Because of the speed of technological change in online video it is crucial that content producers maintain control over user experience. Video player development should be modular so that content providers can stay nimble and swap out components as better solutions evolve.

As the online video market creeps toward maturity there are several divergent strategies which have come about. Initially the heavy lifting of creating a unique player was farmed out to the likes of Maven and Brightcove, newer entrants Narrowstep and PermissionTV offer similar solutions which are particularly useful for companies that can’t afford their own developers.

But for larger companies the trend has been toward companies like Move Networks and new entrant Vusion, offering end-to-end player and content delivery solutions. These offer the highest level of user experience one can find today but with them comes reliance and the threat of being locked in should new technology outpace their internal development.

In an industry where video formats, ad formats, content delivery options and user preferences are so in flux it’s key that companies implementing online video solutions be able to rapidly adapt. This means ensuring they are not reliant on any one partner for too long.