The other day Viacom demanded that Google remove 100,000+ copyright protected video’s from the popular YouTube video sharing service (owned by Google). If you haven’t noticed, Google has responded by rapidly removing those videos. I can’t find a single clip from The Colbert Report or Southpark anywhere on YouTube. Both shows air on Comedy Central, which is owned by Viacom.
I personally have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I can totally see this from Viacom’s point of view. They own the shows, they have the right to control how they are viewed. On the other hand, I highly doubt that allowing clips from their shows to be shared via YouTube would ever cost them a single viewer. I don’t think any fans would stop watching the shows in lieu of seeing a random clip here and there online. In fact, I think Viacom would only benefit, by attracting new viewers. It’s basically free advertising. Personally, I think Viacom is shooting themselves in the foot with this action. What do you think?
On a side-note, MTV clips are next on the hit list, so you may want to grab this one while you still can. You can find two methods for saving YouTube videos to your local drive here, or here.
I completely agree with you. I think that Viacom is making a big mistake here, and that by trying to get these videos from being put on the internet they are showing an opposition to what their viewers want.
I have to say that for once I’m disagreeing with you, and supporting Viacom. I know a teenage kid who rather than buying the Southpark box set, watched the entire series online through some website that linked to each and every episode on YouTube so he could watch it there.
He commented that it was less risky than downloading the episodes over Peer-to-Peer software, but free (and that he would have otherwise bought it all).
Viacom’s actions seem to echo the fears of the movie industry when VHS & Beta were released to the public. There was an initial paranoia that by the masses being able to record movies and share them that movie sales would decrease. Historically this isn’t the case. Nor has it been true with audio tapes or bootlegged recordings. Granted the recording industry blames Napster & other Peer-to-Peer apps for the reduction in CD sales, but that isn’t the complete truth. Besides, Viacom could offer the videos to the masses themselves in order to circumvent viewers turning to YouTube. Currently ComedyCentral.com offers some videos but not enough to cover what YouTube offered…. but at least it was a start in the right direction.
That’s my two cents.
Interesting idea of it as free advertising. Indeed it probably is, but wouldn’t they rake more profit in by controlling the distribution on their own terms from their own respective sites i.e. ComedyCentral.com, Nickelodeon.com or even iTunes.
While it increasingly illustrates itself as the feckless and arrogant alter ego of Google, YouTube is emerging as the poster-child for repressive corrupt companies in the US.
Poorly managed, poorly laid-out, poorly staffed and poorly coded, YouTube is setting new records in garnering enemies while snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
The rate of random, often non-sensical censorship of comments, deletion of videos, deletion of accounts and blacklisting is increasing at a blistering pace. Attributed by insiders to out-of-control workers who, with little oversight from their employer, pursue random vendettas and harassment against users, YouTube is severing the hands that feed it.