7 posts and columns on premium content

Voices

Four Weird Things the Internet Is Doing to Our Understanding of Television

in Voices on February 16 at 3:21 pm PT

People seem really intent these days on fusing television with the Internet. On one level this makes no sense.

Hulu CEO Jason Kilar: We’re No Cable Killer! We Swear!

in Media on June 30, 2010 at 4:00 am PT

If you’re planning on swapping out your expensive cable TV service for Hulu’s $10 a month subscription offering, Jason Kilar has advice for you: Don’t do it! He needs to be very clear about this message: Hulu Plus is supposed to please TV junkies without angering the cable gods.

YouTube’s Newest Partner: Will Ferrell

in Media on November 5, 2009 at 5:19 am PT

Slowly but surely, YouTube has been able to bump up the number of “premium” content creators willing to hand over some of their stuff to the world’s biggest video site. Here’s yet another one: Funny or Die, the comedy site backed by Will Ferrell, Sequoia and HBO, among others.
will ferrell

YouTube’s Profit Plan: Spend Less, Sell More (Duh)

in Media on August 26, 2009 at 6:30 am PT

In order to move from money pit to profit center, YouTube has to spend less, which is hard for the site to talk about. And it needs to sell more ads on more videos–which YouTube is happy to talk about. Hence, yesterday’s news that YouTube would start selling against “viral videos.”
skateboarding-dog

YouTube Dusts Off “Ghostbusters” to Make a Point: We’ve Got Movies!

in Media on August 14, 2009 at 3:00 am PT

Got a couple hours to kill? Want to enjoy a pleasant blast from the past? Head over to YouTube and check out “Ghostbusters,” which is running at its full length on Google’s video site and is prominently displayed on its homepage. YouTube’s not-so-subtle message: We’re more than just skateboarding cat videos!
ghostbusters

What Should We Watch After MacGyver? "Kicked in the Nuts" or "Cat Falls in Toilet"?

in News on October 13, 2008 at 7:19 am PT

YouTube is finally expanding its catalog of long-form video beyond the “This video has been removed due to terms of use violation” notice that so often appears in lieu of network video content. A newly-inked deal with CBS in hand, the video site has begun offering full-length episodes of TV series like “Dexter,” “Californication,” “MacGyver” and “Star Trek” alongside YouTube staples like “Cat Falls in Toilet” and “Kicked in the Nuts.”

What Should We Watch After MacGyver? “Kicked in the Nuts” or “Cat Falls in Toilet”?

in News on October 13, 2008 at 7:19 am PT

YouTube is finally expanding its catalog of long-form video beyond the “This video has been removed due to terms of use violation” notice that so often appears in lieu of network video content. A newly-inked deal with CBS in hand, the video site has begun offering full-length episodes of TV series like “Dexter,” “Californication,” “MacGyver” and “Star Trek” alongside YouTube staples like “Cat Falls in Toilet” and “Kicked in the Nuts.”