Techy TV series and movie buffs around the world went wild when Google announced Chromecast – a simple $35 dongle that allows for the streaming of videos and music from a smartphone, tablet or laptop onto a TV.
And as of Wednesday morning, Boston-based online video provider Brightcove is getting in on that action, with the advertiser and marketer in mind.
Brightcove announced that content providers developing apps for Chromecast will be able to use newly acquired service Brightcove Once to quickly deploy and monetize video and personalized video ads via the TV streaming device.
This news comes a week after Google's announcement that it has unlocked its Chromecast software development kit.
“Chromecast has quickly become one of the top three selling electronics devices on Amazon and offers some of the most popular online entertainment options, including Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus and Google Play movies and music, with new apps coming on board at a rapid pace,” said AJ McGowan, Brightcove’s CTO, in a statement. “Broadcasters and content owners that want to quickly take advantage of Chromecast can now leverage Brightcove Once to deliver premium video content streams that include targeted advertising.”
Brightcove Once is a cloud-based ad insertion and video-stitching service that eliminates the the need for platform-specific ad technology, making it possible to reliably deliver live and on-demand video with customized programming and targeted advertising to a slew of “smart” devices. Said service offers Chromecast publishers an alternative to quickly bring content to market – without jumping through the traditional client-side hoops or plugins – thereby allowing geo-targeted ads to integrate smoothly into the video stream without buffering and enhancing the customer’s experience.
Brightcove Once is a product of the company’s acquisition of Arizona-based Unicorn Media back in early January. At the time of the deal, worth $49 million, the Boston video provider noted that Unicorn Media would be rebranded at Brightcove Once and function as a subsidiary of its parent company. Also in the terms, Brightcove gained ownership of Unicorn Media’s 14 U.S. patents, seven of which have also been issued internationally, and has 20 patent applications pending for the technologies that are the foundation of the Once product line.
The new service will be a big revenue driver for the Brightcove, and it’s clear that Wednesday’s new partnership with Chromecast is merely the beginning.
Image via Brightcove
