Web Innovations: Joost Puts TV & Web Together

By Luis Galarza - Internet Marketing Tips

First Kazaa, Then Skype, And Now Joost, An Web Innovation That Integrates TV And The Web To Deliver A New Level Of Online Video Entertainment!

Joost is the new web innovation toy from two of the most crazy and controversial (at least with their P2P file sharing service) entrepreneurs, Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom who were the heroes who gave us Skype and Kazaa.

Joost will have free offerings which combines many elements of regular TV, like channels that can be customize and surf by the users complete with web functionalities like chat and keyword search for the TV programming.

All Joost TV shows and movies will have full-screen online video quality, the only thing is that their TV programs will be supported by commercial content.... Hey, who cares, is FREE!

Till now we haven't heard of any deals for content to increase their online TV or video offerings, I'm sure they will soon get some TV network and advertisement endorsement deals, but it all depends on how popular they manage to turn this new online venture.

I think Joost has a very good chance to become another killer start-up....

Here is what others thing about the new Joost Peer-to-Peer TV service.

CrunchBase.com.- As their third major undertaking, Skype and Kazaa founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom are attempting to perfect IPTV with Joost. Joost is a p2p on demand video player that offers professional (legal) programming much like on your television, but whenever you want. The service is free, however, there are video advertisements interspersed between and during programs as well as small type or image ads on the sides of your screen.

With very heavy backing from media giants CBS and Viacom, Joost looks good to take on competitors Bablegum and Microsoft LiveStation. Currently Joost has content deals with CNN, the NHL and Sony as well as their financiers CBS and Viacom (MTV, Comedy Central etc). They have also recently developed a new Widget API open to third parties to make their own Joost widgets.

Unlike many online video platforms, joost does require a download and cannot play video directly from users’ browsers. joost offers a desktop client that allows the user to watch on-demand TV over the internet. In addition, Joost enhances the TV experience by offering interactive tools. For example, users will be able to chat with friends while watching a show. The channels will also have interactive displays where users can discover behind-the-scene content.

Joost’s peer-to-peer technology also lowers the cost of channel owners by reducing the amount of data the servers must stream out. joost only serves some selected users, while the rest of the data is distributed from user to user.

Rumor has it that Joost is in talks with hardware manufacturers to embed its platform into TV set-top boxes. If the move were successful it could change the TV industry substantially.

Joost is now fully public and open to all.

And...

Techcrunch.- Reports that Joost is now talking to hardware vendors about embedding Joost into set-top boxes and televisions will change the market as we know it.

While Joost is generally now regarded as the leader in the television over internet, the market for watching television on a computer remains limited. Sure it’s nice for a lark or good for an occasional break, but as Microsoft has proven with its attempts to bring a computer into the livingroom with Windows Media Center, computers as a focal point for watching television is not a popular idea. Recent reports even have the Apple TV box going the way of the Apple Lisa, straight into the dustbin of failed convergence history.

Joost on an actual TV set without the need for a computer is a different proposition.

Millions of American’s pay for cable television services that require a set top box. Imagine Joost becoming available for free on these boxes, or better still embedded directly into television sets; Joost is currently discussing this very option. Millions of people world wide will be upgrading to next generation BlueRay and HDDVD players in the coming years, imagine Joost embedded as standard in these players. Network devices that play video and music from a network alongside standard DVD’s from companies such as Netgear and Zensonic are growing in popularity, the move to include Joost in these sorts of devices seems like a natural progression.

Of course there are still issues to be worked out. Viewing quality on Joost isn’t perfect and the need for high speed broadband is a given. Presuming that these will be overcome with time will result in a product that married with a television set will deliver a choice that many will happily embrace, after all free is the ultimate price point in a crowded marketplace. Millions, tens even hundreds of millions of people who aren’t fussed with watching television on their PC’s are suddenly dealt into the Joost world. They say that lightning never strikes the same place twice but with Joost’s founders it could well become three in a row in terms of phenomenal startups. I’m also looking forward to the day I can sit back on my couch and surf Joost, it’s a much more appealing proposition than doing so from my computer.

Been the first in the game providing such a video service, they really have the upper hand on this new trend, I hope they integrate innovation and creativity into their Internet marketing strategies that will keep their service on top ahead of the market... This is the problem sometimes with many entrepreneurs, beginners and advanced marketers, they create a new innovative product or service and keep their focus on improving and the development of the product, but forget to use innovation in their marketing tactics or they forget to put a good amount of their time into marketing...

Remember that 80% of your time should be focus on creating a marketing plan with strategies that will:

• Increase exposure of your product in front of your target audience.
• Generate a large list of hot targeted prospects that want to know more about your market or product.
• Build rapport and authority by giving expert advice about your market and product.
  
• Turn those hot leads into loyal customers.
• Build strong long term business-to-customers relationships.
• Monetize your list selling back end offers or recommend partner products.
• Help your loyal cutomers and leads find more hot prospects for you.
• Then do it all over again, but better....
  

Will see... 2008 is just around the corner... For more information about Joost check their blog.

To your success,

Luis Galarza, Internet Marketing Consultant

A proud member of

The International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs
.