Max Benator, head of RDF USA's digital division said "It's really exciting because they have amazing traffic. It's been untapped by the entertainment community, so we see this as a great opportunity to be one of the first producers to get access to those eyeballs."
DailyMotion is only the latest viral-video outpost to bring professionally produced content into the fold as competitors like Break.com have already struck similar deals with NBC Universal Digital Studios. Other pro-content link-ups have been struck through acquisition, as is the case with Sony Corp.'s purchase of Grouper, which has since been rebranded Crackle and now features original content.
RDF USA isn't DailyMotion's first content deal. the company already has wrapped up "The Great Sketch Comedy Showdown," produced by Jim Biederman, who already has produced series in that genre for established TV channels, including "The Whitest Kids U Know" (Fuse) and "The Big Gay Sketch Show" (Logo).
"Our goal is to take this big bucket of user-generated content and make it a meaningful entertainment experience for the watcher," Marcus said. "Then I think there's the other side of the fence, which is working with the creative community."
Source: Reuters
Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 27 Jul 2007 19:16
