Webcastr.com: the Future of Internet TV?
Interview with Tim Devine, founder of Webcastr.com, a new company whose slogan says it all - ‘the Best of Internet TV.’
West Hollywood, CA, January 31, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Why would a well-known music business executive walk away from a successful career (and a seven-figure salary) to become the next Internet entrepreneur? Just ask Tim Devine, founder of Webcastr.com, a new company whose slogan says it all - ‘the Best of Internet TV.’
“There’s a lot of misconception about this still nascent field. To most people, the phrase ‘internet television’ simply means user-generated uploaded clips (a la YouTube or Revver) or perhaps traditional television repurposed for the web, like say, Hulu. We believe it is something wholly different than that.”
Devine points to the familiar names that have already signed on to his network. From the Wall Street Journal to Vanity Fair; from TV Guide Broadband to FHM magazine, traditional media are launching Internet video channels to expand the reach of their brand with quality content that acts as an extension of their principal outlets.
But Webcastr is not just for established brands. “We have exciting new content creators like CelebTV, Young Hollywood, Automotive TV, the Green Energy Channel, the Space Channel, the Bike Channel, Digital Daily and others that sit right alongside names like CBS, MTV, TMZ and the NHL.”
Beyond the channel experience, Webcastr also offers a selection of up-to-the-minute news, show business, and informational clips from around the web, as well as lifestyle clips on gaming, technology, art, animation, travel, cooking, health – plus the requisite sexy fashion videos and bikini babes. “The web generation has a certain lean. They want information, but they also want to be entertained,” says Devine. “Today’s audience defines news very broadly. They want news that reflects their social culture and their special interests – stylish and sexy, but also smart. Webcastr is designed to be their video newsstand.”
Webcastr’s ability to do just that differentiates it from the rest of the video aggregation pack, and the concept appears to be working. With nearly 200 content providers already on board and an Alexa ranking that is up 1,500% in the just last four months alone, the site is rapidly gaining traction around the world. “We have viewers tuning in from over 100 countries. When people come to visit us, I hand them the remote and say, ‘find this stuff on your regular TV.’ They can’t do it,” says Devine.
Though currently in beta, Webcastr has already garnered attention on the webpages of Forbes, MarketWatch, the LA Times and others who took notice when a tsunami of traffic overwhelmed the site’s server capacity due to the exclusive debut of Britney Spears’ video from her latest album. How they managed to scoop the competition remains a trade secret, but as technological and creative refinements continue, Devine and his team are busy at work building the post-YouTube video experience.
“We believe the next five years are going to show enormous growth in the advent and development of both specialized and branded video channel-based programming for several reasons. First, there are well-defined constituencies for nearly every endeavor known to man – mountain biking, photoshoppers, mac enthusiasts, snowboarders, food and wine lovers – you name it. Just like in print, you also have advertising bases to support these fields. Secondly, unlike starting a cable TV channel, you can take advantage of lower production costs, and you don’t have to create a 24-hour slate of programming on a daily basis,” explains the web media maven.
Replete with state-of-the-art features – including widgets, bookmark links, RSS feeds, interactivity enhancements, Facebook and myspace fan sites, and more to come – which drive increasing engagement with the continuously mutating programming mix, Webcastr provocatively suggests that perhaps the future of television is evolving right before your eyes. Meanwhile, one thing is certain. With music, extreme sports and dream girls du jour alongside finance, politics and breaking world news, Webcastr is a seductive melange of eye candy, infobites, and specialty snacks ready made for today’s digital consumer.
“Let’s put it this way,” says Devine. “It’s not your father’s newspaper.”
To see exactly what this blend of video programming is all about, check out http://www.webcastr.com.
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“There’s a lot of misconception about this still nascent field. To most people, the phrase ‘internet television’ simply means user-generated uploaded clips (a la YouTube or Revver) or perhaps traditional television repurposed for the web, like say, Hulu. We believe it is something wholly different than that.”
Devine points to the familiar names that have already signed on to his network. From the Wall Street Journal to Vanity Fair; from TV Guide Broadband to FHM magazine, traditional media are launching Internet video channels to expand the reach of their brand with quality content that acts as an extension of their principal outlets.
But Webcastr is not just for established brands. “We have exciting new content creators like CelebTV, Young Hollywood, Automotive TV, the Green Energy Channel, the Space Channel, the Bike Channel, Digital Daily and others that sit right alongside names like CBS, MTV, TMZ and the NHL.”
Beyond the channel experience, Webcastr also offers a selection of up-to-the-minute news, show business, and informational clips from around the web, as well as lifestyle clips on gaming, technology, art, animation, travel, cooking, health – plus the requisite sexy fashion videos and bikini babes. “The web generation has a certain lean. They want information, but they also want to be entertained,” says Devine. “Today’s audience defines news very broadly. They want news that reflects their social culture and their special interests – stylish and sexy, but also smart. Webcastr is designed to be their video newsstand.”
Webcastr’s ability to do just that differentiates it from the rest of the video aggregation pack, and the concept appears to be working. With nearly 200 content providers already on board and an Alexa ranking that is up 1,500% in the just last four months alone, the site is rapidly gaining traction around the world. “We have viewers tuning in from over 100 countries. When people come to visit us, I hand them the remote and say, ‘find this stuff on your regular TV.’ They can’t do it,” says Devine.
Though currently in beta, Webcastr has already garnered attention on the webpages of Forbes, MarketWatch, the LA Times and others who took notice when a tsunami of traffic overwhelmed the site’s server capacity due to the exclusive debut of Britney Spears’ video from her latest album. How they managed to scoop the competition remains a trade secret, but as technological and creative refinements continue, Devine and his team are busy at work building the post-YouTube video experience.
“We believe the next five years are going to show enormous growth in the advent and development of both specialized and branded video channel-based programming for several reasons. First, there are well-defined constituencies for nearly every endeavor known to man – mountain biking, photoshoppers, mac enthusiasts, snowboarders, food and wine lovers – you name it. Just like in print, you also have advertising bases to support these fields. Secondly, unlike starting a cable TV channel, you can take advantage of lower production costs, and you don’t have to create a 24-hour slate of programming on a daily basis,” explains the web media maven.
Replete with state-of-the-art features – including widgets, bookmark links, RSS feeds, interactivity enhancements, Facebook and myspace fan sites, and more to come – which drive increasing engagement with the continuously mutating programming mix, Webcastr provocatively suggests that perhaps the future of television is evolving right before your eyes. Meanwhile, one thing is certain. With music, extreme sports and dream girls du jour alongside finance, politics and breaking world news, Webcastr is a seductive melange of eye candy, infobites, and specialty snacks ready made for today’s digital consumer.
“Let’s put it this way,” says Devine. “It’s not your father’s newspaper.”
To see exactly what this blend of video programming is all about, check out http://www.webcastr.com.
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Contact
Webcastr.com
Jennifer Wetzel
310.270.4140
http://www.webcastr.com
Jennifer Wetzel
310.270.4140
http://www.webcastr.com
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