Webcastr: The Future of Internet T.V.
Friday, October 12th, 2007
Webcastr debuts in Times Square.
(Get In magazine) — Honestly, I don’t really need to see episode 47 of “Dudes Tossing Themselves Down Staircases”. Nor am I really interested in the latest “What My Cat Did This Week”. As entertaining as YouTube and other video sharing sites can be, the influx of amateur video featuring whatever people find interesting in their day to day lives has gotten more than a little old (can you feel your IQ dropping?). With all the various digital recorders and web cams designed specifically with YouTube in mind, it’s bound to get worse.
But wait, salvation is in sight! Alright, not salvation, but at least something better. Webcastr.com is a new “worldwide internet portal for video channels”. Webcastr does not intend to be yet another YouTube clone. In fact, founder Tim Devine calls it “The Future of Television”, and it very well may be.
Webcastr is a collection of channels, each featuring its own content. Music, Politics, Fashion, Cars, Entertainment, Babes, Cooking, Sports and Tech represent just a small example of the diverse offerings to be found on Webcster.
Regular television outlets are also hopping on the bandwagon, with CBS News and MTV News featured on the site, with more deals in the works. Pretty much anything you could be interested in can be found on Webcastr. These are not random posts from grimy teens in their mom’s basement. These are professional (or semi-professional) videos, which makes all the difference in the world. Currently Webcastr already has over 200 content providers, and they intend to keep adding to that list.
Webcastr has already made a splash on the international stage. Earlier this month they got their hands on a pre-release version of the Britney Spears video “Gimme More”. The response was so massive, according to Devine “We had traffic from 93 countries in a little over six hours”. Of course, the site crashed – it was still in beta. Now upgraded to compensate for the increased traffic Webcastr is equipped to handle the teeming masses without a hiccup.
To make things even easier Webcastr offers a widget that can be added to your Myspace, Facebook or blog that will automatically update with videos from whatever is most popular at the moment.
Webcastr seems to be trying all manner of things to stay ahead in the popularity game, obviously hoping to capitalize off the success of leaking the Spears video. They recently released another leak, this time of Will.i.am’s Remix of “I Got It From My Mama” - featuring a sample of Daft Punk’s “Around The World” - which was shot before he learned the boys in Daft Punk denied him the right to use the sample. Oops.
The latest leaked video is a cheap and effective to keep attention focused Webcaster. On the Internet, being the first is often the best way to get noticed. If Webcastr can keep it up they may be able to focus that attention into a dedicated following. Like all Web 2.0 prodigies, Webcastr has a drive for World Domination. Or at the very least, Internet domination. Devine has said “We envision a day when you will be able to see all the world’s TV live and online. We plan to be a conduit for that.”Whether Webcastr succeeds or not is yet to be seen but this is definitely a cool new way to get your Internet video fix, so check it out!
