AFI BLOG: Media and Technology

The Wall Street Journal

PluggedIn Media Bets Its Content Will Top User-Generated Fare

In a bet on the future of professionally produced online video content, technology start-up PluggedIn Media Inc. is set Wednesday to begin letting users view for free near-DVD-quality music videos licensed from three of the four biggest music companies, along with information about artists and links to buy merchandise and concert tickets.

PluggedIn Media’s Web site features videos by Green Day and others.
The strategy represents a challenge to the notion that user-generated content — the homemade clips that populate YouTube, MySpace and other popular Web sites — is more lucrative or desirable than is high-quality content created by professionals.

Despite the large amount of homemade video on Google Inc.’s YouTube and elsewhere, PluggedIn Chief Executive Jeffrey Somers said professionally produced material “seems to be what people engage with the most.” Additionally, he said, advertisers are more willing to buy on sites featuring professional content, as opposed to the Wild West-like sites that emphasize user-generated content.

The Santa Monica, Calif., company is initially focusing on music videos, but it is considering offering other kinds of entertainment, said Mr. Somers. That could put the newcomer in direct competition with Hulu, a popular online video service that is a joint venture of News Corp.’s Fox and General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal. News Corp. owns Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal.

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