Although online television companies have been primarily purveyors of traditional TV content to this point, that is changing. original programming is becoming a legitimate proposition, and Hulu is leading the way.

Original Programming

The Internet is changing the way we all consumer content, be it music, movies, games, or television. The networks and cable companies aren’t too happy about this, but it’s happening with or without them.

Not only are there now a multitude of online options for those looking to cut the cord, the companies serving up these new ways of viewing are expanding their remits to include original programming.

Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube are responsible for original content, from Web shorts to professional, network-quality shows. And it’s a trend that is showing no sign of slowing down or disappearing.

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YouTube racks up over 19,000 episodes of Indian television shows, all available for free on the site. Which begs the question, if Indian media companies can offer content for free on YouTube, why not media companies from the rest of the world?

YouTube India

YouTube has announced its local Indian offerings has grown to encompass more than 19,000 separate episodes of more than 300 different shows. And the YouTube Shows page for those in India has been updated to make sorting this content easier.

Six different India-based languages are now supported on YouTube – Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, and Punjabi – with content available in all. Broadcasters supplying the content include Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Colors, ImagineTV, Star India, and VikatanTV.

Those living outside India can still access this content by visiting youtube.com/shows/other-languages. This link also opens up possibilities for watching content in a range of languages foreign from your own.

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You can now watch full-length episodes of various Disney shows on YouTube, and even embed them on other sites around the Web. Assuming you’re in America and can actually find the content you are looking for.

Google and Disney

Google and Disney struck a deal at the end of last year which saw the two teaming up to create original programming for YouTube. Disney is one of the 100 partners bringing original content to the site via dedicated channels.

However, the deal also saw Disney movies being made available to rent through YouTube, and now full-length episodes of classic shows have also found their way on to the market-leading online video destination.

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I’m writing this on February 29, a day that only exists once every four years. It’s a leap year, which makes perfect timing to announce a second season of the show by that name. That’s a clever piece of marketing, Hiscox.

Original Web Series

Original Web series come in all different shapes and sizes. They can be purely amateur affairs uploaded to YouTube, or more professional efforts which are commissioned by and/or shown across online platforms.

Some of these shows have been highly successful, from the fake reality show LonelyGirl15, through Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and on to the cable-like shows Lilyhammer and House Of Cards.

The latter two are indiscernible from television shows, except they are exclusive to Netflix. Leap Year is another TV-like show, but this one isn’t exclusive to Netflix. Instead it’s available anywhere and everywhere, or so it seems.

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Wait, what? There’s a music label executive who thinks the Internet is a force for good? Wonders will never cease. Unfortunately his viewpoint will not enable German music fans to watch music videos on YouTube anytime soon.

GEMA

In Germany GEMA handles the rights of copyright owners. Unfortunately its monopoly position means it has pushed for higher rates per performance. With music videos on YouTube the group asked Google to pay 16 cents per stream, and music videos have consequently not been available in Germany since March 2009.

From what I gather this is a lot higher than the rate set by other performance rights organizations around the world. Many of which Google is happy to work with to ensure music videos are playable and that everyone gets paid fairly.

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Watch out, Netflix, you have (more) competition. And this time it’s in the shape of Amazon. Offering streaming video as part of a package is one thing, but what if it were to offer it as a standalone product?

Amazon Prime Instant Video

Amazon Prime is a service costing $79-per-year. For that price Amazon customers not only get free two-day shipping on all products but also access to an all-you-can-eat buffet of streaming video goodness.

Amazon has this week added Viacom to the list of companies providing content for Prime Instant Video. That brings MTV, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon into the mix, amongst others. It also means Amazon Prime Instant Video has broken the 15,000 shows and movies threshold.

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Web video is maturing, with original programming coming to online content companies. Following hot on the heels of the likes of Netflix, Yahoo! is getting into the original programming game with Electric City.

Electric City

Tom Hanks has had a series in mind for many years, but he’s been waiting for the right opportunity to get it out to the public. That opportunity has now arrived thanks to the Internet.

According to the Associated Press, Electric City will premiere on Yahoo! in the spring. There will be 20 episodes, each 3- to 4-minutes long, of the animated series which taps into social issues.

Gary Goetzman, co-founder of Playtone, Hanks’ production company, said, “It was always our intent to have this project live and breathe online, and we felt Yahoo! would be the perfect home.”

Yahoo! has been upping its original content, but Electric City represents its first foray into scripted programming.

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