Video aggregation company A2Media (iStream.in) has inked deals with multiple content owners, and is providing video content from Times Now to MSN India. We came across a Times Now video on MSN (screencap), and contacted iStream for details. Video content businesses that required consumers to pay to view content have shut shop over the past year or so - Tinselvision and GluTV (with Zee content) among them. JumpTV also had decided to move away from regional TV streaming to sports, though they appear to have launched TV Desi. The advertising supported model, focused on maximising views through distribution networks has gathered stream. MediaNama spoke to iStream CEO Radhakrishnan Ramachandran about the partnerships they've struck, differentiation, and conflict on interest with content owners themselves taking on an aggregation role: Content And Distribution Partnerships Ramachandran, who co-founded iStream with Chellappa Dhanukodi, and IIM-A alumnus who was working with Oracle, said that they've deployed video content at MSN, YouTube, Bebo and Sify, and are in the process of tying up with other top tier portals. They have a library of close to 30,000 clips, and around 15 partnerships in terms of distribution. "Currently we're looking at strengthening both content partnerships, as well as distribution partnerships. We'd like to have at least 25 partnerships closed by the end of two-three months, and covered all the key portals. " iStream has YouTube and DailyMotion channels, and Ramachandran said they had launched Hindi and Tamil channels on YouTube a year ago. According to their website, their content partners include Times…
