Daily Marauder

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA

In case there was still any doubt that Google wants to use YouTube to host all the video on the Web, it’s announcement earlier today to broaden its APIs makes it clear that is its goal. Once again, instead of making it easier to search videos elsewhere, Google is making it easier to host videos on YouTube. Except that the new APis allow people to upload, watch, search, and comment on the videos on other Websites. The key here is that the videos themselves are hosted on Youtube’s servers. This brings Google back full circle to the initial strategy for Google Video, which originally required videos to be uploaded directly to Google in order to become indexed. YouTube is gradually replacing Google Video—that is where most people upload videos anyway—but getting as much video from the rest of the Web onto its servers allows it to do many more things with it than if it simply indexed the videos elsewhere. It can search them better and throw up ads against them. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/12/youtube-the-platform  3/12)

Click the image below for more information on YouTube open fun.

The NBC Universal/New Corp. online video joint venture Hulu launches to the public today after an 18-week beta trial that resulted in some impressive viewing numbers. In the past 30 days, more than 5 million viewers have streamed programming from Hulu.com or distributor sites such as AOL, MSN, Comcast’s Fancast.com, MySpace and Yahoo. And more than 50,000 Flash 9-capable Hulu video players have been embedded on over 5,000 independent sites. New programming partnerships with Warner Bros. Television, Lionsgate, the NBA, NHL, NCAA, Vuguru and the Onion News Network make it the closest thing yet to a one-stop shop for free online premium programming. (Hulu launches with 250 TV series and 100 feature length films). Advertisers can utilize a cool new “select an ad” feature, enabling users to pick among a selection of spots. Movie studios can choose to stream a 2-minute trailer as an exclusive single program sponsorship. However, questions remain on just how viable the venture will be. Hulu, which relies on its network owners and partners for content, will bear all of the streaming and server costs for less than half of the revenue generated from video views. (Some reports say Hulu’s share is as low as 30%).

Shortly after Google completed its $3.1 billion acquisition of the online advertising firm DoubleClick on Tuesday, CEO Eric Schmidt announced that layoffs are to be expected. “As with most mergers, there may be reductions in headcount,” he says. “We’ll strive to minimize the impact.” (http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/weve-officially-acquired-doubleclick.html  3/11)

Time Warner Chief Executive Jeffrey Bewkes has said that Time Warner is open for a deal on AOL. Bewkes acknowledged weakness in the AOL business and told the Bear Stearns media conference Tuesday that Time Warner was open to combining AOL with another company “whatever configuration makes it the strongest and the most valuable.” (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/11/official-aol-on-the-table-for-a-deal  3/11)

Yahoo is in late stage discussions with Google to join their OpenSocial platform, says a NYTimes story from earlier this evening. Multiple sources at both Yahoo and Google confirm to us that discussions are happening, but won’t say when an announcement might be made or even that a final decision has been made. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/11/yahoo-in-discussions-to-join-google-opensocial  3/11)

Viacom is being dealt a slight setback in its $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube. As two media titans are go toe-to-toe in a New York courtroom, the judge is ruling that Viacom cannot seek punitive damages against YouTube. Massive statutory damages, however, remain on the table. (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080311-judge-to-viacom-no-punitive-damages-in-youtube-case.html  3/11)

Web video is still several years away from profitability, says former Disney CEO and current Web video entrepreneur Michael Eisner, during an interview by Mark Cuban at the SXSWi festival. Still, one day, “professionally driven content for the Internet is going to explode.” (http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9891017-36.html  3/11)

MyLoki is a service offered by Boston-based SkyHook Wireless, the same company behind the GPS-like, WiFi-locating technology in the iPhone. Skyhook can determine your location based on the nearest WiFi routers that it picks up through your laptop or other computing device.  After first downloading the Loki toolbar for your browser, whenever you are in the vicinity of a WiFi hotspot it should be able to triangulate your location. You can then broadcast this information in a number of ways. You get your own MyLoki page that shows people your exact location, or you can embed a constantly updated map with your position on your blog. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/12/myloki-lets-you-tell-the-world-that-you-are-here  3/12)

I really dig this service but at the same time find it a bit creepy that my every move will be tracked even when I want to be “invisible.”  I wonder if there’s a way to turn this thing off when you want to or. . .maybe even. . .tell it to lie.  Here’s the example.  I go to San Francisco for one day.  I don’t tell a couple of good friends there because I won’t have the time to catch up even if I wanted to.  They see my status on Loki and hence. . .angry text messaging ensues.  Yup, I can already see the problems.

CBS Sports.com got permission from local affiliates to remove blackout restrictions on NCAA March Madness On Demand games previously prohibiting local market games from being viewed online. Meanwhile, a new developers platform put together with CBS College Sports Network, and the NCAA will give third party sites such as Facebook, ESPN.com, SI.Com and Yahoo! Sports a single-click link to direct video coverage of the tournament. CBS is also featuring a newly enhanced video player supporting a 16×9 aspect ratio. The network counted 1.38 million unique visitors who watched 2,598,889 total hours of live March Madness video last year.

The Sundance Channel will kick off the online and on demand components of its second annual multiplatform “The Green” initiative on March 25, a week prior to its TV debut. Cable affiliates will offer premieres of shows such as Big Ideas for a Small Planet & EcoBiz on demand and as broadband offerings on their local web portals. 

Video portal Dailymotion will stream the exclusive premiere of Comedy site My Damn Channel’s latest original series Bedtime Stories to kick off a new branded MDC channel on the site. 

P2P online TV service Babelgum launched a newly-designed interface incorporating the usual web 2.0 features, including the ability to create and manage communities as well as share, rate and embed content. The new Babelgum client is also Mac compatible.

The Associated Press is launching its own channel on YouTube. Editors are uploading about 250 videos a week. “We’re monitoring our foray into social media closely,” says AP exec Kevin Roach. Reuters also has a YouTube channel, and is uploading three-to-five clips per day. (http://www.beet.tv/2008/03/the-associated.html  3/11)