YouTube.com accounting for more than 4 billion of that total.

  More than 4 Billion Videos Viewed at Google Sites

  In April, Google Sites once again ranked as the top U.S. video property with more than 4.1 billion videos viewed (38 percent share of all videos), as YouTube.com accounted for 98 percent of all videos viewed at the property. Fox Interactive Media ranked second with 558 million videos (5.1 percent), followed by Yahoo! Sites with 352 million (3.2 percent) and Microsoft Sites with 268 million (2.4 percent).

  Top U.S. Online Video Properties* by Videos Viewed
  April 2008
  Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
  Source: comScore Video Metrix
  Videos Share (%) of
  Property (000) Videos
  Total Internet 10,999,597 100.0
  Google Sites 4,159,850 37.9
  Fox Interactive Media 557,663 5.1
  Yahoo! Sites 352,359 3.2
  Microsoft Sites 268,033 2.4
  Viacom Digital 199,968 1.8
  Time Warner - Excl. AOL 138,771 1.3
  ABC.COM 103,421 0.9
  Disney Online 98,740 0.9
  AOL LLC 95,288 0.9
  ESPN 83,424 0.8

  * Rankings based on video content sites; excludes video server networks.

  Online video includes both streaming and progressive download video.

  Nearly 135 million U.S. Internet users watched an average of 82 videos per viewer in April. Google Sites also attracted the most viewers (83.7 million), where they watched an average of 50 videos per person. Fox Interactive attracted the second most viewers (52 million), followed by Yahoo! Sites (37.3 million) and Microsoft Sites (29.9 million).

  Other notable findings from April 2008 include:
  – 71 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience viewed online video.
  – The average online video viewer watched 228 minutes of video.
  – 18-34 year olds were the heaviest viewing segment, watching an average of 287 minutes per viewer.
  – 82.1 million viewers watched 4.1 billion videos on YouTube.com (49.8 videos per viewer).
  – 46 million viewers watched 481 million videos on MySpace.com (10.4 videos per viewer).
  – The average online video duration was 2.8 minutes.

  To request more information about comScore Video Metrix, please visit http://www.comscore.com/contact

  About comScore

  comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world. For more information, please visit http://www.comscore.com/boilerplate.

  Tags: internet, media, sharing, technology, video

• 06Jun

  How can huge profit margins be justified?

  batelco, case studies, news No Comments

  The complaints recently made by Batelco’s chief executive are outrageous and nothing more than a disingenuous effort to bully the telecom regulator and exploit the consumer.

  In the past five years, Batelco has earned a total of BD377 million ($1 billion) and despite increasing competition the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) estimated in a research report last month that the operator would earn BD545m ($1.5bn!) over the next five years.

  In the same report NBK calculates that a standard measure of revenue known as blended ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) shows that Batelco’s customers pay an average of more than $42 per month compared to $26 in Taiwan, $27 in Portugal and $33 in Greece.

  Batelco’s operating profit margins of around 38 per cent are almost double the average of its international peers and among the highest in the world.

  Such figures should not surprise Internet surfers that they are paying twice the price for half the speed offered to customers in Asia or the businessmen whose monthly roaming bills have become a considerable overhead.

  Veiled threats about possible job losses and higher prices to consumers are desperate and disgraceful.

  The company has done very well from its home market and now commands an enormous stock market value of more than $2.5bn built on our phone bills.

  The idea that it would be better for the company to invest overseas is laughable when it has a limited track record of operating internationally and only in highly-regulated markets.

  The company shows little appreciation for the fact that the local telecom regulator has yet to impose number portability or that competition is so light that it has not been required to offer the subsidised-handsets that are common in many countries.

  Batelco has only yielded its position under pressure and it is understandable that it does not welcome the idea of providing better services at lower prices.

  Batelco’s loyal customers have paid plenty and it’s time for payback!

  Tarek Fadlallah

  ---

  Batelco Chief Executive Peter Kaliaropoulos said : “Batelco and many telecommunications companies around the world have made substantial profits over many years - this is a fact. These profits are then used to return dividends to shareholders, re-invest in infrastructure, new technologies and services, fund overseas expansion or acquisitions in related business such as content-related ventures and donation to numerous community and philanthropic causes.

  “We should all be proud that Bahrain has one of the best telecommunications networks in the world. This has happened through careful planning and significant re-investment of profits. Batelco, irrespective of regulatory conditions, will continue to invest heavily in Bahrain. In 2006 alone, Batelco invested, some $92m in Bahrain’s infrastructure.

  “Batelco will focus more in the future on delivering better services at lower prices to businesses and consumers in Bahrain. This will come about following completion of significant investment programmes in international cable systems, Kingdom-wide New Generation Network, IP-enabling technologies, new data centres, new internet platforms, new VSAT infrastructure, cabling of new industrial and housing estates and many other such programmes. Prices have come down for internet access - some of the lowest prices in the Middle East - lower IDD prices and lower business costs for voice and data. Prices will continue to be revised based on the completion of investment programmes and lower operating costs. Customers will continue to benefit, through lower prices and more choice from Batelco and other telcos in Bahrain.

  “The NBK report into Batelco’s ARPU is misleading. Batelco’s blended ARPU is a lot lower than what NBK has estimated … and compares very well with the ARPU’s of countries such as Taiwan, Portugal and Greece with a combined population of 45m consumers in their home markets which enable them to apportion network costs more efficiently than Batelco in Bahrain with approximately 800,000 people.

  “Batelco today has operations in six countries - all competitive markets - and is very much aware of consumers’ ongoing preference for better quality and lower prices. We have done so in the last three years and we are listening to our customers who continue to expect even lower prices - we will not disappoint them. We believe ultimately our customers’ ongoing loyalty will help us build a stronger and profitable company all Bahrainis are proud of!”

  Appeared in the Letters page in the GDN on 6 June 2007

• 05Jun

  Case Studies: Joop de Wit

  case studies, news, positions, tra 13 Comments

  Our supporter Joop has shared an email he sent to Mr. Peter K and copied the TRA and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Batelco which he has agreed to share with us.

  Thank you for your efforts Joop! The more people that contact the concerned parties the better for us all.

  From Joop de Wit
  04/06/2006 02:37 PM

  To: Peter Kaliaropoulos , Hassan Juma
  cc: “A. Andreas Avgousti” , Dana Al Rayes
  Subject: New ADSL Plan

  Dear Sir,

  this letter is a reaction on your decision to change our agreement for the supply of ADSL services to my home.

  To cut a long story short: I am not happy. You managed to set a reasonable modern communication network back by about 10 years. I use the word ” reasonable” as it was not exactly at the forefront of technology to begin with, but it was acceptable for the moment and is well positioned to grow with the times.

  But now you changed the rules, most noticeably you introduced capped up- and downloads. In your letter to me you present this change as a step forward, while really this is a not just a step, but a journey; back in time.

  If I just comment on some of the statements in your letter:

  ” We are delighted to inform you that in just a few weeks your inet broadband service will be radically improved”
  Radical: yes, improved: not for me. You might be delighted; I am not as it gets worse for me.

  ” moreover, to make life easier we will be automatically upgrade you etc…”
  So the choice is: take or or leave it. You have decided that this it what you are going to do and I have to accept. The fact that I signed up on different terms and conditions is irrelevant, you change them at your convenience to tailor your needs. My needs are not taken into consideration.

  ” your speed will be increased by 100% to 1 Mbps and now it will be subject to an enormous threshold of 15 GB for a lower monthly rental of BD 40″

  Well, 1 Mbps will not exactly set the world on fire and that for BD 40 per month (plus line rental) . This is not enough for real-time streaming TV, only for narrow-band, so the4 advantage for me is negligible.
  And this “enormous threshold” of 15 GB. Now,what can that give me. I listen quite a lot to internet radio, so me and my family can use it for 8 hours a day and that’s it, I am at my limit at the end of the month. Or I can buy 3 DVD’s online, however I cannot listen to the radio and buying the CD’s in the same month.
  So that leaves nothing for all the other nice things: on-line chat (with or without video), swapping photo albums and video’s with my kids, MyTube, iTunes, podcasts, eMusic, downloading (purchased) software, the list is endless. The whole world moves to online multimedia services and distribution of software, we are exactly doing the opposite. We are deliberately limiting the available infrastructure. And the brilliant move to count uploads as well, include data downloaded from Batelco’s own cache and you have a winner on your hands: and I am the loser.
  And the lower rental? This is immediately eaten away by your charge of 10 fils/MB. That is 10BD per GB!

  To put things in perspective: I just come from France: I had 12 Mbps for less than BD 15 per month, unlimited. Plus very cheap international VOIP phone calls, free inside France.

  I was at my limit (plus 1 GB) at the end of May. No idea how much I have downloaded as I do not know exactly on what day the scheme was introduced, but now the whole system is coming to grinding hold. It is claimed that the speed is throttled back to 64 kbps. I wish that was true: effectively for the last couple of days it is about 35 kbps. Add the annoyance that the data transfer often stops for no apparent reason, so all podcast downloads stall and have to be restarted, and my life has taken a turn for the worse. So now there is mostly no new podcast in the morning, no radio, no swapping of photo albums or video’s with the kids, just some some emails and surfing at snails pace. I am back to the dial-up times.

  If we want to move Bahrain forward, give it a real presence in the world, we need to have world class infrastructure, especially communication which is not a luxury anymore, but a necessity.
  If Batelco would offer fast and unlimited connections, you will endear everyone:
  - the people (= customers) as they will expand their view and start using the internet for more services.
  - the companies as they will see Bahrain as a attractive place to do business: they can communicate all over the world for a reasonable price. And they can offer new products, distribute them quickly and perhaps invent new uses for the net.
  - the government as a world class communication system will stimulate knowledge and growth.

  So please, reconsider this introduction of capped downloading.
  Alternatively move me back to the old system, the one I signed up for. 512 kbps or 1Mbps, the difference is irrelevant. Waiting 1 or 2 hours for a video to download, I do not care. If you really want to make a difference, go to ADSL2+ speeds. This opens the internet to a whole new range of services and business opportunities. But first of all, re-install the unlimited option. You will make a lot of people really happy.

  BTW, it was mentioned that only 14% of the customers are heavy users: please do not forget that the people with new ideas, especially the young ones who are pushing technology and devising new ways of doing business and using communication tools, are part of this group. And our future depends on them.

  Yours sincerely,

  Joop de Wit
  Saar

  To which he received the following reply from Mr. Peter K:

  From: Peter Kaliaropoulos
  Date: 5 June 2006 14:09:27
  To: Joop de Wit
  Cc: “A. Andreas Avgousti” , Dana Al Rayes , Hassan Juma
  Subject: Re: New ADSL Plan

  Dear Mr Joop de Wit,

  I acknowledge receipt of your email. We appreciate your views and we will take them into consideration as we are reviewing our internet packages. We do offer unlimited access albeit at very low speed which does not meet your requirements.

  Regarding the previous package you were on, we have given notice to customers (and we are acting consistent with our contractual terms and conditions) that the “unlimited download” service is no longer available.

  Infrastructure requirements vary country by country and the small domestic market in Bahrain results in specific challenges when it comes to pricing services, including the internet. There are many countries, in advanced markets and telecom operators, offering “fair usage” policies with internet packages which means they do throttle after specific threshold levels. Batelco, at this stage, has accepted a “user pays” principle (similar to that of other countries) best applies to the internet services. With the average download being 7GB, we have offered customers 15GB for the same price and at faster speeds which we believe is fair and reasonable.

  Over the coming weeks we will address the needs of very high users and I hope we can bring to market better packages - assuming they are approved by the TRA when we submit them - which will go some way to satisfy your needs.

  Peter K
  

• 05Jun

  Usage History

  case studies, news 47 Comments

  Chimi^ gave us a heads up that Batelco has added a nifty little feature in their BatelcoeShop which shows your usage history over the last 5 months. Here’s a screen-shot of the button:

  

  Some users have already posted their figures, please post yours in a comment on this entry if you wish. Let me share with you what has already been entered:

  

  And they call this as “fair packages”?

  I think looking at the numbers of this extremely small sample of 4 people should bring the whole campaign into focus for more people. We would encourage you all to investigate this; log on to Batelco’s portal and find out what you have been using over the last 5 months and share those numbers with us if you don’t mind.

  Would you like to pay as much as these people? When virtually the whole advanced world are paying a fraction of what we are charged by this company, and get multiples of what we are “given” in speed and other benefits, do you really think that Bahrain is the right place to do business and to live in even for a short while?

• 02Jun

  Case Studies: Mahmood: The twighlight zone called 64k

  case studies, positions 39 Comments

  Imagine trying to read an encyclopedia by candle-light? Or reading anything else for that matter in the same dim light…

  Imagine trying to find some statistics on your favourite football team in the forthcoming World Cup by shouting through a “cup and string” device…

  Imagine trying to find a exit through smoke and all you’ve got are the emergency exit signs for light…

  Putting yourself in any of the above situations would probably allow you to imagine living with a 64kbps connection that Batelco classifies as UNLIMITED and FREE when you go over your designated threshold.

  I guess from some of the responses we have seen entered on this site, the whole of Bahrain is probably suffering from the same disease thanks to our benevolent, and charitable Batelco who have spent - according to their president - more than five whole million Bahraini Dinars and is more than willing to bandy about the threat to pull that money, which constitute a mere 2% of their revenue for only last year, if we don’t behave and just accept what he and his illustrious band of merry men dish out to us poor mortals.

  What does it feel? It feels something like this, as I am personally experiencing this morning:

  

  And how much does that privilege cost? Well, of course this snail-paced interaction with the world doesn’t cost anything, it is thus bestowed upon us by our ever-present and ever-thoughtful vampire of a company called not unfairly: BATelco.

  But to reach to this stage of course, this is what my bill for last month looks like:

  Charge For	Start Date	End Date	Unit/Duration/MB	Caller No.	Cost (BD)
  Billing Group Change	15/04/2006 05:41:27	15/04/2006 05:41:27	1		0.000
  Monthly Rental: Speednet 512K PSTN	01/05/2006	03/05/2006	1		3.333
  Monthly Rental: Speednet 512K PSTN	03/05/2006	03/06/2006	1		50.000
  Total Due				53.333

  So I’ve already been charged with the BD10, and the line rental seems to have gone up a bit as well didn’t it?

  How much did was my typical home usage of this service which I should be eternally grateful for?

  Click for the details… Read more…

« Previous Entries