Five Mainstream Video Sites Horizontal Comparison YouTube, Hulu, Ebaumsworld, Network Videos (Fox, NBC….), Megavideo

Five Mainstream Video Sites Horizontal Comparison YouTube

, Hulu, Ebaumsworld, Network Videos (Fox, NBC.), Megavideo

As an online medium, YouTube is a particularly significant cultural artifact since it leads us to look into diverse and important issues in the field of communication studies. As a convergence medium, merging broadcasting and narrowcasting, YouTube engages users in the media content production-distribution-consumption system. While YouTube facilitates an online community with individuals' active participation, whether mere participation leads to empowered interactivity requires a deeper level of investigation. It is one thing to recognize that YouTube brings about the chance for self-disclosure, but another to find a gap between self-expression and self-empowerment. Furthermore, the flourishing of the YouTube culture, characterized by celebrity and the fascination with new media technology, can only be properly understood under institutional constraints on communication technology.

YouTube is currently the most popular video sharing web site. It is reported to attract 100 million video views per day. As of March 17th, 2008, there had been 78.3 million videos uploaded, with over 200,000 videos uploaded per day. This media sharing site allows users to interact with each other in various forms such as contacts, subscriptions, sharing favorite videos, etc. In addition, YouTube provides the ability for users to form discreet groups, in which specific category affiliation is noted.

Hulu is another video streaming site. Although YouTube is more popular, Hulu does have some advantages over the larger company. Hulu's content is professionally generated; they offer programming from their owners: NBCUniversal, ABC and Fox Entertainment. Hulu depends quite extensively on advertising for their income, but this does not seem to have affected viewers' interest; Hulu's numbers in July 2009 reached 38 million viewers.

Another extremely popular online video company is Ebaumsworld. This is a site where videos, flash cartoons and video games may be accessed. The site gained its popularity because it allowed users to access videos, flash animations and other media collected from all around the internet. Ebaumsworld remained at the top of the industry until new companies like YouTube came on the market. Ebaumsworld has also suffered controversy in the media for its alleged practice of acquiring material from other sites and sources, without copyright permission.

Megavideo is a website that shows movies and television programs. They broadcast in a several different languages, and, like Ebaumsworld, seem to draw their playlist from most of the other streaming video websites currently online, including YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion. However, they do not seem to garner the same amount of controversy as Ebaumsworld. Their site is free, but there is a 72 minute time limit for watching films.

The television networks are getting in on the action of video streaming by making their original programming and movies for which they hold distribution rights available to the general public. Some of these sites are owned by the networks themselves, such as USA Network; others have been purchased by conglomerates such as AOL.

XYZ.TV is a site that is soon to be launched on the Internet. This is a multiple video 2.0 format, and they promise to show movies, TV programs, news, music and sporting videos, all at one site. As of now XYZ.TV does not have the option of users uploading their personal videos, but in the coming future this facility may be included too.

It is clear that there is a wide variety of choices available in the online video market. It is difficult to make a decision when faced with so many possibilities; it is advised that the user looks at the pros and cons of each site and determines what aspects suit their individual needs and styles.

POST COMMENT

Forget YouTube, Do we Have Another Choice? Really? Do They Really Exist and What are They? Why Should You Hate YouTube? YouTube vs. Hulu, Can They Compete with a Video 3.0 Website? Download YouTube Videos to MP3 Marketing on YouTube is An Art of Acting YOUTUBE TO MP3 convert your videos online Easy converter for your favorite videos: youtube to mp3 An Introduction to Using YouTube in Your Internet Marketing Strategy Deciding How to Use YouTube in Your Internet Marketing Strategy How to upload DVDs to youtube How social media such as YouTube can help grow your online presence Just What is YouTube and Funny Videos? Computer Running Slow - Stop YouTube Freezing on you now