Blackbird PLC CEO Ian McDonough joins Proactive's Stephen Gunnion with insights into the company's 2023 performance and upcoming milestones.
McDonough described 2023 as a year of progress, highlighting Blackbird's significant presence in major sporting events due to its unparalleled speed and stability as a video editor. The company's technology was employed across numerous high-profile sports events, including all Tennis Grand Slams, the Super Bowl, the Women's World Cup, the Ryder Cup, and the Rugby World Cup, with plans to extend its use to the Summer Games in 2024.
The discussion also introduced elevate.io , a new product aimed at the creator economy, which is a level below the professional sphere where Blackbird operates. Designed with input from 300 potential users, elevate.io targets independent filmmakers, podcasters, corporate video creators, and others within a market valued at approximately $250 billion, according to Goldman Sachs, expected to grow to $500 billion by 2027. The specific segment for tools and services is anticipated to expand from $20 billion to $180 billion by 2030.
To support elevate.io 's growth, Blackbird has welcomed a new director, Anne de Kerckhove, and raised over a million pounds. The product, due for general release at the end of March, will start as a freemium model and aims to build a user community through its multiplayer and collaborative features, leveraging AWS for scalability.
For 2024, McDonough foresees a pivotal period of learning from the market and community feedback to refine and expand elevate.io's offerings, with a focus on agile development based on user needs.
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