Mashable recently blogged about an updated version of Justin.tv that completely integrates MySpace, Facebook and Twitter across their website and more importantly, on their video pages. In a previous blog entry, we mentioned that real-time interactive video sites like Justin.tv and Ustream would be the next big thing in terms of integrating video and social media. In fact, Ustream has already taken this a step further with integration of Mobile, Video and Social Media on their recently released iPhone App.
It’s not a news flash that Interactive Video is poised to be the next huge growth area online and with YouTube’s recent move towards Premium content over User Generated Content these real-time social video communitiesshould see even more explosive growth. The new social video sites allow both a one-to-one and one-to-many interaction that happens in real time. Factor in the ability to go mobile with social video and you then have the ability to broadcast anytime, anywhere and to anyone you choose. That is powerful.
YouTube has now decided that in order to survive, they’re going to need to offer premium content like Hulu. This isn’t a surprise considering that YouTube has struggled to monetize videos on their site, but what is surprising is the manner in which YouTube is changing their fundamental design – by featuring more premium, commercial content. UGC content, which is the backbone of YouTube, is now relegated to a secondary role on the site. Sure 99.5% of the community videos on YouTube are barely watchable crap but it’s OUR barely watchable crap. How will the new HuluTube community respond? Most likely, they’ll move on to another platform or community where they feel their voice can be heard and aren’t reduced to second fiddle.
So what other video networks might this ostracized flock migrate to? My guess is there will be an uptick in members on some of the other UGC based online video sites like Veoh and Vimeo. However, I think the real winners out there will be the interactive online video sites like Justin.TV and Ustream. Ustream is already one of the top 5 most visited online video sites globally after YouTube and its recent announcement of its iPhone app has it poised to be the next gen heir to HuluTube’s crown.
IMO, the same shift and explosive growth we saw with real time interaction like Twitter is a similar shift that’s already occurring with interactive real-time video like Ustream.
We Are Organized Chaos (WAOC) is Zugara’s (www.zugara.com) interactive marketing and advertising blog where we’ll be featuring some great projects and discussing upcoming trends in the digital world. Work — good and bad — will be critiqued. Hope you’ll enjoy reading our insights and thoughts on interactive.
