Viacom and Joost

     Just weeks after Viacom had spurned YouTube (covered in my earlier post), it has decided to partner with Joost. Under this deal, Viacom will provide Joost with content from MTV shows, BET networks and Paramount Pictures.
     Joost which was initially code-named "The Venice Project", is the brainchild of the founders of Skype. It is a new P2P internet Television platform, that will offer several channels of free broadcast quality interactive video programming.
     The users will be able to watch the streaming videos without having to download any files to their computer. Joost however is still under limited beta testing and will be available to the general public in the near future.

Ford Bold Moves and Videos of Hotrods

     It is no secret that Ford has stumbled badly in the market for last couple of years. Now with the change at its helm it seems poised for a turnaround. Internally it has adopted a strategy dubbed the "Way Forward plan" and for the public, a marketing platform called the "Bold Moves".

     A very interesting and fascinating aspect of this "Bold Moves" initiative is an ongoing online video documentary of its public introspection, its current status and future plans. To quote from its website, these episodes will contain "candid interviews from Ford executives, employees, industry experts and even Ford detractors, Bold Moves approaches each segment from every angle and keeps asking the question: Will Ford succeed?"
     New episodes will be posted weekly which will document Ford's progress and transformation.

     On a related topic I came across a video website for Auto enthusiasts called the WebridesTV.
     This site features an impressive collection of professional and user generated video clips of cars and related to cars. Models profiled range from the antiques to the hotrods including this million dollar car -


Click Here for more video sites.

Viacom vs YouTube

     Viacom after demanding that YouTube remove over 100,000 unauthorized video clips earlier this month, has decided to jump into the fray itself. Viacom which owns MTV networks and Paramount movie studios has announced that it will make available video clips of the content that it owns on its MTV-owned sites like this one.
     Moreover like with Youtube, bloggers and myspace users will soon be able to embed these videos into their webpages. The company plans to invest more heavily in new networks and digital properties.

Walmart Online Video Store

     After relinquishing its online video rental venture to Netflix, Walmart is at it again. Following the footsteps of Netflix, Walmart has launched a Video Download (Beta) Service.
     It seems Walmart has managed to rope-in all the major studios and therefore has a huge collection of movies. The movies can cost anywhere from approx. $10 to $20, tv shows will cost $1.99 an episode. These downloaded movies can also be viewed on select portable players.
     However it cannot be viewed on iPods and also the service does not work with Firefox browser.

     Here is a interview with Kevin Swint of Walmart's digital download division - from Bambi's blog

Experience Sundance on YouTube

     Sundance - one of the prestigious and largest independent cinema film festival is going on right now in Utah. There is a video blog of the film festival on YouTube - link to Sundance Channel.
     There are also plenty of video clips of indie films at the festival on their own website - Sundance.org


*Referenced from Frank Barnako's post on his Media Blog.

Hillary announces Presidential Bid

     Today Hillary Clinton announced her much anticipated bid to become the first woman president of USA. The video announcement was posted on her official website and is succinctly titled "I'M IN". - Video Link here

Presidential candidate vlogs

      Alan Gore may have "invented" the internet, but the 2008 presidential hopefuls seem to have truly embraced it, especially to deliver their video campaigns.
      In keeping with the times, Barack Obama recently announced his decision to form a Presidential exploratory committee in a video on his website. John Edwards on his website outlines the agenda of his campaign in the video titled "Tommorrow Begins Today" and Tom Vilsack presents his opinion in a series of videos on his vlog hosted on blip.tv.