The Death of YouTube? Or Not.

http://mashable.com/2006/05/18/yahoo-developing-a-youtube-rival/

Yahoo developing a rival to YouTube.

User-generated content starts to take hold in advertising

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/11/business/ads.php


User-generated content starts to take hold in advertising

By Julie Bosman The New York TimesTHURSDAY, MAY 11, 2006

It all happens in 24 seconds. A silver Sony stereo rapidly deconstructs, then reassembles into the shape of a flat- screen television. The television then converts into a DVD player. The DVD player to digital camera. The camera to portable PlayStation.

The animated spot is the latest television commercial for Sony Electronics, but its creator is not a technology wizard at either of Sony's two advertising agencies.

The commercial is the work of Tyson Ibele, a 19-year-old from Minneapolis who won a contest on a cable network, Current TV, for its first viewer-created ad message.

User-generated content, best known for fueling the popularity of Web sites like YouTube and MySpace, is rapidly taking hold in advertising.

Dozens of entries were submitted for the Current TV contest, and Ibele's commercial will run for the next one to two months on the network. In the coming weeks, more user-generated ads for companies like L'Oréal and Toyota Motor will follow the Sony commercial.

"User-generated content is sort of the word of the day," said Anne Zehren, president of sales and marketing for Current, which was started in August. "And I think smart marketers will start harnessing that."

Current relies on user-generated content for roughly one-third of its programming, from fashion features to foreign documentaries. The network operates under the theory that its programming will be more relevant if its audience, primarily 18 to 34 years old, has a voice in creating it. If people are interested, there is less of a risk that they will tune out in favor of other entertainment like the Internet and video games.

Comedy Central Test Pilots

Comedy Central Plans Contest Centered on User-Generated Video

Comedy Central has announced plans for a contest revolving around user-generated video. Dubbed "Comedy Central's Test Pilots" and scheduled to run between May 22nd and August 24th, the contest will seek to find "the next big broadband show," by inviting viewers to submit one- to five-minute pilots to comedycentral.com. The winner will receive a development deal to produce a series, based on his or her pilot, on Comedy Central's recently launched. broadband TV channel, MotherLoad. Comedy Central says that any format is eligible for the contest, including live action, animation, sketch-comedy or hidden-camera shows. The broadcaster is partnering with IFILM on the contest, taking advantage of the latter's user-generated content submission platform, which will be made accessible on Comedy Central's Web site.

Screenvision Offers Directors a Shot

Get your short film played in Screenvision theatres nationwide this summer wit this UGC opp...

http://www.screenvision.com/

Nike Soccer Does it Right

http://nikefootball.nike.com/nikefootball/siteshell/index.jsp#,us,0;jogatv,,0,0,0

This is a very cool idea from Nike for UGC... getting the world's largest soccer chain created and showing unification among soccer fans. I really like this one.