CBS will develop a community-generated content initiative for local sites
CBS’s owned-and-operated stations are partnering with Microsoft and its new cross-browser video technology Silverlight to power user-created content on the sites. So users may view, upload, share, rate, comment, sort and search video, images, audio and text submissions.
A key component of the application is its full integration into the existing content publishing workflow of the CBS Television Stations’ digital media groups.
Microsoft Silverlight technology is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for media experiences and applications on the Web. (See screen grabs here.)
YouTube will roll out video ads with natural interruption points
YouTube is testing video ads with pre-rolls, post-rolls and video ads, and this summer will begin rolling them out. The question has always been people’s reaction.
Brightcove’s Jeremy Allaire suggests a new model that involves a 3-second pre-roll and a 10-second mid-roll ad. YouTube’s desire to make money is understandable, but slapping on ads that users can’t avoid doesn’t like a good move. The key is that users control whether or not to view the ad.
AOL and ABCNews launch new advanced sites
AOL.com has rolled out its new redesigned Website; it is clean and easy to navigate. Problem is that looks mighty similar to Yahoo, which has its look since last summer. AOL agrees that there are similarities. “I think in this industry there are a lot of elements of portals that are just going to be similar because people have developed them to a point that they are standards.
The functionality is where the difference lies,” one of its senior vice president says. See the tour they have arranged to explain the launching.
Also, with its 10th anniversary coming this May, ABCNews.com has launched with a new, simple, tabbed design and a clean home page. The new site features an embedded video player above the fold, but the biggest innovation here is the user feedback control built into every story: users can leave comments, contribute facts to the story, submit suggested polls and upload video.
Firefox torrent plug-in lets you watch while you download
It has been released FoxTorrent, a downloader plug-in for the Firefox browser that lets you watch or listen to the torrent file as it downloads. Torrent files are divided unevenly and are different than streaming files.
The company behind the initiative is Red Swoosh, recently purchased by Akamai.
YouTube starts paying a few contributors
YouTube has started to erase the stigma around the unpaid user-generated content. Between 20 and 40 independent video producers on YouTube will began receiving a slice of revenue associated with display ads that surround their video clips.
These producers are considered media entities in their own right. Take for example Lonelygirl15, Smosh and LisaNova. YouTube continues to work on a wider-reaching revenue share program.
