A new video remix service that was spun out of BBC Worldwide launches today after securing funding from Ibis Capital and the founder of fashion retailer New Look. Masher was conceived as a prototype by BBC Motion Gallery, the commercial video library that licenses clips to and from a number of broadcasters, but was acquired by the investors in July.
If Michael Grade thinks YouTube is a “parasite“, wait until he hears about Masher – the Farringdon, London-based site encourages users to mix together a number of TV clips then share them with friends, a little like blinkBox or WorldTV or… the list goes on (for fans of buzzword bingo, Masher obviously isn’t the only one trying monetise the long tail of video in a user-generated environment). The site has up to £375,000 funding from Ibis Capital and investment from New Look’s Tom Singh and Canadian software entrepreneur Neil Fenton, Masher’s chairman.
Chief operating officer James Clifton told paidContent:UK that BBC Motion Gallery content, which Masher depends upon for its source of videos, was part of the acquisition from BBC Worldwide. The business model will be ads and sponsorship on the Masher site plus licensing fees for white-label versions of the service, Clifton said.
Pretty standard for web video platforms, but Masher hinges on a “mash-up” paradigm that is very 2006 – on the surface, it’s hard to fathom why someone wouldn’t just upload to YouTube.But the main selling point – “mashing” terminology aside – is this: Masher is a web-based video editor that offers text effects, transitions and soundtracks, like a slimmed-down iMovie but on the web. This functionality – stringing together multiple short video clips in to a single production – is an area the big video sharing sites still haven’t added.