Making Streaming Media Essential
Every new technology that becomes essential to popular culture and standardbusiness practice has gone through a period of emergence, adoption andacceptance. In the digital information age, we've seen this process becomerapidly accelerated, delivering stunning successes and, yes, stunningfailures. Throughout all of this, the anchor for success has been theInternet's adaptive ability to make volumes of diverse informationinstantaneously accessible. And yet, streaming technology is showing us thatreadily available information isn't quite enough. People want interactionand prefer to see something rather than just hear about it, or (gasp)actually read. It is in this aspect of human nature that streaming mediastands to capitalize.
This is not to say that any video, audio or Internet programming will be indemand simply because it is streamed. The fundamentals of success on theInternet remain the same for streaming: Deliver information that people orbusinesses need, and do it faster, more efficiently, or in a preferredformat. It seems that many forgot this important premise as our industryfirst grasped the power of streaming media. Regardless, streaming hasdefinitely found its footing as an essential communications element.
We¹ve seen this growth through our Yahoo! Broadcast division, which deliversthousands of corporate webcasts each year in the form of earnings calls,product launches, Web-seminars, corporate broadcast networks and distancelearning applications. In sheer volume, the number of hours streamedexploded from 8 million in December 1999 to 13.4 million in December 2000.
A New Foundation for Business Communications
As the market for corporate streaming services awakens from the earlyadoption phase, the demand for proven value will increase. Corporatedivisions that introduced streaming to their companies as a newcommunications feature must now show quantifiable benefits from streamingapplications. Fortunately, there are many, and we¹re proving that every day.In virtually every aspect of defined communications goals — for sales, brandrecognition, consumer interaction, training and saving corporate dollars —there are case studies to prove the worth of streaming technology.
When we delivered 80 percent cost savings for a technology infrastructurecompany by bringing product seminars to the Web — obviating the need for atraditional 12-city road show — a new streaming evangelist was created. Andwhen we helped a semiconductor company save time and money by training thousandsof globally dispersed employees, the impact was immediately recognizable. Inboth cases, the focus was two-fold: to prove that the technology works, andto engrain streaming services as a powerful communications element.
In this lies the key growth factor: As streaming service vendors we mustensure that our applications consistently deliver dynamic interactivity anddo so as part of a comprehensive communications mix. Once the benefit hasbeen realized for a business, there is no turning back; streaming has becomeessential.
Motivating the Consumer
Increasingly, Internet usage is taking consumer attention from other formsof media, and streaming is our catalyst for further growth. And while we canrevel in our growing share of consumer demand, the fundamental propositionto add communications value is, in many cases, more strictly enforced on theconsumer side than it is within a corporate enterprise.
If you are employed by a company that uses streaming technology tocommunicate new product information to your sales force, you may be happythat this information is being brought to you faster and in a moredigestible format. But ultimately, it is part of your job to learn aboutthat product; streaming is simply there to help you. Consumers don¹t sharein this motivation. For consumers, good content is still king, and streamingtechnology can¹t make content a destination if there is no demand to beginwith.
The Yahoo! rollout of streamed consumer content has been very deliberate andfollows what we call a "Vision" strategy. We go where the eyeballs are andthen employ streaming to deliver interactivity that enhances our consumers¹experience. This allows us to combine the information people want in theformat they prefer. Again, streaming that fits a defined communicationspurpose with a qualified audience makes itself essential.
It is a certainty that this year, and in years to come, we will see newstreaming products, applications, and programming that will generateattention. Our industry and the streaming sector are innovation engines. Aslong as these innovations continue to add value to consumer and businesscommunications, we can ensure streaming will always be essential.