Viral Video

Heineken USA is taking "The Date" to theaters nationwide and partnering with the IFC Network for a show that details the making of the long-form spot.

Video ad engagement company Innovid on Tuesday announced a $9.5 million round of funding led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from existing investors Genesis Partners and T-Venture (Deutsche Telecom). The round brings Innovid's total raised to date to $17 million.

Prior to the start of the VidCon conference Friday, a steady stream of starstruck teenage girls approached Tom Milsom requesting a hug and a picture. The 22-year-old self-made London-based YouTube musician, performer and poet mostly appeals to girls ages 13 to 18. Brands love him, too.

[itvt] is pleased to present videos of the two "Creative Visions" sessions from The TV of Tomorrow Show 2011 (took place May 17th-18th in San Francisco). The sessions--which were hosted by Nick DeMartino of Nick DeMartino Consulting and founder of the American Film Institute Enhanced Television Workshop (subsequently renamed the AFI Digital Content Lab)--featured lectures and presentations that showcased new creative visions in interactive television and video.

Video advertising continued to grow last month in tandem with the expansion of the online video audience. Americans watched 5.3 billion video ads last month, up from 4.6 billion in May, according to the latest data from comScore. Video ads also made up a larger share of all videos viewed: 13.6% compared to 12.6% in May. As a proportion of time spent, ad viewing increased slightly to 1.3% from 1.2% of all minutes watched.

When it came to "choice-based" video ad campaigns, T-Mobile and Dirt Devil were the big brand winners during the second quarter of the year, according to new data from Web analysis firm Visible Measures.

Much of what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is doing and saying points to solving the expansive online video monetization challenge by logical progression rather than a leap of faith. Facebook's new visual calling and messaging service, through the already broad-based Skype, has implications beyond the obvious threat to wireless voice carriers, especially as premium paid functionality is added.

TV has always been a social experience. We gather with friends and family to watch our favorite shows, sporting events, movies, and news. When we get to work, we meet around the water cooler and chat about Tracy Jordan's latest stunt in the previous night's 30 Rock. We text each other during the results of The Voice, and we blog about the latest politician skewered in Jon Stewart's opening monologue. Today, we are making the Hulu experience even more social with Facebook on Hulu.

Greenpeace has spoofed VW's "The Force" TV spot in an online campaign highlighting the auto maker's alleged opposition to new European CO2 emissions standards. The effort plays on the Star Wars theme, suggesting VW has "turned to the dark side," and is "threatening our planet by opposing cuts to CO2 emissions."

With speculation of a possible sale of Hulu, the big online video site has struck a new TV program deal with co-owner Walt Disney Co. that will bring more commercials to shows, according to a number of reports.