Brightcove: Towards a Media We-Distribution model?

Jeremy Allaire is one of the true visionaries of rich internet apps- one of the founders of  Macromedia he is now CEO of Brightcove. A few years ago, he says, he figured video would become as ubiqitous as text…which is why he founded Brightcove. There is, he says, a lot of video out there. And there is going to be a lot more… many digital cameras have video- but only 10% of that base is using video, according to Jeremy.

My biggest concern in his pitch is probably where he stands on the OldMedia meets the new. I literally had a viscerally negative reaction to his constant referrals to “consumers” vs “content owners”

Allaire talked to “a global fight between consumers and content owners.” 

He is right, and as he admitted he has been pitching a lot of investors lately, which coloured the talk. But i think language really matters and Jeremy should be thinking more about people as active end points, rather than passive consumers. 

Aftermix, Brightcove’s new online video editing app is about to enter a closed beta. it will be free to consumers available at Brightcove.com… relaunched as a consumer facing product. not user generated content, its commercial high quality video. It looks extremely cool to be fair.

Aftermix- flex 2 flash 9 based

Looking at some of the Brithcove capabilities I am beginning to think Google’s $1.8bn may have been money not so well spent. This is a change in my thinking.

Brightcove doesn’t seem to fully get it either though. Studios, commercial networks, independent production companies – what about the ‘roots?

If we’re going to see a world of content and media we-distribution we need to start thinking about the fact we’re all content creators.

What about DRM in Brightcove then?

“There isn’t DRM per se”… phew. 😉

“When we work with a commercial producer they upload their content for distribution on their own site- flash video. so they use streaming so its more comfortable.”

Brightcove is undoubtedly cool but i wish it was more people, rather than business-driven in conception. But then with VCs involved that’s always going to be tricky, no matter how cool the platform is

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