Aggregation is among the hottest buzzwords on the Internet today, right next to “real-time” and “location-based.” To this point, it has primarily meant text and images. Now, here comes video.
Positioning itself as Hulu for news video, 1Cast provides streams (aka “casts”) from a growing lineup of content partners through revenue-sharing deals (thus avoiding the problems RedLasso ran into). Viewers can watch news video online or on their smartphone. Today, 1Cast launched its app for the Blackberry, adding it to the iPhone and Android apps already on the market.
While it appears to be primarily a national/global play on its face, 1Cast is moving into local territory, too.
“Local content is a significant piece of our personalization strategy,” says 1Cast President Anthony Bontrager, who says 1Cast now has partnerships with 35 local TV station markets. “We just completed the integration with Fox Local TV stations and have deals signed with Meredith Corporation and Scripps. Combined, we have about 16 of the top 25 DMAs covered and are well on our way to having 100 local markets on 1Cast by this summer.”
1Cast also has 19 national & international content partners, including AFP, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, BBC, Bloomberg, CBC, Reuters and The Wall Street Journal. And it has a partnership with Boxee to appear on TV screens.
Bontrager said the 1Cast audience is growing nearly 60% month-over-month since its commercial launch on October 27, 2009. He also said 1Cast viewers watch approximately 22.7 minutes per session and initiate 1.2 sessions on average, “giving 1Cast one of the most engaged audiences on web or mobile platforms.”
The Kirkland, WA-based company was founded in 2006 on the belief that video content needed to be distributed widely while still being paid for. Its platform allows that to happen in near real-time. Most video casts appear on 1CAST within minutes of live broadcast on TV or cable.
