Vevo: Out with YouTube, in with Facebook?

E. Betters

Facebook held at least two meetings with Vevo —the most recent one occurring within the last couple of weeks— to discuss moving the music video service from YouTube to the social network’s platform.

However, sources told CNET that the talks are “very preliminary,” and they mentioned there is one year remaining on Vevo’s contract with Google’s YouTube.

Vevo launched in 2009 and offers music videos from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music. YouTube helped launch the startup, and subsequently Vevo’s videos appear on the partner’s service, with Google and Vevo sharing advertising revenue.

Vevo features the most extensive catalog of premium music content on the Internet, and it is available in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom through its website, mobile apps, or by way of connected televisions. The service currently powers music videos on artist profiles across Facebook, and its content is syndicates to numerous online websites, including AOL, BET, CBS Interactive Music Group, Fuse.tv and Univision. Moreover, through YouTube, Vevo is accessible in over 200 countries.

Facebook is allegedly interested in an arrangement similar to the one Vevo has in place with YouTube now, which would allow the social network to stream Vevo’s music videos with the two companies sharing profits from advertising revenue…

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YouTube launches action sports channels with Tony Hawk’s RIDE, The Red Bull Channel, and more

Jordan Kahn

Yesterday Reuters announced it became YouTube’s largest news partner with a redesigned Reuters TV channel, and now YouTube is continuing its push of original content with a brand new lineup of action sports channels.

The new channels include action sports networks Alli Sports and Network A, Red Bull: The Red Bull Channel with 13 original episodic programs, and RIDE —Tony Hawk’s 24-hour channel “devoted to the skateboarding lifestyle” that will roll out 21 new shows throughout 2012.

The four channels have each released preview videos showing off what you can expect in terms of content. The preview video for Tony Hawk’s RIDE channel is above, and the other three are available below. YouTube also announced today that it has made its CES 2012 keynote address available online where the company talked about some of the new original content headed to the website in the future. To accompany the keynote video, YouTube released the teaser video below featuring Stan Lee, Rainn Wilson, Felicia Day, and others bringing original content to YouTube in the coming months.


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YouTube signs up biggest news partner yet with new Reuters TV channel

Jordan Kahn

YouTube announced today its biggest news partner yet for original TV quality content with the addition of the new Reuters TV channel. The channel adds to the almost 100 partner channels including WSJ, TED, WWE, Pitchfork TV, Vice, SB Nation, Machinima, and many more.

The programming will include 10 news, analysis, and commentary channels in a unique style that is “suited for Internet programming and does not mimic traditional TV.” Reuters Global Head of Programming Dan Colarusso said the following regarding the announcement:

“This deal with YouTube gives Reuters a way to showcase our collection of talented journalists and compelling video from around the world. It will offer unique insights and images that other media companies simply can’t match.”

The new content will be available through the redesigned Reuters TV YouTube channel, but it will also be made available on Reuters.com. A description of all of the new programming from the press release is listed below:
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YouTube targets niche audiences, recruits cable networks to carve web-based TV channels for tomorrow

E. Betters

YouTube's latest interface that displays video channels upfront versus individual uploads.

The New Yorker’s John Seabrook recently interviewed YouTube’s Global Head of Content Robert Kyncl about the video-sharing service’s future and extensively detailed how YouTube is targeting a $300 billion chunk of the television industry through increased viewership, enhanced content, connected devices, and niche audiences.

Niches, as The New Yorker illustrated, are the future of television. The iconic industry started with just three networks decades ago, and it now features hundreds of cable channels each serving a niche—news, sports, food, weather, music, and more.

“People went from broad to narrow,” said Kyncl to The New Yorker. “And we think they will continue to go that way—spend more and more time in the niches—because now the distribution landscape allows for more narrowness.”

The downside to niches, as Kyncl explained, is cost. Apparently, it is expensive to program niche channels when factoring in various technical costs and the practicality of filling a 24/7 loop. However, with the advent of the Internet, niches are in high-demand, costs are lower than ever, and accessibility is at an all-time high…

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YouTube launches video discovery experiment called YouTube Slam

Jake Smith

YouTube launched a neat video discovery experiment this afternoon called YouTube Slam. Slam is a little game that allows you to vote between videos in a wide-range of topics, including Comedy, Cute, Music, Bizarre and Dance. The video with the most Slams earns a spot on the leaderboard each week.

YouTube Slam also has a game aspect to it: users will earn more points as they predict crowd favorites. This is a cool time waster that you should check out.

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Let your videos snow: Google adds snowflake button to YouTube

Jordan Kahn

We told you yesterday about a Google search easter egg for the Christmas, and today we discovered another fun way Google has decided to celebrate the holidays. When visiting YouTube, there is currently a snowflake icon next to the resizing and resolution options on the video player. Click it and your video will snow! Your mouse will even interact with the snowflakes as they fall. It will also snow in the YouTube search results when searching for “let it snow”.

In case you missed the other ways Google is celebrating, try typing “Christmas,” “Hanukkah,” or “let it snow” into Google search. You can even call Santa in Gmail. Yesterday the Android team released this Christmas-themed Ice Cream Sandwich advertisement to wish the Android community Happy Holidays.

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