Streaming Media - August/September 2008 - (Page 53)

ours,” he says. You can manage the ads yourself or you can buy them from Magnify. “Because we have 20 million page views a month, and we are delivering it into very distinct verticals, whether it be automotive or sports enthusiasts [or whatever], we are doing well in the CPM world,” Rosenbaum says. Reichert sees a subscription model down the road for his service, along with partnerships like the one with MTV. “Right now service is free for consumers and will stay like that for the near future. What we envision down the road is premium services and features and extra storage if you are a high-end user with lots of content. We could also monetize [by teaming up] with media partners and other businesses. We believe it’s a very sustainable business model,” he says. Meanwhile, Roy sees three possible sources of revenue: a subscription model similar to Flixwagon’s, getting income from the carriers (who can sell larger data plans), Rosenbaum believes that companies like his are feeding a need, although where it’s going isn’t clear just yet. “Why lifecasting is so critical to what we do, and what we [as individuals] find entertaining, and why [someone like Jeff Hibbard or Little Bear and Geronimo] broadcast and why you might become a fan and subscribe to their RSS feed is a work in progress in terms of where the storytelling business is going to be and where all this technology fits in,” he says. Rosenbaum and others like him want to put the tools into the hands of regular users (the Trumans of the world) to see what happens. He explains that in the early days of streaming media, content was owned and controlled by big publishing companies simply because they could afford the tools. “Jeff Hibbard comes to Magnify.net, puts a camera in his truck, and he is lifecasting for free. That changes everything,” he says. Putting the ability to stream video live and share that video with others certainly could be very powerful. For Jeff Hibbard broadcasts from his truck to his website on Magnify.net. He shares revenue from the text ads with Magnify.net. A husband and wife team built this site from a desire to share videos among members of the Native American community. or getting income from the phone manufacturers because, as Roy points out, once people start making videos and sharing them, they get hooked and want a better phone with a better camera. Where Is This All Going? There does seem to be a sustainable business model for this type of streaming, but it’s still too early to say if it can be successful in the long term. Brogan says that some vendors might have gotten ahead of themselves, but that the potential to make money is still definitely out there. “I think everyone thought in 2007 that we were going to magically get rich making videos, and now that it hasn’t really happened, we have to go back, and some of the people who are trying to make a business out of this are going to have to reassess and figure out where the real value statement is that goes along with this potential business.” He adds that lifecasters are probably not thinking that way right now because they are simply passionate about making videos and using the tools. In fact, he thinks most users today are more interested in building a personal brand than building a business. now, it’s a bit like the early days of blogging. While there is some interesting stuff out there, there is also a lot of mundane material and starts and stops—real life in raw form. As Brogan points out, real life is not always that interesting. So as with the early days of blogs, it has to sort itself out. Just as we got beyond personal blogs about apartment hunting and what the writer had for lunch, it is entirely likely that lifecasting will evolve into something more interesting. It’s entirely possible that at some point, someone will broadcast his or her entire life, as in The Truman Show, only that person will be the producer in his or her own private video—we can go along for the ride, if we wish. For the companies providing the tools and the servers, they believe there is money to be made in this space or they wouldn’t be doing it. While it remains to be seen if this can be a profitable venture, the potential is huge and the future looks bright. Ron S. Miller (ronsmiller@ronsmiller.com) is a freelance technology writer based in Massachussetts. Comments? Email us at letters@streamingmedia.com, or check the masthead for other ways to contact us. WWW.STREAMINGMEDIA.COM 53 http://Magnify.net http://Magnify.net http://WWW.STREAMINGMEDIA.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Streaming Media - August/September 2008

Streaming Media - August/September 2008 Table of Contents No Doubt - Editor's Note Mo’ Videos, Mo’ Money: Solving the Problem of Network Cost Why Good Design Matters More Than Ever: Just. Press. Play. Technology and Business Trends by the Numbers High-Touch Encoding With Microsoft Expression Encoder 2 The State of the Content Delivery Market, 2008 Get a Life: New Tools Put Lifecasting Within Anyone’s Reach So Many Codecs, So Little Time: Comparing H.264 Files Using Codecs From Apple, Dicas, and MainConcept Writing an RFP for Maximum ROI: Things to Consider and Questions to Ask When Writing a Request for Proposal for a Corporate Webcasting System The Patent Wars Producing Screencams in Camtasia Studio Analyze That Using Video to Communicate Change for Business Success Intellectuals’ Property Rights

Streaming Media - August/September 2008

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