Around the Net
The Rise Of Streaming
- The New York Times, Monday, August 6, 2007 11 AM
Nothing says "long tail" like streaming video services. Indeed, as streaming technology gets faster and resolution gets sharper, audiences will be smaller and more narrowly defined, giving way to
a long tail featuring everything from Jewish Television Network programming to independent films by R&B artists. We may be in the midst of a content explosion as users transition from watching analog
cable television to Web-based video technologies.
For consumers and content owners, streaming technology is the preferred method of video delivery because the content never resides on
a user's computer, which is why video often cannot be replayed after viewing it. That's a major reason why content owners like streaming video--it's perfect for embedding ads because users can't fast
forward as easily.
The rise of broadband Web connections-some 47% of American households have high-speed Internet-coincides with the rise of streaming technology. Even DVD rental services like Netflix are starting to offer streaming on-demand content. Netflix users can now push a "Watch Now" tab and within 30 seconds start streaming up to 3,000 TV shows and movies. ReelTime, for example, operates in a P2P environment, pulling previously streamed data from other users' computers in addition to delivering content straight from its servers.
