Adobe and Apple – will we ever see Flash working on the iPhone?

Big set back for video producers, content producers, indeed iPhone users and just about everyone else for that matter as Adobe have finally given up trying to persuade Apple to allow Flash to work on iPhone and iPad.

Adobe were committed to getting it on with Apple. And why not? Flash is the most widely used video codec working on most PCs globally powering their multimedia content.

But, for one reason or another Apple doesn’t want Flash on its handheld mobile devices stating that Flash technology isn’t good enough. ‘Buggy’ is the word they used.

What does this mean?

Well, the smart guys and girls developing apps for iPhone and iPad can’t use Flash-based systems including Adobe’s new Creative Suite 5 if they want their work accessible on the devices.

Video producers and marketers making video content for online platforms – other than You Tube of course which Apple kindly allows – so think viral films, video news releases, digital news distribution etc are taking note because if they want their films to be viewable on iPhones they have to make available internet versions in both Quicktime and Flash – especially if they want it be viewed on Google’s Android smartphone and iPhone.

Adobe is sulking saying it is halting development of future translation tools for Creative Suite.

Apple responded on CNet saying Flash is “closed and proprietary”. And its CEO, Steve Jobs, says that Flash is “buggy” and alleging that most Mac crashes are the result of Flash.

Oh why oh why can’t Apple and Adobe kiss and make up.

And if they merged, in a powerful, omnipotent coupling, what would they be called?

Appobe. Adapple. Adopple. Abopple. Or just a bad apple?

Squaring the sport content circle?

Some interesting observations came out of this week’s Sport & New Media conference at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.

In amongst all the case studies and stats however one thing that appears not to have been really addressed was a potential tension between sports rights owners, holders and sponsors with regards to how best to monetise the assets they own or share between them.

The dilemma I can see coming down the digital highway in the near future is this:

You are, let’s say for example, the Belgium Lacrosse Federation with very little chance of ever gaining wide exposure on Belgium TV, Eurosport or other broadcast platform.

Through the opportunity online brings you to broadcast your sport relatively cheaply, plus having both a home grown and international community of Lacrosse participants and fans you can reach easily via the web, you have (probably for the first time) the potential to be a genuine commercial proposition.

Net Value?

So how to maximise the opportunity?

• Work with an established online sports content distributor and take a share of ad revenue based on eyeballs?
• Try and charge a subscription fee or a pay-per-view model for access to premium content and highlights?
• Work with commercial sponsors, give them exclusive content in return for hard cash upfront – and let them exploit the content you give them access to?

Or a mixture of all three?

The reason I think this scenario will be tricky to navigate is any sponsor will, on the whole, want to utilised the content they have effectively  ‘purchased’ to be consumed by as many potential viewers as possible with their brand association all over it – this means pumping it out for free on every available platform.

However this is potentially at odds with the idea of charging a premium or subscription for content as it were ‘at source’.

Like anything the way this type of dilemma resolves itself will come down to objectives. Is the point to grow interest in the sport, increase participation and seek to be merely self-sustaining? Or is it to simply attract more viewers who might be prepared to pay for the existing product.

Again it’s probably a mixture.

But it what’s really interesting is if sport – with its mass appeal, global reach and hard-core, loyal devotees – cannot clearly work out a clear and sustainable commercial strategy for online content then what hope for other sectors?