In November, after cable television network Black Entertainment Television touted an interview on its Web site, BET.com, with 13-year-old rap music star Lil' Bow Wow, teenagers flocked to the site like hungry puppies going after a juicy bone. Fans not only got to read what the young star had to say about his latest single, "Bounce with Me," they also got to view a 30-second clip of the music videoâ€"complete with Lil' Bow Wow barking out his lyricsâ€"and a 5-minute exclusive online video interview with the artist.
While the star power of the rising rapper certainly had a lot to do with the big turnout, according to BET.com LLC officials, the video clips played a big role in stimulating visits to the year-old site. Although most of BET.com's audience probably doesn't have access to the kind of broadband connections that are ideal for viewing video, the site scores a hit, averaging a 30 percent boost in traffic whenever it features packages with video or other broadband-oriented features, said BET.com Online Manager Phillip Williams.
As a result, BET.com has been increasing the site's video capability, combining content from majority investor BET Holdings II, which runs the cable network, with original material. As much as 15 percent of the site's content falls into what Williams considers is an area best accessed from broadband connections.
Adding features aimed at broadband users may be a no-brainer for entertainment and media Web sites such as BET.com whose businesses revolve around video and audio. But enterprises in industries ranging from financial services to online retailing are also developing strategies for reaching what some analysts describe as a rapidly rising number of broadband users. They're increasingly making bandwidth-intensive features such as video, audio, and three-dimensional and graphic-intensive images integral parts of their sites.
The time may not be right for every e-business to redesign its site around broadband-friendly content, given the high cost of creating and distributing video content, experts say. But there are ways around the high costs, such as partnering with broadband content technology providers. So, experts say, the growing audience of broadband users means now is the time for businesses to explore whether building broadband-oriented features into their sites in the near future holds real return-on- investment potential in the form of higher-value advertising, pay-for-content subscription models or simply more online visitors.
