Look at broadband and video on demand

Look at broadband and video on demand

If the popularity of the broadband in the stage, the access to the business is a niche, then VOD type of video-on-demand services can be regarded as the red actress. Casually walk into an access office, the owner will proudly declare: Who said we do not have value-added services? We have vod!. Then I went on to demonstrate that they have several movies, several TV dramas, several MTV ... The conclusion is also simple: the Access Service coupled with VOD-oriented value-added services is the basic business model of broadband

, absolutely guaranteed to earn not to compensate.

Unfortunately, there is always a distance between reality and ideal, sometimes this distance will make people bones, there is always a gap between reality and dream, sometimes this gap is enough to make people lose their shirt. At present, a spectacle on the broadband arena is the most popular actors have not done network information services, and some even the internet is not familiar with, and have done or still dry ICP this line of people generally take a cautious attitude, will not easily debut. In addition to the astringent in the bag, in addition to the reasons for internal and external turmoil, insiders ' caution has come from the lessons of the past few years: a seemingly beautiful business model often does not work in reality, or the time, money, talent, technology, management and market capacity needed to achieve this business model is beyond the reach of its own level, The result is the roadside in the rough journey leading to profit.

Is VOD a broadband value-added service? Of course it is.

Can video on-demand become the core of broadband value-added services? Of course I can.

The question is how, and how, in my opinion, a broadband-service company has at least three difficult choices to make:

A solo show or a blossom

Now operators often say that video on demand in fact, mainly refers to the film and television on demand, the display of the site is basically ordinary text pages add a video studio or a television channel. Here do not see as the core of the Internet as an interactive function of the universal application, do not see the multimedia outside the film and television applications, but also do not see the supposed more colorful other network information services. Broadband brings only the increase in speed and the ability to play film and television, in other words, broadband plus video on demand for people can be a proactive cable TV channels. Is it worth the fuss about this?

In fact, film and television on demand without broadband can do, and 10几 years ago in Europe and the United States widely promoted. If a local telecom and a local limited TV can work together, the telephone system and the limited television system a little transformation, should soon be able to launch without the internet on-demand services, and more money than the construction of broadband, technology simple, more reliable service, the hope of making money is much more. Therefore, broadband access and video on demand is not new, hoping that from the telecom, limited TV and pirated DVD market share a scoop of the hope is not much chance.

In addition, the broadband run film and television such a single show of value-added service model is not only the wrong choice of competitors, but also ignores the mainstream broadband market and the basic needs of users. The advent of broadband is a new stage in the growth of Internet market, which is the product of the increasing demand of Internet users and the improvement of Internet technology. Therefore, the basic users of broadband should first be internet users rather than film and television viewers, the broadband market should first start from the Internet market, and then penetrate the film market. Film and television is just a kind of network entertainment services, and entertainment is only a part of network services. Of course, film and television programs are relatively simple to play, compared with ready-made, it may be used as the whole broadband value-added services, a bright spot and characteristics. However, if all or most of the resources are put into the VOD, I can not help but make a cold sweat for such a company by counting on this brand and earning silver, while the overall platform for broadband services and the development and operation of comprehensive services are disregarded or placed in a subordinate position.

If a broadband service company wants to become the leader in the industry, first of all, we must work on the overall platform of broadband information service and the planning and development of comprehensive services, and strive to fully embody the multimedia, interactive and humanized features of broadband services. If you have the conditions, you may wish to use the VOD as the whole service system of products, but in any case can not expect to rely on a recruit fresh Pauta.

Service integration agents and service development operators

The broadband era of course will appear on the television VOD service vertical site, but this film and television programs as the main service content business is not what people can do. Industry chat, hear want to engage in film and television on-demand services in the chip source of the solution is unanimous, are said to be ready or have a company or a certain company's agent, by others to provide chip source, so there is no content production costs, but can accept playback of the majority of the proceeds. When it comes to excitement, it also mentions Time Warner, News Corp and Disney names to emphasize the reliability and competitiveness of their business models. Listen to many, can not help but doubt: if the company integrated agent of the film and television programs are similar, rely on what to play the brand, for market share? In the past, we all fantasize about the monopoly of broadband access, and now it is obviously unreliable, is it a price war?

The premise of developing and operating the vertical site of VOD service is all or most of the ownership or exclusive right of the program, otherwise it is not a company's brand, not to mention what the core competitiveness. According to this standard to measure, currently seen with the potential to become a successful video-on-demand site of the company about two, one is Lenovo, one is the Sun TV.

If Lenovo and AOL cooperate successfully, they can have a large number of high-quality film and television program source, as the cost of opening the broadband market. Sun TV has a certain degree of visibility and professional ability, in the combination of television and network started earlier. Although it is currently the main source of products from other people, but has done a lot of editing and finishing painstaking effort, and therefore has a considerable competitive power. In addition, want to do a lot, can do a few. Some of the companies from the traditional industry, both the media and the amateur, is expected to rely on integration agents of other people's programs in their own operation without operating the broadband system services to make money, the risk is too great to imagine. Some other traditional film and television media although have some film and television program property rights, but it is worth people to pay on demand of things, coupled with the lack of funds and network experience, the risk of independent into the army is not small. The possible solution lies in the operation of capital and assets and in the search for pedestrian co-operation.

Rely on the simple integration of other people's things to do on-demand vertical web site no way out, rely on this lazy way to do broadband portal of course also not. Or honest from the development of broadband service platform, gradually enrich its own service system is a stupid way to be reliable. No matter what the characteristics of a Web site, only the main content and services are owned, unique talent in the industry to the fore. This is not to exclude and have the strength, has the characteristic company to operate certain channels, but at least can not steal. Otherwise, it is better to get a software download site, using broadband advantage for others to provide services to collapse.

Regional web-level operations and nationwide telecom-level operations

No matter how big or small, the company that does the video-on-demand business doesn't want to be a national enterprise. Indeed, the scale of benefits in broadband access and service industries is critical. Scale up, according to the average number of end-user computing system equipment costs, line costs, operating costs, content production purchase costs, market costs, human costs and so can be down, greatly improve the company's competitiveness and profitability level.

But, on the scale is not easy. Broadband services are multimedia interactive, video is the main consumer of bandwidth, building one or a few central service fleet can serve the National People's narrow-band service model in the broadband era will not be feasible. A broadband system with a nationwide service capability is an absolute behemoth.

A simplified example is the establishment of a regional service cluster (one with the function of a central service cluster) in the economically developed 10 central cities, each cluster has 10 cities in the surrounding Medium city service fleet, each city service cluster with 10 community IDC, each community IDC with 10 community service units, Each unit service 500 end users, which formed a 5.006 billion user-scale nationwide broadband service system. This 5-level network system involves equipment, lines, platforms, technology, operation maintenance, content provision, fee collection and so on, there is no long-term experience of China Telecom and a large professional team of companies to join or close cooperation, it is difficult to ensure the reliability and stability of the system operation, I do not know how many to raise a customer service team to deal with angry customer complaints.

Given the legal and regulatory hurdles faced by a new national telecoms-level operator, money, the most lethal thing, is now a secondary issue. The current corporate culture and market atmosphere also hinder the emergence of national telecom-grade broadband operators. Large and small bosses of the holding desire and speculation mentality restricts the rapid expansion of the company's size, family-style enterprise structure to suppress the company's modernization process and the introduction and play of professionals, the market economy in the early stages of the various abuses and broadband market in all aspects of the premature formation of landmines will explode. All this makes it impossible for me to conclude without regret that a nationwide broadband access and service company with video-on-demand as its core is unlikely to emerge anytime soon, even if it is forced to succeed quickly. No matter how big the fund is, how hard the relationship is, and how fierce it is, the rate of death will be higher than the existing ICP.

There are at least two possible workarounds. One way is to discard the VOD as the core of the single service mode, instead of the existing network information services to promote the integration of the main body, appropriate to join the video service mix mode. This can reduce the requirements of the operating system, reduce investment, meet the diversified needs of the market, accelerate the construction process of service system. However, there is no mature precedent in the world, the key lies in how to integrate the existing network information service seamless into a powerful broadband information service platform, and embody the multimedia, interactive and humanized features brought by the broadband. Bosses willing to try this approach need to be patient enough to organize a decent team to nurture the pattern gradually. Running a broadband portal is much more complicated than making a movie channel, but if you have the ability to do it, the vitality will be much more vigorous.

Another option is to start experimenting with regional web-level video-on-demand services from one or several cities or communities without a nationwide operating system. This avoids the risk of building and operating a nationwide broadband system, and requires a lower level of personnel quality and market capability. But, the scale is small, the unit cost is high, the money also earns less. If the cost of service is lowered, it is bound to reduce the quality of service, the market competitiveness is small, more money can not be earned. This is the dilemma of a regional web-level operating system.

In short, broadband is a good thing, video on demand is also a good thing, but in this line of people first have to be good things. How to find a good business model that makes sense and can push it forward is a test of the wisdom, vision, breadth and ability of the entrepreneurs involved in this field.