Online video platform thePlatform, an independent subsidiary of Comcast, has previously served major media companies. It is now launching an self-service version of its mpx platform to support the online video demands of a wider range of customers. The cloud-based mpx Essentials offering will allow organisations and corporations to self-publish video. It will be competing with providers like Brightcove and a host of other online video platforms, with prices starting at under $500 a month.
The mpx Essentials platform provides customers with a web-based console for uploading and managing video, and customising players and playlists. Publishers will be able to mix and match editorial playlists with dynamically generated lineups.
The platform provides playback across a range of devices, on Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac computers, smartphones, tablets and other internet-connected devices.
The Seattle-based company, which was acquired by Comcast in 2006, can claim five of the top television service providers in North America as among its media customers, including the largest TV Everywhere deployments.
“With mpx Essentials, we’re making our premium video platform broadly available for the first time,” said Ian Blaine, the chief executive of thePlatform. “More and more organizations are using video to communicate with their customers, employees, and stakeholders, and their needs are rapidly evolving. With mpx Essentials, customers can grow with us, and benefit from an easy, affordable, and reliable system — trusted by many of the most prominent media companies in the world.”
The entry-level package costs $499 a month and includes up to 350 gigabytes of delivery, and 10 cents a video and 40 cents a gigabyte thereafter. A higher-level package costs $1,499 a month and offers 1,500 gigabytes, at 10 cents a video and 30 cents a gigabyte thereafter. As such it may be appealing to those that want a full feature set with the minimum upfront costs, although any additional usage fees are significantly higher than larger customers would typically pay.
The self-service model was pioneered by companies like Brightcove and is served by a number of other companies like Ooyala that aim to fill the space between publishing video for next to nothing on YouTube and managing a multimillion dollar investment in a custom integrated platform.
As yet, other major online video players, like Google, Microsoft, Apple or Amazon do not offer platforms with a similar range of features for publishers, which is perhaps surprising. With thePlatform, customers may benefit from the backing of a platform that is used by the likes of Comcast and Time Warner, with a relatively low cost commitment.