• Business 2.0 , Monday, February 26, 2007 10:45 AM

"Rocketboom" was just the start. Shows like "Diggnation," a "Wayne's World"-esque daily video roundup of the top stories from Digg.com, are proving that Web TV has wings. Diggnation, which is hosted by Digg co-founder Kevin Rose and friend Alex Albrecht, is niche programming aimed squarely at the 18-34 year old tech geek set.

Topics covered in the 45-minute show, which is taped before 700 fans, include gaming, new software releases and "stupid hardware tricks." Each episode is also sprinkled with several clever if somewhat obvious product plugs. In addition, the series has attracted a total of 15 sponsors; episodes have thus far earned as much as $10,000 each. With roughly 250,000 viewers a week, Diggnation is just about the most popular podcast being offered on Apple's iTunes.

Web TV 2.0? All you need is a Web camera, a computer, a bit of talent and a dream. More and more distribution channels are popping up, too. Joost, the new Web TV service from the founders of Skype and KaZaa, aims to bring Web originals together with programming from big media companies. Viacom became the first media major to join forces with the new service. Other Web TV enablers include Veoh Networks and Revision3. Whereas the broadcast networks wouldn't give a niche programmer like Diggnation the time of day, these niche audiences are exactly what Web video startups want.

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