Justin Edmead launched
TDot TV several years ago as a lifestyle and entertainment site in the Toronto area. He's a 12 year IT Professional/Web Developer who's had a similar journey as most high tech software engineers/entrepreneurs with a career that has spanned several sectors including education, consumer goods, government, and Entertainment. I met Justin through Twitter and we've exchanged a number of messages around the video industry and Online Video Platforms (OVPs). Recently, we had an interesting conversation on Twitter about his exhausting process of selecting an OVP to power the video on his lifestyle video destination site. Justin wanted to replace the platform he built on his own with a scalable hosted video solution. He ultimately selected
Brightcove and explained his rationale in a series of 140 character messages which we exchanged over the course of a few hours. Justin sent me a Tweet a few days prior to that, saying he was close to completing his process of selecting an OVP which started with searching
VidCompare, the online video platform comparison site.
There are over 80+ OVPs that are tracked by VidCompare and each one offers great value to the many customers both large and small. This post is not an endorsement of any one platform over another. It is presented as case study of a publisher who went through the process of comparing and selecting an OVP that was the right fit for his video portal. Justin learned a lot in the process and openly shared his findings with me and the Twitterverse through our open conversation.
The OVP space continues to evolve with new providers coming into the market and others falling out. Each have expanded their offerings, pricing packages and capabilities, and we'll see more innovation as well as consolidation throughout the year.
In a recent interview with Fierce Online Video, Ooyala CEO Jay Fulcher forecasted that half of the OVPs will be out of business by the end of the year.
According to VidCompare,
an Online Video Platform Provider (OVPP) is:
"typically a SaaS (software as a service) solution providing end-to-end tools to manage, publish and measure online video content for both on-demand and live delivery. Typical components of an OVPP include video hosting, encoding, custom players, syndication, analytics, as well as interactivity and monetization through a variety of online advertising options typically 3rd-party ad-servers/networks. Most OVPPs offer scalable product packages for both self-serve SMB publishers up to large media companies."
Following our exchange, I asked Justin to provide a little background on how he got started in online video to help give our Twitter interview some context. Here's what he shared:
"In the Summer of 2003 a friend introduced me to the idea of putting video online. It wasn't previously on my mind at that time but I definitely saw the possibilities. It is at this time that I started giving thought to launching my own media company based exclusively on online video. Up until this point my dream was to develop a piece of software and have a million people buy it, so I was a little hesitant about engaging & managing human resources.
I took all of 2004 to think through the concept for TDot TV and whether or not it was something I wanted to pursue. The concept behind online video was so compelling that the idea wouldn't leave me. I took this as a sign that this was an opportunity I had no choice but to take. I also realized that my expertise in technology would enable me to enter into the online video business faster and at a lower cost than others. Mind you, at this time there really wasn't an Online Video industry to speak of so I developed our first video player myself. Our first team was assembled in the Fall of 2005 and TDot TV's first segment appeared online in the Summer of 2006. Since then our recognition and reputation in Canada's largest media market (Toronto) has grown rapidly.
I am considered one of the pioneers in the Greater Toronto Area (and perhaps Canada) in using online video for the delivery of local entertainment & lifestyle programming. We were seriously courted by a much bigger media company prior to the recession of 2008, and are now being courted by a large Canadian publication for a content partnership. We have established relationships with the biggest Publicists and Public Relations firms in Toronto and are regularly sought out as the "online component" of their promotion/PR strategies. This growth has necessitated improvements to, and the streamlining of our video content management process. We have been performing manual content updates which are labor intensive and have had an impact on productivity. I scoured the Online Video Platform industry for a solution and settled on Brightcove."
Here's the actual Twitter stream of our conversation from several weeks ago:
JustinEdmead @klessblog You crossed my mind earlier - several Online Video Platform Vendors asked me for feedback as to why I chose @Brightcove #OVP8:29 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog The path to @Brightcove was quite interesting. I started surveying the OVP landscape at @VidCompare and came up with a list.8:52 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog Of the 80+ OVP listed on @VidCompare , I short listed the following: Kaltura, Fliqz, Delve, Twistage, Oooyala, Brightcove & VMIX8:54 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead@klessblog Let me back-up a step: Before the short list I had to get a good understanding of what our needs were in an OVP tool. #OVP8:55 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Of course, needs assessment is key to help clarifying your goals. #OVP8:57 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog ....monetization tools such as pre-roll, dynamic playlists, the opportunity to white label the player, tagging, permalinks etc.8:59 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog A current site deficiency is that we could never provide PR folks with a link directly to their story - cost us traffic9:01 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead In your business, PR traffic is key and something you needed to fix. Make it easier for them to find/share your content. #OVP9:04 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog After the needs assessment phase, I started looking at various Vendor packages and organizing product demos and trials. #OVP9:03 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead How about ease of use? Do you have an IT group to help with integration?9:01 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog I am the IT group! lol I'm a 12 year IT Professional so I evaluated the ease of integration and other technical details myself.9:06 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog Testing driving the tools was important because after all of the sales spin it allows you to really dig deep.9:07 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Test driving the #OVP is smart. They all offer free trials.9:05 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog One of the key questions was "Is the tool I'm demoing reflective of the package I'm considering?" - the old bait & switch :)9:08 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Gr8! You really do need to get beyond the sales spin. How did others in your group play into the decision making process? #OVP9:09 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog Involving my VP Marketing in the selection process was key. I'm the Technologist and she's the marketing/branding expert9:13 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog The branding opportunities provided by the tools such as logo overlays were essential requirements for her. #OVP9:14 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog Speaking of sales spin - one Sales Rep described embed code as "syndication" - He's technically not wrong but a stretch! #OVP9:15 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Interesting point about embed codes, they enable syndication. #OVP :)9:18 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog In the final analysis Brightcove was giving us most of what we were looking for at the best price & they're an industry leader.9:18 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog One Vendor required us to get into a higher end package to get HD. Another wanted you to go higher end to get playlists. #OVP9:19 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Are you mainly publishing video on online? Or did you look at mobile, HTML5 or iPad?9:19 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead Great question RT @klessblog: @JustinEdmead Are you mainly publishing video on online? Or did you look at mobile, HTML5 or iPad?9:20 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck
JustinEdmead @klessblog We publish mainly online but we are looking at mobile video delivery as well - Brightcove has an iPhone SDK9:21 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog For us to take any Online Video Platform seriously they'd better either have an HTML 5 video solution ready or in the works9:23 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog Brightcove and Kaltura have showed true leadership by bringing HTML 5 solutions to the market quickly. #OVP9:24 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Sounds like the whole #OVP selection process was very educational. How did you weed out the other ones?9:24 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog The weeding out process started with cost - Vendors not within our budget were eliminated quickly. One conversation or email.9:25 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead I agree, with the release of the iPad today, all#OVP providers should offer a HTML5 solution. 10 Mil may be sold in 2010.9:26 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead RT @klessblog: I agree, with the release of the iPad today, all #OVP providers should offer a HTML5 solution. 10 Mil may be sold in 2010.9:27 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck
JustinEdmead @klessblog Weeding out got much harder after dealing with cost. This is where evaluating the trial version was worth the time & effort.9:28 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead How many #OVP providers did you have left after eliminating the ones outside your budget?9:30 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
RT @JustinEdmead: @klessblog Brightcove and Kaltura have showed true leadership by bringing HTML 5 solutions to the market quickly. #OVP9:31 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck
JustinEdmead @klessblog After eliminating based on budget, he came down to four Vendors: Kaltura, Brightcove, Delve and Fliqz9:34 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog I should also add that another key criteria was a clear and easy migrating path between packages. #OVP9:35 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead A migration path for scaling your operation is definitely a key criteria. #OVP9:37 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog Kaltura wanted a sizeable professional service fee for Ad Network integration with their platform.9:38 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog Delve's package structure provides HD capabilities at a higher price point than Brightcove Express.9:40 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog Fliqz won't give you playlist functionality until around the $500/month mark9:41 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Interesting that each of those 3 #OVP required you to pay more for those features.9:44 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog Agreed. Their pricing structures in relation to they're market position made my choice of @Brightcove fairly easy. #OVP9:46 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog I think @Brightcove's introduction of the Express packages was game changing and the other Vendors have been napping. :)9:47 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Did you read the Forrester Wave #OVP report to help you with your decision on those 4 OVPs?http://bit.ly/cm8uNq9:45 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck
JustinEdmead @klessblog I did read the @forrester #OVP report as a research input. I asked the Delve Sales Rep why they weren't in there9:50 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
JustinEdmead @klessblog The other Vendors thought they were giving me a great deal by offering to price match. Not satisfactory as Non Market Leaders.9:52 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Agreed. It was a smart move for @Brightcove to release Express. They responded to customer demand for a starter package. #OVP9:49 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog Brightcove gives me peace of mind that as shifts in the Online Video industry occur they'll be prepared & ready. Not only cost9:53 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Cool, several #OVP providers made the report available for free. @newteevee criticized it here.http://bit.ly/1j49uP9:51 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog Thanks for the link - Delve criticized the report too - suggesting to me that those Vendors paid their way into the report! :)9:55 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead We'll definitely see more shifts in the #OVP market. As the IT dept. , peace of mind is key to your success. Not just cost.9:58 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog I'm blown away by this convo with you! 4+ years ago there was no #OVP industry & I built my own video player myself! #Veteran9:58 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead I know what you mean, the #OVP industry was just one comapny 4+ years ago. Now we can buy vs. build.10:00 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead RT @klessblog: @JustinEdmead I know what you mean, the #OVP industry was just one company 4+ years ago. Now we can buy vs. build.10:02 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck
@JustinEdmead There were other video companies 4+ years ago but primarily for enterprise streaming. Most have fallen by the wayside. #OVP10:03 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
@JustinEdmead I'm surprised no one from @Brightcove has RT this convo. Great case study for their platform. ;)10:05 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog lol - I'm sure Brightcove will be doing some retweets in the days to come! :)10:07 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead I noticed Ooyala wasn't in your top four #OVP list. How did they stack up against the rest?10:08 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog Ooyala is a best of breed tool as well but it looks like they don't have any offerings for the lower end of the market. #OVP10:11 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead I agree that Ooyala is a best of breed #OVP and also that they don't have a low cost package. Indie starter is $500/mo. #OVP10:16 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
@JustinEdmead How important is video SEO to your video initiatives? Was that a criteria in your #OVP search?10:11 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog Video SEO was a consideration though not a principle one. We hope that features like permalink will go a long way towards SEO10:20 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead There's a lot you can do with video SEO. @Brightcove has a white paper that may help.http://bit.ly/bE8b0n #OVP10:22 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog Our website is being rebuilt on @drupal, so Brightcove could hook into the CMS to take advantage of some of Drupal's SEO features10:22 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Great, there are a gazillion SEO modules for @Drupal. #OVP10:25 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog Thanks for the tip! Now that the purchase decision has been made I'm ramping up on all the white papers I can find. :)10:24 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Quick plug for @reelseo as a great resource for video seo, marketing, #OVP news #onlinevideo tips, tricks, trends, and more.10:28 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
@JustinEdmead Plus I post articles on @reelseo too! Got one up there now on the latest #OVP news! :)10:30 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead RT @klessblog: @JustinEdmead Plus I post articles on @reelseo too! Got one up there now on the latest #OVP news! :)10:31 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck
JustinEdmead @klessblog Thanks for the links - this is exactly why I had to#FF you! :)10:32 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Thanks! It's been great to chat with you. Would love to turn this into a blog post about choosing an#OVP. Could we follow up?10:34 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead @klessblog Absolutely! It would be great to share my experience with others.10:36 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Awesome! My thoughts exactly. I'll ping you so we can break out of the 140 character limit. It's been fun! :)#OVP10:40 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
JustinEdmead@klessblog Sounds good - good night!10:46 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to klessblog
@JustinEdmead Thanks, It's beena real pleasure! Good night to you too. :)10:49 PM Apr 3rd via TweetDeck in reply to JustinEdmead
Following this conversation, we heard from Ooyala..
@ Ooyala's self-serve platform has usage based pricing. Only pay for the video that is consumed. Sign up @ ooyala.com3:56 PM Apr 4th via web in reply to klessblogOoyala also followed up with this announcement which announced scalable pricing packages:
New Ooyala Blog Post: Simplified Pricing and Platform Enhancements http://bit.ly/axhQxG
Justin Edmead launched TDot TV several years ago as a lifestyle and entertainment site in the Toronto area. He's a 12 year IT Professional/Web Developer who's had a similar journey as most high tech software engineers/entrepreneurs with a career that has spanned several sectors including education, consumer goods, government, and Entertainment. I met Justin through Twitter and we've exchanged a number of messages around the video industry and Online Video Platforms (OVPs). Recently, we had an interesting conversation on Twitter about his exhausting process of selecting an OVP to power the video on his lifestyle video destination site. Justin wanted to replace the platform he built on his own with a scalable hosted video solution. He ultimately selected Brightcove and explained his rationale in a series of 140 character messages which we exchanged over the course of a few hours. Justin sent me a Tweet a few days prior to that, saying he was close to completing his process of selecting an OVP which started with searching VidCompare, the online video platform comparison site.
