Vudu beats service providers to the open Web

Vudu this week took its movie-streaming set-top box out to the open Web, launching the Vudu Rich Internet Application (RIA) platform. The standards-based development platform will bring Web applications and services to the living room through its Vudu Internet movie player and other connected consumer appliances. As more consumers turn to the Internet for a vast array of content, over-the-top (OTT) video providers promising access to the open Web are making television service providers rethink video.

At launch, the platform includes an initial set of apps and services, including Flickr, Picasa and the entire YouTube library, on a newly created home page, Vudu Labs. The service also includes more than 120 channels of free on-demand online TV shows. Certain networks will still be off-limits, including content from Hulu’s online service, but it does encompass major networks like NBC and CNN. The service will be continually updated with new apps after it’s opened to developers beginning in the first half of next year.

In terms of what kind of apps can be created for Vudu’s platform, Tony Miranz, co-founder and executive vice president of sales and business development, said the answer lies in the apps available on Apple’s iPhone – essentially anything developers across the globe come up with in an ongoing process. Being open was a top priority for Vudu and the primary reason it launched the RIA platform, he said.

“The fact that it is standards-based and open is going to open doors to infinite possibilities,” Miranz said. “I think the iPhone is a great example of what can be done if you provide a set of APIs open to the public and combine it with a beautiful user interface and a platform to run the service on. This is essentially a replication of the iPhone in the living room.”

With the ability to deliver over any broadband provider’s network, Vudu and a host of competing OTT video providers present a compelling partnership opportunity for a lot of smaller telcos, but the larger providers are primarily seeking in-house ways to keep their consumers’ interest. According to Miranz, Vudu is seeing five-digit subscriber growth and is in discussions with several smaller telcos on partnering to provide the service. Larger providers including AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, Embarq and CenturyTel, however, are not on this list.