The pace with which the much-ballyhooed “YouTube killer” joint venture proposed by NBC and News Corp, code-named NewCo, is moving, we might as well call it OldCo. But the company, which still doesn’t have a name, is making the rounds meeting venture capitalists, and private equity people trying to raise $100 million on a valuation of about $1 billion. Multiple sources both in New York and Silicon Valley have confirmed NewCo’s attempts to raise cash. Continue Reading…
Sometimes I think companies/technologies are started and invested in just for FUD. For example, incumbents actually like to talk about TV Whitespace, which does not currently exist, to dissuade municipalities from pursuing WiFi and WiMAX. It creates this fear that there is something better just around the corner and you’d be foolish to act now. Newco could be like that. Hey don’t do a deal with YouTube or Joost, just wait for Newco — oh yeah, in the meantime keep working with NBC and Fox! Under this MO it doesn’t matter if VC money is obtained, just that potential customers think the service is for real and hesitate to go with the competition.
Like it matters what anyone thinks ? Does it matter what ANY companies besides google think of youtube ? NOPE. What matters is that consumers are watching it instead of VOD. Now it HELPS that Apple thinks it’s good and adds support to AppleTV. But let’s face it — even without that the content on youtube is clearly DIFFERENT than that on VOD. Just because NBC, Fox or whomever is creating FUD for cable and television operators — hardly makes a difference to subscribers. If anything the FUD will ACCELLERATE the darwinian process if you know what I mean.