TV Everywhere

The Big News this week in the internet video world was the agreement between Time Warner and Comcast to create a content portal called TV Everywhere. The website would authenticate users as Comcast cable subscribers and make available to them cable channel content from Turner, Rainbow Media, Scripps, A&E and Comcast (these are the initial partners). Though the name suggests that the service would lend itself to Workspace Media activity the details suggest otherwise. Reporting by blogs such as PaidContent.org, NewTeeVee and magazines like Wired have explained that TV Everywhere will adopt the traditional television model of full commercial breaks as opposed to the Hulu method of 30 second spots. The strategy is a much more attractive to content providers but privileges a more traditional viewing context. Instead of short clips the content would be like...well watching TV everywhere. I am anxious to see how the service will be marketed and which programs will be most popular. Based on my research on popular online content I would wager that E! and G4 will be most streamed offerings.

Web Series

Episode 6 from The Cheeseburger Show on Vimeo.

Web series such as The Guild, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog and Chef Kevin Pang's Cheeseburger Show are a different breed from Workspace Media. They are longer than most internet video and they approximate the style of a television show, a variety show segment or a film. These examples demonstrate that there are all kinds of audio/visual content on the web. Yet I am struck by the similarity in tone between workspace media comedy and these more professional shows.

Reaction Videos

Random Hilarity: How To Rick Roll Somebody




Viral Video memes like, "Keyboard Cat," "Rick-Rolling," and "2-Girls-1 Cup" are interesting for their function more than their content. These videos demonstrate an audience practice related to pranking. The videos are sent to subvert the expectations of the user. Their effectiveness is due to the cultural understanding that anything is possible on the internet. The video being sent to you from a friend could contain anything and the moment of pressing play is a moment of endless possibility. These videos are the punch-line or pay-off to a moment of tension.

Countdown's Oddball Segment

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Keith Olbermann's Countdown news program on MSNBC has adapted the "lighter side of the news" convention and given it a viral flair. The daily segment entitled, "Oddball" consists of viral videos and a humorous and sarcastic voice-over. It works in the sense that it balances the more serious and bombastic portions of the show. Thus internet video is assigned the role of the humorous break from the more serious issues of the day (i.e. workspace media).

ESPN 360 and Billy Mays

The advertisements for ESPN's internet channel, ESPN 360 specifically identified the workspace as a venue for entertainment. The tone of the ad is indicative of the prankster aesthetic that I will be discussing in my dissertation. This aesthetic is performed in the selection of the infomercial style of the video and the testimonials of the satisfied customers. The ad identifies new media technology as a capable of performing multiple tasks and it suggests that those tasks should be balanced, work is "soul crushing" and live sports are the answer.

Hulu Commercials

Hulu is an internet video social networking site. Hulu's advertisements rely on spokespeople from television texts with a cult following. They represent internet video viewing as an activity associated with the workspace. The tone is irreverent and humorous. The interactive applications featured in the ads are designed to harness the enthusiasm of fans and the viral capabilities of internet viewing.

See all the ads here: http://www.hulu.com/hulu-tv-ads

Tosh.0: Demi Bush

Tosh.0	Thurs, 10pm / 9c
Unfollow Ashton Kutcher
www.comedycentral.com
Daniel Tosh Miss Teen South Carolina Demi Moore Picture

Tosh.0 is an entire show on Comedy Central about internet video culture. The host is a comedian who replicates a sensibility that I have argued is the basis for workspace media. The form and content of this show relates to other efforts by the entertainment industry to highlight the web's utility for humorous transgression and workspace multitasking.

Highlights of this Particular Clip:

Prankster - against Ashton's blog
Pornographic - Celebrity Nudity
Comedy - irreverent "helping underprivileged kids go to community college"

Comfort Wipe

This is a recent infomercial that has risen to viral prominence because of its unusual premise. The video is currently the second most viral video according to Unruly Media's viral video chart. This user identified content is consistent with popular viral memes in that it employs sarcasm, bathroom issues, advertising and a prankster aesthetic.

Deadline Post-it Stop Motion

This user generated video is the current #1 most viral video according to Unruly Media's Viral Video Chart. The producers of this short have decided to represent many of the issues that I will discuss in my dissertation. They depict the workspace as a portal for work and play. The identification of these dual desires within new media technology appears to be resonating in this popular clip.