"There are three models for indexing and discovering relevant video content: metadata, which Yahoo uses; text generated during the closed captioning process, which Yahoo and Google use; and transcription-on-the-fly, carried out by Blinkx with technology from enterprise search player Autonomy."

Critical Mention, like TVEyes, is a paid subscription service that lets companies monitor when they're mentioned on broadcast television. Critical Mention's three-year-old service has about 100 clients, including Miller Brewing, Qualcomm, Prudential and Boeing.

"We alert clients to key words being mentioned, and they can view it within moments of it being aired on TV," said Critical Mention CEO Sean Morgan.

Enterprises pay for the service, which also lets them save and e-mail clips, on a per-seat basis. Critical Mention shares revenue with content producers if and when their content is accessed. "Whoever gets viewed, gets paid," Morgan said. "