TIVO Makes A Very ‘Bright’ Move...
Tivo has inked a deal with IP-TV startup Brightcove to integrate their service and programming into the TIVO platform. This has the potential to be a great partnership. Brightcove provides a web publication and distribution framework for video content, and TIVO provides a ‘set top box’ that makes video content simple to discover and view. Combined, these firms can make the real promise of IP Television a mainstream experience.
While there are internet television providers like Verizon that refer to their service as IP-TV, that is only a description of the technology they use. Real IP-TV is about anyone being able to program and deliver content for whatever audience they wish to reach. Its about content consumers having choice, not bundles. Its about content aggregation happening on the edge of the network - not at the center. These are values that together TIVO and Brightcove bring to the table.
The obvious benefits from this business partnership are that TIVO has a new and expanding source of content that they can now make available, and Brightcove has a way to deliver this content to a television screen instead of just a computer screen.
But there are also less obvious - and potentially more significant -opportunities this partnership opens up.
Instead of always being at odds with the traditional media companies, TIVO could actually position themselves as a valuable channel for them. Having a video ‘side channel’ through Brightcove could let TIVO offer them creative ways to personalize and package traditional broadcast media. I want to point out three of them:
“Adsense” for video: As much as people hate ads, they are what pays for broadcast television. It is unlikely they will disappear any time soon. But imagine if the ad’s normally shown on broadcast commercial TV could be replaced with specific, highly targeted ad’s. Or come as more informative long form ads. If people could communicate their specific interests, what they get back could actually be really informative ads they would want to watch - or at least fast-forward through them at a slower speed. TIVO and Brightcove combined could make this happen.
And better targeting could reduce the need to have as many commercials in the first place...
“Narrowcast” channels: A TIVO/Brightcove partnership could offer traditional media firms a way to move content that has a small but dedicated following onto their own branded ‘Brightcove’ channel instead of simply dropping it from their broadcast lineup. This could also be used to create and commercialize ”Extras” content based on background material, out-takes, or script revisions that compliments specific broadcast programming. A weak form of this exists with complimentary websites today. Finally, it could offer a proving ground for new, promising, programming looking to build an audience.
“T2T” network: If they were forward looking enough, the networks could encourage sharing selected clips or entire programs directly between internet connected TIVO’s. TIVO of course would need to build out some community elements to let people link to each other. If they enjoyed a show, they could click on a ‘share’ button, pick a clip or the entire show, and send it off as a recommendation to someone they know. The clips could be delivered via Brightcove, but carry the weight of being a recommendation from a friend. A click from the clip lets the friend subscribe to the show as well.
As I pointed out in a post two months ago, this is exactly the type of deal I believe TIVO needs to be doing. They need to focus on the high end and try to change the ‘DVR’ game if they want to remain relevant. IP-TV is not an area that the cable providers will want to touch with their DVR products - it clearly put their franchise at risk. But it should be embraced by the content providers looking to connect as directly with viewers as possible.
If they really work together on this partnership, I think TIVO and Brightcove can make it a game changing event...
Thursday, May 11, 2006
