Brightcove Adds Video Editing Tools with Acquisition
The Internet TV player has acquired self-service rich media tool provider MetaStories.
Internet TV player Brightcove has acquired rich media technology provider MetaStories to increase its self-service publishing capabilities.
MetaStories’ StoryMaker tool is a hosted service that lets producers of online content combine video, graphics, text, and audio components to create Flash-based rich media. Its Web-based video editing tools are expected to complement Brightcove’s existing tools to publish, track, and monetize existing video content.
“Internet TV is fundamentally about delivering video programming through interactive, rich-media experiences that go well beyond what traditional broadcast and cable TV has offered,” Jeremy Allaire, founder and CEO of Brightcove, said in a statement. “MetaStories’ rich-media publishing tools complement the Brightcove Internet TV service and significantly expand our ability to meet the broadband publishing and distribution needs of media companies.”
MetaStories’ StoryMaker tool is used by media companies like Yahoo, MSN, Discovery Networks and Scripps Networks. Yahoo uses StoryMaker to produce its “Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone” episodes; while Scripps uses it for producing niche broadband channels for its HGTV, DIY and Food Network content.
“As Yahoo News made its first forays into original multimedia content, MetaStories was a key reason we could move quickly and with limited resources to launch projects like ‘Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone’ and ‘Richard Bangs’ Adventures’,” Neil Budde, Yahoo News general manager, said in a statement.
The technology, existing relationships that MetaStories has with publishers, and the experienced team of online publishing veterans in Seattle, are the three biggest reasons Brightcove made the acquisition, according to Adam Berrey, VP of strategy and marketing at Brightcove.
“Internet TV is not just about video, it’s about publishing and producing multi-media. And video is often going to live in a rich media context. there’s video, but there’s also text, audio, photos and other rich media assets. The MetaStories tools are really nice for producing and publishing that kind of content,” Berrey told ClickZ News. One of its strengths of the tool is the flexibility it gives content producers to update content, rather than requiring a developer to make changes, he said.
MetaStories’ client list is also complementary to Brightcove’s, with many of the companies either working with Brightcove or on Brightcove’s radar as a potential client, according to Berrey.
“We really complement each other in terms of being able to go into those companies and bring value together,” he said. “There are several customers that we have that are great candidates for using MetaStories’ tools, and there are several customers they have that are candidates for using the Brightcove service.”
Like Brightcove’s own online video publishing tools, StoryMaker creates Flash-based content, which fits in with founder Jeremy Allaire’s past experience as CTO of Macromedia. Brightcove plans to continue to develop, market and distribute the StoryMaker product, both as a standalone solution and as part of the Brightcove service.
The companies did not disclose financial terms of the acquisition. This is Brightcove’s first announced acquisition since its $16.2 million funding in December. All 10 MetaStories employees will join Brightcove and remain in the company’s Seattle location.
