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TV Networks Discussing YouTube Rival

Posted by Zonk on from the hard-to-get-that-right dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Reuters is carrying a story indicating that NBC, CBS, Fox, and Viacom are considering banding together to work on a competitive video-hosting site. The goal would be to provide an alternative to Google's YouTube, and presumably direct some revenue in their direction." From the article: "While a deal is still far off, the four media companies envision a jointly owned site that would be the primary Web source for videos from their television networks, the paper said in an online report on Wsj.com, citing people close to the situation. The companies aim to cash in on the fast-growing market of Web video advertising and have also discussed building a Web video player that could play clips, the Journal said. "

12 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. Whatever by Kiba+Ruby · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And they are going to use DRM. Wow...such a compelling service...NOT!

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    1. Re:Whatever by Salvance · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Plus, they'll make us watch a 20 second commercial before the video, and 12 30 second commercials during the sitcom. How fun.

      If the networks were smart, they'd encourage viewers to submit good/funny clips from their top shows to Youtube and other video channels. CBS realized the value of posting online with their CBS YouTube channel, which helped to increase TV viewership as well.

      Internet viewers want to quickly scan 100's of videos to find what works, most don't want to sit down in front of their 17 in monitor in the office and watch TV sitcoms with the family. The advertising model that works for TV just doesn't work on the internet, and networks won't understand this. For now, they should ditch their idea and use the internet to drive traffic to their TV shows, which has huge potential (the only reason I watch The Office is because I saw clips online first).

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  2. Exclusive content? by SilentOneNCW · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't think the property of *exclusive content* applies to the internet. Digital information can be too easily copied for any exclusive content to stay exclusive for long.

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    1. Re:Exclusive content? by Threni · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think it'll be the first step in an effort to remove their stuff from the 'net. Once they're up and running, they'll have a stronger claim that YouTube is a rival, hosting their IP, for free, and doing little to stop it.

      Presumably they'll also be selling their stuff over the net?

  3. Revenue... by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'll give even odds that they use Google AdSense for their revenue stream. ;-)

  4. Competitive? by DragonWriter · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Reuters is carrying a story indicating that NBC, CBS, Fox, and Viacom are considering banding together to work on a competitive video-hosting site.


    Uh, so just about the entire US broadcast industry is banding together to distribute content through a joint venture. I think the word you want is "anti-competitive", not "competitive".
  5. Marketing spin... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 4, Funny

    No Need For YouTube When OurTube Is Your Tube!

  6. Re:"and presumably direct some revenue" by Webs+101 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You get 100 million hits a day ( http://www.onlinereporter.com/article.php?article_ id=7234 ) and the ad revenue starts to add up.

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  7. Wow, this is pretty interesting... by zappepcs · · Score: 5, Interesting

    First, Cuban says Google is stupid for buying YouTube, now all the megamediagiants want to band together to try to beat Google at its own game? Google has some work cut out for it... maybe?

    If you consider that **AA wants to pull the rug out from under Google et al, now MS is trying their hand at the online video thing... then along comes johnny mediagiant to try too.

    Perhaps there is more to this free internet videos thing after all?

    How can the MPAA continue to want to control content and then want to play in the same space as Google?

    The only thing I'm certain of is that this could be very interesting...

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  8. Competing with Apple? by jfengel · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Are they really competing with YouTube? Rather, why are they competing with Apple? Apple is already selling (some of) their shows, and they're apparently pulling in mad bank for it.

  9. The follow on move is their real money-maker by Infonaut · · Score: 3, Funny

    building a Web video player that could play clips

    The TV networks aren't stupid. They've got a really long-term vision for this. After they create this "video player," which I hear is going to be called something like "FastTemporalMovement," or "HurryUpNow," they're going to start making some of these clips available on a vast, distributed network they are calling, "The ConnectedLattice." Originally they were going to call it "DenseAdaptiveRegisteredPlaybackAssociationNET," but apparently that was too close to some other experimental project someone else is working on. After their new distributed network gets activated, they're going to pass their video through a series of interconnected tubes and into this distributed network, which will then allow individual users to connect via the "FastTemporalMovement" video player and watch programming on.. get this, here's where it really gets exciting... THEIR HOME COMPUTERS!!!"

    Now tell me the TV networks aren't technology and business innovators! Once people start getting a taste of this "video on your computer" thing, customers will start lining up to pay the networks for quality programming like American Idol and Deal or No Deal. The only potential snag in the networks' plan is that some viewers may, and I think this is only a slim possibility, may start producing their own video content and attempting to place it on the vast distributed network the clever TV folks thought up. What a funny thought that is: consumers actually producing content. Heh heh. Too funny. It'll never happen. The networks are WAY ahead of the game, folks.

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  10. Why a joint site? by Animats · · Score: 3, Informative

    What do they need a joint site for? If all they want to do is allow limited downloads of their own content, each network can do that right now.

    Also, with a Democratic Congress, anti-trust questions will be asked. Competitors aren't supposed to have joint marketing arrangements. "Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of a felony, and, on conviction thereof, shall be punished by fine not exceeding $10,000,000 if a corporation, or, if any other person, $350,000, or by imprisonment not exceeding three years, or by both said punishments, in the discretion of the court." (15 USC 2). Antitrust enforcement has been out to lunch since Bush came in, and Congress hasn't questioned this. That's going to change.