MTV To Launch Web-Based Channel

Cable station MTV plans to debut a Web-based video content channel, "MTV Overdrive," by April 25, the company announced Wednesday. The service--offered to the press to test yesterday--gives users with high-speed Web connections the option to either pick and choose from a range of MTV's news and interviews, music and music videos, and reality shows, or sit back and let Overdrive pick for them.

Overdrive is built around six main channels: The Lineup, where MTV can display its choicest offerings; News; Music; On TV; and Movies, which offers a list of movie trailers. Jason Hirschhorn, senior vice president of digital music and media at MTV Networks, said he expected the service to offer at least 50 to 70 clips every 10 days for the news section alone. The average running time for each video clip is two to six minutes.

The service will be ad-supported, with 15-second video advertisements from the likes of Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and Sony Pictures.

MTV Overdrive is delivered via Windows Media Video and Windows Media DRM (Digital Rights Management), Hirschhorn said it will soon release a version of Overdrive optimized for Microsoft Media Center Edition personal computer. Macintosh owners will not be able to access the offering.

Hirschhorn said that Mac users only make up about 2 percent of MTV's audience. "Don't get me wrong," Hirschhorn said, "that's a very important 2 percent--they're the creative types--but the reality is that we have a responsibility to protect people's content, so we chose Windows DRM to protect the videos from unauthorized re-distribution."

Todd Chanko, a Jupiter Research analyst, said he was impressed by the Overdrive's offerings, but found fault in the initial adoption process. "It doesn't support Mozilla Firefox, my default browser, so I had to switch to Internet Explorer.Then I had to download some Macromedia Flash software, then I was asked to agree to some security upgrade," said Chanko. "I just think companies like MTV have to put more thought into first impression and a user's initial experience with a product."

Hirschhorn said MTV is exploring alternative distribution deals with major cable providers for Overdrive, but would not go into detail. He also made mention of offering Overdrive via mobile devices at some time in the future.

The advent of Overdrive follows an announcement in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that MTV Networks and Microsoft had formed a strategic agreement to deliver digital entertainment.

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