nemo
/
hn-classics
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Pull Requests Releases Wiki Activity
hn-classics/_stories/2006/9437641.md

13 KiB
Raw Permalink Blame History

created_at title url author points story_text comment_text num_comments story_id story_title story_url parent_id created_at_i _tags objectID year
2015-04-25T08:15:29.000Z YouTube is not a real business (2006) http://calacanis.com/2006/02/20/youtube-is-not-a-real-business/ visakanv 91 58 1429949729
story
author_visakanv
story_9437641
9437641 2006

Source

YouTube is not a real business – Calacanis.com

Skip to content

Calacanis.com

[Jason Calacanis

]3 Menu and widgets

Hello

My name is Jason Calacanis. I'm a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, podcaster and writer.

Blogroll

This Week in Startups

  • AOL Co-founder Steve Case Interview Steve Case talks about his role in the internet revolution & gives us an innovation roadmap in his new book, "The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur's Vision of the Future"
  • Reid Hoffman interview I sit down with Reid Hoffman: legendary founder, entrepreneur, product strategist, investor, and author.
  • TWIST LIVE! with Tim Ferriss In front of a live audience, I talk with Tim Ferriss on what inspires him to write daily, invest mindfully, and push his body to the limits.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Email Address

First Name

Last Name

Archives

Archives Select Month January 2018  (2) December 2017  (1) September 2017  (1) August 2017  (2) June 2017  (1) March 2017  (2) February 2017  (1) January 2017  (5) December 2016  (1) November 2016  (2) October 2016  (1) September 2016  (3) August 2016  (5) July 2016  (1) June 2016  (5) May 2016  (2) April 2016  (5) March 2016  (12) February 2016  (8) January 2016  (4) December 2015  (1) November 2015  (6) October 2015  (4) September 2015  (3) August 2015  (3) July 2015  (5) June 2015  (5) May 2015  (8) April 2015  (12) March 2015  (14) February 2015  (22) January 2015  (35) December 2014  (2) June 2014  (1) April 2014  (1) March 2014  (1) January 2014  (1) November 2013  (4) October 2013  (3) September 2013  (9) August 2013  (4) July 2013  (9) June 2013  (7) May 2013  (3) February 2013  (1) January 2013  (1) July 2012  (2) May 2012  (3) April 2012  (12) March 2012  (1) February 2012  (16) January 2012  (4) December 2011  (8) November 2011  (34) October 2011  (73) September 2011  (24) August 2011  (7) July 2011  (18) June 2011  (35) May 2011  (27) April 2011  (17) March 2011  (18) February 2011  (54) January 2011  (48) December 2010  (80) November 2010  (84) October 2010  (53) September 2010  (70) August 2010  (51) July 2010  (46) June 2010  (53) May 2010  (44) April 2010  (50) March 2010  (75) February 2010  (131) January 2010  (101) December 2009  (103) November 2009  (83) October 2009  (87) September 2009  (57) August 2009  (65) July 2009  (52) June 2009  (53) May 2009  (72) April 2009  (49) March 2009  (116) February 2009  (45) January 2009  (63) December 2008  (41) November 2008  (2) October 2008  (2) September 2008  (2) August 2008  (1) July 2008  (17) June 2008  (38) May 2008  (35) April 2008  (69) March 2008  (62) February 2008  (71) January 2008  (42) December 2007  (26) November 2007  (62) October 2007  (61) September 2007  (51) August 2007  (57) July 2007  (54) June 2007  (60) May 2007  (45) April 2007  (36) March 2007  (67) February 2007  (99) January 2007  (63) December 2006  (62) November 2006  (66) October 2006  (59) September 2006  (90) August 2006  (68) July 2006  (46) June 2006  (56) May 2006  (74) April 2006  (71) March 2006  (81) February 2006  (46) January 2006  (64) December 2005  (45) November 2005  (62) October 2005  (38) September 2005  (33) August 2005  (62) July 2005  (65) June 2005  (98) May 2005  (74) April 2005  (49) March 2005  (54) February 2005  (57) January 2005  (77) December 2004  (48) November 2004  (31) October 2004  (54) September 2004  (66) August 2004  (39) July 2004  (18) June 2004  (30) May 2004  (39) April 2004  (56) March 2004  (90) February 2004  (89) January 2004  (91) December 2003  (15) November 2003  (11) October 2003  (13)

Recent Posts

YouTube is not a real business

Wow, this is kind of scary. I wrote how YouTube was a business based on copyright infringement and used all the SNL skits on their service as an example. Now SNL has come down hard on them. [ Update: Rafat took the time out to mention my last post in relation to the SNL action–Rafat is so on point. ]

Now, let me say that a couple of things:

**1. YouTube does not deserve the #1 listing on Google for Lazy Sunday. **YouTube’s traffic is based on exactly this phenomenon: content owners don’t put their content online, some users pirates the content, and YouTube–the only place to get the pirated content–becomes the #1 Google search results.

**2. SNL obviously got more **from the viral nature of this promotion than anything they could ever buy. They should put every single one of the skits on the Internet for free and put an advertisement in front of them. They would be making at least 1M a month from this within six months. SNL should also put skits that didn’t make it on the show on the Internet, as well as bloggers and other colaterial material. In fact, in short period of time SNL will have more value online than offline.

****3. YouTube knows they are a heaven for pirates, but I don’t think they should be shut down for it. YouTube is the telephone company and they provide dialtone. What people do with that dialtone is up to them. I beleive that.

4. YouTube is not a real business (or an innovative business). This is my main point. Let’s not look at YouTube’s page views and claim they are some amazing business. Napster and Kazaa had a ton of traffic too–it just wasn’t web-based. If you could do an Alexa graph of Kazaa, BitTorrent, Usenet, and the old Napster they would be number one through four on Alexa!

Watching DIGG, Engadget, and MySpace climb in the rankings? Those are real businesses. If those sites added the ability to distribute stolen video in two clicks they would shoot up to the top 10 sites!

Let me break it down: YouTube and other video hosting sites have made it easy to pirate stuff on the web (which is where piracy started), but they shouldn’t be positioned as some revolutionary business. It’s a silly, little business that anyone could setup in a week. The fact that folks are talking about them being bought for some large amount of money by Newscorp is commical. They are a glorified FTP site with TAGS people! I could set this up in a weekend with two kids in high-school and a couple of cases of Red Bull. In fact, the first two programmers to email me with a decent resume I’ll back you guys to build a YouTube compeititor–provided you can build it in under five days.

3. SNL has the right to have their stuff taken down, and taken down quickly. As do the other folks who are having their content stolen daily (think MadTV, Dave Chappelle, etc). However, those folks should put some free stuff up and link to paid stuff to strike a balance between piracy and not having their content available.

Really.

Folks checking in on this post: Fred, Paul & Ben. (if you have commented on your blog feel free to post the url in the comments).

Posted on February 20, 2006Author Jason CalacanisCategories Uncategorized

Post navigation

Previous Previous post: The Joystiq Network goes long tail…

Next Next post: Well, that would explain a lot.

Proudly powered by WordPress