In this San Francisco Chronicle article by Ellen Lee, Charles River Venture Capitalist George Zachary predicts that 90 percent of online video sites will disappear. Some will simply shut down; others will be gobbled up by larger companies. (Brief ad here- if anyone wants to gobble up CubeBreak, make an offer… I just got a new job and probably won’t have time for it).
Does this bring you back to 1999/2000?
“The froth of activity surrounding online video is reminiscent of the dot-com boom and bust just a handful of years ago, when companies were created seemingly overnight to tackle Web site hosting, online retail and other new avenues made possibly by the Internet. In many of the most popular fields, a glut of companies would be formed, setting the stage for a shakeout. Most closed, unable to attract enough customers or sales, leaving customers and investors in the lurch.”
Here’s the Hitwise report on the Top 10 Video Sites. This is share data not unique views, and Hitwise has shown that YouTube’s share exceeds that of the next several players combined.
1. YouTube www.youtube.com
2. MySpace Videos www.vids.myspace.com
3. Yahoo Video Search www.video.search.yahoo.com
4. MSN Video Search www.video.msn.com
5. Google Video Search www.video.google.com
6. AOL Video http:us.video.aol.com
7. iFilm www.ifilm.com
8. MetaCafe www.metacafe.com
9. Grouper www.grouper.com
10. GoFish www.gofish.com
Source: Hitwise