As traditional media channels reach the point of saturation, the market for premium and properly licensed content continues to grow at a rapid pace. In the world of online syndication and digital distribution, opportunities continue to present themselves in various consumer delivery methods and professionally produced content is readily available for consumption via a multitude of web based platforms. Over the past 8 months, numerous companies have utilized innovative business models to create non-traditional channels for content delivery.
As online video maintains its significance in the media licensing space, content delivery and viewer accessibility to collegiate content is becoming an important component for success. One of the most dominant players in the market today is Hulu. An online video portal created by News Corp. and NBC Universal, Hulu, has become one of the top ten video sites within its first three months of activation. With a vast library including CI’s College Sports Minute, Hulu has built a network dedicated to delivering high quality content to viewers via the Internet, while using advertisements as its primary source of revenue. This platform offers content providers the opportunity to maximize viewership while minimizing costs.
Alongside Hulu in the premium content space is Tidal TV. Recently launched in June 2008, Tidal TV has been building its infrastructure and platform for the past 6 months. Considered an Internet protocol television (IPTV) delivery network, Tidal TV hosts an array of content and programming through an online TV guide that allows users to “tune in” at certain times to follow their favorite programs. With similar features as a standard television telecast, users are able to watch their favorite programs in front of their computer anywhere. One of the most watched channels includes Classic College Sports, which features full game broadcasts of notable collegiate football games, allowing fans view their favorite football moments. Channels like Classic College Sports allow rights holders to generate revenue using archived content and fully utilize their libraries.
Similar in fashion, the Mochila network has created a group of over 4,000 publishers’ websites; each filled with online video content and resides within one central portal. Mochila has been able to deliver a successful working model that protects both the publisher and content provider. The Mochila marketplace is filled with buyers and sellers of premium content, and attracts viewers from across the globe. Publishers looking for editorial content are able to find clips that satisfy their needs on Mochila’s network instead of searching multiple sites for the content. Content distributors also benefit with Mochila acting as a portal to thousands of publishers. Such access allows distributors, like Collegiate Images, the opportunity to generate impressions and revenue with increased exposure.
Broadband Enterprises (BBE), an online video network, has expanded its scope and has built a uniquely different technology for serving up online advertising called Vindico. Vindico enables advertisers to schedule and control the video and banner ads over the BBE network. Currently found across multiple websites, most notably Fox News, this technology enables the user to scroll over underlined text within an article and view a video clip that is relevant to the verbiage. This technology increases impressions for content providers and ultimately presents more opportunities for content exposure.
Although there appears to be an endless supply for wireless content available to users, surprisingly, the wireless marketplace has yet to be fully maximized. New start-ups are building their business models around free video content in an attempt to attract users. Major wireless companies in the industry like Sprint and Verizon have yet to completely dominate the wireless space, allowing smaller companies such as Myxer Tones to entire the mix. Myxer Tones has built a sustainable network of free, accessible video content using ad-supported and pay-per-view models. By advertising via text messaging, Myxer has been able to sustain a business model that allows for free consumer downloads. Users are able to view programs such as the College Sports Minute, directly on their wireless phones as opposed to only consuming content via the web.
In the online world, widgets have become more and more prevalent. The purpose of a widget is to create a distribution tool that requires substantially less site space while providing similar capabilities as a video player. The success and growth of widgets are the result of their attractiveness to the consumer due to their ability to be embedded into virtually any site. The Nabbr Network owns exclusive site space on many of the social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. By creating a uniquely branded widget, Nabbr, is able to distribute content directly to the consumer – gaining significant traction in the online video space. Because the widgets are customizable, Nabbr has the ability to cater to a multitude of consumers and satisfy the demands of distributors. Widgets with college sports themes and content can be placed on a variety of sites including news outlets, blogs and social networks. The proliferation of widgets on such sites creates more opportunities for content providers and rights holders to push customized content into the marketplace.
Similar to Nabbr, Mixercast has partnered with the major media companies, including Fox and the E! Network, to create content-specific widgets designed to deliver distinctive programming through a definitive website list. With Mixercast, the content provider is able to monitor the viewership and place the program into the most highly visited websites. The more web traffic generated results in more revenue opportunities for the content provider and the distributor.
With the continued influx of live video coverage over the Internet, many companies have built a sustainable business model around the web. For example, RedLasso has developed an online program containing up-to-date news coverage that can be edited and made available to bloggers. These bloggers are then able to refer their blog articles to the specific video content. By including the link to additional content, users are able to view other relevant programs while also being sent to a specific destination. For example, if a local newspaper blogs about a football game, a link to a highlight reel on the university or conference’s official athletic website could be included in the blog. This method of providing related content to interested viewers is a viable means driving additional traffic to athletic websites.
The increasing demand for live broadcasts continues to present significant opportunity. The question then becomes, what companies are able to deliver a live video feed with properly licensed video content. B2Networks is currently the industry leader in television style broadcasting over the Internet. Featured in over 150 event style venues, B2Networks delivers live events to an international audience. Currently working with many Division II institutions, B2 Networks provides universities with state-of-the art technology, enabling them to deliver programming directly to specific network affiliations. Fans of these institutions are able to watch and/or listen to live athletic events via the web in real time.
The popularity of social networking websites, such as Facebook and MySpace, has exploded in recent years. Based on this concept, new companies are attempting to create niche social network portals. Athletixnation, which is based on connecting athletes and fans, has developed a white-label technology platform that works directly with radio stations and broadcasters. By using live broadcasts, Athletixnation has made the connection between online entertainment and radio television. With its new technology, Athletixnation has become a white-label technology service focused on content delivery and network building. By utilizing such relationships, content providers and rights holders maximize the opportunity to reach sports fans through traditional broadcast means while taking advantage of this new platform.
These ten companies provide an overview of the new technologies and distribution channels that are driving content distribution. As the media marketplace continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it is important to be aware of such platforms in order to be able to provide fans the on-demand access they crave, while also maximizing revenue and exposure.
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