ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA

Earlier this month LonelyGirl15, one of the most successful examples of viral web marketing to date, aired its last episode.  Today, the company has released a number of details concerning its new show, LG15: The Resistance, which launches on September 20.  As part of the new series, LG15.com will be relaunching as a hybrid blog/social network designed to further the level of viewer immersion. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/27/eqal-shares-details-on-lonelygirl15-followup 8/27)

Warner Brothers has resurrected its defunct WB television network as TheWB.com, a hub for its television shows that launches tomorrow. While a number of networks have offered ad-supported streaming shows for some time, TheWB.com is significantly more feature-rich than its competitors, offering an advanced search engine and allowing users to mashup selected clips from each show. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/26/the-wb-rises-from-the-ashes-as-a-hulu-competitor 8/26)

I wouldn’t agree with Techcrunch that WB.com poses any significant competition to a site like Hulu.  While WB.com does offer some unique functionality for a vertical site: (cough) mash-ups (cough cough), the site still only offers WB video unlike Hulu which attempts to aggregate as much professionally-produced video as possible.  The quantity of content more than kills it.  To read more critique on the WB.com, click here.

Most of the big movie studios and many online movie retailers are preparing to to launch a new initiative tentatively called Open Market, first proposed last year by Sony Pictures, we’ve learned. All of the major studios besides those associated with Walt Disney are already on board and will be part of the announcements made next month. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/26/movie-labels-to-launch-new-open-market-play-anywhere-scheme-as-last-ditch-effort-to-save-drm 8/26)

News Corp.’s Fox Interactive Media, which owns social-networking site MySpace, is overtaking struggling Internet giant Yahoo as the top U.S. display advertising property. “Eyeballs are going to other places on the Internet,’ analysts say. Time Warner‘s AOL is ranked No. 3. (http://www.smartmoney.com/breaking-news/ON/index.cfm?story=ON-20080826-000640-2159 8/26)

America’s Finest News Source has launched Decider, a local entertainment site that includes interviews, event information, and restaurant reviews. The site is initially launching with content for Chicago, with plans to support more cities over the next few months. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/26/no-joke-the-onion-launches-citysearch-competitor 8/26)

Bucking what has become a digital industry standard The BBC announced beginning Sept. 13 it will extend the shelf life of its shows on its ad supported iPlayer service beyond the original 7-day limitation to help expose them to a broader audience. Also certain shows will now be made available as entire seasons. The iPlayer relaunched earlier this summer adding a larger viewing window and stereo BBC radio programs. (Cynopsis 8/27)

Online movie service Jaman.com added Lionsgate titles to its catalog including classics like Reservoir Dogs, The Bank Job and Gods and Monsters. Jaman rents movies on demand for $2.99-$3.99 per title. The company has also signed licensing deals in recent months with Paramount, First Look and Magnolia. (Cynopsis 8/27)

Online video platform Animoto emerged from beta yesterday offering a range of tools for amateur video producers. The site has built a reported 4 million member user base by integrating with platforms such as Facebook and YouTube and rolling out new programs including a music submission program and MP4 video compatibility. Animoto’s latest ventures have been aimed at educators and businesses. (Cynopsis 8/27)

I’ve made several Animoto videos since learning about the service at SXSW.  Easy to use and professional-looking results.  Love love love.

Blogger network Technorati acquired blog community Blogcritics.org, an amalgamation of sites devoted to anything from music to politics to technology, with an aggregate monthly audience of about 1 million users. Technorati will incorporate the group into its Technorati Media ad network. (Cynopsis 8/27)

The appointment of Joe Biden as VP and the lead up to the Democratic National Convention drove BarackObama.com’s share of visits to its second highest total in the past year, according to Hitwise, increasing to 53% vs. 46% for JohnMcCain.com. BarackObama.com was also beating JohnMcCain.com in terms of time spent by a margin of almost 2 minutes per user as of Aug. 23. (Cynopsis 8/27)