Youtube is Hot, But Watch Out for Over the Top

Sure, you think the TV is dead. But it’s not. The act of lazing about in front of a big screen TV watching, laughing and enjoying video content is going to be even bigger than ever. But here’s the rub. It’ll be less about cable and broadcast, and much more about internet video.

It boils down to this: if you’re not creating video with the big screen in mind, you’re going to miss one of the biggest developments in 2010.

We’ve already seen great success with Revision3‘s content on Roku the tiny box that streams Netflix, baseball, Amazon and now us, Twit, Pandora, Flickr and more to big screens. We were up nearly 15% in the first two weeks that our channel launched – and that was during the traditional down weeks of Thanksgiving.

Next year the TV will get smart. Vizio (the biggest TV vendor in the US) will bring real connectivity to most every TV it sells bigger than 45 inches. Other TVs will do the same. Boxee’s box will ship. Cable set top boxes will connect to web video. It’s a brand new outlet, and you can’t ignore it.

Youtube, unfortunately, seems to be asleep at the wheel. I asked them recently if they were going to play in over the top, and they said that they prefer that it be browser-based, rather than some separate interface. Sure, having multiple separate interfaces can be tough – but they are wrong. Look at mobile – websites are terrible on that screen. The same goes for the big screen at 10 feet away.

Perhaps, as I speculated with my YouTube contact, they are being coy – and Android or Chrome will power TVs in 2011. We’ll see.

But for 2010, you can do a few things to ensure you don’t miss this boat. First, produce and distribute in HD. If and when YouTube is available on the big screen, the better looking videos will win. Quality will be more and more important in this world.
Second, think about an alternate channel for over the top. Maybe hook up with Xbox, glom onto Roku with Mediafly or Blip.TV. Or find another way to get your stuff into that world.

Oh, and keep an eye on Revision3 in early January. We’ll be covering the heck out of the annual Consumer Electronics Show, posting on our site, and on our popular YouTube Channel.  We’ll bring you the latest over the top devices, and provide commentary on how this brave new world of internet video is evolving.