Broadband Content Bits: Universal/Meebo; Crackle's New Shows; YouTube Live Stats; XFire's JV with H3
This story was written by Tameka Kee.
-- Universal seeds Meebo with content: Social communications company Meebo will feature videos from Universal Music Group artists like The Killers and Kanye West on its site and in its MediaBar ad platform. As part of the promotion, UMG will embed Meebo's IM and chat rooms into a number of its artists' pages. It's the latest partnership for the two companies, as UMG has previously used Meebo's chat technology to power online listening parties and live "chat" events with popular music stars. Release.
-- Crackle's new lineup: Sony's online video network Crackle revealed its new season of original series. New entrants include talk show "Anytime With Bob Kushell," and fictional series "The Hustler." Returning shows include: "The Groundlings," variety series "Owen Benjamin Presents," videogame-centric "The Jace Hall Show" and David Faustino's "Star-ving." Each three-to-five minute episode will premiere on a specific day of the week, and the shows boast higher production values than typically expected from web-based series; details that help differentiate Crackle from its host of competitors. Via Reuters.
The rest is after the jump
-- The relative success of YouTube Live: How successful was YouTube's first live-streamed event? Depends on who you ask. YouTube didn't release any stats, but peak concurrent streams came in at 700,000, according to Akamai (NSDQ: AKAM), which powered the event. Mogulus broke the news, championing it as a "clear confirmation of the potential of live streaming for YouTube and the internet as a whole." MediaMemo's Peter Kafka wasn't as impressed: "That is almost certainly a record for a Web-only event. But it's a nonevent by mainstream entertainment standards." (He did say that YouTube could likely attract a larger audience next time.) Then again, as cable network owner Mark Cuban writes, that would "a great audience for a small cable network."
-- MTV's Xfire and H3 partner to launch new series: Online gaming community Xfire , a division of MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA), has partnered with H3, parent company of the HipHopSodaShop franchise, to launch SodaShopTV, an original video series focusing on the intersection of gaming and hip-hop culture. The pilot will debut on a separate section of Xfire.com in December. Release.
By Tameka Kee