Ran Harnevo On AOL’s Video Strategy And The Web’s “Massive Wave” Of Original Content

Aol’s Ran Harnevo on the NewFronts’ Effect on Digital Media

We’re a few weeks away from the Digital Content NewFronts, where the big online companies pitch their upcoming programs to advertisers. So it seemed like a good time to sit down with Ran Harnevo, AOL’s president of video, to talk about the company’s plans, and about broader trends in the industry.

Harnevo suggested that House of Cards on Netflix became “a defining moment” in “a massive wave” in original programming on the web. In its own way, AOL is participating in that wave too, he said, with 15 new shows launched last year and “a totally different breadth of content” to be announced at the NewFronts.

“I think that the beautiful thing about the Internet, from its beginning, is that it’s non-linear and essentially there’s much more creative freedom,” Harnevo said. “A talent like Steve Buscemi or Sarah Jessica Parker or whomever, if they have passion proejcts that they really really care about, if you go on TV and it doesn’t work [in the] first episode, second episode, you’re either out or you need to change. Primetime is so expensive that there’s not a lot of flexibility and not a lot of authenticity.”

Even with those celebrity names, it may seem strange to discuss AOL (which owns TechCrunch) as a major video publisher. Harnevo said that when it comes to video, the company may have less name recognition because it’s taking more “open” approach, distributing its videos across a number of properties.

“Vimeo and YouTube are easier to grasp because it’s big, but it’s one product,” he said.

Nest Halts Sales Of Protect Smoke Alarm Over Safety Concerns About ‘Wave To Dismiss’ Feature

Nest CEO Tony Fadell has just issued a notice recommending users disable the Protect smoke alarm’s ’wave to dismiss’ feature. In testing, it was discovered that people could accidentally trigger the dismiss feature, delaying a smoke alarm.

Sales of the Nest Protect have also been halted.

He recommends that users disable the feature for now, and says Nest is going to update units that will allow the feature to work correctly. In addition, if your Nest Protect is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi, it will have the feature disabled automatically.

Until the feature has been corrected, users can tap the button on the unit to silence alarms.

“At Nest, we conduct regular, rigorous tests to ensure that our products are the highest quality,” says Fadell. “During recent laboratory testing of the Nest Protect smoke alarm, we observed a unique combination of circumstances that caused us to question whether the Nest Wave (a feature that enables you to turn off your alarm with a wave of the hand) could be unintentionally activated.”

Fadell says that the testing will take two to three months, and that they will update consumers as they progress.

“We’re enormously sorry for the inconvenience caused by this issue,” he continues. “The team and I are dedicated to ensuring that we can stand behind each Nest product that comes into your home, and your 100% satisfaction and safety are what motivates us. Please know that the entire Nest team and I are focused on fixing this problem and continuing to improve our current products in every way possible.”

In a related FAQ, Nest says that it had observed the issue in testing and has had no reports of it from any customer. There are also instructions provided that will allow users to disable the feature even if the units are not connected to the net.

The post notes that if any consumers do not want to keep the Nest Protect, a complete refund will be offered. Somewhat ironically, the Nest Wave feature was promoted heavily as a benefit of owning a Protect unit.

On the plus side, because this is a device that has built-in software and connects to the net, it can be updated remotely to fix software-related issues. But recently, an issue with a Nest Thermostat software update caused problems with Wi-Fi and batteries in some units, highlighting the delicate nature of software that powers our environmental systems — and that we trust with our safety.

The Nest Protect was the company’s second product after the Nest Thermostat. Nest announced plans to be acquired by Google for $3.2 billion in cash in January.