Basically, the focus would be to help websites generate new ad inventory – instead of competing for existing ad inventory. Thus, with the Pixsy platform, any website (no matter how big or small) can run their own private-label image or video search engine. "Image and video search creates new user activity on these sites, new searches, extends brand, and generates new ad revenue for these publishers," said Norlin.

In fact, Time Magazine names Pixsy as on of its Top 50 companies.

OK, what is Norlin's take on the future of online media?

1. "There will only be a few concentrated places where all media exists. These are the 'mega-portals' and will be companies like MSN, Google, Yahoo, Comcast, etc. These are centralized locations where users start their day and return regularly for all of their media content."
2. "A potentially much larger opportunity: controlling and owning the distribution of media content across the web. This is an entirely different business from that of a portal. This is the platform that powers media experiences in many different web-based locations.
   "It's possible that one company could control both of these (e.g. this is my theory on why Google acquired YouTube, so that they could control destination portal traffic and distribute videos across the web through AdSense)."
3. "There will certainly be emerging and new business models that no one has heard of or thought of yet. People tend to forget the rapid pace of innovation today and default to thinking that the big guys have a corner on this. Unlikely. There are an amazing amount of small, innovative startups that no one has heard of that will be making a massive impact in online video in the coming years."

Tom Taulli is the author of a variety of books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and operates DealProfiles.com.