From all of us at JW Player:

Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season!

Join us in 2018 for the latest on all things video.

• Facebook Watch, independent media, referral traffic: What’s doomed in media in 2018 (Digiday) JW Player’s Brian Rifkin predicts the death of long-form ads in 2018: “We’ll see ad length decrease to meet the demands of short-form video viewers. Six- to 15-second ads will dominate by the end of 2018.”

• Ad Tech Predictions For 2018 (IAB Tech Lab) “These technology insiders offered up expert perspectives on myriad of topics that range from transparency to blockchain, and dynamic content optimization to connected TV—providing insights that could prove helpful in navigating the ecosystem in the next 12 months.”

As 2017 winds down, we look ahead to the most important trends and opportunities in the future of video. From shorter mobile video ads to the rise of native apps and machine learning, the evolution of the industry is only just beginning.

Get a head start on navigating the landscape with 2018 predictions from our video experts.

On November 29, 2017, some of the brightest minds in media and technology converged on London for the city’s first ever JW Insights event.

In a particularly enlightening discussion led by Digiday senior reporter Lucinda Southern, leaders from JW Player, Facebook, Index Exchange and Minute Media shed light on what we can expect to see in the world of automated, or “programmatic,” video advertising in the times to come.

Here are five things we learned about the future of automated video advertising.

• Why Net Neutrality Was Repealed and How It Affects You (New York Times) "Many consumer advocates have argued that if the rules get scrapped, broadband providers will begin selling the internet in bundles, not unlike how cable television is sold today. Want to access Facebook and Twitter? Under a bundling system, getting on those sites could require paying for a premium social media package."

• Facebook plans to stop paying publishers to make news feed videos (DigiDay) "The platform plans to end the program that paid publishers and other video makers every month to produce on-demand and live videos for the news feed."

There’s a common misconception in the world of video: Most people think a video play is just a video play. Click a button and the content begins.

But there’s much more to it.

The definition of a play depends on who you’re asking and what you’re measuring. Here at JW Player, we believe that not all plays are created equal, and it’s important to understand what these differences are. Knowing how to evaluate the quality of a play is key to increasing views and engagement.

JW London Insights was a success! We were so happy to explore the future of visual storytelling and digital advertising with experts around the industry and some of the best video publishers from across the UK and Europe. The event not only provided great insight into being a video-first publisher, but it featured conversations on hot topics like virtual reality and the fight against fraud in video advertising.

• 'Great stories are never diminished by the size of a screen': Framestore’s co-founder Mike McGee on balancing tech with storytelling (The Drum) “At JW Player Insights in London, where digital publishers and broadcasters come together to share best practices and learn about the future of video from industry experts, McGee said as long as it contains all the “vital ingredients” the size of the screen the story is told on is irrelevant.”

• Tales From The Ads.txt Trenches (AdExchanger) “Ads.txt truly is an elegantly simple, universally accessible solution to a problem that’s bedeviled the industry for far too long. But in the rollout excitement, a few subtle issues are emerging that may have outsize effects on buyers and sellers without the right level of oversight.”

If you’ve seen a special-effects movie in the last 30 years, you’ve probably enjoyed the work of master storyteller Mike McGee. The Oscar-winning cofounder of Framestore, the legendary digital effects firm behind movies like Gravity and Paddington, sat down for a fireside chat with The Drum’s Cameron Clarke at JW London Insights. The conversation—one of the most celebrated at the conference—shed light on what it means to tell stories in the digital (virtual reality) age and the spectacular power that video brings to the picture.

Below is an edited Q&A featuring excerpts from the fireside chat.

For digital video publishers, over-the-top (OTT) content delivery has become an increasingly attractive option over the past several years. By delivering quality content straight to internet-connected devices, publishers of ad-supported video on-demand (AVOD)  can generate new revenues, reach new audiences, and engage their viewers inside an immersive new environment.

According to comScore, OTT content was viewed in 51 million homes this past April, up 16% from six months prior. As more people gain access to reliable broadband internet, OTT is poised to become a crucial piece of the puzzle for video publishers of all shapes and sizes.

But in order for an ad-supported publisher to succeed in OTT, it must first take a moment to optimize its strategy for its unique audience and specific business goals. Here are five questions every publisher should ask before jumping into the OTT fray.