It has never made much sense to me that the entertainment industry has always tried to set up alternatives to the most popular channels for online audio and video distribution rather than partnering with sites that are already well-known and well-used. Several networks have set up their own video sharing sites while vigorously patrolling YouTube for copyrighted material, even though YouTube is the 800-pound gorilla of online video.
I was glad to hear a new site called My Damn Channel, founded by real, live Hollywood filmmakers and performers, will bring high-quality video content to the Web. Better yet, they’ve signed a distribution deal with YouTube to syndicate their content, which is such a no-brainer I can’t believe other companies haven’t followed suit.
I have been hearing more and more about similar syndication deals, however, and if technologies such as Joost are well received, it may encourage other, more traditional content providers to make their programs available across more platforms. For many of these platforms it means giving up a bit of control, which is scary. However, the music industry has once again shown everyone the writing on the wall, and giving up that control just might be what it takes to grow and thrive in a “three screen” world.
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