The Creators behind the Venice Project have officially announced a name for their new online video service. Joost will be the name for the company that promises to revolutionize the way Internet television is watched. They are still in private beta testing and offer invitation only visits to their site.
Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom the founders of Skype and Kazaa are the ones behind the new online-video start-up. They have high hopes for the site. “People are looking for increased choice and flexibility in their TV experience, while the entertainment industry needs to retain control over their content”, said Fredrik de Wahl, chief executive officer of Joost. “With Joost, we’ve married that consumer desire with the industry’s interests.”
The plan for the company is to offer studios and cable stations high quality video over the Internet. The service will be free and supported by advertising. The challenge will be to attract viewers to the site. The programming currently includes sports, documentaries and music. So far they have yet to announce any major partnerships with TV or film producers.
Just what will set Joost a part from others in Internet television is the main issue. There are plenty of rivals around who claim to do the same thing some even better. YouTube and Apple have become well known as video distribution platforms and there are plenty others out there that do not necessarily see Joost as the latest pioneer in Internet video technology.
A positive note about the site is that they seem to have gone out of their way to protect against copyright infringement and piracy. “Joost is powered by a secure, efficient, piracy proof Internet platform that enables premium interactive video experiences while guaranteeing copyright protection for the content owners and creators”
The real test will be when the site is officially launched and whom it has partnered with and what users reactions will be. Until then it’s just a lot of bravado.
Add to 
Mike is a staff writer for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest ebusiness news.
