Contentinople's Top 10 Stories for 2008

Written by Ryan Lawler

Monday, December 29. 2008 at 05:00 PM EST Post a comment

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Peer-to-peer throttling, CDN patent litigation, and the coming flood of IP video traffic were among the topics that brought readers back again and again in 2008. But it was one "recovering politician's" invocation that the Internet would save the planet that topped our most-viewed stories of 2008.

Barring some some major act of God or some recent story becoming inexplicably popular in the next day or two, here are Contentinople's most-viewed news stories for 2008:

10. Cisco Sees a Zettaflood of IP Traffic – Driven by Video
Online video is leading the growth of overall IP traffic, which no one knows better than network equipment manufacturer Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO). In a research report released over the summer, Cisco forecast that IP traffic would grow to 522 exabytes -- or half a zettabye -- by 2012. Online video is expected to make up more than half of all that traffic, compared with just 22 percent of IP traffic in 2007.

9. Is Anyone Safe From Akamai Lawyers?
Content delivery network Akamai Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: AKAM) won a jury decision against rival Limelight Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: LLNW) in a patent infringement suit earlier this year, making it three-for-three in cases referring to U.S. Patent 6,108,703. Given how broadly the patent in question seems to be read by the courts, some in the industry question whether any CDN was safe from Akamai litigation. While Akamai hasn't been shy about filing suit against those it believes infringe, most of the 40-some CDNs can take heart knowing that the company tends not to take legal action until a company becomes a serious competitive threat to the market leader.

8. News Bits: ABC Adds Video Goodies
In an increasingly competitive online video market, ABC Inc. makes its content more compelling by adding new features to its video player. ABC got points for allowing video embeds to its video player, as well as improved search and recommendation features, putting it ahead of broadcasters like CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) and Fox Broadcasting Co. in our Top 10 Network Sites report. Despite this, the broadcaster still lagged behind Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA)-owned sites for Comedy Central and Nickelodeon in our rankings.

7. Cable Execs: We Won't Throttle P2P
Not long after Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) was caught resetting its users peer-to-peer (P2P) connections, the company claimed that it had made nice with P2P technology companies and was moving to a "protocol-agnostic" form of traffic management. The firestorm that ensued led Comcast to begin working with companies like Pando Networks Inc. on ways to improve how P2P traffic flows across ISP networks. And the early results are encouraging: in one test of network-aware P2P services, Comcast and Pando reported increased download speeds that were 80 percent higher than traditional P2P file transfers. 

6. ISPs: Video Flood Will Drive Tiered Broadband Pricing
How will ISPs cope with the flood of video traffic that firms like Cisco are projecting? (See No. 10 above.) According to some execs on a panel at Streaming Media West, network operators could be forced to monetize their networks better by selling consumers on tiered pricing plans. Such a plan would come in stark contrast to today's subscription-based, all-you-can-eat broadband packages that are standard in the U.S. Interestingly enough, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ)'s Doug Pasko was one notable exception among executives on the panel. Since then, his company has announced a partnership with Velocix aimed at charging content owners for guaranteeing quality video delivery across its network.

5. EchoStar HDTV Satellite Misses Orbit
EchoStar Satellite LLC 's hopes for expanding its HDTV channel count took a bit of a hit when a satellite it launched failed to reach its intended orbit. Dish Network had hoped to use the satellite to expand its HDTV channel count from 75 to more than 100 networks, allowing it to compete better with rival DirecTV, which offered subscribers 92 national HDTV channels. The launch problems could have caused a delay in EchoStar's plans to launch some HDTV channels, and could also mean a shorter life span for the satellite, due to the fuel needed to move it into the proper geostationary orbit.

4. News Bits: Web 2.0 Rosters Change
Mid-June was a bad month for some Web 2.0 video companies, which saw a few senior executives leave during that time. Among the execs to step down were Dailymotion co-founder Benjamin Bejbaum, who was replaced by Mark Zaleski. Next New Networks CEO Herb Scannell also announced that he would be stepping down from his day-to-day executive duties, instead taking the title of executive chairman. 

3. How to Monetize Online Videos? Change User Behavior
Here's a novel idea for online video companies looking to make money off of their content: Try making that advertising more compelling and interactive. At least, that's the advice of Veeple CEO Scott Broomfield, who admittedly might have a bit of bias. "Pre-rolls, post-rolls, and banner ads are too intrusive and are ineffective," Broomfield says, offering instead a way to embed ads directly into the video -- all for a low, low cost of $99 a month.

2. MediaDefender Backs P2P Player PiCast
PiCast entered the market for peer-assisted video delivery earlier this year, but it did so with expertise garnered by helping media companies thwart distribution of video via P2P. That's because the company's technology comes in part from  MediaDefender, a firm best known for "decoying" or "spoofing" content -- essentially flooding P2P filesharing networks with fake copies of popular videos in an effort to frustrate downloaders into purchasing the real product. Despite MediaDefender's somewhat vigilante approach to file-sharing, PiCast is positioning itself as a legit way for publishers to distribute copyright-protected content. Given the company's questionable background, it's still unclear whether content owners -- or consumers, for that matter -- are interested.

1. Big Al Says the Web Can Save Us
Nicole Ferraro had the scoop on Al Gore's speech at the Web 2.0 Summit, in which the "recovering politician" told listeners that the Internet would be necessary to help save the planet. "We have everything we need to save it and in the process create millions of new jobs, reduce national security exposure, and solve the climate crisis," said Gore. Pretty heady stuff, which might be one reason why thoughtful readers viewed it more than all of our other stories. That... Or they were curious to see if old Al would claim to have also invented color TV.