MediaCommunications

MediaCom View: Popular social networking website, MySpace attempts to rival video sharing site, YouTube, with the launch of its new global video platform, MySpaceTV. MySpaceTV in beta will be an integrated component of the company's community and content platform, and will aim to offer the best elements of video to view, create, and share in new ways, throughout the community. MySpaceTV will serve as the community's primary video channel and as a stand-alone user destination. It's good to see that MySpace is developing their product; they've been quiet for a little while. There's no doubting that video is a focus for digital consumers and there's millions of hours available on the web. It will be interesting to see if MySpace will be able to transfer their network of users on to this platform and whether this platform will be able to compete with emerging video aggregators such as Blinkx (www.blinkx.com) as well as more established sites such as YouTube. MySpace struggled to take advantage of the vast amounts of independent music they had at their finger tips, so we hope they can make video work.

MediaCom View: Average hours viewed per day has increased again this year. May 2007 is up 16minutes on the last 10year average. While terrestrial audiences are in decline, massive channel fragmentation has lead to consistent increased viewing across the c.225 satellite stations. Just goes to show that despite all the headlines about the death of TV Joe Bloggs still wants, just as much, to sit in front of his tube and watch!

MediaCom View: Ofcom have announced the winner of the second national digital multiplex. 4 Digital, the consortium led by Channel 4 was awarded the licence, ahead of contender National Grid Wireless. Channel 4's partners in the venture include Sky News radio, Emap Digital, UTV & UBC Media. The group will launch 10 new national stations, including a selection of 4-branded services such as E4 radio along with Virgin Radio Viva, Closer, and Radio Disney, amongst others. Channel 4's offering is aimed to revolutionize radio by providing audiences with a greater variety of content than is currently available to them, and help boost the commercial radio market. Up until now, Channel 4's presence in the radio market was a 50% stake in digital station Oneword and ownership of internet based 4Radio. They have vowed to launch at least 8 of the 10 proposed stations by July 2008.