Archive for January 16th, 2007
The highly-anticipated online video site — which promises to provide a TV experience on the web — has launched in private beta as Joost.com (which is pronounced “juiced.”) Initially dubbed “The Venice Project,” Joost is the brainchild of Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, who sold this little company called Skype for $2.6 billion to eBay in 2005. Just like Skype, Joost requires a downloadable app. The idea is to make it “as TV-like” as possible, with a program guide, channels and full-screen viewing. It’s powered by peer-to-peer technology, and it allows real-time chat and comprehensive search. Joost has inked deals with a handful of content providers, including Warner Music, and the company has said it will add many more in the near future. I haven’t seen it in action yet (waiting for my beta application to be approved), but Om Malik has taken it for a spin and has this to say. Meanwhile, here’s a screen shot with a couple more after the jump…
Read the full post January 16th, 2007
The network is adding a 10 a.m. hour of the Today Show, but Meredith Vieira won’t appear on it all and Matt Lauer will make only the occasional cameo.
January 16th, 2007
Despite risking the alienation of young users everywhere, News Corp’s MySpace is offering a free software download that allows parents to see their child’s name, age (which is often faked) and location. On the other hand, it won’t reveal the kid’s profile page or messages, and the user will be alerted when information is shared. A group of 33 state attorneys general are mulling whether to take legal action against MySpace if it doesn’t raise its age limit from 14 to 16. So far, MySpace says it hasn’t found a solution for the request to raise the age limit, but the move to offer monitoring software is likely designed to placate its critics. But the big question is, will MySpacers balk? There’s already evidence that early-adopting teens are moving out of MySpace to sites like Facebook, and time will only tell what happens next. But as Rex on Fimoculous likes to say, MySpace has launched zero new community features since News Corp bought the site. And in the end, it’s the community that matters. (WSJ sub. req.)
January 16th, 2007
The prestigious DuPont-Columbia awards were announced today, and NBC News, PBS Frontline, HBO, WWL, WLOX, WBAL and WRAL were among the 14 winners. NBC News, WWL in New Orleans and WLOX in Biloxi won for their reporting of Hurricane Katrina. Congrats all!
January 16th, 2007
Produced by Reveille, the same production company behind the NBC series The Office, The Big Debate is MSN’s first big debut into the world of original video programming. The daily show features two hosts who debate a given topic of tremendous importance, such as “Who’s American Idol’s most annoying judge?” While you watch, you can vote for yourself. Sure, I expect a few of you will say the show is just as annoying as the Idol judges. Is it must watch online video? Not so much. But I found it oddly entertaining, and on the more interesting topics, I’ll be tuning in. Screen grab followed by the release…
Read the full post January 16th, 2007
Salt Lake City, UT
Read the full post January 16th, 2007
washingtonpost.com reports on the ongoing issues at backfence.com, the hyperlocal cj news site in their own backyard. Backfence kicked off the first communities in beltway suburbs McLean and Reston back in 2005, but has had trouble attracting enough users to get the site to click both in terms of contributions and, subsequently, in revenue. While they managed to secure some decent venture capital, recent departures of key executives, including one of the founders, signals serious trouble. LR pal Vin Crosbie is quoted in the article, “Realistically, it’s going to take close to 10 years for the business models to be there and for there to be enough advertisers willing to give money to hyperlocal start-ups. Backfence’s problem is that it was too early.”
January 16th, 2007
