Gotuit Media--which has developed a search/navigation system, dubbed "Gotuit On Demand," that combines segment metadata with VOD content, allowing viewers to use their remote control to quickly access the specific parts of an on-demand show that interest them, and which has used the system to power VOD services that have been deployed on a number of Time Warner Cable and Adelphia systems in New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio--is entering the broadband video space. The company has launched a broadband video portal, Gotuit.com, which it touts as using its search and navigation technology to make "loading, buffering, and waiting to watch videos online a thing of the past." The portal features an array of free-to-view video from such content providers as Universal Music, Reuters, Associated Press, AccuWeather and Planet X, organized into four main categories: "Music," "News," "Sports" and "Entertainment" (note: the latter features movie trailers, celebrity news, and a large collection of short films). It currently contains around 5,000 titles.
Visitors to the portal can view programmed playlists, create playlists of their own, and share its videos with other consumers: Gotuit's flagship search/navigation technology allows them to search for specific segments within a video, which they can then combine into a "personal highlight reel." Thus a soccer fan, for example, could search multiple videos to find segments where their favorite player scores goals, and then assemble a personal highlight reel showcasing that player's talent. Surprisingly--in light of the current popularity of user-generated content--the new portal does not yet feature any facility for end-users to upload their own video. "It's no longer about making video available online, it's about helping consumers make sense of it," Gotuit Media president, Mark Pascarella, said in a prepared statement. "We're focused on enabling people to find the video they want quickly and easily. Our search and navigation technology, paired with professional content, gives viewers instant, relevant and precise access to the video they are most interested in seeing."
Gotuit hopes that the portal will appeal to advertisers because it offers "inventory that is more highly targeted to areas of interest and paired with valuable content." It also hopes to expand the reach and the volume of the site's content via co-branded partnerships with premium content owners, that will see the latters' content billed as "powered by Gotuit."
This article was originally published on August 9, 2006 within the [itvt] newsletter.
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