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Viacom demands YouTube pull down videos
From the Really Bad Idea newsfeed, this just in from Reuters... Labels: DRM, Google, Jointblog, Viacom, Viral Video, YouTubeViacom has demanded that Google-owned online video service YouTube pull down all of its video clips after they failed to reach an agreement, the company said.
Of course, this decision also affects popular viral video clips from fake news phenoms The Daily Show and The Colbert Report...and many other Comedy Central shows.
About 100,000 video clips from Viacom-owned properties including MTV Networks and BET has been asked to be removed.
Viacom said its pirated programs on YouTube generate about 1.2 billion video streams, based on a study from an outside consultant.
What, Viacom wants users to submit to their greenscreen challenges...but also wants to clamp down on fan-driven shared postings of show highlights?
BoingBoing reports Viacom basically "terrorized" YouTube by searching and spamming back 100,000+ take-down notices for all Viacom/CBS/MTV Network content they auto-found.
Sure, makes sense when you are trying to protect your ratings and your DVD sales potentials...but how about advertising and marketing costs?
Or elusive, unmeasurable "buzz"?
Does Viacom really think Motherload or Innertube is ready to replace the reach and usage of YouTube now?
Or are they just pissed seeing the montage of CSI:Miami's David Caruso and his sunglasses ripping classic one-liners? ("Have we been sent to the crime scene...or sent to destroy it??") (And The Who says "Yeeahhhh!...we won't get fooled again...")
Wow...talk about smacking your most-active audience in the head.
Just imagine the blog protest PR nightmare this might create.
The real reason Viacom is making this decision? Another effort to regain content control...when the Pandora's Box opened up long ago.
Will this move hurt the viral video surge of the last 18 months?
As the kids say, WTF?
posted by Unknown @ Friday, February 02, 2007,
