Video for the Corporation

Mike Abundo writes in his Inside Online Video blog that "Vertical Video Cannot Compete on Content." He notes various online video sharing sites that focus on content specific to a certain niche or vertical.

Barely a week goes by that I don’t hear about some startup touting itself
as “YouTube for ________”. Porn and piracy aside, I don’t see any way these guys
can differentiate themselves from general video sharing sites unless they offer
features (not just content) specifically useful to their niches.

The interactive features offered by webcasting companies are what add value to their relationships with corporations, and are what differentiate them from standard CDNs or a hypothetical video sharing site that calls itself "YouTube for the corporation."

The ability to control who watches, to maintain security. The ability to track who watches, to maintain accountability for internal communications and to achieve effective lead generation for external communications. The ability to achieve interaction with Q&A, live polling, and surveys. The ability to replace an expensive teleconference with streaming audio and a synchronized power point presentation. The ability to have viewers take a test immediately after watching to demonstrate comprehension of the content. These are examples of the value a webcasting company brings to a corporation, beyond the ability to inexpensively archive content for on-demand viewing.