Mobile Video in 2011
Services and Carriers
There are thousands of services, apps, and software that we use on a daily basis to consume and create video, but there are the few that deserve an extra look as we go forward in 2011.
Netflix is the hands-down winner of 2010. It is the must-have app for your device. It is one of the few online video services that cracked the code of charging for a service, bridging relationships with old media, and delighting customers. Having the most anticipated apps regardless of platform makes this a company to watch in 2011.
AT&T is a toss up for 2011. While it was ranked by Consumer Reports as having the worst service in the U.S., it has been trying to beef up its networks. With the looming rumors of a Verizon iPhone coming soon, its smartphone dependency may be coming to an end. With a recent focus on Android and Windows Phone 7 devices, it may save itself.
If you are a phone carrier and you are offering your own branded “TV” service, please stop. I understand it was a business decision to add revenue by charging users for cool video features, but they are all pretty bad. You had a chance; now let everybody get back to watching video how they want to via an app or browser.
Final Thoughts
The thirst for tools to watch and create video will only continue to increase in 2011. The fragmentation of devices and platforms means that you either have to be very narrow and serve your niche audience or be very wide and serve every customer on every device. Choose wisely and remember, you can’t please all the people all the time. Carriers will continue to lose control over their customers unless they can create value beyond being an ISP. It will be interesting to see who will follow in Google’s footsteps and offer hardware and service directly to customers. As phones get bigger and tablets get smaller, the definition of a mobile device will continue to grow. More and more gadgets will allow people to connect, watch, create, and interact with the world. If 2010 was radical, I can’t even imagine how we will define 2011.
This article originally ran in the 2011 Streaming Media Industry Sourcebook as "Video On-the-Go: The State of Mobile Video.