Reaching Your Audience: A Practical Guide to Online Video Distribution

Reaching Your Audience
A Practical Guide to
Online Video Distribution
White paper
Online video is becoming more and more widespread, To develop a video distribution strategy that fits your and the nature of its audience is rapidly changing. publishing goals, it is essential to fully understand the eMarketer predicts that before the end of 2008, over range of online video options available. Having a clear one-half of the US popuation will have watched video picture of the challenges and benefits presented by each
on the Internet and that by 2009 more than 80% of all video distribution scheme is critical to making the right Internet users will be video viewers. decision for your organization's video distribution needs.
As the volume and demographic profile of the people This white paper is designed to serve as a guide who access online video changes, content owners, to understanding the various approaches to video producers, and Web publishers are experimenting with distribution, and to help you establish an a variety of online distribution strategies. Some are online video distribution strategy that fitsdiscovering new ways to access their audience directly your company's goals.for the first time, while others find themselves displaced by a new breed of video publishers who play by new rules.2
Introduction
The Distribution Mindset Media companies with a "distribution" mindset work hard to provide Historically, both approaches have been legitimate paths to success. their viewers with the most convenient possible access to their Media companies with restrictive strategies have enjoyed the prestige online video. These companies do every thing they can to create of exclusivity and higher margins, while those that distribute widely value by closing the gap between their content and their audience. have happily traded lower margins for impressive volume and brand If your business succeeds by making your content available in a ubiquity. It is important to consider which approach your variety of formats across multiple screens and devices then you are organization is currently taking. Perhaps more importantly, you operating with a distribution mindset. should also consider whether the factors and concerns that led your company to choose this approach still apply in today's ever-changing Media companies with a "restrictive" mindset, on the other hand, online video environment. increase the gap between their content and their audience-whether they intend to or not. They do this by offering only limited For example, have your competitors found better ways to add value editions of their content for purchase, by retaining exclusive rights to their content by making it easier to access? Have they reduced to content, or severely restricting access to distribution channels. their discovery costs? Have they placed their content in a context that In general, the only companies who can succeed with this mindset is more directly relevant to your shared audience's interests? If so, are those with phenomenal content and powerful brands that can you may inadvertently find yourself in a relatively restrictive position convince their audience it's worth the extra effort and expense to within your market despite your best intentions. This could cost you find and view their content. your audience.
To develop a distribution mindset, it's crucial to understand how online video distribution works, and to know how to make the changes that are required to compete in today's market. This white paper is intended to outline the tools and distribution strategies available to help you meet your online video objectives.
We've divided the material into the following sections: Benefits of Online Video Distribution Online Video Distribution Strategies Popular Monetization Models Strategic Considerations Worksheet Conclusion
© 2008 Brightcove Inc. All rights reserved.3
The Benefits of Online Video Distribution
Most successful businesses are good at serving their target market. Drive On-Site TrafficHowever, there are still millions of untapped customers that simply Distributed video can drive traffic back to your website and increase cannot be reached in traditional ways with traditional resources. your on-site advertising impressions. Post-roll suggestions for related Video content ... [download for more]