SlingMedia
Based: San Mateo, CA
Founded: 2004
www.slingmedia.com
Why It's Fierce: So what if operators don't like you and content players could sue you? People want their TV everywhere. SlingMedia, the maker of the nifty Slingbox device that can redirect home TV signals on any PC anywhere, just commercially released the SlingPlayer Mobile for Slingbox owners. The software solution for Windows Mobile devices enables users to watch TV via UMTS, EV-DO or WiFi networks without paying for a video subscription from their mobile operator. In doing so, it has stirred up the debate around place-shifting trends in the mobile industry much earlier than expected. Will operators embrace or work to block third-party solutions since they bypass their own content offerings? If the solution is as compelling to end users as folks claim, we'll see a negative PR storm developing from customers who don't want to be told what they can and can't access. No, SlingMedia isn't the first to do this mobile place-shifting, but it has brought the place-shifting concept into the public consciousness. Plus, its financial backers include moguls John Malone and Charlie Ergen, who respectively run Liberty Media and Echostar, the second-largest satellite television provider in the U.S. Along with Goldman Sachs, they led a $46.6 million VC investment in January.
What to look for: Look for SlingMedia to perfect some of the glitches reported in early releases and aggressively launch additional versions of SlingPlayer Mobile software that can run on more than just Windows Mobile devices.
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