Broadband Content Bits: Virgin; Azureus; NBC; Discovery; Indie911

Virgin Media , the U.K. cable network unit, is continuing to overhaul its website and will soon offer live football matches, free music downloads and other content. There will also be the opportunity for customers to watch live feeds of the reality show Big Brother when it airs later on this year.
Azureus, an aggregator and distributor of long-form P2P video, has unveiled its new HD video application Vuze (formerly Zudeo). It has also signed a deal with Showtime, which recently introduced a Download-to-Own feature that allows viewers to purchase individual episodes of Showtime’s original series, including Weeds, The L Word, Brotherhood and Sleeper Cell.
NBC.com will add a variety of original content from each of its late night series, including Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Last Call with Carson Daly. Much of the new content is made up of behind-the-scenes material, though it will also feature bits from rehearsals that never made it to air. Also, the network’s site will offer viewers the chance to create and upload their homemade versions of sketches like SNL’s Weekend Update.
Having spent the past few months scrambling to develop more digital content initiatives, Discovery plans to host two free online premieres per week from various new and returning series across its stable of U.S. networks. Called Discovery iPremieres, the ad-supported full-length episodes will be available on the cable network’s homepage for one week prior to airing on TV. The programming will be unveiled next fall.
Indie911, the combined social network/online music store, will distribute a non-DRM documentary through its Hoooka digital player in hopes of augmenting its music offerings with the works of independent filmmakers. Hoooka allows anyone to share, promote, sell their personal digital content on their own website. As part of the deal, Indie911 keeps 20 percent of the revenue while individuals who sell the documentary via Hoooka get 10 percent, with the rest going to B-Side. In addition to making some money, both Indie911 and B-Side view this venture as an assault on DRM as well.

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