Modified On July 6, 2009
That’s Online Comedy Initiative. In this case, it’s another “multi-platform-themed stand-up video challenge.” Last time we checked, there weren’t very many takers. The most viewed video caught 634 views. Is that good? Is that good for a contest sponsored by a website owned by a cable outlet owned by a company ranked 191st on the most recent Fortune 500 (right behind Pepsi and ToyRUs!), with annual revenue of about $15 billion?
Perhaps everyone’s caught on. Perhaps everyone clicks through and actually reads the fine print and realizes that giving up your rights to your material in perpetuity (for use on/in media that hasn’t been invented yet– and not being compensated for it!) isn’t worth the exposure.
We suppose it’s necessary for companies like Viacom to do stuff like this. Kinda like building a rocket ship that will allow you to leave behind a dying planet– Viacom probably has projections that mark quite clearly the month, day and time of death of their cable television platform and, as such, they are doing all they can to develop the other platforms. So, holding contests like this will enable them to own the rights to every joke that’s ever been written… and every street joke, too… and even jokes that belong to other artists! Watch the fun begin when they (and about a dozen other online comedy initiatives) sell the same gags over and over again to this telecom or that.
We picture a scenario in the not-too-distant future where a comedian, who has secured a special on Comedy Central will be told that he owes Comedy Central money because he’s using material that they own the rights to!