NBC Forays into Online Video

Marking the network's largest venture into online video, NBC announced last Tuesday that it will offer a free ad-supported video player to web site operators that will feature content from NBC and its partners.

The service was created as a joint venture between NBC and its affiliates and will be known as the National Broadband Company (NBBC). NBBC will pull together videos from NBC, its local stations, and from other networks for delivery of the online service.

The Horror Channel, Forbes, and CNET are some of the content providers that will be providing the service. The ad revenue generated will be shared by NBBC, the content owners, and the sites hosting the videos. (Source: arstechnica.com)

How Will the Online Service Work?

The NBBC initiative is loosely-based on the model of YouTube, a popular online broadcasting site. Members of the NBBC venture will be able to select the clips that will play on their own site and will be able to add video to the system. (Source: theglobandmail.com)

The NBBC customizable video player will initially feature short videos only. Users can expect to see music videos and short video content that is already available on NBC-owned websites like NBC.com, iVillage.com and SciFi.com. Currently, the company has no plans of offering full-episode TV programs. (Source: forbes.com)

Growing into the Market

Mike Steib, who will be heading the new venture, said the NBBC would be open to anyone interested in joining, and added that although plans are not in the works to make full episodes available online, the company is open to the idea if a demand for it surfaces.

Randy Falco, Chief Operating Officer of the NBC Universal Television Group echoes Steib's sentiments that NBBC is a growth initiative: "This is a little bit of launch and learn. We're going to find out in the next couple of months what the market is looking for." (Source: theglobeandmail.com)