News Corp. and NBC: YouTube competitor coming

News Corp. and NBC: YouTube competitor coming

Slimy on 22 March 2007 - 16:41 · 17 comments & 9073 views

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News Corporation and NBC have announced a deal to create a new video distribution site, with the content and distribution channels coming from Yahoo!, Microsoft and Time Warner/AOL. The service will launch this summer with "free" ad-supported TV shows (including Heroes and 24) and movies (including Borat). Big brand advertisers that have already signed deals include Intel, Cisco and General Motors. The content will also probably be available via embedded videos at MySpace, MSN, and Yahoo! web channels and users may be able to upload their own creations.

The source of income is there, the content is there, the distribution channels are there, but will it be enough? I ask you: will this service be a YouTube killer, create its own niche in the online video distribution market or is it a business catastrophe waiting to happen?

News source: Ars Technica

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#1 neufuse on 22 Mar 2007 - 16:56

Fox News and NBC actually working together?

has hell froze over? News Corp (fox ) mocks NBC like crazy!

(1 reply) #2 Hastin on 22 Mar 2007 - 16:56

Won't be as popular as YouTube ever was. I have a feeling that the site will be bulky, too slow to use, and lack the 'cool' of YouTube. It will feel corporate.

#2.1 toadeater on 22 Mar 2007 - 18:04

Quote - (Hastin said @ #2)

Won't be as popular as YouTube ever was. I have a feeling that the site will be bulky, too slow to use, and lack the 'cool' of YouTube. It will feel corporate.

There are already dozens of YouTube competitors, as well as Bittorrent for HD shows. Unless they offer TV network-quality original, unique programming or some kind of advanced interactive features they will just be throwing their $$$ away.

(2 replies) #3 Jugalator on 22 Mar 2007 - 17:00

Sounds good if they can actually manage to do it only ad-supported.

I can only imagine the hacks to rip the streamed video and do some quick work in VirtualDub or whatever to strip the ads though... They're probably DRM'ed, but need to be decoded at some point, and I doubt they can have Vista as a requirement this early, so not even any "protected video paths" to talk of in that case.

#3.1 theyarecomingforyou on 22 Mar 2007 - 18:10

Yes, but all they have to do is offer YouTube quality by default and have hi-res content require Vista DRM.

#3.2 Slimy on 22 Mar 2007 - 19:22

Quote - (theyarecomingforyou said @ #3.1)

Yes, but all they have to do is offer YouTube quality by default and have hi-res content require Vista DRM.

There is no such thing as Vista DRM.

#4 kazzama on 22 Mar 2007 - 17:22

I believe it will be pretty awesome

#5 MR.T on 22 Mar 2007 - 17:25

This should have happened years ago.

#6 bluep3ace on 22 Mar 2007 - 18:17

lol its funny how these big corporations think they'll have a major competitor just by hiring a few coders.
zune marketplace, anyone?

#7 entropyx on 22 Mar 2007 - 19:36

It won't kill Youtube. Youtube is completely different. I doubt the NBC site would allow user submitted videos and such. That's what makes Youtube youtube.

#8 Sniper101 on 22 Mar 2007 - 21:18

wow News corp, NBC, Microsoft, Yahoo and Time Warner/AOL all coming together to beat the man (In this case google lmao) the day has finally come

I would definately use this

better then watching boring British TV (Y)

#9 Worth Godwin on 22 Mar 2007 - 22:50

The whole key to YouTube is the community & user-submitted videos aspects of the site. My guess (and I could of course be wrong, but we'll see) is that since this is being started by big corporations, and thus has their agenda behind it, it will not touch YouTube's popularity...

Still waiting for the BBC's bittorrent-based distribution system. Let me pay a reasonable fee to see new Doctor Who Stateside within 24 hours of when it airs, and I'll be happy. Call it a virtual TV license...

#10 betasp on 23 Mar 2007 - 00:18

I think the best quote was on Fark...

I bet the videos play on the Zune and PS3 only...

#11 L3thal on 23 Mar 2007 - 04:24

I honestly believe this will be very effective if the ads they introduce do not intrude on our ability to view the show or movie. They also need to set up an effective site that is user friendly to attract people.

I guess time will tell.

#12 parky37 on 23 Mar 2007 - 08:07

Isn't there already a precedent for this working in the music industry?

then: Napster (wildly popular, tons of illegal content)
now: iTunes (backed by big business, legally solid)

(1 reply) #13 wicker_man on 23 Mar 2007 - 08:27

This news just proves again that big corps wouldn't do a damn thing about offering something radically new to the customers, until a small biz shows them the light and then gets shut down so that they can take over.

#13.1 neufuse on 23 Mar 2007 - 15:25

yep that makes tons of sense in this case... the only reason P2P gets shut down really is because of the illegal activity on it..

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News Corp. and NBC: YouTube competitor coming

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