Next to the financial web, my largest personal bet since 2006 has been web video. I have covered it in detail since 2006 on my blog.

It has NOT been a super sexy space since $GOOG Acquired YouTube and sucked a lot of life and multiples out of the industry. For markets to work well, all stages of the market need to be humming. There needs to be ample entrepreneurs and startups willing to attack the space, Venture Capitalists, Public Companies and Institutional Investors willing to participate. This year has been totally different.

The stars have been aligning magnificently in 2013.

There are startups galore, incredible products, seasoned entrepreneurs, big VC investments and IPO’s.  In January of this year I wrote ‘Web Video…I am Dead Serious This Time‘. It covered a lot of my bets on the industry so no need to relist them here.

A few weeks ago $AOL bought Adapt.TV a large Video Ad Network.

I am an investor in Tubemogul which focuses on programmatic (automated software buying). I believe (as does Brett – Tubemogul’s CEO) that the programmatic solution companies like Tubemogul will get a premium to the ad network model, which means more interesting acquisitions and IPO’s lie ahead.

Vine and Instagram video could not have exploded without 4g and the iPhone. Tastemade just raised $10 million for a video $YELP so you can expect to see more ‘video version of (insert successful mobile startups here)’.

Its not just consumer products, but web video as a service. I was pitched an awesome American entrepreneur startup in China called InitialView that uses web video to help the big universities and the Asian students that want to attend them – connect more efficiently.

With so many startups getting traction with video in 2013, the big brands are going to need fast, efficient, big ways to spend money on web video or as Tubemogul helps companies do…’Buy video ads in any format, on any device at massive scale.’

Happy days.