PSY is not only a YouTube star and the creator of a viral video hit, he’s also now a world record holder. And all for singing strange lyrics and dancing in the Gangnam Style. Whatever that is.

Gangnam Style

You’ve probably heard of ‘Gangnam Style‘ by now, even if it’s just the term rather than the song itself which has entered your sphere of knowledge. The term has come to mean the style of dance exhibiting in the video, which has taken off as a meme on the InterWebs.

As for the song, well, that’s currently making waves around the world, despite the fact it’s by a South Korean artist called PSY, and features lyrics mostly sung in Korean. And it’s now broken the world record for the number of likes received on YouTube.

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Home Box Office is heading overseas once more, but this time with a service called HBO Nordic launching in, unsurprisingly, the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. And with no pay-TV subscription required.

HBO Nordic

HBO Nordic is set to launch in October, bringing original HBO programming to the Nordic countries. It’s a joint venture between HBO and Parsifal International, and the content will be made available in a number of different ways.

Local television providers will carry a premium 24-hour HBO Nordic channel, but the programming will also be available on the Web for less than €10 – HBO will reveal the final pricing for each country at a later date.

The programming on offer will range from original HBO shows such as True Blood and Game of Thrones, classic and up-to-date movies, and content from both Showtime and Starz, neither of which has an international presence of their own.

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YouTube is now the largest depository of Creative Commons videos that are free to be reused or remixed for free by anyone with the desire to do so. This places it alongside Flickr, which is currently number one for CC photographs.

YouTube CC Video Library

This time last year saw YouTube unveil the Creative Commons video library, accessible right from within the YouTube Video Editor. At the time YouTube announced 10,000 videos were on offer under the CC BY license which allows anyone to reuse or remix a video as long as they give credit.

The library was conceived as being “ever-expanding,” and ordinary users were invited to also label their videos with the CC By license. This was alongside organizations such as C-SPAN, Al Jazeera, and Voice of America. This move now looks to have paid off in a big way.

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YouTube Partners, the individuals or organizations who go that extra mile, are being rewarded by YouTube. Both in monetary terms and by being given actual prizes by the Google-owned video site.

YouTube Partners

It could be argued that YouTube Partners are now the lifeblood of the site. These are the channel owners who are producing original content deemed worthy of incorporating advertising against. The revenue is split between YouTube and the Partner.

YouTube Partners range from famous celebrities and musicians right through to amateurs at home creating content with their own video cameras or smartphones. What they all have in common is adding something to the site beyond another video of a cat acting stupid.

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Amazon Studios has selected the first four shows it wants to develop further as part of its quest to create original content. If successful as pilots these shows will end up on Amazon Instant Video or even on mainstream TV.

Amazon Studios

The likes of YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and Yahoo are all now in the business of producing original content, whether it be films, television shows, animated shorts, or documentaries. And now Amazon has officially joined that burgeoning list of online production houses for streaming media.

Just last month Amazon Studios put the call out for submissions in the comedy and kids television genres. Anyone was invited to submit an idea for an original television show, with the best of the best promised a chance to actually get their idea made with additional funding from Amazon.

The first four shows have been selected, and have now been moved to the Development Slate. From here the writers will be assisted in getting their ideas turned into pilots which will then be subject to testing by audiences.

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Amazon is the latest streaming media company to pledge its desire to begin producing its own original content. I can’t help feeling this is the start of something big, something that will forever change the way we view television and movies.

A Small Revolution

As we have discussed many times here on WebTVWire there is a small revolution happening in terms of the production of original video content. After years of merely licensing classic television programming, some streaming companies are getting into the game themselves.

We have already seen YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Yahoo, and others entering into the production side of things. And now Amazon is joining them, with Amazon Studios putting the call out for writers and filmmakers to pitch ideas that could get turned into series. The shows will be exclusive to Amazon Instant Video, the online retailer’s streaming business.

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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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