Vimeo and Redbox Instant are coming to Chromecast. Next up: Plex and HBO Go?
Chromecast, the streaming video adapter introduced by Google last week, is quickly gaining support from a number of media platforms. Case in point: Vimeo told us it wants to support Chromecast …
Context & Ripple Effects
Google launched Chromecast on July 24, 2013. Vimeo and Redbox Instant planning support within its first week makes the device’s value depend less on its hardware debut and more on whether media services treat casting as a distribution feature.
The early support also puts Google’s adapter in the middle of a service-by-service adoption cycle: each participating provider broadens the catalog available to Chromecast owners without Google having to supply that programming itself.
First-order effects
- Vimeo and Redbox Instant must add Chromecast compatibility, giving their users a way to move their video services from a phone, tablet, or computer to a television.
- Chromecast owners gain more viewing options beyond the services available at launch, while Google gains additional reasons for buyers to keep using the adapter.
Second-order effects
- Other video providers, including Plex and HBO Go, face a clearer product-distribution decision as Chromecast support becomes an expected way to reach television screens.
- Google’s ability to attract buyers becomes increasingly tied to partner-app coverage, giving media platforms influence over the adapter’s perceived usefulness.
Third-order effects
- If providers continue to add support, low-cost TV adapters can compete as software ecosystems whose catalog breadth is assembled through third-party integrations rather than exclusive programming.
The trend: Streaming-video distribution is shifting toward cross-device casting support, with service compatibility becoming a core part of living-room platform competition.