Marketwave Offers Streaming Measurement Tool

Marketwave Corp., a provider of Web
mining and real-time site analysis solutions, delivered the “Streaming Media
Plug-In” for its Hit List line of site analysis tools.

The new plug-in, which utilizes Hit List’s InterAct open architecture, will
provide streaming media content providers with the ability to measure and
analyze how visitors interacte with streaming media ads and other content.

“Marketwave is the first company to provide comprehensive measurement and
analysis tools for audio and video content delivered via the Web,” said Robert
Kapela, vice president of business development at Marketwave. “7 the Streaming
Media Plug-In provides the unique ability to measure and analyze the streaming
media usage of Web site visitors with exact precision.”

The Streaming Media Plug-In is available with support for Microsoft Windows
Media Technologies (NetShow). Support for RealNetworks streaming media
applications will be added when the final release of RealSystem G2 becomes
available, the company said.

The Streaming Media Plug-In reports essential information about how visitors
interact with audio and video content, including: the number of streams
requested; how long visitors waited to receive content; the modem speed of
visitor’s connections; the most popular pages for streaming media visitors;
the number of concurrent visitors; and the number of times a stream is played,
fast-forwarded and re-wound.

When the Streaming Media Plug-In is used with Hit List’s advanced Web mining
features, customers can integrate legacy information into their reports and
get answers to questions such as:

• What is the demographic and psychographic profile of the
  viewers/listeners
  of each streaming media file?
  
• How does the use of streaming media affect purchase decisions?
  
• Which streaming media files provide the highest return on investment?
  

Said Ed Huguez, chief operating officer at streaming media company InterVU:
“The Streaming Media Plug-In will further allow us to provide our clients with
precise, critical, and actionable reporting on how their streaming media is
being utilized.”

“Our customers need in-depth measurement and analysis of their Windows Media
Technologies streaming media content,” said Gary Schare, lead product manager
at Microsoft. “We are excited that Marketwave has created the Streaming Media
Plug-In to provide our customers with comprehensive reporting on how Windows
Media Technologies streaming media is being accessed and experienced7”

“Internet viewership to President Clinton’s videotaped testimony on the Web
reached cable viewing-like numbers, another indication the Internet’s audience
is reaching critical mass,” Larry Gerbrandt, senior analyst at Paul Kagan
Associates Inc., was quoted as saying.

“But in order to build a business
selling advertising to the rapidly growing number of netizens consuming
streamed media, it is essential Web marketers have the ability to measure and
analyze streaming media usage. Giving customers the ability to measure and
analyze streaming media is a huge step towards fulfilling the Internet’s
promise to become the next great mass medium,” Gerbrandt said.

The Streaming Media Plug-In is available for $495 from the Marketwave site.