What do Canada and Israel have in common? Well, not much. The size, the climate, the geographic location, the character, and the culture of each country are certainly very different. But they share one trait, and the considerable differences between the two nations make it even more important to understand their common liking for seeing and being seen by means of the Blog TV platform. In actual fact, this popularity may be completely unrelated to cultural issues and result from the fact that Blog TV was launched only in Israel and Canada. Whatever the case, since the launch in early March, the number of people who have joined the platform is huge.
For those who don't know, Blog TV, which achieved great success in Israel, is a platform developed by Israeli Internet portal Tapuz, which allows anyone who is hooked up to the Internet and has a webcam to share his or her life and thoughts on a website that permits live video sharing.
The company that launched the Internet service in Canada is Alliance Atlantis, one of the largest media companies in the country, which deals in distribution and production of clips and contents. Among other things, the company operates thirteen television channels and has an annual turnover pf $1.3 billion. Recently, the company was acquired by Crown West, Canada's largest content company, for $2.3 billion. Alliance Atlantis's strong position in the content world provides an excellent springboard for the fast penetration of the Blog TV.
Claude Galipeau, executive vice president of the Canadian company, who is in charge of digital media in Alliance, recently visited Israel to look after operational issues of Blog TV and arrange the necessary adjustments in the platform now that the company has studied the preferences of the Canadian public.
Tapuz's Blog TV was brought to Canada by GS, which is held by Israeli post production company Gravity Post Production and Shemi Levy. "The bond between GS and their product and Alliance Atlantis was instant. In 2006, we launched the pilot version, and more recently, we launched the full service with an investment in advertising and marketing," recalls Galipeau. "The results achieved so far are nothing short of amazing. While at the beginning of March we saw only minimal traffic in the service, by the end of March we had 170,000 unique users, and the first week of April was as busy as the whole of March.
"We have 2,300 live appearances a day, each with 3,000 viewers on average," continued Galipeau. "In the next 12 months, we plan to double the number of users every month. This is the fastest ever growing website in Canada, " he says.
"Globes": What sparked this popularity?
Galipeau: "First of all, I think it's the uniqueness of the platform. There is nothing else like it, although there are many giant players in the market with endless budgets and plenty of ideas. Large companies may be lacking the innovation element, which is critical for the Internet, where you constantly have to prove your originality. We needed something unique for this world of strong sharing platforms. Watching a live broadcast on the web made it. Bear in mind also that with this type of content, the issue of copyright is simply non-existent, which makes it so much easier."
Will you launch the platform on cellular handsets, as is being done in Israel?
"Not just yet. With 22 million users, the Internet in Canada is highly developed, while cellular is behind compared with Europe. Just recently we introduced the third generation. I do believe it will happen sometime, though."
No entry for Americans
Galipeau surprisingly relates that while the advantage of the Internet is its openness, Alliance Atlantis decided to restrict entry to Blog TV to Canadian residents only. "The Canadian market is dominated by American content and there are hardly any unique services for Canadians. For this reason, we decided to focus on the Canadian population and block entry from outside the country. This is something we never tried before." Galipeau adds, "While this may be perceived as counter-intuitive in the open Internet world, the result is that Canadians find it easier to connect with one another rather than being lost in a sea of Americans.
"The Canadian identity must be preserved and indeed, there are many expressions of patriotic feelings in the users' shared content. It's not about being anti-American; rather, it is pro-Canadian. I think that in this respect, Canadians are very much like the Israelis in terms of the drive to create original content and succeed in the international market despite tough competition, especially from the Americans. Both countries have minority cultures, which helps developing a common language."
What's the most popular content?
"The content is very diverse. It's like a group of people chatting in the corner during a party. Some people discuss specific topics such as hockey or video games, while others may teach Torah or Koran. There is sexual contens as well, clearly. Since Canada has five time zones, there is content on the Web around the clock. There is this fat guy who has a regular show which he titled, 'Ask the Fat Guy'. He has numerous viewers because he has a lot of personal charm. This is an example of a person who, outside of the Internet, might not have enjoyed the same popularity.
"Others simply place their camera in the street corner and run a party with lots of laughs and practical jokes. People are very creative. Some of them build sets and run a talk show with artists and interviews. This platform sets creativity free."
Galipeau relates that, during his visit in Israel, he also met the CEO of Google Israel in order to arrange the advertising on Blog TV with the world's most popular Web search engine. "Google Israel is very helpful in achieving effective advertising. It's funny to represent a Canadian company in receiving a service from the Israeli office of an American company, but this is where our unique needs are best understood and responded to," he says.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on May 17, 2007
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