NBC Gets Into Bed With YouTube To Promote Fall Lineup

Digital Journal — Today’s peer production era has got the TV networks by the cajones. From Google Video to Ifilm, the Web makes the average person a mini Spielberg by allowing free and easy video uploads. Sorry, TV, you’re not only the game in town anymore. Recently, NBC announced it will promote its fall TV lineup on YouTube, the leading video-sharing site on the Internet. The promos, made by NBC, will feature short clips of new and old shows, behind-the-scenes interviews and a contest for fans of The Office. Returning shows that may be promoted include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and new dramas such as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip by Emmy Award-winner Aaron Sorkin. “The distinction between television and video is becoming murkier and murkier,” said John Miller, chief marketing officer for the NBC Universal Television Group, according to Associated Press. “Rather than putting our heads in the sand and saying this doesn’t exist, we're trying to jump in and embrace it.” This move is reminiscent of music groups about-facing and encouraging fans to download “illegal” MP3s, as opposed to their anti-Napster tirade five years ago. In order to survive, NBC and other networks understand the importance of video-sharing sites and user-friendly interfaces. Commercials can now be skipped by TiVo so TV networks are looking to tweak their business model. Under the deal, YouTube — attracting 13 million U.S. visitors monthly — will create a separate channel for NBC videos, so that visitors can easily stream the items that NBC plans to offer at any given time. This channel will mirror similar pages that other companies, filmmakers and everyday users create. Expect other networks to mimic NBC’s deal. If stagnant stalwarts like ABC and Showtime want to get with the times — much like MTV and ESPN have embraced the digital era — they need to look favourably at sites like YouTube. Instead of stiff-arming the video-anytime revolution, major networks have to work with the Internet startups appealing to younger generations. After all, free video is in (as if it’s ever been out). Couch potatoes who never visit YouTube may now regard it as a sneak preview into fall TV lineups, even if the clips are merely teasers. That’s just the beginning. When YouTube spawns more advanced imitators backed by deep-pocketed investors, 30-second clips will only be the appetizer; the main course will be full shows, commercial- and boob tube-free. www.youtube.com