UPDATED 16:03 EDT / JULY 06 2011

Big Media Has Big Dreams in the Cloud: Ex-Startups Taking the Lead

When biggies like Facebook start turning their head onto the media business direction, you realize that this is potentially lucrative. And it is.  The shift towards the cloud makes this industry all the more enthralling. And Apple’s jumping all over this.  The news of iCloud saving Hollywood has been receiving good attention–an indication that the usual heavyweights look at the digital option as a money-making move—a full spin from the scenario years ago, where household names like Youtube.com were once startups seeking support from established media organizations. Now, the game has changed, with cloud and big data driving consumer adoption, access and new distribution methods.

WSJ’s Jessica Vascellaro reported the same swirl, noting how this year’s Sun Valley gathering of media moguls would appear: “Those big names once went to Sun Valley eager to court promising start-ups. Now, those onetime start-ups are upending traditional forms of distribution, forcing media companies to shift focus toward protecting their turf.”

From rumored and confirmed developments within young, big media giants like Facebook, Google, Apple and Netflix, there are enough reasons why the traditional enterprises should feel endangered. Apple’s iPhone 5 will surely be hitting the spotlight this year. However, there are also reports that Apple will be launching their own TV brand that will be powered by iOS.

Zynga, the popular online gaming dynasty, capitalized on unusual cloud computing strategies to reach their phenomenal success that led them to an IPO. Don’t you know that hybrid clouds, not fertilizers, make your strawberries in FarmVille grow? Interesting, huh. This week Zynga announced their plans on building their own data centers, an indication of their goals around cloud use.

Another major player, Google prepares to purchase Hulu to offer free movies, TV and less data usage.

The Sun Valley conference will feature all the above-mentioned young bloods. However, it is also predicted that there will be more focus on Netflix, a world leader in internet subscription services. Their API-powered movement to the cloud 3 years ago was not expected to be this dominant, scoping a worldwide success.

This could be the perfect time for TV to enter the cloud–then again, it may not be.  But one thing is quite certain: there is an enormous amount of room awaiting big media companies in this space. The ascension of big media organizations to the cloud and utilization of big data through analysis could be the first few steps towards industry transformations.


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