Most people don’t realize just how important the Associated Press is. The news cooperative — owned by its U.S. news organization members — has been around since 1848, and now supplies 8,500 subscriber news outlets with text wire stories and photos, and 5,000 radio and TV outlets with audio and video content. And online, the service is ubiquitous, popping up on major news site after major news site.
But for a service with such global reach, the AP made a recent business decision that will actually lower its reach. As of today, AP member sites will offer free streaming video of about 40 clips per day, but with a catch: The new AP Online Video Network is powered by Microsoft’s MSN Video, meaning you must use the Microsoft browser, Internet Explorer (IE), to view it online. If you use Apple’s Safari browser or Firefox or Netscape or Opera or any other alternative browser, you’re out of luck.
And the timing couldn’t have been worse for the AP to launch the service, as the news wire has confidential video of President Bush being briefed on Hurricane Katrina from last August 29. As of 10:30 am Pacific Time today, Google News showed 920 stories online based on the AP story, but those without IE were left unable to see the key video scenes on many sites.
So what’s the big deal, you might say. Most people use Internet Explorer or at least have it loaded onto their PCs or Macs, right? It’s true that IE had about 85% of the browser share in February, with Firefox at about 10% and Safari at 3%. But in Europe those numbers are even stronger against IE, with Firefox having more than 20% of the browser market — mainly due to home surfing without IE.
Butt the AP and its member sites are requiring millions of Net users to either download or open a new application in order to see its video. And the Net doesn’t work that way if you want to reach the most people the fastest way.
This issue came to a boil on Poynter’s Online News email list yesterday, a discussion group made up of professionals who work on the newspaper sites you know and love. Michael Bazeley, senior web editor for the San Jose Mercury News, was flummoxed as to why the AP would do this to users.
“I can’t fathom why any online news pub would want to alienate so many users, especially when cross-platform Flash video is so mature and widely available, and when the video is generally available at so many other sources, such as Yahoo and CBSNews.com,” Bazeley wrote. “I can’t believe we’re still foisting platform issues on our users.”
After much back and forth, Sue Cross, the vice president of online for the AP, jumped in to the email discussion to try to quell the furor. But her main points were that Microsoft made the deal happen quickly and that the software giant has a great sales force to sell ads (the revenues of which will be split by members who host video and Microsoft). As for compatibility issues, the AP is concerned but not really doing anything about it.
“We are actively engaged with Microsoft on compatibility issues and we
have received a very positive response from them,” Cross wrote on the list. “MSNBC is faced with the same compatibility issues as the [AP video network] and is the largest video streamer among news and information sites. Microsoft is very aware of AP members’ concerns regarding issues of platform and browser incompatibility.”
Microsoft gave the AP a “very positive response” about compatibility issues? Yes, they’re overwhelmingly positive that it will work with the Windows Video Player. But what about users who are hitting an IE-required wall? They haven’t been heard from yet, but guess where they can get news video served through Flash, a technology that runs on almost every browser: Reuters. The rival news service recently made a deal with startup Brightcove that allows any news site or blog to run Reuters video using a player that is agnostic to your browser type. Imagine that.
Reuters chooses an open solution that let’s anyone run its video on nearly every browser (and also share ad revenues), while the AP requires people to use the IE browser. Adam Gaffin, executive editor of tech trade site NetworkWorld.com, explained the situation on the Online News list better than I could.
“The issue isn’t Microsoft’s business practices,” he wrote. “The issue is a decision by Associated Press that the immediacy of revenue from Microsoft’s ad network is more important than the fact that X percent of people using AP member sites will not be able to view its product (at least, not initially). When we [at Network World] decided on a video platform, we went with Flash because of the cross-browser compatibility. But we have a dedicated sales staff (in a niche market) so we didn’t face the revenue issues described by AP. Our first advertiser? Microsoft.”
What do you think? Is this issue overblown by media insiders, or are you upset that you will be required to use IE to view AP video on hundreds of news sites? Hit the comments below to share.
UPDATE: I’ve done some random testing on various news sites that run AP video. I am using a Firefox browser on a PC and have Windows Media Player installed on my computer.
On San Diego’s Cox.net site, I do see the videos after the Windows Media Player pops up. On Yahoo News’ AP Video page, I can see the videos on the Yahoo-branded video player. (Note that Yahoo is not a member organization of the AP and has a different arrangement to license AP video.)
But on the AP’s own video page, I see the typical wall asking for me to use IE.
Join in the fun! Send along your experiences and misadventures trying to watch AP video at your favorite news site and I’ll add them in a future post.
UPDATE 2: Sue Cross of AP writes in the comments to clarify the issue. Right now, sites that are in this new network (numbering 450 and counting) will require IE to see video. But AP continues to license video to other sites that can show it how they want — so not every site will have the IE requirement.
“People might mistakenly think AP video is available only with an IE browser,” Cross wrote. “AP has been providing video to websites for years via FTP, and continues to do so. The Katrina video got wide play in the new Online Video Network — but also huge play beyond it. AP members that want to take advantage of the Network’s advertising support in order to get a robust news video service up quickly can do so. We are quite comfortable that the option is a smart business decision for them and for us.”
That might be true, but I’ll stick by my assertion in the post that the AP will not reach as many Net viewers with this deal, and likely anger people who hit an IE-only wall. More power to them and Microsoft to fix the compatibility issue.
UPDATE 3: I’ve followed up on this post with an Open Source Reporting post that lists other online video services that require Internet Explorer or shut out Macs. I’m calling on readers to send in more entries to the running list.
UPDATE 4: I’ve also started another Open Source Reporting list, this time a “whitelist” of online video services that will work cross-platform with Windows, IE, Firefox and on a Mac. Check out the list and let me know of your favorite cross-platform video sites.
View Comments (41)
Flash is great for many reasons, but there aren't many RSS agregators that support it, nor does it allow for redistributing, which is becoming a big deal as more people are trying to spread media around.
Great topic Mark!
And just when I had all my Windows using friends and colleagues converted to Firefox (a few to Opera) for security reasons....now they're being told to return to the bad old days of I.E.? Stranger than fiction.
The world is inevitably headed towards open formats. We're seeing governments migrate towards open documents because they need to allow anyone access regardless of hardware/OS. Even if MS chooses not to see this view, it's a foregone conclusion, and decisions like this only serve to accelerate the migration.
I worked Dot.com and telecom mergers in D.C before the Crash, reviewing the internal correspondence of many Fortune 100 companies. What frosted my six was that business revenues, rather than platform independence and internet compatibility standards, took precedence. It looked far too much like the folks from 'Dilbert' had been dictating how the Net would be governed rather than the collegial folks that spawned ARPANET. Now, if a site sniffs that I have to 'upgrade' to IE in order to visit them, I move on. If software refuses to load without IE, I refuse to load the software. Most recently, my brand new HP printer refuses to load its drivers and applications without IE. Guess I'm going to have to box it up and take it back to the store for refund. IE *is* that bad.
I am on Windox XP, have Windows Media Player installed, but I still can't view the video content becasue i am using "Firefox" browser and not Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Windows Media Player works fine in Firefox, Microsoft chose not to make msn video available in Firefox and it's a shame you have accepted their lies. Forget about supporting Mac users, what about users like me who are WINDOWS users but just using a non Microsoft Browser.
I am not opening up a new browser window just to view a video link I saw on your site. There are hundreds of other sites offering these services in an easier manner. Get Real.
There is a vendor independent spec for Internet video: ISO MPEG-4. It is supported by QuickTime (and iTunes) as well as Real Player and open source software like VLC. Even though Microsoft submitted technology to the MPEG-4 Patent Pool and collects revenues from the patents, they don't support the format. If they did, things would be a lot simpler! It would be great if Flash one day suported MPEG-4 as well, but they seem to be moving in the opposite direction with more proprietary technology. Perhaps the increasing use of mpeg-4 based technologies in wireless and dtv will get things moving in the right direction...
I think the important issue is that AP has teamed with a very large, controversial company for a key resource, and this is likely to bias the organization. Reporting organizations should be as open as possible, not lazily agree to work with a monopolist.
Hello. I have been tempted by a link to one of your videos, and was unable to play it once I got to the page. I consider myself well versed with computers, and this computer has been able to play videos from most any websites which feature video content, except for the content at MSN Video.
I am aware that my recent model iMac has fantastic video capabilities, yet for some reason MSN Video does not allow playback on Macintosh hardware. When can it be expected that I may view your video content, and why have you not allowed me to do so thus far?
Thanks.
It looks like this entire topic stopped cold about a month ago. No surprise: it had reached impasse. The AP VP pronounces empty, weasel words and lets it go at that. The non-IE passionadoes vent. Nothing changes.
If AP thought they were going to gain an unfair advantage by tying to Microsoft's bully strategy, they might reflect on an old saying. "In a deal with the Devil, you are the junior partner."
AP hasn't had a chance to refuse me, because I just avoid their private, little video club. Sadly XM Radio is also IE-only. You can visit their "selling" site with any browser you want, but when you try to sign up, then you get turned away unless your browser is a Windows version of IE. Even Mac IE doesn't satisfy the gatekeeper. Seems rude to treat paying customers that way.
At least XM's tech folks were refreshingly honest about admitting it. Customers must use Windows/IE or call the 800-number. It turned me off, for sure. I need XM for their aviation weather product. I'll dump 'em the minute somebody else provides it.
A friend of mine says wisely, "I don't mind what happens. I care -- but I don't mind." The market will resolve Microsoft's browser gambit.
Vice Presidents come and go fast in corporate America. AP's current one in charge of video will sink or swim with her buddies from Bellevue.
And those satellites 22,241 miles in space will outlast XM's current hard-headedness, until a wiser, more customer-friendly successor comes along to use them.
My view is this is not a Mac/Pc problem. Instead a Micro$oft vs open source problem. OSS is quickly gaing steam as affordable, secure applications. The days of paying 200 bucks for an OS that then feeds you a pantload of Spam, PopUPs and whose security team is still living in the 1980's is OVER. Maybe with conscientious business practices by folks like Ubuntu and Opera people will finally shake the "Redmond Monkey" off their backs. As for the AP, they can't sell what they don't target their markets to.