Tyler Tech: Hulu.com, another YouTube competitor
Competing services emerge among lawsuits
Tyler Waldman
Life | 11/11/07
It seems like every day, another media company wants to sue YouTube.
While some see the popular video-sharing site as free publicity, a soapbox or even a business opportunity, companies like NBC Universal and News Corp. see copyright infringement gone wild. But as they sue YouTube, those two companies are partnering up to launch a competing service.
Hulu.com, which started its private beta in October, plans to offer full episodes of NBC and Fox shows for free viewing. I can't speak to its quality, as I haven't been one of the few selected for the private beta yet, but in concept it seems to work pretty well. The library includes current hits and favorites like "Heroes," "Family Guy," and
"House," as well as older shows like "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "Lost in
Space."
The question is, are those shows a big enough draw to justify users moving to another site? Both companies seem to think so. NBC earlier this year broke off a content deal with YouTube and, in a move that ignited the blogosphere, did not renew their lucrative contract with Apple for the iTunes Store.
Hulu isn't the first instance of this activity. In February, Viacom, still in the midst of a lengthy lawsuit against YouTube, launched a partnership with the video download service Joost to provide its shows on demand.
What does this all mean for YouTube and the countless other video sites across the Web? Nothing. Nothing at all, I think.
NBC and News Corp., in creating Hulu, seem to think that a) piracy is the only reason for YouTube's existence and that free TV shows is a strong enough motive to get users to switch, and b) user-created content and YouTube's social nature mean nothing.
Both are mistaken ideas. YouTube is YouTube not because of rampant copyright infringement. The 10-minute limit on clips makes full episodes inconvenient. YouTube is what it is because every clip represents a user's spin. NBC Universal may beg to differ, but a fan's favorite clip of "Battlestar Galactica" can be just that, not theft. Additionally, often YouTubers make music videos or responses or use footage in different ways. Then people respond to that with video and comment on it and make friends. That sort of social network seems to be missing with Hulu.
While some see the popular video-sharing site as free publicity, a soapbox or even a business opportunity, companies like NBC Universal and News Corp. see copyright infringement gone wild. But as they sue YouTube, those two companies are partnering up to launch a competing service.
Hulu.com, which started its private beta in October, plans to offer full episodes of NBC and Fox shows for free viewing. I can't speak to its quality, as I haven't been one of the few selected for the private beta yet, but in concept it seems to work pretty well. The library includes current hits and favorites like "Heroes," "Family Guy," and
"House," as well as older shows like "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "Lost in
Space."
The question is, are those shows a big enough draw to justify users moving to another site? Both companies seem to think so. NBC earlier this year broke off a content deal with YouTube and, in a move that ignited the blogosphere, did not renew their lucrative contract with Apple for the iTunes Store.
Hulu isn't the first instance of this activity. In February, Viacom, still in the midst of a lengthy lawsuit against YouTube, launched a partnership with the video download service Joost to provide its shows on demand.
What does this all mean for YouTube and the countless other video sites across the Web? Nothing. Nothing at all, I think.
NBC and News Corp., in creating Hulu, seem to think that a) piracy is the only reason for YouTube's existence and that free TV shows is a strong enough motive to get users to switch, and b) user-created content and YouTube's social nature mean nothing.
Both are mistaken ideas. YouTube is YouTube not because of rampant copyright infringement. The 10-minute limit on clips makes full episodes inconvenient. YouTube is what it is because every clip represents a user's spin. NBC Universal may beg to differ, but a fan's favorite clip of "Battlestar Galactica" can be just that, not theft. Additionally, often YouTubers make music videos or responses or use footage in different ways. Then people respond to that with video and comment on it and make friends. That sort of social network seems to be missing with Hulu.
Be the first to comment on this story