As RIM considers the Consumer side, is there a “Killer App” waiting in the wings?In its continuing campaign to adjust to the new market reality, RIM is considering the consumer side while learning how to balance that with its continuing success in enterprise markets. RIM now understand that although enterprise isn’t dead, the consumer market has already surpassed it in volume and revenue opportunities. Ignoring this fact is a recipe for disaster and RIM isn’t about to make that mistake during its time of transition.
RIM acquired Chalk Media back in 2010, expecting great things out of this acquisition, especially in the delivery system which will allow for both a strong enterprise product as well as an eventual high degree of interactive content with a strong information and knowledge orientation. Chalk does however come from the enterprise side and may be slower to adjust to that consumer reality which RIM is now investigating. That having been said, Chalk’s platform can play a role in the push for consumer content. But there is much more to it than that. RIM has decided to go after a whole world of sponsorship revenues from major consumer oriented companies such as Coca Cola, P&G, Insurance, Automotive as well as the media giants like Viacom, etc. And Chalk simply isn’t positioned to help out at this stage.
Recently, we heard that Chalk had been rebranded as Blackberry Pushcast and it features the same enterprise solutions such as “media-rich training and communications” that seem a lot less interesting when compared to the consumer potential.
Compared to the value proposition for enterprise, (who after all, already own and distribute their own content to their employees and associates, and who for that very reason, may not generate a lot of enthusiasm for an additional layer of complexity), the consumer marketplace is open for business and eager for interactive content. So who will be the white knight that can come and save the day?
Chalk remains dedicated to an Enterprise-only delivery solution at exactly the point in time when RIM’s competitors are gearing for a much more interactive consumer marketplace and RIM, is having to play catch-up. If BlackBerry Pushcast were to focus itself on the consumer side, or at least split the operations to have a consumer division, RIM could offer a platform for users to experience video content on their device in a new and exciting way.
What about BlackBerry TV? NHCBBA has written about several TV applications available for BlackBerry and the content is the feature that ruins all of these apps. It’s very difficult to find quality programming in a BlackBerry app. One of the best things about the PlayBook is that it has Flash support, allowing you to experience a plethora of online content, but the lack of Netflix is a setback. The BlackBerry Pushcast could be that platform that lets major media outlets distribute their content to millions of BlackBerry’s and monetize their media in a new way. This potential is far more exciting than giving Walmart the ability to deliver a message from the CEO in video form to its executives.
Full Disclosure: I’m involved in a company called Umpires TV and Radio which have offered RIM a vision of an interactive learning platform with a Facebook-like function that allows consumers not only to use already available content but also to expand on it with their friends and colleagues in a user community supported by the Blackberry system. No doubt users would love this new application and it might very well be the solution for RIM’s entry into the consumer marketplace.
via: bbcool
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