First-half recap, second-half outlook for online video

The first half of 2009 ended last week, and I decided to look back at some of the notable events in the online video space so far this year, to give context on where we're headed. We've seen continued venture capital investment in the space, a few small acquisitions and one very large one, some unfortunate company failings and dubious re-trenchings, and a lot of talk about who's profitable, who's getting there, and one company most people don't think has a chance to ever get there. We also saw rampant speculation about what the big "TV Everywhere" cableco-broadcaster online video play is going to look like, though the CEOs didn't shed much light on the subject.

Online video consumption continued to soar, according to comScore and Nielsen, but a separate Nielsen study also found viewing stats to be overstated. How's that for conflicting reports? Predictions on the eventual size of the online video market in revenue also conflicted wildly, so it's clear that the space still has a lot of questions to answer about consumption habits and what they mean for the bottom line.

So, given all the happenings of the first half of the year, what do you think the second half holds? How can FierceOnlineVideo better inform and serve you, our readers, in the second half of 2009? Are there topics you felt weren't covered enough, or subjects you're simply sick of hearing about? Are there topics or types of articles and reports we could be writing to give you a better impression of the market?

Please let us know, via email, tweet, or give us an old-fashioned phone call, what you need to know and read to stay on top of this dynamic space. It was quite an exciting ride in the first half, and I've got no doubt the second half of 2009 will hold similarly interesting and challenging news for the online video industry. Thanks again for reading, and we look forward to bringing you the best possible coverage of the market as the second half of 2009 unfolds. 

- Pete
@fierceonlinevid