Brightcove Online Video Platform

The Trifecta

Posted by: David Witting, May 28, 2009

You're going to start hearing a bunch of buzz around the "three screen" strategy. E.g. do you have a plan to get your content to the PC, mobile devices and the television?

The good news is that your friends at Brightcove are hard at work to bring you new and easy ways to deliver your content to all three screens. If you've got an iphone, download the AMC 'Madmen' application from the itunes store. It's a great show and the H.264 videos are all powered by Brightcove. Also, keep your eye out for a new mobile app that allows you to mix videos of a top Fox cartoon - all Brightcove under the covers. You might also want to email Brightcove Account Management to ask about our new set-top box partnerships that can easily integrate with your Brightcove feeds.

Easy Web publishing, support for mobile apps, set-top box integration and Internet enabled televisions around the corner....

Your three screen strategy is ready when you are.

- Dave

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Who are the top video ad networks?

Posted by: David Witting, May 26, 2009

From our friends at NewTeeVee...

As video advertising networks grow in reach and importance, and start to play a bigger role in distributing content online, we wanted to get a better sense of how they measure up. We checked with comScore, which coincidentally just prepared its first report on the subject... (here)

- Dave

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BC DC Meetup!

Posted by: David Witting, May 13, 2009

If you're in the Washington D.C. area, come join us June 4th at Marvin upstairs in the LOUNGE from 7-9 PM for drinks. We'll have representation from Account Management, Sales, and Engineering on hand to answer questions, update you on the latest, and mainly catch up in person. There will also be partners on hand to discuss their products and how they integrate into Brightcove 3.

Please RSVP here: http://brightcovedcmeetup.eventbrite.com/

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First Play

Posted by: David Witting, May 1, 2009

Well, what do you know, Universal Music just launched their first audio player powered by Brightcove! You can check it out here. If you would like to join the Brightcove Audio beta program, contact your Account Manager or: accountmanagement <at> brightcove.com

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What's your brand worth to you?

Posted by: David Witting, March 26, 2009

I was chatting with a buddy at one of our smaller broadcast partners and he made an interesting comment to me. As with anything in business, Brightcove's success has brought on a handful of knock-off competitors that claim to do exactly what we do. My pal (VP at this broadcaster) said he recently got a sales call from one of these fledgling firms. After listening to the pitch on how they are just about as good as Brightcove for pennies on the dollar, my buddy politely passed and said he was sticking with Brightcove.

After giving him some good natured grief about taking the call, I asked him why? Why did he pass? Was it that Brightcove's features were much better? Was it the fact that we're an open platform integrated with social media networks, portals, ad networks etc.? Was it his smart, handsome Account Manager? :)

His response was pretty straightforward (and I'm slightly paraphrasing here):

"Video is my brand. I want the best possible experience and I know that the web audience is fickle. If players are not loading, streams not available, or the content stinks, I'm going to lose that audience and that puts my brand at risk. With you guys (Brightcove) I know that you're already proven. I don't have to worry about losing audience from bad or inconsistent delivery. I could save a couple bucks a month but it's not worth the risk. I'd rather cut the free bagels on Friday."

At the risk of sounding like a corporate wonk, I was thrilled to hear his comment. I love the fact that we've got the only scalable, dependable, easy-to-use video platform on the market today. I'm really proud of Brightcove and I love helping people deliver the best experience for their brand.

I am bummed about the bagels...

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Space for Rent

Posted by: David Witting, March 23, 2009

Do you have the traffic but not enough content? Do you want to increase your revenue outside of the traditional pre-roll ad?

Increasingly we're seeing a number of Brightcove partners test the paid placement model for their sites. Simply put, selling placement within their player playlists. Why?

It's an easy way to increase revenue without interrupting your ad campaigns.
It can solve two issues, value to the advertiser and inventory for the publisher.
It's a model that most advertisers understand.

Think about it. Say you have a real estate video player on your regional newspaper site, why not sell the top spot in that playlist for $5K/month to Century 21? What if you're an emerging kids brand that is showing rapid growth. You may not be able to get LEGO to advertise on your site but what if you agree to host some exclusive "Bionicle" videos as the featured selection?

For small brands, it's a good way to build value with new advertisers. For established brands, it's a way to capitalize on your traffic in addition to the pre-roll. Most pre-rolls run every other video, or half of your inventory. Why not sell the other half? If you're a magazine publisher, think of it as the online equivalent to the special insert.

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What's your consumption?

Posted by: David Witting, March 20, 2009

Here at Brightcove HQ we gets lots of interesting data, and this little nugget recently caught my eye.

Average completion rates across all Brightcove partners - this is the amount of a single video that people consume - has risen dramatically between 2005 and 2009.

We all know that the amount of videos published to the Web has exploded since 2005. What's interesting here is that the amount of those videos watched has increased. Tracking completion rates from 2005 to 2009, the average amount of a video watched has increased over 60%. While it's worth noting that a very small percentage of users (less than 4%) ever see "end roll" advertising or credits, people are watching a lot more of your videos. What's your consumption?

- Dave

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Los Angeles Meetup!

Posted by: David Witting, March 11, 2009

If you're in the LA area and can make it, this Thursday (3/12) we're hosting a Meetup at Seven Grand in downtown LA. Tickets are going fast so if interested, RSVP here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/303833775

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Skin sells

Posted by: David Witting, March 1, 2009

Whether you are an established brand looking to add some spice to your pre-roll advertising campaign or an upstart looking for an easy ad format, why not try sponsored skins?

It's super easy and a very smart way to increase your density of advertising. For you emerging brands, try selling skin sponsorship for a flat monthly fee. Create a custom JPEG background for your player, and sell the sponsor on your overall page traffic. For you seasoned ad monsters, you can integrate with the InSkin ad technology or build a custom BEML player. Some cool examples of skin sponsorship:

The Telegraph UK

Sci-Fi Channel

City TV UK (georestricted to UK)

-- Dave

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