Yes, VidCompare lists 84 OVPs today offering side by side comparisons, sorting and filtering, help and how-tos, latest news, a robust online video glossary, and many other OVP-related tools. But there is only one show that captures all of this in a face to face environment bringing together the who’s who of OV. Online Video Platform Summit part two was a great show this year with solid panels moderated by industry insiders and seeded with insightful panelists. The panel I moderated, How to Choose the Right OVP for Your Business, had 3 fantastic panelists which, in my opinion, stole the show. Last year I sat on a similar panel with 3 OVPs who walked the audience through how they provide online video solutions for businesses, this year the coin was flipped and the panel was occupied by 3 unique business executives whom explained their experiences of finding and working with their online video platform of choice.
Panelist number one, Austin Brooks is a Master Magician and uses Brightcove to power his website of amazing magic tricks which he performs all over the world. Our second panelist, Peter Himmelman is a musician and entertainer with tons of online video of his many shows, backstage passes, and a web series called Himmelman’s Furious World. And our third panelist was Curt Van Inwegen, an interactive online marketer and Vice President of Client Services at LEVEL studios who uses Kyte to manage their online video needs. Like I said, an all-star cast of people who have first-hand knowledge of the pain and pleasure of selecting an OVP for their unique use case. Peter kept the crowd laughing with his artistic view on life and the world of online video, Austin captivated us with his practical and insightful commentary on why Brightcove is best for his needs, and how he uses and tracks his online video. And Curt was our resident technologist explaining to the crowd, and our panel, how to get the most of online video, why a multi-device strategy is critical, and how to customize video players to match his customer’s particular use cases. I could not have asked for a better panel.
As soon as StreamingMedia publishes the videos from the show I will add ours to this post. Until then, here are the questions I asked the panelists:
- What where the key components to your decision making process when evaluating OVPs? Was it feature-based, use case, or something else entirely?
- What were the 3-4 main features you considered when looking for an OVP for your particular business?
- How important is multi-device delivery to your company (mobile, set top, tablet) and how did you go about comparing one provider’s mobile strategy to another?
- Did you test drive any of the platforms by signing up for a free trial prior to making your decision and if so, what approach did you take when evaluating their services?
- Was monetization a key consideration for your business and if so, what were the key components of video advertising that were specific to you?
- UGC vs. professionally produced video? Why are either or both important to your business?
- What advice would you give the audience in laying out an online video strategy?
I’d like to thank Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen and Larry Kless for putting on a fantastic event and for having me as a guest moderator. I look forward to next year.
Check out Austin catching a paint bullet with his teeth:
