A Jump Too Far

So, the Kangaroo has changed its spots and is now reportedly to become an open technical platform instead of a content service.

What this brings to the table that isn't already done by a hundred existing services from YouTube to Veoh escapes me - apart from top notch seeding content.

The trouble now is rather than competing with video portals the service is competing with video platform providers, so it's just shifting the anti-competitive onus. The real monopoly isn't about content - its in market share for the video advertising market, and considering that Google has been allowed to own a majority of text, search and display online advertising markets, it's unlikely that OFCOM or the Competition Commission will weigh this as the key factor.

Also, how this impacts the ISPs who opposed the original Kangaroo service is yet to be determined.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Isn't this just an indirect attempt to standardise the industry platforms? Someone will do it eventually (you could argue Google/You Tube already have).

If it is "open" and becomes a default won't this change the game back to one where the quality of the content decides the ad revenue? And then you really do have to control the content to make the money.