How many times have we written about this before? Today, I watched the pilot for “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” the new fall show on NBC that’s (very) loosely based on the behind-the-scenes life at a SNL-like show. It was on YouTube, albeit in five parts. I was going to write about how much I liked the show, and how good I thought it was that NBC was leaking it out there. Instead, by this evening, this message was up: “This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. because its content was used without permission.” What do you bet this is a classic case of marketing puts it up, and the lawyers threaten to sue the site? (The video was posted by username “studio60ss.”) What would the harm be in posting the show? I downloaded USA Network’s preview of its new show, “Psych,” and watched it on the plane ride home from vacation. Good show. Learn from the experiment: get your stuff out there and build good buzz. Don’t punish the people who want to see your entertainment. They are your best advertisers.
The TV promo ad for VH1’s Vspot broadband video site clearly shows it in a Safari browser. I went to check it out, only to find the site is not Mac compatible. From the site: We are sorry! Vspot does not currently have Digital Rights Management (DRM) support for Macintosh. Please see our FAQ for system requirements to view on demand and free video on Vspot. But the promo shows it in Safari which only works on a Mac. I can only assume the VH1 graphics folks are proudly Mac-centric.
Excellent video parody from YouTube: what the trailer for a “Long Tail” movie would look like. It’s The Day of the Longtail, complete with tagline: “THE AUDIENCE IS UP TO SOMETHING.” You betcha. Chris Anderson’s gotta be proud that a long tail site like YouTube is hosting this.
It took some time, but we’re beginning to see a steady stream of announcements as big media sites throw open their doors to user-created content. Just today, CNN, AOL and WeatherBug said they’re getting in the game. Last week, which I have failed to mention, ABC News Now debuted Seen & Heard, a new show where viewers send in their video comments and questions. Also last week, MTV announced it’s debuting a user-created channel in the UK, and many NBC owned-and-operated stations are doing deals with MotionBox to power video uploads. And what about MSNBC.com? “(It’s) a pretty urgent priority,” said Jennifer Sizemore, managing editor. The gates have opened to user-created content — the beginning of a new chapter in media and journalism.
I’m just back from Aruba, and I have great news for everyone who supported that Aruba boycott: It worked! The Aruban police realized how serious we were, devoted all their resources to the investigation, and found Natalee over at Joran’s place. They handed her over immediately, and issued a full apology on Nancy Grace. No, seriously, the boycott’s still stupid, and one year after I first wrote about The Land That The Media Circus Has Now Forgot, the damage we have done to Aruba is, mercifully, minimal. Unfortunately, now the blogs are taking up the vigilante justice that the news nets left off. More…
Using CNN.com’s Pipeline technology, TNT along with PGA.com will offer four live streams from the PGA Championship on Aug. 17-21. The streams will be ad-supported (Hitachi, Travelers and Buick) and available for free. TNT says if the coverage goes well, it may work up a similar plan for its Nascar races next summer.
How many times have we written about this before? Today, I watched the pilot for “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” the new fall show on NBC that’s (very) loosely based on the behind-the-scenes life at a SNL-like show. It was on YouTube, albeit in five parts. I was going to write about how much I liked the show, and how good I thought it was that NBC was leaking it out there. Instead, by this evening, this message was up: “This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. because its content was used without permission.” What do you bet this is a classic case of marketing puts it up, and the lawyers threaten to sue the site? (The video was posted by username “studio60ss.”) What would the harm be in posting the show? I downloaded USA Network’s preview of its new show, “Psych,” and watched it on the plane ride home from vacation. Good show. Learn from the experiment: get your stuff out there and build good buzz. Don’t punish the people who want to see your entertainment. They are your best advertisers.
