NBC to partner with YouTube in posting NBC video clips
The pirated clip of the poular SNL parody garnered more than 5 million views at YouTube before its forced removal, however, and now NBC aims to partner with YouTube to promte its content at the site, according to a report today in the Wall Street Journal:
NBC and YouTube are close to finalizing an agreement in which NBC will buy ads on YouTube while the site will post clips of coming NBC shows provided by the network.
Rick Cotton, NBC Universal general counsel, is quoted saying it is:
a difficult balancing act as these video-sharing sites gain in popularity…We invest millions of dollars in this content and we must aggressively protect it. At the same time, we want to promote it and we want people to see it.
NBC recently created a dedicated Technology Growth Center (TGC) responsible for controlling the digital monetization of its content:
The TGC will focus on better-leveraging NBC Universal content through new technology, and will be organized into four divisions: Technical Product Development…Policy, Strategy and Standards, which will focus on technology policy in Washington; Emerging Technology and Research, which will work with GE's Global Research Center and universities on funded research projects; and Anti-Piracy Technical Operations… Projects include developing technology that allows NBC Universal to digitally send its TV content to Apple for distribution on iTunes, instead of using manual delivery on Digital Betacam tapes…interactive content initiatives with cable and satellite operators surrounding Olympics programming; and the use of SMS messaging and online voting for…(the show) Deal or No Deal.
For a related story see my “Mediazone Pioneers Broadband Sports Broadcasting with Wimbledon Live and On-Demand Coverage”
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