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| by: | Mar 19, 2007 |
CHUM Television is getting in on the peer-to-peer TV community promised by Joost.com with a revenue-sharing deal announced earlier this month that will make a long list of shows and clips from MuchMusic, Space and FashionTelevision available to users when the site launches later this year.
Joost.com claims to be the Internet's first free and global broadcast-quality television service, and is carefully positioning itself as the video site that protects content providers and advertisers. The site, now test-running, aims to enhance the TV experience with Web 2.0 features.
CHUM Television VP of business development Maria Hale says Joost.com promises protection, unlike the company's more "informal" arrangements with Google Video and YouTube.
"What Joost brought us that YouTube has not brought us is the opportunity to protect the content and to monetize the content - two very key things," she says. "It's really about extending and growing our business overall. Taking that whole peer-to-peer experience and wrapping it into a business model, they allow us as broadcasters and content creators to monetize that experience."
As part of the deal, marketers and advertisers looking to get involved with CHUM Television properties and Joost.com "would continue to go through us," says Hale. "If you're an advertiser, your first question is how many people are watching it. As of today, we can say that number's very limited, but we expect it to grow very dramatically, and we'll present it in CPMs and all of the rest, just like we would with any of the other properties."
A launch date for the service, created by the founders of the peer-to-peers Skype and Kazaa, has not been set.
The majority of the CHUM content on Joost.com will come from MuchMusic, with properties like Live@Much, Intimate & Interactive and the MuchMusic Video Awards. Space will offer segments from shows HypaToyz and From the Basement, while FashionTelevision brings full-length fashion features and episodes of Canada's Next Top Model.
Alliance Atlantis Communications reportedly signed on to provide 200 hours of science fiction programming to Joost, which has been racking up deals with partners around the globe.
Joost.com made headlines in mid-February when it inked a deal with Viacom, which seemed to favor the service when talks with Google/YouTube broke down.
Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman called Joost.com a breakthrough platform that, unlike that of other online video providers, "is built on a compelling and sustainable business model that respects both content creators and consumers."
When it launches, Viacom's MTV, VH1, BET and Paramount Pictures content will be well-represented, including top titles past and present, such as Laguna Beach, Beavis & Butthead, Real World and Punk'd, along with full-length episodes from Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, CMT, Logo and Spike TV. Full-length feature films will come from Paramount Pictures' Vantage and Classics portfolios.
-From Media in Canada
