6 posts and columns on JV

“Hulu for Magazines” Gets a CEO: Good Luck, Morgan Guenther!

in Media on June 15, 2010 at 6:46 am PT

Remember Next Issue Media, the “Hulu for Magazines” joint venture that was supposed to help the big publishers negotiate with the likes of Apple and Amazon in the e-reader market? Now it has a CEO, who has a very tough job.

Hearst Is Ready to Show Off Its Skiff E-Reader Platform, but It Doesn’t Want to Tell Quite Yet. Is Anyone Ready to Buy?

in Media on January 8, 2010 at 3:30 am PT

Here’s another e-reader clamoring for attention in a Consumer Electronics Show full of e-readers: The Skiff Reader, produced by a company funded by publisher Hearst Corp. and supported by Sprint. But in many ways, the Skiff Reader’s specs are beside the point, because the real point of its parent company isn’t to produce e-reader devices at all–it wants to create a publishing and distribution platform. Does this sound familiar? And does it sound like something another publisher might want to buy?
skiff

Vevo, Big Music’s New Video Site, Peeks Out From Behind the Curtain

in Media on December 8, 2009 at 2:30 pm PT

Vevo, the “Hulu for Music” site featuring videos from three of the big music labels, is supposed to officially go live tonight, and there’s a big party in New York to kick things off. But if you’re not going to that and want to see the site now, you can get a peek.
vevo britney crop

Now’s the Time, Finally: Publishers Announce Their “Hulu for Magazines.” Next Up: Building It.

in Media on December 8, 2009 at 6:01 am PT

You’ve been reading about it for a couple of months and now it’s finally official: The magazine industry is forming its own joint venture to control distribution of digital products that don’t yet exist.

Strength in Numbers? News Corp. May Join Time Inc.’s “Hulu for Magazines.”

in Media on November 11, 2009 at 1:12 pm PT

While Rupert Murdoch is busy thumbing his nose at Google, he is making more friendly overtures to other media players. Sources tell me his News Corp. may join the digital e-reader storefront that Time Inc. and other magazine publishers are putting together.
rupert-murdoch

Publishers Like Time Inc.’s “Hulu for Magazines” Pitch. What Will Apple and Amazon Say?

in Media on October 2, 2009 at 6:32 am PT

Time Inc. has spent the past few months convincing other publishers to join a new joint venture aimed at a market that doesn’t really exist yet–magazine-like publications to be delivered via e-readers like Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s rumored tablet. Publishers like the idea. What will Apple and Amazon say?
genie