After ditching Youtube, is Joost Viacom's golden goose?

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 21 February 2007 09:15

Your IT - Entertainment

BET's Networks' offerings are slated to include what they say are some of their biggest shows, including Beef, DMX: Soul of a Man, Comic View and recent smash hit American Gangster.

On the movie front, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage and Paramount Classics will be providing full-length feature films from its catalog of classics and recent releases.

So while one entertainment company doesn’t make a TV network, it’s certainly an excellent start. Viacom’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Philippe Dauman, is certainly pleased with the deal, as he says that: “We're extremely pleased to be working with Joost, and couldn't be prouder to be a key partner in the launch of the next generation in broadband video technology. We have the number one portfolio of entertainment sites in the world and unrivaled distribution on mobile devices, but we're determined to keep pushing and growing our digital presence and bring our programming to audiences on every platform and device that they want”.

Dauman also says that: “In addition to strong partnerships we have with traditional distributors, we will continue to seek out partners like Joost, which has created an exciting breakthrough platform that represents not only a fantastic user experience, but one that is built on a compelling and sustainable business model that respects both content creators and consumers.”

So, is the Joost deal enough to make up for failing to come to a deal with Google’s still ultra-popular Youtube? Well, given that Joost simply isn’t available to most people out there, the simple answer is no… not yet.

But if Joost ends up being as successful as Kazaa was in its heyday and as popular as Skype remains today, the Viacom deal could well prove that choosing Joost was just as good as finding the golden goose.