The future of online video: Q & A with Brightcove CEO Jeremy Allaire
Jeremy Allaire, who was behind the success of Flash as CTO of Macromedia, started Brightcove five years ago to offer media companies an online video publishing platform. While YouTube was a consumer play, Brightcove focused on a business-to-business model by targeting publishers. After some layoffs in December of last year, the company turned profitable this year, launched a Brightcove Alliance to share technology and know-how with its clients and partnered with Boxee to play online… Continue Reading
Report: Google in talks to buy Brightcove for $500-700 million
Google may be in talks to acquire video company Brightcove for $500-700 million, according to PBS’ Mark Glaser.
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Brightcove, which gives media outlets and other businesses a platform for delivering online video, declined to comment.
Such an acquisition would give Google Brightcove’s technology plus its relationships with content providers from The New York Times to Universal Music Group, which it could use to push its YouTube property toward profitability. Brightcove CEO Jeremy Allaire (pictured above)… Continue Reading
Roundup: Layoffs hit Revision3, Google Earth on the iPhone and more
Here’s the latest action:
Layoffs hit Revision3 — A number of shows are leaving the online video network or have been canceled.
Google Earth now available for the iPhone – The Google Earth Blog declares that the new iPhone app is “awesome.”
Microsoft opens Surface to third-party developers — The goal is to find the “killer app” for Microsoft’s tabletop computer.
AOL to use Brightcove video player — The move marks a shift in AOL’s strategy, because it has spent the last… Continue Reading
IVT launches yet another “YouTube for the Enterprise”
Following on the heels of Cisco and Google, IVT is launching its own version of “YouTube for the enterprise.” Google launched its “video for business” application just a couple of weeks ago, while Cisco hit the market in June with “Enterprise TV.”
IVT will challenge those players as well as start-ups Veodia and Brightcove with a portal-like media center that can aggregate not just videos but all rich media, such as recorded WebEx meetings, iTunes podcasts,… Continue Reading
Google launches YouTube-like video service for businesses
Heading into a battle with Cisco and others, Google is launching a YouTube-like video service for businesses.
Dubbed Google Video for Business, the service makes it easy for large businesses to tap into everything from camera phones to handheld video cameras and upload video to a corporate network. The videos can be standard YouTube-style quality or higher quality video as well.
“We want to make video mainstream for business, just like YouTube did for consumer video,” said… Continue Reading
Fliqz and Kaltura bring video capability to the masses, make Brightcove’s prices look insane
Web video platforms like Brightcove, Move Networks and Maven have a problem: They have all built business models targeting the handful of content companies willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars a year to push video on their sites. As a result, the platforms are angling for the same big fish in a relatively small pond; each must find ways to outdo the next by investing in new features without adding much to their… Continue Reading
Brightcove 3: The search for Brightcove 2
I hope we’re not about to get back into the numbered naming scheme for software products/web apps. To me that became uncool as soon as AOL hit version 3.5. That isn’t stopping Internet video platform provider Brightcove however, which today unveiled the beta version of Brightcove 3.
To this I ask, where is Brightcove 2? I can’t seem to find it on the Internet.
Naming silliness aside, Brightcove 3 is a complete overhaul of the current look… Continue Reading
Online video co. Brightcove expands into Japanese market
With a majority of Japanese households hooked up to broadband, Japan is a prime market for online services, like video, that require high-speed Internet access. That’s why Internet video provider Brightcove is launching Brightcove KK, a new Japanese subsidiary.
In the United States companies ranging from Showtime to The New York Times to Dow Jones to Universal Music Group currently use Brightcove to serve up content.
The new subsidiary is being built on a $4.9 million investment… Continue Reading
Battlestar Galactica offers an early sneak peak of new season online — and I do mean early
As any good sci-fi fan will know, the popular series Battlestar Galactica’s 4th and final season premieres tonight. The show offered an early glimpse to fans on SciFi.com today, streaming the entire first episode live. The problem? It ran at 9 am Pacific time.
While it’s great to utilize the Internet to give fans a sneak-peak, it should probably be done on a day and time that is appropriate. Those on the east coast could conceivably watch… Continue Reading
Roundup: Verizon, Gdrive, and more
1) Verizon to let “any apps, any device” onto its network
2) Google GDrive is real, almost here
3) Brightcove to focus on video distribution for its partners
4) JotSpot, where are you?
5) GuildCafe, a social network for gamers, buys Uberguilds Network, an online gaming network
6) Xbox introduces more advanced friend features
Verizon to let “any apps, any device” onto its network – There’s lots of excitement today about an announcement by oligarchic mobile carrier Verizon that it will… Continue Reading
Video delivery is hot: Move Networks raises $34M, BitTorrent’s surprise
Move Networks, a company offering video delivery technology for customers such as ABC, Fox, CW, Televisa, Discovery and ESPN.com, has raised a whopping $34 million round of capital.
This makes Move one the best funded video delivery companies out there. Late last year, it raised $11.3 million. The company is helping the large broadcasters get online, and competes against a number of other well-funded companies, such as Brightcove. These companies could put a dent in plans… Continue Reading
Video service Brightcove raises $59M
Brightcove, a company that gives media outlets and other businesses a platform to deliver online video, has raised a whopping $59 million in a third round of funding.
Amid the trend of consolidation hitting the sector, this funding will help tide the company over. There are oodles of other companies doing something similar, from Twistage, to Reality Digital, vSocial and GridNetworks.
Besides, no one can afford to let Brightcove go under. All kinds of media groups are… Continue Reading
Web 2.0 week: IM-email integration trend, Google GPS, Google Ventures, Reality Digital & more
Roundup of a busy week:
Instant messaging and email are merging, Yahoo kicks it off — Yahoo will be integrating IM through its email, Yahoo executive Brad Garlinghouse revealed during the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. In retrospect, we’re wondering why this trend hasn’t happened earlier.
Email is limiting, providing no way to see whether the person on the other end is present or not (that person may not want to show you they are present,… Continue Reading
Roundup: FON’s gambit, Obvious, Zachary’s blog, Vox & more
Roundup in Silicon Valley:
FON exploits opportunity to stir up WiFi interest in San Francisco — Search engine company Google is having a heck of a time getting “crazy nut job” local SF residents to agree to its plans for a city-wide WiFi project. So while big Google is stymied, another company, FON, is hoping to slip under the regulatory radar with a grassroots campaign: Offering hundreds of its La Fonera wireless routers at an event it… Continue Reading