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The Rise of the Internetwork

Posted by timothy on from the microcasting dept.

Thomas Hawk writes "The Seattle Times is out with an article today profiling Jeremy Allaire, the founder of a new internet television company called Brightcove along with, well, a program on 'hog cooking' to be broadcast on the Barbeque Network by DaveTV. DaveTV and Brightcove, along with companies like Akimbo, Total Vid, Open Media Network and OurMedia are part of a growing new group of companies called internetworks that are seeking to compete with regular network television and offer alternative niche video content. Look for these offerings in your living room through platforms like TiVo and Microsoft's Media Center shortly."

6 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Annoying term by KillerDeathRobot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Does anyone else find the term "Internetworks" annoying? After all, internet basically is short for internetwork already.

    --
    Thinkin' Lincoln - a web comic of presidential proportions
  2. The next logical step after podcasting by bsandersen · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It seems reasonable that the next step after podcasting would be to add video and then look for outlets like these to be the distribution medium. it might also be a welcomed new outlet for independent film makers who are left only with IFC and a few other places for their films, especially "shorts" (films typically under 30 minutes).

    At last, perhaps there will be more than "500 channels and nothing on".

    -- Scott

    1. Re:The next logical step after podcasting by MrAndrews · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I'll be interested to see how this turns out. For music, you're used to the same songs being on several stations, because the content isn't tied to a distribution outlet. For video and film, usually only see Lost on ABC, and you are made to associate ABC with "new fresh shows", despite the myriad of producers behind the scenes. If you have 5,000 producers all able to cast, how are they going to group themselves, and WILL they choose to group themselves? In this venue, you don't need to pool your resources to get to someone's TV, you just have to work with whatever standards emerge. I can't wait to see if some sort of powerhouse brand turns up to hold all the hip new 'net content together...

      --
      The world's only surviving livewriter.
  3. Another one by MrAndrews · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Not big and commercial, but maybe paired with MythTV or some other kind of box, it could take off... http://participatoryculture.org/

    I still prefer the term "nichecasting" for this kind of idea (microcasting implies "small"), and it's particularly cool when you look at it from a Long Tail perspective. So if we can [n]cast for virtually no cost, all we need to do is create stuff for virutally no cost. RvB is still, I think, the best example of that kind project. Does anyone know of any other FOSE[ntertainment] out there?

    --
    The world's only surviving livewriter.
  4. Re:The ties that bind. by CSMastermind · · Score: 4, Interesting

    No. The software that drives this revolution has been in the making for years. In fact corporations are fighting the switch to online programming hard. Their conservative stance that has made them so against change has for years has also left them wrong on every decision about content distrubution through the years.

    This was foreshadowed by the Napster fight. The difference is that the television market is too diversified for any single group to put it in a chokehold. This means that home produced shows are able to make way into the home. In the end that means the consumer will win and eventually big business will come in and take over the market but until then be prepared for large corporations to fight this to no end.

  5. How this industry will shape up by CSMastermind · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Here's just some oberservaions and predictions about how this industry will shape up:

    1) We'll see the wide spread use of the internet slowly transform it into huge single communications network. Everything, telephonery, telivision, and radio will be done online.

    2) We will finally see the advent of video telephones like in the Jetsons

    3) This switch to the new distrubion medium will shatter traditional industry and decentralize content production.

    4) The decentalization will lead to a decrease in professionalism and for the first years the content will suffer a decline in quality.

    5) Online media interst groups will emerge offering higher quality content and reintroduce large corparations into the industry.

    6) News types of content will result from the above processes and...

    7) Maybe 50 years from now the internet will be free to all.

    I don't know just some things I think will happen....