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Creating a TV-Style Network for Online Videos
An article in BusinessWeek looks at Next New Networks (or N3), which is planning to put together 100 super-niche channels over the next three years, rounding up online content in an ad-supported system that incorporates elements of video blogging and accepts user submissions.
The article frames the company as a "bid to make sense of digital video's Wild West for viewers and advertisers alike," with the idea that viewers currently have to hunt around if they want to find quality video content on sites like YouTube or MySpace.
Inspired by the popularity of pioneering online video shows, N3's creators hit on the idea of creating a broad network. But they knew they needed a team that combined TV programming smarts and Internet community knowhow. Seibert wooed Scannell, who launched the popular Dora the Explorer and Spongebob Squarepants franchises. After 26 years in TV, Scannell was eager for a return to the excitement of cable TV's early days, when creators could break out. Seibert also tapped Jed Simmons, who ran the Sundance Group, while Rensing brought in Tim Shey, who last year started consulting with video bloggers after a stint working at Rocketboom. "We're taking the essence of video blogging and applying more dependability and branding," Seibert says.
