Viral video sites such as youtube.com and bolt.com are often warned to remove clips taken from NBC, even while the network is negotiating to partner with some of them. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that NBC and YouTube are close to finalizing an agreement in which NBC will buy ads on YouTube while the site will post clips of upcoming NBC shows provided by the network. YouTube says consumers watch more than 50 million videos a day–mostly amateur clips–on its site. CBS has held similar discussions with the sites about possible deals. ABC, for now, is opposed to such ventures.
“We invest millions of dollars in this content, and we must aggressively protect it. At the same time, we want to promote it, and we want people to see it.”
Rick Cotton
[ general counsel for NBC Universal ]“Part of the danger with partnering with these sites is that there is very little control. Once something is out on the Web, it is very, very difficult to get it back.”
Mike Benson
[ senior vice president of marketing at ABC ]“Having clips of its shows up on [the Internet] was the only thing that was going to get anyone our age to watch ‘Saturday Night Live.’ “
Luke McCormick
[ 23-year-old staffer at bolt.com, a viral video site ]
