Media Companies Buy into Online Video

Media companies may go to great lengths to declare their love for copyright, but they can no longer declare their hate for technology with a straight face. They’re increasingly using investments to insert themselves into startups, mostly for research purposes.

Matt Richtel writes in the New York Times today:

“[M]edia companies say there are significant reasons to develop expertise in early-stage investments. The media business, they say, increasingly revolves not just around developing content but keeping pace with delivery technology and new media.”

Here’s our inventory of media investment groups and their online video startup portfolios:

Time Warner Investments (TWX)

• BroadLogic: video processing chips (with Comcast Interactive Capital)
• Ripe Digital Entertainment: on-demand TV network for young men
• ScanScout: contextually relevant video ads
• Veoh Networks: online video platform
• Visible World: video advertising for TV and broadband (with Comcast Interactive Capital)

Comcast Interactive Capital (CMCSA)

• BlackArrow: video advertising platform for cable (recent coverage)
• BroadLogic: video processing chips (with Time Warner Investments)
• Revver: video-sharing with revenue sharing for all creators
• RGB Networks: video networking systems
• Visible World: video advertising for TV and broadband (with Time Warner Investments)
• Vitrue: white-label video sites and advertising services

Peacock Equity (GE)

• Firebrand: commercials as content portal (launching next week)
• NBC also has an investment in Worldwide Biggies, a digital studio — see our coverage.

Hearst Interactive Media (HTV)

• Brightcove: video-publishing tool provider (for some reason not listed on Hearst’s site)
• Sling Media: place-shifting hardware devices (sold to EchoStar)
• The NewsMarket: news video archive
• Worldwide Biggies: digital studio (also not listed on Hearst’s site)

Steamboat Ventures

• Move Networks: streaming television platform
• 56.com: Chinese video-sharing site
• CTS Media: Chinese video advertising
• Netmovie: Chinese VOD
• UUSee: Chinese Internet TV platform

Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments

• UITV: Chinese Internet TV site

Primal Ventures (IAC)

Known to be investing in video. Prior to the investment group’s formation, IAC took a stake in Brightcove along with Hearst.

CBS and Viacom also have stakes in Joost. CBS is also in Spot Runner and Viacom is in VBS.tv.

Lionsgate has a stake in male-oriented video-sharing site Break.com.

The New York Times also has a piece of Brightcove.

What are we missing? Let us know and we’ll fill it in. Also, a question for you: how much do you think having a media company in its camp improves a startup’s chances of success?