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Google’s recent purchase of YouTube for $1.65 billion in shares has sparked increased scrutiny over what content is actually being syndicated through this popular video sharing site.
Over this past weekend, Comedy Central, a division of Viacom ordered YouTube to remove any content belonging to them. Thousands of clips from “The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report,” and “South Park” were removed and replaced with the message, “This video has been removed due to terms of use violation.”
Each one of these shows enjoyed incredible, viral exposure because of video sharing on YouTube. In fact, Stephen Colbert often made mention of YouTube on his show and joked that he should be on their payroll.
I suspect that Viacom was warned by their attorneys of the possible precedent that could be set by not enforcing their copyright to this content; however, I can’t believe that a more strategic settlement couldn’t be achieved. Comedy Central was benefiting immensely from this exposure.
Personally, I have used YouTube many times as a means of demonstrating the hilarity of John Stewart, or convincing someone they should witness Colbert’s wit. I simply pull up a popular clip and show it to them. I am sure there have been numerous YouTube clips that have been shared and emailed to friends, which have only further increased the exposure of these shows.
Without access to the data, I can only surmise what viewer stats have been since Comedy Central content began appearing on YouTube. If I had to guess, I can only assume that it has increased viewers to the show, not decreased it.
Comedy Central has historically done a pretty good job of creating the sense that they are not your average network channel, but this recent move could impact that image.
At the very least, Viacom could have worked out an agreement with YouTube where they featured advertisements in conjunction with the existing clips. I am hoping this is simply a legal matter that will be resolved.
I like watching these shows, but my schedule does not always allow time for them. It is nice to know that the especially amusing or poignant clips will be in a place where I can view and share them with friends.
While Comedy Central already shares clips on their site, it is not the same as a user-generated place where visitors can truly get a sense of what resonates with others out there in the online world. I suspect that this is the one major thing that Viacom just doesn’t get.
tags: youtube, viacom, comedy central, the daily show, colbert report
