New Video Dynamics: Peer-to-Peer Enters the Mainstream: Industry Report

New Video Dynamics: Peer-to-Peer Enters the Mainstream

Product Type: Market Research Report
Published by: Emerging Media Dynamics, Inc.
Published: February 2008
Product Code: R733-23

Description

Long despised by mainstream music and entertainment companies for fostering content piracy on the Internet, peer-to-peer (P2P) technology has emerged over the past few years as a legitimate and efficient transport mechanism for distributing video content, according to our latest report in the New Video Dynamics series, Peer-to-Peer Technology Enters the Mainstream. Although P2P's prospects as a viable form of content distribution were marred at the beginning of the millennium due to its use for rampant, unauthorized file-swapping, a crop of new P2P companies has emerged over the past several years that offer or seek to offer legitimate online video services using the versatile protocols and platforms made possible by P2P, according to the report.

Working against the efforts of these well-funded starts-ups are the numerous P2P protocols, sites and organizations that still use the technology for massive unauthorized file-sharing. These technologies and organizations account for a good portion, if not the majority portion, of global Internet traffic. As a consequence, many broadband providers genuinely fear that if left unmanaged, P2P traffic might overwhelm their networks and are deploying (or in the case of the UK threatening to deploy) filtering technologies that could alter the prospects of even legitimate P2P services.

Peer-to-Peer Technology Enters the Mainstream provides up-to-date profiles of these new P2P-based online video providers, offering concise descriptions of their technologies, business models and content deals. Among the early leaders in P2P-powered video distribution profiled in the report are:

BitTorrent Inc.
Joost
Vuze
Babelgum
BBC (via its iPlayer)
Veoh
Livestation
Miro
Sky Anytime

The report also provides snapshot descriptions of technology providers that supply the underlying infrastructure for some of these and other P2P-powered online video distributors. Among the tech players highlighted in the report are Pando, Abacast Networks, Velocix and Verisign (Kontiki).

Peer-to-Peer Technology Enters the Mainstream walks through the nascent P2P world and finds that:

Many of the leading P2P companies have landed online distribution deals with a growing list of traditional Hollywood and sports programming powerhouses.
Despite these deals, the legitimate content available on P2P platforms mostly consists of niche-oriented videos and is predominately produced by lesser known or web-only production companies.
Some of the emerging P2P companies are generating appreciable audiences on the Internet even though they offer relatively little brand-name content.

Table of Contents

Summary and Conclusions
I. Brief Background on Peer to Peer Technology
II. Legal Decisions Affecting P2P
III. P2P and Broadband Network Management Practices: A. FCC Petitions to Specify Limits on Network Management Practices; B. Early Efforts On a Joint Solution for Both P2P and Broadband Providers
IV. Overview of Selected P2P Video Services: A. BitTorrent; B. Joost; C. Vuze; D. Babelgum; E. BBC iPlayer; F. Veoh; G. Other Video P2P Companies
About Emerging Media Dynamics
List of Images and Tables: Image 1 - BitTorrent Client; Image 2 - Joost Channel Screen Shot; Image 3 - Vuze Screen Shot; Image 4 - Babelgum Genre Channels; Image 5 - BBC iPlayer Screenshot; Image 6 - VeohTV Screen Shot; Table 1 - BitTorrent Venture, Content, Technology and Hardware Partners

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