MySpace, Sony BMG (Finally) Make Deal

This arrangement probably should have been made four months ago, when Sony Pictures Television joined with MySpace and Honda to create some “minisodes.”  It also would have fit into ongoing events a little more recently, when Sony BMG signed a deal with little old Imeem.

Still, despite whatever foot-dragging took place, it would seem that Sony BMG and MySpace are happy to finally be together, and according to Staci D. Kramer, “[t]he two companies will share sponsorship and ad revenues generated by the music videos and profile pages.”

Music lovers should also be pleased; although many of the deal’s details remain unknown, an official statement mentioned past MySpace events involving a lot of big names, including Tenacious D, Velvet Revolver, and Bruce Springsteen.  We can only hope that this quality will be maintained.

From a more businesslike perspective, it seems that this arrangement, if handled properly, could become an important development in MySpace’s war with Facebook.

MySpace TV Set To Launch

“On Thursday, MySpace plans to rename and refurbish the video-sharing service on its popular social network,” reports Brad Stone for The New York Times.  “The new service . . . will be set up as an independent Web site (www.myspacetv.com) that people can visit to share and watch video, even if they have not signed up for MySpace.  The site will also offer some new ways for members of MySpace, which attracts 110 million users a month, to more easily integrate the videos they create and watch into their personal profiles.”

We saw a clue to this development with the introduction of “minisodes” on MySpace; minisodes, as conceived by MySpace, Sony, and Honda, were shortened versions of classic TV shows.  MySpace TV will also focus on clips that are more professional in nature.  “When you go to MySpace video now, what you see is far less appealing to the eye than what you get from other video sites,” admitted Jeff Berman, a MySpace executive, to Stone.

But it remains to be seen just what sort of content MySpace TV will be able to attract.  Users often don’t respond well to restrictions, and according to the NYT article, “MySpace expects that part of the appeal of MySpace TV to studios and professional videomakers will be its aggressiveness in protecting intellectual property.  The company was among the first major video sites to use filtering software, which checks uploaded videos to determine if they are protected by copyright.”

Liz Gannes of NewTeeVee had another couple things to say about (and/or against) MySpace TV.  “We had pointed out in the past that MySpace Vids seemed to be losing ground to YouTube,” she writes.  “MySpace parent News Corp is one of the founders of a joint-venture video site supposed to launch this fall, the so-called ‘NewCo.’  It’s telling that MySpace TV is not more closely integrated with that project.”

MySpace TV

The so-called “minisodes” will be shown on MySpace, and this may say more about the social networking site’s primary user base than society in general.  But, to be fair, online video lends itself to showing shorter clips.  And some young people have never even heard of “Fantasy Island,” “Who’s the Boss,” and “The Facts of Life” – you can’t blame them for not wanting to sit through full episodes.

In fact, the classic Sony shows that have been selected for this Minisode Network are an odd fit for MySpace.  Honda’s sponsorship, on the other hand, is intended to promote the Fit, a compact car.  While I’m not a fan of the Fit’s styling, it’s gotten positive reviews (first place out of seven models, according to Car and Driver), and the Fit’s small price tag is well suited to MySpace’s main demographic.

That’s where the commercials come in.  “To mirror the pared-down programming, Honda and its longtime agency, RPA, have agreed to run only eight seconds of commercials with each episode, appearing before the shortened show starts,” reports Stuart Elliott for The New York Times.

Elliott also writes that Honda’s sponsorship is “estimated in six figures,” and “is indicative of the intensifying interest in online video among marketers.”

As for the future of the Minisode Network, Amy Carney, president for advertiser sales at Sony Pictures Television in New York, told Elliott, “After the exclusivity with My Space ends . . . . Sony Pictures Television is looking at sites like aol.com, yahoo .com and youtube.com.”  It appears that these short clips may have a long shelf life.