TV joining the P2P revolution

January 23rd, 2007

Joost is the latest big idea from Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, the founders of Kazaa and Skype. Just as Skype shook up the telecom industry, slashing the price for international calls by routing them over the internet, they are convinced that Joost will do the same for television

Says the Guardian . The end of TV as we know it

Once downloaded to your computer, Joost looks very much like a digital TV service, with a “near-DVD quality” full-screen picture and a familiar-looking electronic programme guide. But bring up the stylish overlaid menus and the internet style features become apparent. You can navigate channels in the same way as you might toggle between internet bookmarks. You can also skip through programmes in the same way as you would using Windows Media Player, and move around the schedule at will.
Joost also lets you construct your own channels. So if you are interested in motoring, it will pull together all the available car content and “schedule” it into a bespoke channel for you. You can chat to other users watching the same channel, have a news ticker running along the bottom of the screen, or access online content provided by the broadcaster.
The goal, says de Wahl, is to tap into the communal aspects of watching television as well as the personalisation offered by the internet, and marry the power of channels to showcase content with the on-demand convenience of downloads. But it’s what’s under the bonnet that is really impressive, he says, claiming that Joost has a three-year lead on potential rivals.

And Joost CEO Fredrik de Wahl says

I haven’t seen anyone who has fundamentally redesigned what they do and integrated the content-owner needs or the advertiser needs or the viewer’s needs into one platform. We’re unique in that we get what viewers want – the end-user attraction, the simplicity of use.

We know that many media companies, news, broadcast etc., are starting to think about how they redefine themselves to the digital age and what that means. However my advice – don’t wait too long to address these issues otherwise you will be obsolete. It not a tweak, its structural. I like what de Wahl says because, it address the dual need of user experience and better value to advertisers.

Markets are conversations said Doc Searls, and I agree – humans are highly social and the technology is going to the very heart of human nature. Linear broadcast and the TV schedule like the industrial revolution was an aberration.

Compare that to Duncan’s darkest hour

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