Platforms Reformed: The Rise Of Content Engines
There was a time when platforms were only for politicians and drag queens. Now, every self-respecting media company has one – but are they about to become obsolete? Anything between viewers and content can be called a platform: PayTV operators, obviously, but also device manufacturers, operating systems, content management services, VoD aggregators, free-to-air channels ... the list goes on. However, as content providers launch their own consumer services over the Internet and nobody else is between content and viewers - is the concept of platform itself outdated? What do platforms do, anyway? At first platforms were needed to enable delivery: towers, cables, the set-top-box (STB): clear physical manifestations of a gatekeeper. From there, the gatekeeping became ever more ethereal: the EPG;…