Joost gets back on our radar with an iPhone app
Men in Black playing on Joost's new iPhone app. — If ever there was a web service that experienced a rapid fall from grace, it was online video startup, Joost. What started out as a much anticipated new service, ultimately fell short …
Context & Ripple Effects
Joost launched in 2007 amid high expectations, but January coverage framed its decline sharply. By May, it had added staff and accumulated video while still lacking a Web version; its September browser release addressed that gap.
The iPhone app extends that browser-era push to another viewing endpoint. It gives Joost a fresh route to audiences after the earlier questions over its fading momentum and the mismatch between its content library and limited access.
First-order effects
- Joost gains an iPhone distribution channel for its online-video service, putting its catalog in front of iPhone users rather than limiting access to its earlier software and browser routes.
- The app’s immediate value is tempered by performance concerns noted in syndicated coverage, making playback quality central to whether the new endpoint improves Joost’s reach.
Second-order effects
- Joost must make mobile delivery reliable enough for the iPhone app to convert its video inventory into viewing time; weak performance would blunt the benefit of adding the device.
- The move raises the importance of access across devices for online-video services: a catalog alone no longer differentiates a provider if viewers cannot use it on their preferred screen.
Third-order effects
- Joost’s progression from a missing Web option to a browser version and then an iPhone app points to online video competing through endpoint availability rather than a single proprietary client.
- If that pattern persists, video services will be judged increasingly on portable, browser-based access and delivery performance, shifting investment toward distribution software as well as content acquisition.
The trend: Online-video services are moving away from single-client experiences toward multi-endpoint distribution, with mobile playback quality becoming part of the product itself.