Joost Will Rock Your World

joost_logo.jpg

If you've been in the online industry longer than a day or two, you've certainly heard about a company called Joost which is, seemingly, about to turn the world of online video and television on its head. Still in private beta with an official launch date set for several months out, Joost describes itself as "free TV, with the choice to watch alone or with friends. Joost is packed with internet tools such as instant messaging and channel chat, allowing people to really share the TV experience. It's a completely secure platform for content owners that respects their rights, while protecting and enhancing their brands. And it's an incredibly flexible way for advertisers to reach a truly global audience, in ways that really work. Joost isn't just video on the internet - it's the next generation of television for viewers, content owners and advertisers everywhere."

We signed up for the beta months ago and hope to get the invite soon. Barring that, we plan to storm the stage during ad:tech San Francisco April 26 at 9:30 AM, when Joost EVP of Advertising David Clark gives his keynote and demand, a login! OK, so maybe we won't actually storm that stage but we might politely shake his hand and beg.

Joost is sure to be one of the next proverbial "greatest things" to come along. It does sound like it will shake up the way TV is consumed. We can't wait.

by Steve Hall    Apr- 4-07   Click to Comment   
Topic: Industry Events, Online, Television, Trends and Culture   

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Comments



Comments

I have a Joost token for you, Steve. Email me.

Posted by: Brandon on April 4, 2007 5:44 PM

Hi Steve,

Despite all of the hype, I found the program fairly disappointing: not enough content, and no flexibility to add your own. I wrote a review of the program today.

As of right now, I'm sticking with iTunes for video. In second place is Democracy, and Joost comes in last. I'm also contemplating an eyeTV for my Mac.

- Brad

Posted by: Brad Levinson on April 4, 2007 11:58 PM

I better choose 1000 channels by http://www.lordoftv.com not just 20 by Joost.

Posted by: aare on April 5, 2007 6:54 AM

I can understand being excited about a coming product (I thought Skype was so cool - until I used it) But you sound like a shareholder reading a press release, Steve. Oh, wait - I just saw the quotation marks - you ARE reading a press release.

Sorry. Hope it works.

Posted by: Jetpacks on April 5, 2007 8:32 AM

I'd love a token if anyone's got one....

I love how web companies still in beta are generating interest by giving out accounts through a token, friend-to-friend invitation system. Gmail was the first one I really remember, and I was so excited to get an invite. And think about it.....before ever seeing how gmail worked or looked, I already knew it was something I wanted. Not a bad state of mind to be in when approaching a new service/product.

Posted by: Nathan on April 5, 2007 8:53 AM

I'd love a token if anyone's got one....

I love how web companies still in beta are generating interest by giving out accounts through a token, friend-to-friend invitation system. Gmail was the first one I really remember, and I was so excited to get an invite. And think about it.....before ever seeing how gmail worked or looked, I already knew it was something I wanted. Not a bad state of mind to be in when approaching a new service/product.

Posted by: Nathan on April 5, 2007 8:55 AM

I'd love a token if anyone's got one....

I love how web companies still in beta are generating interest by giving out accounts through a token, friend-to-friend invitation system. Gmail was the first one I really remember, and I was so excited to get an invite. And think about it.....before ever seeing how gmail worked or looked, I already knew it was something I wanted. Not a bad state of mind to be in when approaching a new service/product.

Posted by: Nathan on April 5, 2007 8:58 AM

aare, I think Joost plans to have channels people have actually heard of.

Posted by: Steve Hall on April 5, 2007 9:08 AM

I can understand being excited about a coming product (I thought Skype was so cool - until I used it) But you sound like a shareholder reading a press release, Steve. Oh, wait - I just saw the quotation marks - you ARE reading a press release.

Sorry. Hope it works.

Posted by: Jetpacks on April 5, 2007 9:09 AM

I think the point here is that Joost is relatively secure, and delivers an unskippable but very brief amount of advertising.

The content owners are already pulling their content from YouTube. When Joost's content offering is ramped up (as they come out of Beta), I've a hunch people will migrate there relatively quickly.

It will also pick up P2P users that can't really be bothered hunting for, downloading, and storing all those huge MPEGs of Lost, et al.

Of course it's not a sure thing, but I'm not betting against it dominating the online TV field next year.

Posted by: Barrie Williams on April 5, 2007 12:12 PM

It seems to me that the biggest issue has been pretty much ignored by the press and regular Joes that are excited about another video platform.

P2P shifts the cost burden for video distribution away from the content owners/providers and onto the ISPs. Most major ISPs have bandwidth limits, particularly on the uploading side, that will need to be smashed in order to support the quality of content that people hope for.

In my beta testing of Joost, I found the quality to be underwhelming at best. I have no doubt that there will be more major media content there soon, but those channels haven't been launched yet.

People need a better understanding of P2P technology before they get all hot for Joost. Unless hundreds of people are sharing (aka "seeding") content at the same time, the quality won't be there. Ever try to download a concert (from legal providers like bt.etree.org) when only 10 people are seeding? The same problems will occur for niche programing that relies on p2p. We're not talking about 3mb files on Napster, kids. Big files need a constant supply of seeders to maintain quality.

For Joost to succeed, they'll need a very large critical mass of seeders. And the ISPs aren't going to like that very much. See Net Neutrality debate.

Posted by: Digital Hobo on April 5, 2007 1:05 PM

It seems to me that the biggest issue has been pretty much ignored by the press and regular Joes that are excited about another video platform.

P2P shifts the cost burden for video distribution away from the content owners/providers and onto the ISPs. Most major ISPs have bandwidth limits, particularly on the uploading side, that will need to be smashed in order to support the quality of content that people hope for.

In my beta testing of Joost, I found the quality to be underwhelming at best. I have no doubt that there will be more major media content there soon, but those channels haven't been launched yet.

People need a better understanding of P2P technology before they get all hot for Joost. Unless hundreds of people are sharing (aka "seeding") content at the same time, the quality won't be there. Ever try to download a concert (from legal providers like bt.etree.org) when only 10 people are seeding? The same problems will occur for niche programing that relies on p2p. We're not talking about 3mb files on Napster, kids. Big files need a constant supply of seeders to maintain quality.

For Joost to succeed, they'll need a very large critical mass of seeders. And the ISPs aren't going to like that very much. See Net Neutrality debate.

Posted by: Digital Hobo on April 5, 2007 1:09 PM

Other interested site of online tv http://www.tutelevisiononline.com

Posted by: musica on November 14, 2007 4:31 PM

Other interested site of online tv http://www.tutelevisiononline.com

Posted by: musica on November 14, 2007 4:32 PM