Live from ________, it’s (my) Saturday night.
Yesterday we talked about the new iPhone and its addition of video. On the surface, it may not seem like that big of a deal (This is the point in the conversation where you say, “My old Razor shot video, what’s the big deal?”). Well, it’s actually huge. Why so big? Two words: Live video.
For a while now, a few companies have been fighting it out for streaming mobile video dominance. Most notably: uStream, Qik, Kyte, Flixwagon, and LiveCast. Their success or failure is really dependent on two variables: 1) level of their platforms/technology and 2) consumer access. With the arrival of the new iPhone, and everyone who will buy one, these players just got a major boost on the second point.
So why is this important to you? A lot of reasons. Let’s look at three.
News coverage – Sat trucks and network television will now be replaced by millions of backpack journalists and their cell phones. I was originally going to entitle this post “CNN is Screwed” but judging from their willingness to embrace new media (and save a few bucks), they’ll more than likely use this to their advantage. Right, Anderson Cooper?
Personal coverage – Little Jenny just graduated from college. Cool, right? Except half her family lives cross country. What to do? Whip out your cell phone and stream it for all to see… live as it happens. Post it live for all your friends to see on your Social Net. Qik has already partnered with Facebook for mobile video uploads, but they’re not offering live video updates… yet. It’s just a matter of time. Can you say live video status updates? And you thought uploading those photos from your drunken Friday night was a bad idea.
Branded coverage – Imagine extending the life of an event or or promotion by simply having your audience share the experience live with their friends. Suddenly a 2,000-person event just became a 2,000,000-person event as each attendee shares their video with 100 friends on Facebook. Imagine having consumers in Times Square/Piccadilly/Shinjuku uploading live video to the D.O.O.H. boards as they sample your products. Stop imagining. It’s happening.
Just like most technologies, the possibilities are endless, and there will always be smart brands who take advantage of this technology. But the real question isn’t “When is it going to take off?” but rather “Where will you be when it does?” I don’t know about you, but I know where I will be.