Move Networks’ New CEO on Monetizing Internet Video
Ed Gubbins – Telephony Online | July 20, 2009
Two-year-old Move Networks is following an ambitious plan to move the telecom industry toward business models that finally monetize so-called “over-the-top” Internet content rather than let it cannibalize video subscriptions. The company’s downloadable media player authenticates existing video subscribers and allows them to watch some content online. But the company’s new chief executive officer, Roxanne Austin (the former chief operating officer of DirecTV) says service providers can go further than the free online models discussed today, ultimately turning Internet video into new incremental revenue streams.
On the evolution of Internet video business models: We’re at a unique time. We’re finally talking about getting paid for content on the Internet. It’s one of the reasons I came [to Move] at this stage. We’ve been talking in this industry for a long time about video on the Internet, in phases. We went from, “it’s all going to be free” to “it’s going to be user-generated content” to “it’s going to be professional content paid for by advertising.” Now people are saying there’s going to be video everywhere…