The excellent CMF Trends has released a post on How To Make Money With Video On Demand by Renee Robinson.

In it, we learn the VOD marketplace is projected to more than double in the next five years to over $60 billion.

Three models have emerged:

• TVOD, or Transactional Video On Demand
• SVOD, or Subscription Video On Demand
• AVOD, or Advertising-based Video On Demand

Think iTunes, Netflix and YouTube. Or Vimeo On Demand, showmi and Crackle.

Renee discusses the models in detail, including figures for reference.

She concludes:

“As a rights holder, there is nothing stopping you from utilizing as many VOD models as possible, except for any prior agreements that may withhold specific rights. Inform yourself before agreeing on the method of delivery, device compatibility, window compression and how revenue is defined. The ability to exploit each non-exclusive model can become a small but steadily monetized stream in this new digital licensing ecosystem.”

My take: fascinating reading! The xVOD marketplace is crowded with no clear winners — yet. Interesting that the TVOD model mimics the existing theatrical model, the SVOD model mimics current premium TV and the AVOD model mimics free TV. One day this will all settle out. But until then every filmmaker needs to navigate this marketplace by themselves.