Just learned on TechCrunch Europe that the London based company Swiffen got some funding for their video monetization platform invideous which allows content publishers to charge viewers by minute, view or monthly subscription.
invideous also offer in video hot spots and an e-commerce sollution.
For now invideous works with video content hosted by Brightcove and the JW Player but there are plans to make the plugin player agnostic. The reason besides attracting more publishers for this is that invideous is offering the user an account he/she can charge up and then watch any content that is behind a invideos paywall. Hence the more player types are supported the better for the network.
The setup process is rather simple but still needs some basic skills in locating files on your own server, adding some lines to a code etc. Sparkeo which I covered on this blog an in my EDUKWEST series offers a similar service to monetize educational content. On the Sparkeo platform you simply upload your video file similar to YouTube or any other video hosting platform and the service will do the rest providing you with a player in which the payment system is embeded. But of course Sparkeo is taking a commission of 30% whereas invideous will surely take a lower one as the files are hosted on the publisher’s side.
Therefore if you are already hosting your own content on your website or via Brightcove invideous might actually be a very interesting alternative for your business. The installation of the plugin is done in 3 steps if you are using the JW Player for example. It lacks of course the features Sparkeo offers like annotating the video, contacting the teacher etc but I am sure there is a JW Player plugin for that.
All in all it is nice to see another company going to premium video content. Steve O’Hear doubts that people will watch a video with a meter ticking in the back and I tend to agree. I think this feature is there to draw the buyers attention on the far better subscription deal and most users will probably take this offer. At least in education because if you found a video teacher that suits your needs you are most likely to watch all of the videos anyway so a monthly subscription makes sense. Students also choose lesson packages rather than single lessons.
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