IPTV Times
Mis KIT
Hubris probably makes me the worst person to comment on the Internet TV platform marketplace, but, here goes.
For the record I've always had high regard for (what is now) Comcast's theplatfom and of course, I would always have backed Narrowstep's technology since it was my 'baby'; but I always felt that the technology of the other major companies in the market was always limited in one way or another. This does not mean that they did not have their applications, but they were not in the same 'toolbox' category as Narrowstep and theplatform, in my opinion.
Roo and the FeedRoom concentrated on basic platforms with integrated content; Brightcove have tried to appeal to the longtail, the n changed their business model over and over and are now prohibitively expensive to all but a handful of client; Maven are a reseller for theplatform that got lucky (Yahoo are total idiots), and now are interested in a handful of media owners only.
The worst thing about all of these companies is that you're almost always better off developing your own apps, making your own mistakes and then owning your platform (a $500k or so gamble). Basically, the pricing in the market means that the major players insist on taking machine guns to their feet...
And if you really want to get confused about this marketplace, read the ramblings of the self-styled guru and meglomaniac Kaleil Isaza Tuzman (who renamed Roo with his own initials) here. Buying video recognition and mobile video software companies would seem to be masterstrokes apart from the fact that the former doesn't have any applications and the later has no market as yet. And, as he states, he's moving out of the US in order to win 30% of the Fortune 1000 companies as customers, all paying him $3m each. Hmmm.. Most of his customers are in Australia because that's where the company came from (and most of this revenue comes from online marketing) and his investment money comes from the Gulf, so that's where he's gravitating. This guy is selling snake oil, but heck, that's where Coca Cola came from...
branded internet tv brightcove feedroom idiot Kaleil Isaza Tuzman maven narrowstep theplatform
So this is it. After two decades I am closing down IPTV Times. The last post was Murder on 5th: the last breath of democracy in the US. It will fade in the rear view mirror. Barely anyone will see it go or mourn its passing. The world of online TV remains a fascinating space, but not one for me. I did my time over thirty years and had successes and failures. As with most people in everything they do, mostly failures. The blog will remain as a testament and archive to a time and a place and an evolution. Follow my new adventures at Kwedl Sparks .
Going East
This weeks sees me off to give a keynote address at the inaugural DMFest in Singapore. Largely, I will be looking at the technical processes behind setting up and operating online television services, but I will also be examining the commercial models that have evolved in the industry and what seems to have worked to date and what has not. My presentation will be posted here in due course. Unlike many other similar events (with the notable exception of PICNIC ), the event combines content makers with technologists - just the way it should be. Over the past decade the technology has become somewhat incidental to the delivery of video over the web. Advances in broadband technology and codecs mean that the majority of broadband users in developed countries can now happily watch decent full screen video on their PC; although until this situation is ubiquitous this remains an issue for commercialising Internet TV services as advertisers point to the gap in the services. What has not h
Why Is Old Media Being Perverse ?
I was going to use the term 'lemmings' but the United Order of Lemmings have written to me and asked me to stop giving them a bad name. How did ITV get Friends Reunited and ITV Local so wrong ? And where did NewsCorp managed to get MySpace from 100m to 5m users - and why are they now seeming to do the same with The Times online sites? Yet, with video they have leveraged this positions well and become dominant in the provision of online video in the US and the UK. In the US no major TV company has tried to stray beyond what they do, and at the same time they've come up with concepts such as Hulu . Collaborative ventures like this have critical mass in the US, but seem futile in the UK where only the BBC count. Traditional media has great sales capabilities, good production discipline, but the content is what counts. Great video content is much more difficult to produce than a great article. Volume of video content is even more difficult. For example, by my experien
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