Torrent sites continue to be blamed for the many ills of society. But wait, is it not just a case of the technology not being used correctly and the way in which it was intended? VODO thinks so, and is attempting to open up torrent sites for filmmakers to utilize.

Torrent Sites

What are torrent sites used for? Many of you would have answered that it’s pretty much all pirated content being shared via torrents. And while there is a lot of copyrighted material being shared illegally on them, there is also much that is legal and copyright-free.

There are very few companies and organizations who have taken advantage of the technology as a way to distribute content thus far. But VODO is one of these, allowing and encouraging filmmakers to use torrent sites to seed their features and get them out there being watched.

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ZillionTV has had some trouble moving from being a good idea to an actual product. This has led to some particularly critical articles around the Web concerning the company, its management, and whether ZillionTV will actually ever deliver. ZillionTV is now fighting back, but the fight hasn’t started well.

ZillionTV or ZeroTV?

ZillionTV was announced back in March to some very positive comments and feedback. I myself stated that “good backers, a man in charge who knows the business, and a couple of innovations which could drive the sector forward” meant it had a chance of succeeding, despite entering a crowded market.

However, in September a delay in launching the service was announced. It was originally thought to be due for a launch in late 2009 but that slipped to the second half of 2010, which is nigh on a year later than first expected.

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Epix has now launched, four months after it was originally announced. The new premium movie channel with accompanying Web site is hoping to gain viewers on both media by offering free weekend passes, but will it be enough for the venture to be successful?

Epix Coming Soon

June saw a new venture announced by the name of Epix. It’s a premium movie channel from Lionsgate, MGM, and Paramount which will be available to watch on cable and, if you are a Verizon FiOS subscriber, on the Web as well.

At the time I described it as a Hulu for movies but that was slightly over the top. It is only available to U.S. residents, the same as Hulu, but it’s a different animal altogether by virtue of being inextricably linked in with a cable subscription. Something which Hulu is not, although even Hulu could soon start charging for selected content.

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Arqiva has taken on the remains of Project Kangaroo and is building its SeeSaw VOD service around it. But can it succeed against the likes of the BBC iPlayer, Hulu UK, MSN Video, and all the other competitors?

Kangaroo To Arqiva

When Project Kangaroo was killed at birth, there was little that the BBC and its partners could do but sell off the assets. This included the technology, infrastructure, and branding.

A buyer was found in the shape of Arqiva, a company which owns and operates the network for terrestrial TV and radio, as well as licenses for two of the six digital TV multiplexes. It hasn’t any experience in delivering online video however.

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It was three years ago today that Chad Hurley and Steve Chen sold YouTube to Google for $1.65 billion. It has celebrated that anniversary by revealing the site now gets over one billion views a day worldwide and talking a little about the future.

Three Years Ago Today

It seems like just yesterday that the co-founders of YouTube sold the site to Google. In fact, it was a full three years ago that Google decided to ante up $1.65 billion for the fledgling online video site.

We found out just yesterday that Google CEO Eric Schmidt thought that price tag was around $1 billion out, with the site actually worth more like $600 million. But Google wanted the site so badly it was willing to pay a premium for it.

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Music videos are a big part of the online video sector. They’re hugely popular on YouTube, and there’s a new YouTube-backed music video site called Vevo launching soon. But Muzu.tv has beaten Vevo to the punch and launched while our backs were turned.

Music Videos Online

In terms of online video, music videos are big business. They are a guaranteed draw for viewers and the most popular music videos are more in demand than the other big draws of movie trailers and one-off viral hits.

And it’s for these reasons that there is so much aggravation surrounding music videos, with YouTube desperate to keep them on the site and record labels pushing their luck to grab a heftier slice of the revenue pie to make it so.

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Music videos are big business on YouTube. Which is why they are being moved off the site and onto their own dedicated site in the very near future.

Can Vevo be monetized successfully enough to please both YouTube and the major record labels? And will the viewers willingly move over with the music videos?

Online Music Videos

Music videos make up a large percentage of the most viewed videos on YouTube and other online video sites. Along with movie trailers and the very best viral videos, music videos are the biggest hitters by far, as Visible Measures’ viral video chart consistently shows.

This makes the decision to move music videos off YouTube and to their own domain both justified and a strange one. While Vevo has the opportunity to become a premium portal for music videos of all kinds, it’s going to leave a gaping hole on YouTube.

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