The digitization of entertainment was exactly what we thought it was
going to be and we didn’t even know it at the time. Silicon Valley
(writ large) deals with digitizing stuff. Hollywood creates content.
When the Internet brought the two crashing together we knew both were
going to have a role to play.
At first it looked like technology would control the digital
entertainment agenda, and that professionally developed content would
be moved to the margin and in its place would emerge a million
spontaneously generated, user-driven, long-tail broadcast networks.
Networks with no production cost and almost personally customized
content offerings.
But the failure of many of these services to drive consistent audiences
and attract premium advertisers has made it clear that Silicon Valley
won’t usurp Hollywood, content is still king.
This isn’t to say that “platform plays” are gone, clearly innovations
like social networks, Twitter and the iPhone create the stage upon
which new services can be deployed, but in the end it may just be that
those platforms are the conduits for compelling content.
Even in the face of a powerful global economic headwind, new media
innovation continues at a refreshing pace. The 2009 OnHollywood 100 is
stacked with new companies, many of which are finding markets eager for
their offerings.
The digital media ecosystem continues to thirst for effective ways to
distribute, track and monetize their content. This is where companies
like Digitalsmiths, Vobile, and Ooyala are finding active markets.
Companies like Mogulus and Ustream are creating new platforms for live
broadcasts, with services like roundbox extending broadcast reach to
mobile devices.
The gaming sector, where innovation continues at a scorching pace, is
well represented on the 2009 OnHollywood list. PlayFish, PlayPhone,
Zynga, Ngmoco, and Tapulous (whose Tap Tap Revenge game was recently
reported to be on one third of all iPhones) all exemplify the rapid
rise of interactive entertainment.
While consumption for many new entertainment services has been robust,
monetization has too often been anemic. To that end we sought to
identify companies leading the charge for new forms of monetization.
PlaySpan, Viximo and Peanut Labs are all showing that (and how) money
can be made in digital media, and sometimes in the most surprising ways.
Consumers will be thrilled by the innovations in access and discovery
from new companies lala and Project Playlist and the continued
creativity of some more familiar names like Pandora and Roku.
Our top newcomer, ZillionTV is banging the drum for the return of the
content king. Their service is bringing an entirely new level of
personal control to your TV experience.
The overall Winner of the 2009 OnHollywood 100 is OnLive. This company
will shift the tectonic plates of the gaming industry by fundamentally
changing the way games are consumed. By moving the entire gaming
platform to the “cloud,” OnLive is able to remove the console and game
media from the equation. If a consumer no longer has to spend
thousands on gaming platforms, equipment and media, where does that
expenditure go? How does that market reform?
The 2009 OnHollywood 100 are companies you should know and even more
importantly products you’ll enjoy. We congratulate the winners and are
encouraged by the rapid pace of innovation in digital media!
Ezra Roizen is an AlwaysOn contributing editor and partner with
Ackrell Capital, where he advises emerging digital media and e-commerce
companies on financing, M&A, and strategy.
See the entire list here.
