Hemlines weren't the only things at an all-time high with Wednesday's Internet-only broadcast of a Victoria's Secret fashion show.
Observers say the event, thought to be the most-hyped Internet promotion (in terms of ad spending) ever, was also a big boost for Internet video, and a confirmation that the medium is here to stay.
RealNetworks, which makes the RealMedia platform used for the broadcast, said it hit a peak of about 30,000 downloads per hour between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. PT Wednesday.
The company believes that figure is a record, but can't say for sure since it doesn't usually keep track of per-hour figures.
Show drives downloads
For the day, the company distributed 250,000 players.
Streaming media, the technology that allows users to watch live video over the Internet, requires special software to be installed, and observers say every event that draws attention to Web video encourages the adoption of that software.
"I can't think of any better way to compel people to load the plug-in onto their computer," said analyst Ken Cassar of Jupiter Research.
He said the amount of promotional muscle Victoria's Secret put into the event shows Web video is at least approaching the mainstream.
"This may be an example of [a company] who's a little ahead of the market," Cassar said. "But there's got to be something that spurs people to load these plug-ins. ... The Clinton testimony probably drove a lot of streaming-media downloads as well."
Fashion show attracts 1.5 million hits
Broadcast.com, the company that provided the infrastructure for the Web-only broadcast of supermodels strutting their stuff in Victoria's Secret's spring line, said Wednesday's traffic outpaced that of previous major events, including the death of Princess Diana and President Clinton's videotaped Monicagate testimony.
The site saw more than 2 million hits Wednesday -- 1.5 million of which were generated by the undergarment parade.
"Internet broadcasting is the new medium for companies to interact with consumers, collect valuable customer data, and ultimately drive sales of their products," said Broadcast.com President and co-founder Mark Cuban, in a prepared statement.
Victoria's Secret, which publicized the event with splashy, revealing ads in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Barron's and the Internet -- not to mention a Super Bowl commercial -- said it is on track to see 250 million visitors this week. That's not bad for a brand new site -- it launched in early December.
It could also bode well for the company's Valentine's Day sales, though analysts noted not everyone who visits an e-commerce site buys anything.
"I don't know of any [Web broadcasting] event that's come close to this, certainly not in the fashion world," said a Victoria's Secret representative. "It's really amazing what you can do with the technology."
IBI stock booming
If nothing else, Victoria's Secret's parent company, Intimate Brands, benefited from the Internet's Wall Street glamour and Wednesday's show.
"[The show] exceeded our wildest dreams," said Ed Razek, IBI's president of brand and creative services.
Intimate Brands' stock rose $US10.64 Wednesday to close at $US44 3/16. Thursday, the stock was down slightly but still trading at around $US42.
Intimate Brands also got a boost from strong sales, announced Wednesday. Net sales were at $US1.531 billion for the fourth quarter, up 10 percent from $US1.397 billion for the same period last year. For the year, the company sold $US3.886 billion, up 7 percent from $US3.618 billion last year.
