Yesterday, Mashable's Mark Hopkins put together a summary and analysis of our recently posted industry report and article "Internet TV Platforms Come of Age".  In the summary, he brings forward some criticisms and concerns about our ability to generate revenue for professional publishers.

Today we announced a new extension to our service called Brightcove Show, which promises to significantly improve the quality and richness of television on the Internet.  In conjunction with our announcement of Brightcove Show, we also announced a technology partnership with BitTorrent, who also today introduced BitTorrent DNA (Delivery Network Accelerator), a peer-assisted hybrid content delivery model for high-quality media on the Internet. 

Time Life, the direct marketing giant, has tapped Brightcove for a multi-phased Internet video initiative (press release).

Kudos to Scott Kirsner for creating an extremely timely and helpful eBook (also now in Paperback) on the future of web video -- the book explores the myriad models and issues for indepdenent producers and creators seeking to build audience and revenue for their content using video on the Internet.  Scott combs through tons of case studies, companies, and thought-leaders to create a compelling narrativ

Congrats to our friends over at LX.TV on the great press coverage today. LX.TV, formerly Code.TV, is one of the leaders in a programming boom we've seen emerge over the last year. Like many of our other partners, LX.TV has capitalized on several shifts taking place in the industry to quickly build and launch a hyper-relevant broadband channel:

With our recent launch, we opened up some of our APIs for creating Internet TV channels and experiences.  Our belief all along has been that we are in the early innings of Internet TV, and that we would soon begin to see broad innovation in how consumers interact with and experience TV content on the Web.  To that end, we've developed a suite of APIs that enable any website and web developer to integrate TV and video into their sites in unique ways. 

It's another milestone week for Internet TV.  A few thoughts on two important introductions, and how Brightcove differs and enables themes from both.

NBBC is NBC's effort to move from the packaging/programming business as a broadcaster and into the realm of distribution for other media programmers.  Following a model we pioneered starting last year, NBBC seeks to offer content owners a means to distribute their content through third-party websites, and gain a share in advertising revenue sold by NBBC or the third-party sites themselves.

I have some good news for those of you who have followed and, hopefully, enjoyed the frequent spotlights here of various Brightcove-enabled Internet TV channels. We've created a new guide to show off the amazing programming coming from our partners. Christina Aguilera, New York restaurants, Caribbean scuba diving, and the top hotels of the world are just a sampling.

Putting this guide together has provided me with a great macro perpsective on what our partners have accomplished to date.

The current edition of VON Magazine features an interview by Jeff Pulver with Brightcove's Jeremy Allaire. The article covers a wide range of topics including the Jeremy's background in the industry, perspectives on media distribution and the explosive growth in Internet TV. 

Very nice to see the launch of Code.tv today.  I've had the privilege of spending quality time with the founders of Code.tv and am impressed with their vision and execution.  Here's a snapshot of the channel, and some additional comments below:

There are a few interesting things to call out about this unique Brightcove-based broadband channel:

Within the trend of traditional print publications moving into Internet TV, we just saw the launch of MIT Technology Review's broadband channel.  MIT Tech Review is a highly prestegious publication focused on the research and development work that happens here in Cambridge.  Leveraging the cost economies of Internet TV production and distribution, they've created a new form factor for their media that explores and exhibits the work of MIT scientists in a manner that w

There's an incredible focus in the online world on the transformative role of video on the Internet.  The topic is, of course, near and dear to us at Brightcove.  But the transformation in media expression and distribution goes well beyond video and into a realm of content experiences that I like to refer to as multimedia programming.  What's taking place is a wholesale shift in the design and production of programming, and the borders and barriers that have defined media distribution in the past are collapsing -- the physical medium that defined media entities are collapsing

I never knew that Bret Michaels from Poison (not that I often think about Michaels or Poison) had diabetes, or that he was remotely this articulate.

Sometimes I feel like I was born twenty years too early. Sure, I had Colecovision, a stylin' Mighty Mac and access to an Apple II. But what I really wanted to do was direct. Lower cost production tools and Internet TV have created an incredible new venue for the aspiring teen producer. 

Business 2.0's Erick Schonfeld has a nice take on the atomization trend in digital media. Call it microchunks, slivers, snacks. Relevance and accessibility are paramount. VC Fred Wilson articulates these principles well:

First, of course, microchunk it: Reduce entertainment to its simplest discrete form, be it a blog post, a music track, or a skit.

Jeff Pulver, one of the most influential people in the new world of telecommunications, has begun programming a new Internet TV channel using Brightcove. Thanks, Jeff.

This recent column from the widely-read Lefsetz Letter made the rounds at Brightcove this weekend. A little self-referential here (but it is the Brightcove Blog after all), but I thought very relevant. The column credits the TV industry with understanding the need to license aggressively and to try to reach the widest possible audience.

As a reminder, Brightcove's Commercial Preview program runs until August 1, 2006.  There's still time to apply to be part of the program and test drive some of the powerful features and functionality that make it easy to build Internet TV businesses. 

If you are interested in joining the preview, click here to fill out our commercial preview application. 

Adam Gerber, Brightcove's VP of Ad Products & Strategy, has a featured interview in iMedia Connection this week. In the interview, Adam explains how Brightcove is developing innovative opportunities for marketers that leverage Internet TV and take advantage of emerging media landscape, which is characterized by publisher and consumer control.  Here's an excerpt from the interview:

Have you ever wondered whether those $170 Shure headphones are worth the pricetag? Or just what people can come up with at Build-a-Bear? Expo TV's professional product demonstrations and reviews contain lots of helpful information, but it's the consumer-produced Videopinions that really make this site addicting.

From time to time we will be featuring some of the most compelling Internet TV programming coming from Brightcove's partners. One of my longtime favorites is MediaStorm, a new channel that combines world class photojournalism and music with an inventive, point-and-click user interface. You'll find yourself laughing, grooving and getting choked up in just a few clicks.

I was recently asked to contribute a 'perspective piece' to the online media site StreamingMedia.com.  In this piece, I outline with broad strokes the fragmentation facing the TV industry, the tipping point that is Internet TV distribution, and envision what the world will look like for key stakeholders in the coming years.  High level stuff, enjoy.

Nearly a year since Chris Anderson's seminal Long Tail article, Wired takes on the future of television, or TV 2.0, in its September issue. This includes Internet TV (which is thankfully and accurately distinguished from IPTV), HDTV, IPTV, Cell Phone TV, P2P TV and old-fashioned Streaming. I'm grateful for this issue for two reasons - first, the Brightcove references, natch.

New media, communications and online guru Robin Good recently conducted this interview, which provides a lot of depth and discussion on Brightcove and our vision for television distribution as an open platform.  Enjoy the Podcast!

This story from the Red Herring covers the interesting conversations we had at Supernova recently.  One of my choice quotes:

Working for an Internet TV start-up, I find it ironic that I typically can't find time to watch television. By the weekend, when I finally carve some hours to recharge, I attempt to catch up on some TiVo'd programs. Being a geek at heart I enjoy a program on Science Discovery called "Discoveries this Week" - a nice recap of interesting science and technology stories. The latest episode had a short segment on the Gigapxl Project. I am completely enthralled with their work!

Nice overview from Robin Good on the differences between IPTV and Internet TV. That Allaire fellow he keeps quoting is certainly a good source of pithy insight.

The choice, for those who can see it, appears to be between a universe of highly diversified and dynamic independent production and one dominated by secure dedicated private delivery networks distributing more traditional types of video-based content largely provided by Hollywood and other established big media conglomerates.

Chris Anderson  recently  posted an interesting article that talks about the likely trends in video-length formats as Internet TV grows and gathers more audience.

"I think that the 30-minute show is the newspaper of television--a format born of distribution scarcity that is now past its primetime. Demand will shift to shorter content for convenience and entertainment, and longer content for substance and satisfaction. But the middle will not hold."