Vudu, which provides on-demand movies and TV shows on a pay-per-view basis through Internet-connected set-tops, is now working with online video specialist Brightcove to deliver ad-supported Web content to TV sets.
Vudu, which provides on-demand movies and TV shows on a pay-per-view basis through Internet-connected set-tops, is now working with online video specialist Brightcove to deliver ad-supported Web content to TV sets.
Streaming video platform Brightcove has added another partner to its already-impressive group of associates. Vudu, purveyors of fine set-top boxes, have struck up a deal to stream Brightcove-associated content. Brightcove has, at last count, about twenty-one trillion API partners, and delivers video for big names like AOL and the NY Times. Those aren't available on the Vudu box yet, though; it's just launching now and the first (and only) video service to hit is Sony's MyPlay, through which you'll be able to watch Sony Music videos to your heart's content.
In this eWeek podcast hosted by Mike Vizard, Brightcove CEO Jeremy Allaire talks about the strategic issues that IT organizations need to master once they start to bring video into the enterprise.
Channel sales, important for many b-to-b companies, can be bolstered by video-based educational programs aimed at resellers - who may then be more inclined to recommend your products over those of competitors. One way is to create video assets that give your products a face and a personality, said Jeff Whatcott, senior VP-marketing at video technology platform provider Brightcove. "Sun Microsystems does this," Whatcott said. "Within its video destination they have deep product information and product tours. The product manager will give the reseller a walk-through." Registered resellers get to "meet" Sun's experts, as well as the appropriate channel managers. "When I show up to a channel training event, I already know him or her, and feel comfortable," Whatcott said.
Marking the next step in its expansion strategy, online video technology company Brightcove has entered a deal with software developer Adobe to collaborate on technology and sales efforts. The partnership gives Brightcove a deeper foothold with Adobe's Flash, the popular technology for Web video that Brightcove has been using with its video delivery services. For Adobe, the strategic alliance strengthens its position in the online video business because Brightcove counts as customers some of the biggest media companies, including the Showtime and Lifetime networks.
Cambridge, MA-based video hosting provider Brightcove has long had all of its eggs in Adobe Systems' basket: the company's entire platform is built around Adobe's Flash streaming media format. But now the two companies' relationship is growing even closer. I caught up with Jeff Whatcott, Brightcove's senior vice president of marketing, by phone last week before he set out for Las Vegas. Whatcott, who's an Adobe veteran and also helped to launch Drupal publishing company Acquia, says he believes Brightcove was "the first phone call" Adobe made when the media software giant set out to find partners for the Strobe launch. I asked him to explain, among other things, how Strobe's features overlap with those of Brightcove 3, the new, more customizable hosting platform the company introduced last October.
Online video management firm Brightcove Inc. has entered a strategic alliance with Adobe Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBE) that will integrate new Flash capabilties into its video player, while also hooking more directly into Adobe's creative tools. With an eye on extending the capabilties of its video player to deliver the highest-quality streams to end users, Brightcove is integrating with Adobe's Flash Media Server (FMS) 3.5. By doing so, Brightcove customers will be able to take advantage of H.264 encoding, bandwidth optimization, multi-bit-rate (or adaptive) streaming, DVR-like capabilities, and other features of Adobe's newest streaming server.
As e-commerce matures, it's no longer enough to offer customers free shipping or the world's largest selection. More and more, Web retailers are looking to add a little razzle-dazzle to their sites. And they're using a range of new tools to help them spruce up online shopping with features like video, product customization and visual search. Simon & Schuster Inc. decided to invest heavily in video when it relaunched its Web site in January. The book publisher, a division of CBS Corp., built a video studio and generated hundreds of author profiles to play on the site and on the sites of its retail partners. But hosting streaming video can be complicated and expensive. So Ellie Hirschhorn, Simon & Schuster's chief digital officer, shifted the company's video into a system sold by Brightcove Inc. Brightcove sells a package of software and service that does everything from encoding video to streaming it to viewers' computers.
Conde Nast, which had organized most of it content on big, themed portals, has created new Web sites for most of its individual titles. This is part of the transition from CondeNet to the new entity Conde Nast Digital, which was announced in January. Video is a big part and the company is now streaming nearly 5 million views a month, we have been told. Last week I interviewed Richard Glosser, Executive Director for Emerging Media, who heads up the online video operations. Rich outlines the editorial range of the sites' videos and the opportunity for advertisers. He explains how the company as integrated the new Brightcove3 platform for video management.