Adobe Media Player Will Monetize You

April 16, 2007 - At a press event in Las Vegas this evening, Adobe revealed its Media Player. The feature set is impressive, though it looks to entice big business content producers more than users, with most of the features devoted to branding.  It does everything from morphing its skin as it transitions between content to displaying as a little sprites of advertising in the corner of the screen while a show plays. Adobe appears to to view this new ad delivery as the golden dream of advertising. We claim it to be one more annoying distraction on a show we were only mildly interested in watching.

Of course, you can also click through to the advertiser’s site – an opportunity to finally “monetize” web video.  Another nifty feature of these adlets is that they can be displayed as video over video – so a keyed spokesmodel can now hawk this or that product right on top of your favorite video blog.  More monetizing opportunities include the ability to pause show while you click through to buy the sweater worn by your favorite star, and skins that can be branded to fit the look of a given show. 

It’s extraordinary.  It’s terrifying.  It’s the end of video as we know it – and it’s what broadcasters have been dreaming of for years.  Unfortunately for them, broadcasters are now obsolete.