Posts Tagged ‘vmix’

Move Networks on the Move

June 30th, 2010

There’s a lot of talk this morning about recent activities over at Move Networks, an early leader in IP video delivery. It seems they’ve laid off the entire staff as mentioned by Will Richmond at VideoNuze leaving only the CFO holding the bag, or what’s left of it. And Ryan Lawler at NewTeeVee pointed out an interesting Tweet by Move this morning suggesting they’re looking for a buyout worth $150 million. We removed Move from the VidCompare directory several months ago when they hired Roxanne Austin and changed their business model, moving further from providing online video platform services.

It’s unfortunate to see another online video business go the way of Veoh, and SesameVault but it’s as we all predicted for this and next year. We’ll definitely see more M&A activity in the OVP space this year and even a few more shutterings but that’s not to say the sector is hurting, not by a long shot. Again, it’s specialization that will keep the big “C” (commodotization) from creeping up on us. Recent announcements from Ooyala with their focus on monetization and analytics, advanced analytics from VMIX, and new technologies from Unicorn Media’s workflow solutions all point to a move towards finding a niche, a need, a purpose.

I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Move, as we haven’t yet of Veoh (recent Tweet: Hey everyone, it’s been a while. But Veoh is coming back in a big way. We can’t wait for you all to see what we have in store.). My guess is they kept CFO, Jamie Harper in place to recap the company in an attempt to hang on long enough to find a buyer.

Google Buzz

1 Comment »

Posted in Online Video Platform Providers, Online Video Platform Space

Tags:

Brightcove and Long Tail Video get Pay Per View Micropayments via Invideous

June 9th, 2010

Online Video eCommerce is quickly ramping to become a very real and easy option for revenue generation in online video. London based Invideous, parent company Swiffen founded in 2008, recently closed a six-figure round of funding and is announcing an impressive customer list starting with Brightcove and Long Tail Video (Bits On The Run). The service offers publishers the option to charge per view for content via micropayments built directly into the video player which, according to Invideous, takes only 10 minutes to integrate. They offer subscription or pay per view via credit card or SMS with clear and easy to use menus (screen caps below). According to Jack Thorogood, co-founder and Commercial Director, larger publishers can co-brand within the video with a favicon, or logo. And they are also set to roll out two new customers at the end of the month, Kaltura and VMIX.



The Invideous service is very stratighforward which may encourage further adoption of the pay for play model but there have been others in the past that have tried with lackluster results including YouTube, and http://www.vidcompare.com/video-provider-detail.php?id=19although not entirely the same solutions. For example, YouTube tried a pay per download model charging a “personal license fee” and Ooyala’s offering is available in their Backlot allowing viewers to pay for a limited number of shows via an Ooyala branded PayPal account.

There are other interesting OV eComm solutions out there like SundaySky who offer eCommerce websites a service that will take images and product information and mash them into a product video that will dynamically update as the product does. So if specs on a particular camera change, so will the SundaySky video that is associated with it. Pretty slick.

As these services emerge making the monetization of online video easier we are still years out from a unified, standard, and widely accepted means by which to generate revenue from video. Until then, keep monetizing your highly valuable and already monetized web pages with video by syndicating your videos driving traffic back to your site,  increasing engagement, and extending reach.

Google Buzz

2 Comments »

Posted in Online Video, Online Video Platform Space

Tags:

VMIX Following Ooyala’s Lead Hiring New CEO

May 20th, 2010

Today VMIX announced that they’ve replaced long-time CEO Mike Glickenhaus, with new to Online Video, Patrick Burns. On the surface, the hiring of Burns to VMIX sounds similar to why Ooyala brought on Fulcher; to lead the company into new waters, to expand internationally, and to use their industry contacts to better position the company in an ever changing environment. But in an interview with FierceOnlineVideo’s Jim O’Neill, Burns suggests the board was losing faith in Glickenhaus stating, “…there won’t be something that presents itself that the CEO won’t be prepared to deal with. That’s the real hard truth.”

There’s no doubting the fact that OV is growing up, we’ve truly shed our training wheels and are venturing out of our infancy full-force into toddlerhood.

Read Jim’s full interview with Burns.

And read the VMIX press release.

Google Buzz

Leave your comment »

Posted in Online Video Platform Providers, Online Video Platform Space

Tags:

CDNs & Online Video Platforms

August 4th, 2009

OVCDNPPThere’s been a lot of talk lately about online video platform providers looking to Akamai for CDN services. Brightcove’s been using them for a while now, Ooyala went against their own grain and decided to partner with them pseudo-exclusively, VMIX, Kit Digital, Multicast, and now Delve Networks (I guess they weren’t happy with EdgeCast – partnered in 2008). What’s the big deal here? Why is this such exciting news? So Akamai realized that the CDN space is becoming commoditized and decided to lower their once astronomical rates to play within the Small Medium Enterprise space. OK, now what?

It seems all these partnerships are only stalling the inevitable, convergence. BitGravity got into the Platform game several months back announcing OV APIs while Platform Providers like Ooyala and thePlatform have been touting their CDN services. With over 80 online video platforms and more than 40 CDNs, how long do you think it will take for either M&A conversations to get real or for incestuous relations to fire up?

Google Buzz

Leave your comment »

Posted in Online Video Platform Space

Tags:

Online Video – Profitability in favor of VC

July 24th, 2009

Platform-ProfitabilityA recent report from DJ VentureSource, as covered by NewTeeVee, states that online video related venture funding is down in 2009 from the same period in 2008, from $348 million in Q1/2 in ‘08 to $135 million in Q1/2 in ‘09. A significant drop, yes, but OV is still getting money which is inspiring nonetheless. But what’s even more compelling is the fact that OV, Platforms specifically, is reaching profitability.

In July we’ve heard from two of the larger players in the online video platform publishing space, Brightcove and Ooyala, that they’ve achieved profitability. Brightcove is considered to be the 800 lb. gorilla in OV publishing, founded in early 2004 and having taken nearly $90 million in funding whereas relative newbie Ooyala has been around since late 2007 and has only received $10 million in VC to date.

There have been other rumblings from online video platform providers stating that profitability is in the near future with VMIX claiming 2009 is their year, hopefully this will prove true for the betterment of every OV start up. It’s a tough market, a competitive sector, and a brutal economy so it’s encouraging to see the platforms reaching the stars.

For what its worth, we don’t only focus our energies on Brightcove and Ooyala, they’ve just been on the media radar lately. To see a wider range of coverage (mentions) take a look at VidCompare 140 in the right column and follow us on Twitter @vidcompare.

Continued success in OV!

Google Buzz

Leave your comment »

Posted in Online Video Platform Providers

Tags: