Seventeen streaming companies and content providers have joined the newly formed Streaming Video Alliance, a group trying to standardize industry-wide video and create best practices for streaming services.
Missing from the group? Two of the biggest Internet video giants, Netflix and YouTube.
The absences are notable, as these companies represent some of the largest audiences in Internet video, but could signal a hesitance by Netflix and YouTube to adopt new distribution practices, as they’ve both already invested heavily in their own distribution processes. The image of a not-entirely united front could hurt the Alliance as it deals with quality issues and net neutrality debates.
The new Streaming Video Alliance welcomes service providers, content creators and vendors in three levels of membership, each of which cost the company anywhere from $5,500 to $25,000 annually. Its aim is to agree on industry standards for video quality, measurement and company infrastructure.
The current members of the Alliance are: Alcatel-Lucent, Charter Communications, Cisco Systems, Comcast, Epix, Fox Networks Group, Korea Telecom, Level 3 Communications, Liberty Global, Limelight Networks, Major League Baseball Advanced Media, Qwilt, Telecom Italia, Telstra, Ustream, Wowza Media Systems and Yahoo.
Read more at Variety.
Brief Take: Though the group boasts streaming companies like Yahoo and Comcast, the absence of Netflix and YouTube is noticeable and in the future, could harm the Alliance in any negotiations they take part in or new industry-wide strategies they try to adopt.
[Image courtesy of Streaming Video Alliance]
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