Will the iFilm brand survive? The question Rafat asked last March after breaking the news that MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA) was merging 2005 acquisition online video site iFILM with SpikeTV.com, the online home for the young-male-oriented Spike network. The relaunch is up and the iFilm brand is hanging in there. The fused site is dubbed “Spike powered by iFilm” as in “welcome to the new SPIKE powered by iFilm, where the best viral and web videos from iFilm meet the hottest shows from SPIKE TV.” For now, at least, clicking on either site goes to ifilm.com. Aside from that, it’s really all about Spike. So yes, the brand remains — just barely.
As for the relaunch, on its own, the site probably wouldn’t stand out much in this cluttered video landscape. As a network offshoot, it’s fairly robust and full of the Web 2.0 features MTVN and others are counting on.
Rafat adds: iFilm was bought for $49 million by MTVN, and went through an extensive redesign last year, but still had a tough time competing with other video sharing site. The CEO and couple of other senior execs from iFilm left in the last year.
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