• by Wayne Friedman , January 10, 2007

LAS VEGAS -- In a star-studded announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show, Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corp., revealed a number of wide-ranging digital video efforts--including one that will put the Internet "it" company of the moment, YouTube, on the center stage of traditional media--the Super Bowl.

Moonves said CBS will launch a community campaign called "15 Seconds," where viewers post their 15-second inspirational messages on YouTube. CBS will then choose the best viewer-videos to be broadcast on the network.

As evidence of the convergence of new and old media, the first user-created YouTube video will be broadcast before the start of CBS' coverage of Super Bowl XLI on Sunday, Feb. 4.

Throughout the remainder of the season, other "15 Seconds" viewer videos will be seen on CBS.

Moonves also talked about a deal with Sling Media for something called 'Clip+Sling', which will allow audiences to share short video programming segments. Slingbox owners can clip content directly from live or recorded television, and can send them to friends who are not necessarily Slingbox users.

In addition, CBS is partnering with company Electric Sheep to build a virtual Star Trek world where users can create or shape new content each time they enter the space.

In response to all of this new activity, Moonves said: "There's no such thing as old or new media anymore. We're just media."

Other CBS Corp. talent/executives discussed specific digital efforts.

College Sports Television founder and president Brian Bedol talked about a community platform called FansOnly, which allows friends to create their own viewing groups in a virtual Skybox.

CBS radio personalities, Gregg Hughes and Anthony Cumia, hosts of "The Opie & Anthony Show," talked about using online video that helped turn their show in a virtual studio, where listeners could participate in real-time--even when it's not on the air.

Showtime "L Word" executive producer Ilene Chaikin and star Jennifer Beals offered up a demonstration of OurChart.com, a new social networking web site for the lesbian community.