Multitasking with TV and Web Video

I’ve wondered quite a bit about the future of web video and how much of it anyone will be able to consume. I’ve been pretty skeptical about it, namely because it’s difficult to multitask when watching online video – you can’t really do much else, and multitasking is a huge part of the value proposition of both web browsing and also watching TV programming.

I just met with a company that I can’t say a word about, but one that’s already making me rethink how things are going to play out. There are a few issues that must be addressed by any game changer here:

• Navigation: Currently, how we search for content online is not the most efficient way to sift through millions of videos.
• Device agnosticism: A real game changer will need to be flexible to allow consumers to access videos from any device.
• Index: Bring down the walled gardens. Consumers won’t be happy with a limited menu.

I can’t wait to talk more about where this un-named company fits in, which of these issues it addresses, how it does so, and what the impact is. In the meantime, discussions like that offer a better sense of the kind of things to look for when discerning who to watch.