A few weeks after AOL Video's re-launch,
Business Week takes a fresh look at the service that now has more than 45 video-on-demand channels, with home pages that describe the content and
showcase the most popular clips and user reviews. It has news clips from ABC, CBS, CNN, The Associated Press, Reuters and the Weather Channel, as well as original content from TBS, MTV, Nickelodeon,
Comedy Central and Extra! The new site merges user-generated and professional content seamlessly, the review says. But its biggest flaw is too much advertising--the kind you can't skip. "The catch is
commercials, and lots of them." Ads are placed at the beginning of almost every clip, and, unlike television, there is no way to avoid them." No skipping, no fast-forwarding, no channel-changing.
What's more, users have to sit through the same ads over and over again, because AOL Video doesn't have a wide ad base. "If not for the commercials, AOL would deserve a near perfect rating," the
review says. "Its content is among the best on the Web"--but at the very least, AOL should allow users to skip, fast-forward or do something to avoid ads.
Read the whole story at Business Week »