blip.tv new version was a great opportunity to have a short phone interview with Dina Kaplan, blip.tv COO, and learn a bit more about their vision.
I have to admit that I have a weak spot for Blip. Unlike most companies, they are really out there with the community. Though derived from a clear business agenda, it is still impressive to see their commitment to this segment.
Furthermore, while Blip could have taken the popular direction of viral user generated content, they focused on mid tail, semi professional and professional episodic content. Add that to the fact that there is no copyright infringing material on their site - and you have a different kind of player in the saturated video sharing market.
In our call we reviewed the new player, which allows viewers to watch episodes of their favorite shows in one flow. This feature give a TV like experience to viewers, or as Justin Day, Blip’s CTO, noted, let people fall asleep in front of Blip - does anyone need something more than that for TV experience?
Blip also released a new ad product that adds a non intrusive ad to the lower part of the video feed:
Blip are in a very competitive market. With Veoh new products out there, new video sharing sites launching by the day, and no clear technology advantage to any of the main market players, it is hard to forecast who will win the market.
However, as Dina (who had her Bat Mitzvah at Masada) said: “we believe the key is to stay humble, work with the community, and learn from others”.
In a market where technology doesn’t provide competitive advantage, this down to earth approach might well be the key to Blip’s success.
Technorati Tags: blip.tv, dina kaplan, justin day, veoh, internet TV, video sharing, video ad
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Very cool and thanks for the heads up on this great post! I so agree that they are in the competitive market for sure! Anytime anyone ask who I use for videos and I proudly tell them blip!
I think the focus on building an niche with professional content that does not contain copyright issues is a great way to go. The professional midtail can bring in ad dollars that will produce more dollars per video show than the amateur videos out at the end of the long tail. Sites like Youtube can make money off the long tail videos but the creators of longtail videos will not see the dollars. They are there not for the money but for the “love” of the content (amateur from amÄtor = lover).