internet

YouTube, Sony Pictures Discuss Partnership

Tired of pirating movies from the rough seas of the Internet? If a rumored deal between YouTube and Sony Pictures comes to fruition, you may be able to snag some movies for free on the online video site, though perhaps not enough to hang up your tri-cornered hat just yet. CNET reports that the two companies are in talks to offer full-length movies on YouTube via Sony’s video property Crackle; however, CNET speculates that the number probably won’t exceed 15 and no word on possible titles yet. At present, there are about 60 Sony films available on Crackle, including such titles as “Groundhog Day,” “Wild Things,” “El Mariachi,” “Ghostbusters,” “Idle Hands,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “Rudy,” “The Karate Kid” (all three installments), and more. Sony could choose to make a portion of these public on YouTube, provided that YouTube uses the Crackle video player, which would allow Sony to retain control of the advertising. But the videos would have limited usage, as the studio does not allow its partners to syndicate its content. That means YouTube users wouldn’t be allowed to post their favorite videos into their blogs, Facebook pages, etc.

Still, YouTube needs to develop ways to monetize its services further to avoid losing money, even though online video sites are growing faster than ever. According to global financial services firm Credit Suisse, the company could lose as much as $470 million in 2009 due to inflated bandwidth and content licensing expenses. Recently, YouTube has struck deals with ESPN and Disney-ABC Television Group to try to drive advertiser demand. We’ll see if a Sony Pictures partnership could also help YouTube avoid landing in the red this year.

Rumors Fly Fast and Thick about Google Twitter Acquisition

The blogosphere loves a juicy Google rumor, but just like any rumor mill, some of what gets pushed through is true and some isn’t. In the case of the recent TechCrunch-fueled rumor about Google being in the late stages of acquiring hot microblogging service Twitter, most of the talk seems confined to the realm of hearsay. Michael Arrington said “Here’s a heck of a rumor that we’ve sourced from two separate people close to the negotiations: Google is in late stage negotiations to acquire Twitter. We don’t know the price but can assume it’s well, well north of the $250 million valuation that they saw in their recent funding.”

However, BoomTown’s Kara Swisher shot back with this headline: “Sorry to Get You All A-Twitter, but Google Is Not in ‘Late-Stage Talks’ to Acquire the Hot Microblogging Service.” Well, it doesn’t get much clearer than that, right? According to Swisher, the two companies have been discussing products and things such as real-time search, but nothing more.

Swisher’s assessment certainly fits better with Twitter’s past response to acquisition attempts; last fall, the San Francisco-based startup rejected a $500 million offer from Facebook. Also, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said last month that the company intends to hold onto its money for now, which it seems to be doing, cutting advertising programs such as Radio Ads and letting go of some 200-300 employees at the end of March.

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone also (indirectly) tackled the rumor on The Colbert Report, saying that the company wants to remain independent for now—the subtext being independent AND profitable, which Twitter hopes to do by launching paid commercial accounts in the future.

Still, there’s a lot of incentive for Google—or any major search player, for that matter—to try and woo Twitter into its ad-serving arms, if for no other reason than Twitter’s ability to provide instant information-sharing. Twitter also has a history of breaking news stories such as the Hudson River plane crash in January in advance of major news sources.

So, no, it doesn’t appear that Twitter is in eminent danger of being swept into the Google empire. But in Silicon Valley, as we all know, everything’s for sale at the right price.

I’m Not Goofing Off; I’m Becoming More Productive

WebProNews shares the results of a new study from the University of Melbourne that shows employees who spend less than 20% of their office time browsing the Internet for fun are about nine percent more productive than those who don’t. “Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the Internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days work, and as a result, increased productivity,” says Dr. Brent Coker.

According to the study, 70% of people who use the Internet at work engage in what is known as Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing (WILB), including searching for product information, catching up with the news, playing online games, and watching YouTube.  Coker added, “Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos on YouTube, using social networking sites like Facebook or shopping online under the pretense that it costs millions in lost productivity, however that’s not always the case.” He noted, though, that the value of WILB is restricted to those employees who do not grapple with Internet addiction. For the latter group, WILB can actually have a negative effect on productivity.

Browsing for fun equals more work done? Sounds fabulous. I’ll take 20%.

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