The player: Fred Singer, CEO of Anystream
The play: Anystream manages video from start to finish for the Internet, iPods and mobile phones. Media company customers use Anystream to manage the production of video, including encoding into the proper format, tracking the files and managing the ads. The Anystream technology determines which Web sites have the right to carry a piece of video and when. “You now need to be in Google, YouTube, Comcast.net. There are now business rules behind video distribution,” Mr. Singer said.
The pitch: Anystream’s secret sauce is a holistic approach to video, Mr. Singer said. “We don’t just try to deal with one piece of a customer’s problems. We can take the video from video stream to revenue stream, which includes production, management and monetization. Lots of people do individual pieces of the puzzle.”
In the mix: Anystream counts 700 media companies worldwide using its services, such as CNN, MTV, Fox Sports, HSN and TV Guide in the United States. Anystream competes most directly with thePlatform, though Anystream also goes up against companies such as Telestream on the encoding side.
Backstory: Anystream was founded in 2000 to handle video encoding and distribution for big media companies. In 2007 Anystream acquired technology firm Cauldron, which gave Anystream the additional tools to manage the distribution of videos and accompanying ads in different formats, such as online. “Monetizing is on everyone’s mind. When you sit down with people, it’s gone from production to management and monetizing comes next,” Mr. Singer said.
The money guys: Anystream is venture-backed by Softbank and SCP, which have invested $30 million into the company. Anystream makes money via a license fee for its technology and is projecting profitability in the near future.
The pros: The infrastructure is just being built in the new-media world for rapid production and management of online video content, creating a huge business opportunity for Anystream, Mr. Singer said.
The cons: “It’s a big operating system that needs to be built, and you need to choose the right people and make sure the right things are done in order,” Mr. Singer said.
Background: Mr. Singer was born and raised in Montreal. Prior to Anystream, he worked at Softbank, America Online and the Washington Post. He has a bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University in Canada and a master’s degree from Harvard Business School. He has lived in Toronto, Boston and Washington, D.C., and now lives outside of D.C. with his wife and three children.
Who knew? When Mr. Singer attended business school, he began producing a documentary about 30 of his classmates, visiting with them every five years for 15 years. He will release the documentary next year with a focus on three of those 30 people.