SXSW: Moguls Talk Web Video
One of the most interesting events I attended at SXSW this year was the discussion between Michael Eisner and Mark Cuban earlier today (would have posted about it sooner, but I've been on a plane). Former Disney head Eisner has launched a Web-content startup called Vuguru, and of course Mark Cuban is just Mark Cuban.
The topic of the conversation is whether the time is right for Web video to explode. Eisner thinks it's a given that it's going to, and that the big bang will come sooner rather than later. "In five years, content on the Internet will be just as important as content on TV and on the networks. It'll be distributed through a broadband platform, and people at home won't even know the difference." He also predicted that when everything clicks and Web-based video content "arrives," it'll generate a fortune.
Cuban is much more bearish, saying the technology isn't where it needs to be yet, in terms of bandwidth and networking capabilities in the home. We should probably have expected him to say that. After all, this is the guy that poo-pooed Google's acquisition of YouTube, and he reiterated today that he still thinks it was a bad idea.
Both men had compelling arguments. On the one hand, Eisner's had two big wins so far ("Prom Queen" and "The Burg"), with a third on the way ("The All-For-Nots"). If there's anybody who can spot the talent necessary to take Web-based video programming to the next level, it might be him. On the other hand, Cuban says moving video around the house is too hard. He also ...
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