Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Brightcove Brings Its Ad-Supported Videos To Vudu Set-Top Boxes

Streaming video platform Brightcove has added another partner to its
already-impressive group of associates. Vudu, purveyors of fine
set-top boxes, have struck up a deal to stream Brightcove-associated
content. Brightcove has, at last count, about twenty-one trillion API
partners, and delivers video for big names like AOL and the NY Times.
Those aren't available on the Vudu box yet, though; it's just
launching now and the first (and only) video service to hit is Sony's
MyPlay, through which you'll be able to watch Sony Music videos to
your heart's content. Joy of joys!

Of course, it's just a matter of the right people to sign on the right
dotted lines to get other Brightcove-supported sites and services onto
the Vudu. Ad-supported content is being tentatively embraced by big
media, which is almost certainly a good thing, and this is one of the
first real forays into pushing it onto a set-top box. A year ago, I
would have considered the idea of Sony letting me stream their content
onto my TV for free a ridiculous notion, but here we are. Pleasant
surprises are mighty rare in this sector.

The battle for the top of the TV set (or in the closet nearby for
wifi-enabled ones like the Vudu) is getting pretty heated, and major
deals like this tip the balance of power significantly. Plus, it ends
up being good for the consumer as they pack more and more into a box
you already paid for.

We've just got our one screenshot for now, but tomorrow we'll try to
put up some video so you can see how she handles.

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