Rich Fiscus
21 Oct 2007 23:56
With no official word from NBC Universal, the NBC YouTube channel has mysteriously disappeared. It's rumored that the move is in preparation for NBC's joint venture with Fox owner News Corp (Hulu). which is supposed to enter private beta this month.
Although Hulu's launch would be a logical time for such a move, with no announced date for the service to go live for the general public, it's more likely part of a larger strategy which includes both Streaming and download options for several hit shows. Their overall plan seems to be bringing online delivery in-house for maximum control.
This stands in stark contrast to the strategy CBS seems to be pursuing. Like NBC, CBS has made television shows available on their website, howevery they've also tapped the opportunity to reach more viewers through online television provider Joost. This would appear to give them a distinct advantage since many Joost viewers probably aren't even aware that NBC (or CBS) has television shows available for free online.