In another example of Internet companies distributing TV shows on the Web, Yahoo! this week started offering free--and ad-free--streams of two episodes of the CBS sitcoms "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother." Until Monday, the shows will reside on Yahoo! TV, where the sitcoms join other video content, including a 10-minute preview of VH1's "Flavor of Love," and behind-the-scenes footage of the first season of ABC's "Lost"--which Yahoo! Media Group head Lloyd Braun had a hand in developing in his last job, as chairman of the ABC Entertainment Television Group. Although the CBS sitcoms carry no ads, Yahoo!'s site contains links that direct visitors to the official CBS page for each show. The sitcom streams are the latest in an accelerating series of partnerships between television networks and Web companies. For instance, in a move labeled an "experiment" by CBS Digital Media President Larry Kramer, Google earlier this year offered free streams of UPN's "Everybody Hates Chris." The Web version of that show, like the two comedies available on Yahoo! this week, carried no ads. Yahoo! also streamed the debut of the WB series "Supernatural" earlier this year, as well as the premiere of Showtime's "Fat Actress." Also, in March, the social networking site MySpace.com--which has since been acquired by News Corp.--Webcast the complete premiere episode of NBC's comedy "The Office," more than a week ahead of its scheduled broadcast pilot. And last year, America Online streamed the first episode of the WB teen drama "Jack & Bobby" before it aired on TV. In addition to partnering with Web companies, TV networks have been testing streams of shows on their own sites. Last month, CBS made three episodes of the prime-time sci-fi series "Theshold" available on CBS.com. MSNBC.com also recently started streaming NBC news shows, including "Meet the Press," and "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams."
Recent changes made to Google Base, a content-uploading-system-cum-classifieds service, suggest that the site is transforming from a data repository to more of a marketplace. Over the weekend, Google apparently altered the home page of Google Base to a more simple, streamlined search page, with popular searches and categories displayed as well. With the changes, the page now more closely resembles other online classifieds sites, according to industry observers. "What's interesting about it is when this first came out, it just really seemed to be exclusively about a place to upload content, and [a] way for Google to push content out," said Kelsey Group Analyst Greg Sterling. He added that the revised design might go a long way toward making users consider Google a classifieds destination. Google Base also created landing pages for employment listings that it receives via feeds from major job sites like CareerBuilder.com and LinkedIn.com. Previously, search results from those sites linked directly to those pages, whereas this week, they have begun linking to landing pages similar to those made for ads posted by individuals or small businesses. According to John Zappe of Classified Intelligence, the change allows Google to keep the traffic on-site, and lessens other sites' ability to promote their brand names. "Online publishers got access to more eyeballs through Google Base, but they got credit for the traffic. With the new landing pages, users have no need to visit the originating site except when they actually want to make contact," he wrote. "That's not necessarily a bad thing--except that it doesn't help ad publishers' brand-building, and it diminishes page-view potential."
A little more than a year ago, on Dec 26, 2004, the Indian Ocean region was devastated by a tremendous tsunami. MediaPost columnist Jason Heller lived through one of the most devastating events of his life as the first of three tsunami waves sped past him while he was 100 feet underwater scuba diving in Thailand. Jason and Paul forgo the usual format of the Click/Counter-Click column this last week of 2005 to remember those families who were affected, and to reflect on the role digital media channels play in emergencies such as this. I learned of the cause of my awkward underwater experience some time later. Approximately four hours after the waves powered by over and then under us, another diver received a text message that I will never forget--"9.0 earthquake in Sumatra, big tidal wave coming your way! Get away from shore!" The official government emergency radio broadcasts were in Thai, and provided conflicting information that did nothing but create confusion and almost panic. The unofficial radio reports were sensationalized and misleading. The combination of our remote location and busy wireless networks prevented a boat full of Nokias, Treos, BlackBerrys, and Sony Ericksons from holding a signal long enough to communicate with the outside world. However, SMS messages could be sent and received amidst our intermittent wireless connectivity. The reality of what happened began to sink in two days later, while I sat in a crowded Internet café sending e-mails to my friends and family to let them know that we were OK. Half of the customers wore battered clothing and had scars from being tossed around with debris in the waves. With their hotels and their belongings washed away, most everyone was online searching for new hotels where they could stay that night.. Journalists and students were posting stories, images and videos to blogs faster than CNN or BBC could ever imagine. Families were being reunited from opposite sides of the island via e-mail. The sad irony of the speed and quality of communication on our side of the global digital divide (a term I haven't heard in a while, although the situation goes much deeper than that) and the lifestyles of the majority of those living in the region affected by the destruction, is intense. The poor fishing and farming villages relied on the world as they knew it for sustenance. They couldn't learn the whereabouts or status of their family members in neighboring villages and towns for weeks. Meanwhile, most Western tourists were communicating instantly with their families in all corners of the world via text messages and e-mail. As we continue to become more dependent on digital communication, will the networks be able to handle the increased traffic during the next emergency? I hope so. To date, the terrestrial and wireless telephone networks have not fared well in emergencies. Online communication seems to be the leader in modern-day emergencies; however, we need electricity to send e-mails and charge our wireless devices. An interesting fact was brought to my attention about which communication vehicle was most reliable in the aftermath of both 9/11 as well as the Asian tsunami. It was the ham radio. Believe it or not, there are still over 5 million people around the world actively using these battery-powered devices (no, most of them are not truck drivers!). Two words --unlimited bandwidth. I hope these devices help us if we ever need them when our digital networks jam up in an emergency. Since this is our last column of 2005, I hope our readers can join us in taking a moment to remember the 200,000 people who lost their lives last year at this time--and their families who survived to pick up the pieces, often with absolutely nothing left. The enormity of the tragedy makes digital marketing seem really trivial in comparison. Have a happy holiday! Here's to a bright 2006 for digital marketing and the world in general!