In the exciting build up to the 88th Annual Academy Awards this Sunday, February 28, Zypesters are crossing their fingers for Shok to win the Oscar for Best Live Action Short.

Written and directed by Jamie Donoughue, Shok tests the limits of friendship between two boys as they battle for survival during the Kosovo war. Shok is based on true events.

FUN FACT: Shok is the first Albanian/Kosovan film to be nominated for an Oscar.

Shok made their big screen appearance at the 2015 HollyShorts Film Festival where they won the 2015 Zype HollyShorts Award and grand prize money.

Shok travelled to screens across the country with stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, the last few weeks in anticipation of the award.

Zypesters in NYC went to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to check it out on the big screen:

All of us at Zype will be cheering for the Shok team this weekend!

Watch the Oscars LIVE Sunday, February 28 at 7pm Eastern / 4pm Pacific on ABC for the announcement of The Best Live Action Short winner.

And the Oscar goes to...

Create your own Amazon Fire TV app and Roku channel, SVOD and AVOD on AFTV, import from YouTube playlists and more

Love is in the air and we have been hard at work cooking up these great updates to our platform and OTT offerings:

Video upload and search widgets for your website

Adding to our popular subscription embeddable widgets, users can now include Zype upload and search features from their own hosted sites. Just copy the embed code, paste onto your site, and you can upload videos directly to your Zype library or search your Zype video library content. Read the blog post and learn how to add this functionality to your own site.

We’re always working to streamline the OTT app creation process. Zype’s new Amazon Fire TV App Builder makes it easier than ever for our customers to bundle Amazon Fire TV apps directly in the Zype dashboard. All you need to do is fill out a couple simple forms and then a code package is instantly generated and available for self-publishing. Read more on the blog or create your own Amazon Fire TV app right now!

Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) and Ad-Supported Video on Demand (AVOD) are now supported on Amazon Fire TV! Native SVOD on AFTV means that your customers can initiate their subscription to your video channel directly from their Amazon account on the Amazon Fire TV device. Use cases include monetizing with AVOD (ad-supported video on demand) and offering additional ad-free locked content that is unlocked through AFTV native subscription.

The Roku automated bundling process has been updated and streamlined so more changes can originate directly from the Zype API. This means that you’ll be able to instantly update your Roku channel without having to repackage or re-submit your application to Roku. Plus, our new unified Roku SDK consolidates the available monetization SDKs into one configurable SDK. See how easy it is and create your own Roku channel right now.

Managing your ad tags in Zype is now easier than ever. Zype supports VAST and VPAID tags (including Google IMA). From the Zype dashboard, create new ad tags using your VAST and Google IMA URLs. You can even create and manage multiple ad tags that are unique for each device if you want to customize the ads served to your apps on the web, Roku, Apple TV and other devices. Manage your ad tags.

Import videos from your YouTube Playlists

Now you can add videos from your YouTube playlists directly to your Zype video library. This is particularly helpful for clients who only want to upload a portion of their YouTube channel. This means less clutter in your Zype video library AND less manual work. Of course, it’s still possible to connect your channel or upload one video at a time. With playlist imports, your structured data, including category metadata, is retained.

And the best part is - once you import your YouTube playlist, an “always-on” connection automatically adds new videos to Zype as they are added to your YouTube playlist, making imports of new videos completely hands-free. Learn about adding videos to Zype from YouTube.

Admins can now get direct access to streaming URLs for videos with source of Zype and Vimeo PRO. You can snag the MP4 and HLS streaming URLs from the Zype dashboard, your MRSS feed, and our API.

Live events now feature a default slate image. A slate is a static image inserted into a live stream. Having a default slate shows users that the live stream embed is working but that the broadcast hasn’t started yet. The slate image can be updated under site settings.

What's New at Zype - Feb 2016 Edition

Now you can easily add video upload and search functionality directly on your own website! Our new widgets augment your existing website by allowing you to access your Zype video library -- without having to go through the Zype dashboard. This means that your users can upload videos and search videos in your Zype library from inside your own website or CMS.

This is ideal for cases where you already have your own CMS and/or you do not wish to log in to the Zype dashboard to manage your videos. For example, if you have a complex CMS hosted on your own site and you'd like to do your Zype video management directly within your CMS, this is a great tool to use. This will make your team's video hosting, management, and promotion tasks easier than ever.

The Zype upload embeddable widget allows you to upload videos to your Zype video library from your own website.

From the Zype dashboard, in the top right click the Settings icon (gear icon), then choose Tools & SDK.

Click Copy to Clipboard to grab the embed code.

Paste the code into your website. This should go on a password-protected, secure section of your site that is accessible only to administrators.

Note: You should only put this widget in a secure place on your website as it allows any user to upload content directly to your account.

The search embed allows you to perform searches of your Zype video library from your own website.

This helps content owners search and grab embed codes for their Zype videos without having to go through the Zype dashboard. You can search for what you had previously uploaded and then copy/paste the embed into your CMS.

There are a number of customization options available for both embeds, including custom text labels and hiding/showing fields and search attributes.

For added security, we allow you to add an Embed Domain Whitelist. This lets you specify which domains are allowed to host your search embed widget and helps prevent unauthorized users from hosting the search form on their sites.

For more details on customization options, please see Zype platform documentation.

About the Author : Jeremy Kay is a full stack developer at Zype where he focuses on making it easy for customers to build set-top video apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and more. Jeremy also spent many years as a freelance bass player and have had the pleasure to play with a broad range of artists in New York and around the world.

Video Upload and Search Widgets for Your Website

Now you can easily add video upload and search functionality directly on your own website! Our new widgets augment your existing website by allowing you to access your Zype video library.

This week, Zype participated in Digital Storytelling, a sanctioned event of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

Digital Storytelling connects brand marketers and platform executives with digital content creators to discuss digital media, storytelling, and how they have used new media platforms to create stories that captivate and inspire audiences.

2016 Digital Storytelling @ Sundance Program

AJ Vernet from Zype and friends at ZEFR and Maker Studios conceived of the event in 2015. Driven by their experience working with agencies and brands, they wanted to create a focused community that united brands and platform execs with creators and influencers. This community would share its collective expertise, dig into the deeper opportunities within content creation, and learn how to create audiences that last.

Zype CRO AJ Vernet kicks off Digital Storytelling

AdWeek has a great write-up: How Data-Enhanced Storytelling Is Rapidly Reshaping Both Content and Advertising

Creators and Brands Connect at Digital Storytelling @ Sundance 2016

Application creation through Zype just got a whole lot faster and more flexible.

We’re always working to streamline the OTT app creation process, which is why Zype is proud to announce Instant Code Generation for Amazon Fire TV and a slew of behind-the-scenes changes to our Roku SDK to deliver a more flexible and reliable SDK.

The Zype platform now offers an automated bundling process for Amazon Fire TV apps. All you need to do is fill out a few simple forms and a finished code package will be emailed to you ready for publishing.

The code package allows you to submit your app straight to Amazon as soon as you receive it. If you need more help with the submission process, we are available to submit on your behalf.

So how can you get started using instant code generation?

To get started, log in to the Zype admin dashboard. On the left sidebar of the platform, choose Video Apps and then click Create An App. Choose Amazon Fire TV!

This is where you will fill out the title you want for the app, the way you would like your videos arranged and the imagery that will appear both in your channel and in the Amazon store upon publishing.

When choosing self-publish, an email will be sent to you with your bundled Amazon Fire TV app and Store Icon image. You will be responsible for submitting the bundled product through the Amazon Developer Console.

Alternatively, Zype can publish your app on your behalf. If you prefer this option, the bundle will be sent to our developers and we will upload for you through the Amazon Developer Console.

For more information about submitting your Amazon Fire TV App to the Amazon Developers Console or setting up your monetization strategy, visit Publishing an Amazon Fire TV on the Zype Platform.

New Amazon Fire TV Options Available from the Zype Dashboard:

Main Settings : Title, Featured Playlist, Featured Category, Logo, Auto Play

Advanced : Nested Categories, Per Page, Icon X/Y Position

The Roku automated bundling process has been updated and streamlined so more changes can originate directly from the Zype API. This means that you’ll be able to instantly update your Roku channel without having to repackage or re-submit your application to Roku. You’ll have more flexibility at your fingertips!

A number of options that used to be custom-only are now available directly from the dashboard. This gives you the ability to get your app code instantly, even if you want access to more advanced app options.

New Roku Options Available from the Zype Dashboard:

Monetization: Enable Ads, Force Ads, In App Purchase, Subscribe to Watch Ad Free, Device Linking, Device Link URL

Advanced: Nested Categories, Grid Layout Options

Labels: Springboard Breadcrumb On/Off, Home Breadcrumb On/Off, Category Home Breadcrumb On/Off, Subscription Button Text customization

Zype Instant App Builder for Amazon Fire TV + New Options for Roku

I was struck by this article on Netflix disruption in today's New York Times.

Industry execs are frustrated by Netflix's refusal to disclose ratings. Case in point, an NBC executive said,

“I think the national security apparatus of the United States has the right to secrecy,” he said. “There’s a strategic need to that and what’s at stake is the security of America. I don’t think Netflix has that high a call on secrecy. If they’re willing to be judged on merit and truth, they should put the information out there.”

In fact, the reality is that subscription services, and in particular those that service specific fan bases and niches — which Netflix certainly does as a single platform, and Zype does on a channel by channel basis — don't need to be measured by the "Old Rules" of general broadcasting advertising dynamics.  The measurement of "18- to 49-year-olds" is as irrelevant to a subscription platform as "blue-haired people.

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And the Oscar goes to...

What's New at Zype - Feb 2016 Edition

Video Upload and Search Widgets for Your Website

Creators and Brands Connect at Digital Storytelling @ Sundance 2016

Zype Instant App Builder for Amazon Fire TV + New Options for Roku

Cordcutter-Friendly Subscription Video Services Don't Need to Play by Old Rules

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