Gotuit for video your way: Do-it-yourself VOD programming
Gotuit seeks to “radically change how people consume on-demand content," by making Video On Demand (VOD) more than simply controlling when you watch a program.
Gotuit’s patented technology enables personalized viewing experiences by providing “custom navigation” of on-demand video content.
I met with Pascarella in New York City last week to get a first-hand look at how Gotuit’s technology enables deep video search and navigation across broadband, mobile and cable platforms.
Pascarella is passionate about how Gotuit enhances video consumption: “You can traverse it at your own pace, watching and re-watching only segments of interest, and in essence personalizing the playback of programming."
Gotuit Media has been building-out its multi-platform, on-demand video personalization services since it was founded in 1999. It has raised more than $20 million from Atlas Venture, Highland Capital Partners, Motorola…
Gotuit On Demand is the signature video personalization product provided, with offerings in news, music, entertainment and sports. Gotuit’s programming partners include: National Hockey League, Universal Music Group, Kung Fu Records, Vagrant Records, HGTV, DIY Network, Fine Living, the Food Network…
Gotuit segment navigation software and indexing services merge metadata with on-demand video content so that, for example, when watching a time-shifted sporting event, viewers can segment the game into different views – game highlights, favorite player highlights, key plays – without having to watch the game in its entirety. In the case of time-shifted news, viewers can jump to only the stories they want to view, i.e., weather, top news stories, etc.
Gotuit works with the content producers, and cable and satellite operators, to allow viewers to "slice and dice" stored content with existing remote controls. Gotuit continues to develop its video indexing services and integration of its software into VOD systems.
Atlas Venture is attracted to the targeted advertising opportunities available within the “slices” of Gotuit enhanced VOD programming:
A major problem facing the television industry is the erosion of advertising revenue in the post-Tivo world. By blending targeted advertising with highly selectable indexed content, Gotuit Media delivers a television experience the users want with a business model that is sustainable.
Pascarella believes by enabling search inside video, Gotuit creates an “immersive, engaging viewing experience that keeps viewers leaning forward.”
Gotuit’s “engaging” VOD experience is also available at Gotuit.com, a broadband video portal.
Gotuit’s “engagement” is backed up by patents, its latest awarded July: US 7,055,166. Originally filed in 1999, the invention describes the use of video metadata to deliver a personalized video experience across multiple platforms, including cable/satellite, broadband, and mobile.
Pascarella proudly notes that with its 47 individual claims, the patent adds to an already “vast portfolio” held by Gotuit Media focused on the use of metadata to enhance the experience of video search, video navigation, and the management/viewing of stored media.