• NewTeeVee, Monday, January 21, 2008 11:30 AM

Joost is in hot water. The company last week fired its Chief Technology Officer under mysterious circumstances. Usage of the P2P-powered TV service has underwhelmed, and the content deals have dried up. But all is not lost. A few savvy distribution agreements could save the online video provider.

One of the biggest complaints about Joost is its lack of quality content. Hulu, the ad-supported content distribution effort from NBC Universal and News Corp., would make the perfect addition. Competitors like Veoh already use Hulu, and Joost should, too. The company would also do well to devote a channel or two to the hundreds of video podcasts out there, some of which hit finely targeted groups for advertisers. The long-promised ability to chat with users while watching the same channel needs to be delivered--Joost could use a feature that differentiates itself from competitors.

Other interesting ideas revolve around distributing. Why not build a Web version. Sure the quality might suffer a bit without P2P technology, but a Web version might pave the way for a new social dimension. A Firefox plug-in would further help distribution, as would a partnership with a major video game console, like the Nintendo, which is looking to ramp up its Web features.

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