Web TV

In yet more online music news (see Mayer on Letterman), Daughtry will perform a live, HD show on BillboardLive.com Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The Grammy-nominated rock band will be webcast from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. Currently on its first arena tour, the band saw its second album, Leave This Town, debut at No. 1.

The show is part of an Internet concert series created by Our World Live (OWL.TV) and Billboard Magazine.

Fans can access the series by logging onto BillboardLive.com. You'll need Microsoft Silverlight and OWL HD player to watch the show. (If you don't have them, you can download them from the concert page.) In addition to computer users, the concerts are available to all iPhone and iPod Touch users.

Continuing its quest to upgrade the quality of videos it offers, YouTube on Monday announced a deal with Univision that would make much of the Spanish-language television network's content available on the video sharing site.

Here's this morning's announcement from YouTube's Biz Blog:

Univision, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast network in the U.S., is bringing a hefty stable of short- and long-form programming to YouTube, marking the first time any Univision programming is available on the Web outside of its own properties. This should be a boon to YouTube's Hispanic audience, which has grown 80% in the last year.

It's also one of YouTube's most comprehensive partnerships for full-length content to date. Expect to see programs from Univision's three networks -- Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision -- as well as unique footage from celebrity interviews and special events. In addition, Univision will be using our Content ID technology to track user engagement and monetize Univision content uploaded by YouTube users. Univision's content will be up on our site in the coming months so stay tuned.

The New York Times's Bits blog noted one glaring omission:

The agreement, however, does not include content from Televisa, a Mexican media company that owns rights to some of the most popular telenovelas and serialized dramas that air on Univision.

Terms of the agreement weren't disclosed, though the Times reports that "YouTube said the two companies would share revenue generated through advertising."

Our sister blog FishbowlNY reports that Gawker.TV made its debut Tuesday. Drew Grant writes:

Today's launch of Gawker.TV is the product of Richard Blakeley's three years as Nick Denton's video editor. Now the This Is Why You're Fat co-author is manning his own satellite site, which will be posting videos throughout the day, with the help of the 16 or so interns currently working under Blakeley.

While the notion of media folks getting paid little or nothing for their efforts is getting pretty damned tiresome, I hear that if any of the 16 interns utter the site's tagline, "Your Work Can Wait," at a local Quiznos, they can get a free 6-inch sub. Well, if they say that and give the cashier $5.

OK, that was out of line. But I care about those kids. And really, I blame the advertisers. C'mon advertisers, advertise! (No, not with them, with us!)

In the Meet Your Editors section of the site, Gawker.TV promises:

Amazingly cheesy 80's and 90's music videos, the best comedy sketches in existence, a daily wrap-up of what we'll be watching every night, cute animal videos to make you smile, the best in fail videos, weekly how-to's on a variety of subjects, wrap-ups of the week in video, the web shows that you should be watching, and always leaving you with a daily moment of WTF.

Serve it up.

Fans of online streaming video site Hulu no longer have to wonder when new episodes of their favorite television shows will be available.

Hulu on Monday unveiled Coming Soon, a feature that provides visitors with episode release schedules. There's a screen grab of Coming Soon below.

Judging by comments on this Twitter thread, it appears Coming Soon came none too soon for viewers, though some aren't crazy about the execution.

(Hat tip to CNET News.com blogger Harrison Hoffman)

What happens when the 12 Olympian gods of Greek mythology tumble to modern-day New York City? That's the intriguing premise behind O-Cast, a web series that debuted online today.

From the O-Cast web site:

O-Cast is a mockumentary web series created by the twelve Olympian gods of Greek mythology to broadcast their new lives as 20-something New Yorkers. Comedy ensues as they combine forces to convince the mortals of their modern relevance and inspire a new generation of believers.

Shot in high-definition and broadcast in short episodes online, O-Cast merges ancient legend with the power of viral video.

It's a bit early to tell how much comedy will ensue -- there are only two episodes currently available for viewing (on the show's web site and on its YouTube channel). But it is safe to predict that keeping 13 actors happy -- the 12 Olympians and Hestia, a "lesser" god (trouble already!) -- in a web series will be a Herculean task. Good luck with that.

Here's Episode 1...

If there's anything worse than a vampire, it's an unfaithful vampire with poor impulse control.

Picking up where he left off with his Showdown award-winning vampire spoof, Twilight - 5 Years Later, L.A.-based screenwriter Jacob Fleisher is back with another vampire short now showing on Atom.com -- and below.

In Intercourse With a Vampire, Episode 1, Fleisher plays vampire Larry, who mugs, whines, lies, rationalizes and drinks wine with a straw, all in less than 3 minutes. (The undead are efficient that way.) Still, we should cut him some slack for demonstrating proper dental hygiene. Those fangs have to last an eternity, you know. Ever see a vampire try to gum a victim? It's sorta sad.

Intercourse With A Vampire, Episode 1

It doesn't sound like it's worked out a specific pay model, let alone a timetable, but News Corp. appears determined to begin charging users of its online video site Hulu.

Broadcasting & Cable's Claire Atkinson reported on Wednesday that News Corp. Deputy Chairman Chase Carey told attendees at the B&C OnScreen summit that Hulu "needs to evolve to have a meaningful subscription model as part of its business."

"It's time to start getting paid for broadcast content online," he said. ..."I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value."

It's always risky to extrapolate public opinion from online comments, but if the bulk of the 85-and-counting comments below Atkinson's article is any indication, News Corp. has a tough sell ahead. Some very representative samples:

"Buh Bye Hulu. I already pay for cable, I'm not paying twice to watch online."

"i'd go to joost, crackle or tv.com if hulu makes me pay."

"If HULU charges, I walk. There are plenty of alternatives out there. I really don't need to watch tv and pay for stuff I don't care to see. Free though, that is a different story. I love wasting my life chasing free stuff."

Nothing like aiming high.

Meanwhile, the proposal isn't exactly generating a groundswell of support on Twitter. Ditto for the comments beneath this Mac Observer article.

Atkinson reported that Carey "suggests there is still no timeline" for Hulu to begin charging, "but supposes it's at least in 2010."

This all seems so vague that you have to wonder if Carey's comments are a trial balloon. If so, it's being shot down quickly. If not, Hulu may be taking a real gamble by potentially driving away a large percentage -- maybe a majority -- of its audience. I'm sure the advertisers will love that.

New York Times Bits blogger Saul Hansell this afternoon reports that television stations now can broadcast content directly to your mobile device.

A group called the Open Mobile Video Coalition announced Thursday the completion of a standard that will let TV stations use a sliver of the new frequencies that Congress gave them for high-definition broadcasts for broadcasts to wireless devices.

As Hansell points out, people have been able to watch videos on their smart phones for awhile now. But the current practice of carriers offering video clips on demand is a bandwidth hog for wireless data networks. He writes:

It is far more efficient to broadcast certain channels, allowing any device to tune in to a stream of programs, the way regular over-the-air TV works.

Hansell reports that "at least 70 stations would begin broadcasting using the standard." Broadcasting & Cable reports that "some 30 stations are already broadcasting mobile (digital) TV signals, ranging from large markets like Washington and Atlanta to smaller cities like Omaha, Neb."

One hitch on the consumer end: Broadcasters have yet to reach agreement with any U.S. carriers to build handsets that incorporate the standard. That seems like a temporary snag, however, because once one wireless carrier folds, the others soon will follow.

While you're goofing off at work today, try taking this test to see how much you actually goof off at work.

Via The Huffington Post, here's a 4-minute video of the 100 Greatest Viral Videos of All-Time on YouTube, as determined (one presumes) by the editor who compiled it. If you recognize more than 30, you sure do spend a lot of time watching videos online. If you recognize 60 or more, you've got a problem. And if you recognize 80 or more, there's already a note in your personnel file.

(Exemption: Media professionals who watch this on the job are not "goofing off." They're staying current.)

NBC News and msnbc.com today rolled out a redesigned website for "Meet the Press with David Gregory" that allows viewers to interact with the show's host online, follow his Twitter feed and connect with his Facebook page.

It's yet another example of convergence as content producers strive to provide a similar viewing experience on multiple platforms while utilizing emerging web tools and technology.

"Since becoming moderator of 'Meet the Press,' I've made it a priority to connect with our viewers on every platform because my job isn't only about asking our guests the tough questions, but it's to make sure our audience has every opportunity to be part of that conversation," Gregory said in a prepared statement. "Our newly designed website is a place where all our worlds connect and I hope our viewers find it as useful as the news we make."

The site will include the latest entry from Gregory's blog, "The View from Here," as well as his political analysis from other NBC News programs. Detailed summaries of previous shows, information on upcoming guests and archival transcripts from each show also will be available.

"Meet the Press" is broadcast on NBC from 9-10 a.m. ET in most markets.