My Damn Channel is a new internet TV destination which launched yesterday. We are seeing plenty of new web TV content appearing online but what seperates My Damn Channel from the crowd is it’s lineup of Hollywood Stars.
Harry Shearer (Simpsons, Spinal Tap) and Paul Reiser (Mad About You) are among the top Hollywood stars lined up by former CBS Radio programming director Rob Barnett to produce original content for the site.
YouTube Meets NGTV
As you enter My Damn Channel you are taken to a NGTV–esque page which highlights the various shows available on the channel using an aesthetic flash layout.
When you go to watch a show you go to a page which has more of a traditional YouTube style to it where you can watch the video, share it and leave comments.
Channels available at launch include the political and pop culture satire of The Harry Shearer Project, Links by musician and record producer Don Was in conjunction with Paul Reiser, and Wainy Days from comedian David Wains. MTV’s Andy Milionakis will have his own channel premiering soon.
Other channels from additional talent are scheduled to premiere, including one focusing on the Web’s rising stars.
Investment into Professional Web TV Booming
Investment into new web TV productions has been relatively common place this year with Black20, a MySpace TV Show, Buddy TV and Wallstrip all having large sums of cash being pumped into them – and these are just the ones I can remember.
Barnett states that:
“The old media companies don’t know how to program for this medium… There is a focus on reruns and outtakes, and I don’t think that cuts it.”
This I would have to agree with when you see some of the awkward, DRM filled web TV sites that have been thrown up by traditional media companies. This just creates a big opportunity for fresh content producers to jump in.
Business Model Overview
My Damn Channel will allow syndication of its videos to third party websites which will drastically increase its exposure. This free-for-all mentality is what has made YouTube a success.
In fact My Damn Channel has struck a deal to distribute its content on YouTube and assumingly take a cut of the revenue, with advertising being the primary model for this new channel.
I expect this new venture will do particularly well within the next 3 years
