NEW YORK – The fall TV season is about to begin. The push is on from the broadcast networks to tempt you into watching what they spent the past year pounding into shape.
At a moment when the networks would like nothing more than to make a splash – another “Lost” or “Desperate Housewives” would be nice – the biggest news in TV is the escalating instances of mutiny by viewers.
Watching what the networks set before them is fine. But more and more viewers want to cook as well as dine, which makes the TV story of the year the story of a Web site: YouTube.
Officially launched last December, this video-sharing service already plays more than 100 million clips per day with more than 65,000 video uploads added to its mammoth inventory. And those rates are skyrocketing.
Where does it end? “As more people capture special moments on video,” its Web site declares, “YouTube is empowering them to become the broadcasters of tomorrow.”
YouTube (slogan: “Broadcast Yourself”) isn’t the Internet’s only video-sharing service. But it’s the reigning brand.