eWeek and Peter Cashmore at Mashable! report that Demand Media has launched ChannelMe.tv. The site says traditional TV is "sooo 1999"; it's time to "broadcast your own channel online" via (what else??) a .tv domain name!
The ChannelMe website points out that Internet video is exploding. It's the future, and it starts with you and your very own online destination. Demand Media is starting out by helping customers redirect You.tv to their YouTube or MySpace profiles, but the company will roll out site building/video uploading/social networking tools in early 2007.
Forget DirecTV's 250 channels and the Dish Network's 240. ChannelMe will offer zillions to choose from. At a time when the Washington Post says teens are growing weary of social networks, and Gartner predicts blogging will peak in 2007, could broadcasting one's Internet video channel be the next big thing in self expression? It holds more promise than good old HTML websites, don't you think?
Peter's not convinced that a .tv domain name is a prerequisite for building one's channel. (Demand Media charges $19.95/year; GoDaddy charges $24.95.) People have been happily sharing MySpace and YouTube URLs. But his readers point out that users may want to be their own brands, not just a part of larger communities. They may also want to aggregate all of their media under one URL. Besides, they already spend untold sums on other personalization accessories, from ringtones to custom X-box face plates. What's another $20?
Keep an eye on Demand Media. I'm glad these guys are here to bring fresh ideas into the domains market.
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