This is the latest success in our efforts to develop a network of official syndication partners, which already includes telcos Singapore Telecom, MobileOne, StarHub, out-of-home firm @Life ("At-Life") and financial data provider NextVIEW.
MSN Video is Microsoft's answer to YouTube - but it's better for four reasons (continues below screenshot):
1. More Credibility
YouTube may have popularised video streaming over the internet, even among older age groups (and we're thankful for that!).
But my problem, and the problem of many others, is that much of the user generated material on it doesn't add a lot of value. Even searching for specific terms often yields material which would never pass the "friends test" (if your friends wouldn't sit around the television and watch this stuff, there's virtually no chance anyone else will either).
MSN is a whole lot more credible, because it only takes on professionally produced content. You can be certain the video content has significantly greater production values and editorial value for viewers.
My prediction is that in the near future people will not say "I saw it on YouTube", but "I saw it on MSN Video".
2. Excellent Video Quality
Apart from the production values and the editorial skills of its producers, the picture quality on MSN is significantly better than on YouTube. The reason is simple: there's a company which transcodes the video from broadcast standard to the best possible internet standard, not a backend server which tries to minimise data churn. The image quality on MSN is phenomenal by comparison.
To MSN's credit, the content is streamed in the latest version of Flash. They're not precious about Windows Media Player. Yes, WMV versions are available, but with Flash you don't have the buffering issues that WMV as well as QuickTime and RealPlayer often have.
3. Easier Navigation
Users find MSN Video much easier to search and navigate through, compared to YouTube, which often requires refreshes and moving through several sites before reaching the desired video.
4. Content Syndication
In future, content on MSN can also be syndicated to any other website, broadening the reach of these professional quality videos and negating the need to implement video dissemination from scratch.
The reports we currently supply are:
• Investor Central - IPO Briefing
Before you send off the application for shares and your cheque, watch Investor Central IPO Briefing… just to make sure.
• Investor Central - Second Opinion
You've done your homework and picked the stock you want to trade - but you would feel more comfortable if you got a second opinion.
• Investor Central - BlogCast
When it comes to issues concerning Singapore investors, we're opinionated and we're not afraid to tell it like it is!
• Investor Central - Bottom Fishing
We sift through SGX-listed stocks for you and report on those matching value criteria
MSN has expressed an interest in additional professional video content.
As always, I am happy to take your questions, comments or feedback by emailing me or calling me on +65 6223 2249 or +65 9017 3534.
Best regards
Mark Laudi
Managing Director
Hong Bao Media (Holdings) Pte Ltd
