TMCnet News

Skype Founders Launch Joost Internet TV
[January 16, 2007]

Skype Founders Launch Joost Internet TV


TMCnet Contributing Editor
 
VoIP service provider Skype (News - Alert) co-founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis introduced Joost on Tuesday, a new Internet-based television service. The new company, which was formerly known under the code name “The Venice Project,” is now currently available in private beta testing.


 
Joost can be accessed with a broadband Internet connection and offers broadcast-quality content to viewers for free. According to the company’s news release, Joost is powered by a secure, “piracy-proof” Internet platform, which guarantees copyright protection for content owners and creators.
 
“People are looking for increased choice and flexibility in their TV experience, while the entertainment industry needs to retain control over their content,” said Fredrik de Wahl, chief executive officer of Joost in a statement. “With Joost, we’ve married that consumer desire with the industry’s interests.”
 
It looks as if the service will be concentrated on interactivity, as it will be a very community-driven environment where members pick and choose what they watch. Members will also be able to chat while they pull up and watch their favorite programs.
 
“We’ve received positive and constructive feedback from our early beta-testers and are now at a stage where we’re ready to reveal our true brand,” said de Wahl. “The Joost name has global appeal, embodies fun and energy, and will come to define the ‘best of TV and the best of the Internet’.”
 
Joost is currently available to members who apply for a special invitation online. A general release is planned for later this year.
 
Be sure to check out TMCnet’s Whitepaper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users.
 
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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and Internet Telephony magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit her columnist page.
 


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