If anyone had any doubts about how hot the online video market is, Google's purchase of YouTube for $1.6-billion (U.S.) worth of stock certainly laid those to rest pretty quickly -- and now video-sharing websites and social networks seem to be popping up daily. The latest addition to the crowd is a Canadian contender called BlogTV.ca.
Alliance Atlantis, the entertainment conglomerate that co-produces the CSI: shows, distributes movies and owns specialty TV channels, has launched what it calls a "social media" site where Canadians can upload video clips of themselves juggling, singing karaoke, or doing whatever they feel like sharing on the Internet (although the site notes that moderators approve all the content, so the home movies from your friend's bachelor party probably aren't going to make the cut).
You won't be sharing your video talents with the entire Internet, however. The press release from Alliance Atlantis says that content on the site "is available only to Canadian internet users." This is in contrast to YouTube -- and other video sites such as Revver, DailyMotion and Metacafe -- where the content is available to anyone, regardless of nationality. Alliance appears to have licensed the name BlogTV from an Israeli company called Tapuz, which has been signing deals with entertainment providers in various countries to use the name and format, which is presumably why the content is restricted to Canucks only.
This strikes me as a dumb idea, not to put too fine a point on it. The whole appeal of a site where you upload video clips of you doing magic tricks or falling off a skateboard or whatever is that anyone can see them. A big part of the reason why YouTube took off so quickly was that it made it easy for anyone not just to upload videos but to share them -- either by emailing a link, or embedding actual video clips in a blog or webpage. Without the ability to do that, a site becomes like a walled garden. It might be very nice, but who's going to see it?
One other thing to note: In the legal fine print on the BlogTV.ca website, it says that all content on the site "is owned or licensed by blogtv.ca and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws." In other words, they own the rights to that video clip of you and your cat dancing to Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. And the content on the site can't be "used, copied, reproduced, distributed, transmitted, broadcast, displayed, sold, licensed, or otherwise exploited for any other purposes" without written consent.
That doesn't sound too social to me.
Update:
Claude Galipeau, a senior vice-president with Alliance Atlantis's Digital Media division, called to say that the company believes BlogTV.ca offers a "unique value proposition" for Canadians, since it allows them not just to upload video but to stream it live -- in effect, creating their own personal TV shows. And while restricting the site to Canadians is part of the licensing agreement with Tapuz, he also said it helps create a uniquely Canadian service, which is "a positive thing for Canadians," and that it is "a good value proposition" for advertisers as well.
Mr. Gallipeau also said that moderators don't pre-screen video (and there is an "after-hours" section where your bachelor-party video would fit quite well, he says) but are only there to monitor for copyrighted content or hate speech. The Alliance executive also noted that users are free to embed their video in blogs or webpages, and said that he would have the company's lawyers "take a look at that language" in the terms of service.
