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USA Today's tech-guy Edward C. Baig took a look at Joost, a website where people can watch television with other fans. Think of it as an expansion of what G4's TNG 2.0 is all about just without the middleman - a television.Joost lets you watch various full-length television shows free on a computer. The difference - you watch with other people. You get to build a community around the show, chatting and sending instant messages while watching your favorite full-length episodes. At the moment, the site lacks any live programming so users will have to deal with a limited library of old shows: from black-and-white Lassie to Comedy Central's Stella. Some time this summer CBS Corp (NYSE: CBS) is promising episodes of its CSI franchise and Survivor.
As always, there's a catch: users must watch 1 1/2 to 3 minute commercials every hour.
Despite the thin lineup, it appears to have grabbed the attention of many high-profile content partners - CBS Corp, Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Sony Corp (NYSE: SNE) as well as Turner, CNN and Warner Bros. (NYSE: TWX), Baig says.
An even better sign is that Joost has signed more than 30 advertising partners, including Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), Nike Inc (NYSE: NKE), Intel Corp (NASDAQ: INTC) and Coca-Cola Co (NYSE: KO).
One has to question if people are willing to watch a full-length show on their computer in this day and age. The maximum YouTube video is 10 minutes long and who watches all ten minutes these days?
Another question is if the common Joe has the technology to actually use Joost. I personally think the common man (or woman) is far from watching a full-length television show, even if they are die-hard fans of the show. Those die-hard fans would more than likely have the DVD collection of their favorite show already used and abused on their shelves. I'm sure there are plenty of people would wouldn't want to bother watching a 3 minute commercial or be bothered by a "community" to discuss how great the show was just to see the old Lassie shows.
Maybe I'm wrong.
Would you use Joost to watch your favorite shows and be able to chat with online users? Check out the Joost site and let us know!
Despite the thin lineup, it appears to have grabbed the attention of many high-profile content partners - CBS Corp, Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Sony Corp (NYSE: SNE) as well as Turner, CNN and Warner Bros. (NYSE: TWX), Baig says.
An even better sign is that Joost has signed more than 30 advertising partners, including Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), Nike Inc (NYSE: NKE), Intel Corp (NASDAQ: INTC) and Coca-Cola Co (NYSE: KO).
One has to question if people are willing to watch a full-length show on their computer in this day and age. The maximum YouTube video is 10 minutes long and who watches all ten minutes these days?
Another question is if the common Joe has the technology to actually use Joost. I personally think the common man (or woman) is far from watching a full-length television show, even if they are die-hard fans of the show. Those die-hard fans would more than likely have the DVD collection of their favorite show already used and abused on their shelves. I'm sure there are plenty of people would wouldn't want to bother watching a 3 minute commercial or be bothered by a "community" to discuss how great the show was just to see the old Lassie shows.
Maybe I'm wrong.
Would you use Joost to watch your favorite shows and be able to chat with online users? Check out the Joost site and let us know!
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