Despite not being as popular as services like Akismet, VideoPress is nonetheless an excellent service from Automattic that allows users to upload videos upon their WP.com blogs (not to mention self hosted sites as well).
While VideoPress matches (if not exceeds) YouTube when it comes to playing back videos (especially on smartphones), I have not seen much adoption of the service outside of various local news networks as well as a few media bloggers.
Although Automattic is currently busy with numerous projects ranging from perfecting VaultPress to finalizing WordPress 3.1 features, the company may want to rethink its strategy when it comes to VideoPress in order to make the service more relevant.
Undercutting By Rivals
Automattic currently offers VideoPress for about $60/year which provides users with unlimited bandwidth as well as at least 3 GB of space (note: this is tied to your WP.com account).
While the price itself isn’t bad (as it breaks down to $5/month), unfortunately its hard to convince users to use VideoPress when rivals like Blogger, Tumblr and Posterous are offering video services to users for free.
While Automattic should probably avoid burning money by offering VideoPress for free (as streaming video isn’t cheap!), they may want to rethink their pricing structure.
VideoPress Reloaded
Instead of tying the amount of space one has to their WP.com account, Automattic could instead give users access to unlimited video hosting through a monthly subscription, similar to what Flickr offers (minus the time caps of course).
If priced at a reasonable rate (say between $5-$10 USD/month) Automattic could see greater adoption from bloggers online who desire a quality video service that isn’t dependent upon search revenues or venture capital money.
Combined with VideoPress’s other features (like iTunes compatibility, embed privacy controls, etc.), Automattic’s video service could become the default choice for bloggers (especially those of us who self host our sites).
Would You Consider VideoPress?
Even though a subscription model may not fit everyone’s needs, a new pricing model for VideoPress could make it much more appealing for professional bloggers not to mention personal sites as well.
If Automattic offered a different pricing model, would you consider VideoPress for your blog? If so, what would you be willing to pay for in order to utilize the service?
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below!
