Now that it has officially launched, I’m happy to introduce VidCompare, a new web service that has officially today is designed to be your business decision tool for searching and comparing online video platforms. It should be noted upfront that VidCompare is the brainchild of Kris Drey, who fully discloses that professionally he is actually VP of product marketing at Fliqz, an Emeryville, California-based online video platform (OVP), a fact that is bound to raise many eyebrows. So why would an OVP executive launch a company that compares other OVPs, isn’t that a conflict of interest? I asked Kris that very question in a featured interview about why he launched VidCompare, how will the site will work and what’s the overall goal of VidCompare.Kris believes that the current methodology of searching for an OVP through Google is broken and that the industry needed a better way for consumers to find the right services and platform for their online video products. He also very passionate about the space and launched VidCompare separate from his day job and funded it out of his own pocket completely independent of Fliqz.
The VidCompare website says:
"Whether you are a VP of Marketing for a large company or a CEO of a start-up, VidCompare is designed to help you find the perfect provider for your business in an unbiased, and vendor-neutral manner. We offer helpful tools like user reviews, side-by-side comparisons, and detailed provider information saving you time and money by doing the research and homework for you, removing the guesswork from what can be a difficult and important decision for your company."VidCompare at its core is a marketplace for educating users, driving high quality leads and a community of online video platforms. While the site is based on search and discovery — with the goal to promote the network layer stack that has the most direct contact with the content creators of the millions of video web sites, which according to Cisco video will account for over 91% of global consumer traffic by 2013 — VidCompare brings together the OVP market into a community and every company that’s included in VidCompare’s growing database will be given private access to update and promote their profiles.
OVPs are becoming more focused on a wide array of capabilities from content management, encoding, advertising, syndication and monetization. But for the customer who may be new to online video it can be confusing to decide what components they need and what’s the added value that OVPs bring.
As the market further expands and more choices become available, education will be key for online media consumers to make strategic buying decisions. VidCompare can help with the necessary tools to search, compare and make an educated purchase. Read more about the features available VidCompare in the interview with founder Kris Drey
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