To print: Click here or Select File and then Print from your browser's menu

This story was printed from silicon.com, located at http://www.silicon.com/

Story URL: http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39165882,00.htm

Viacom to hook up with Skype founders' Joost?
Licensing deal on the cards, reports WSJ...

By Reuters

Published: Tuesday 20 February 2007

Media conglomerate Viacom is expected to announce a licensing deal with Joost, a new internet service that specialises in commercial video content, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The anticipated deal, which follows the recent collapse of similar talks between Viacom and YouTube parent Google, involves licensing hundreds of hours of programming from Viacom cable networks such as Comedy Central, MTV and Spike as well as movies made by its Paramount studios, the paper said.

Earlier this month, Viacom demanded YouTube remove more than 100,000 Viacom video clips from the site after the two sides failed to reach a distribution agreement.

Joost, previously known as The Venice Project, was started by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, the men behind file-sharing network Kazaa and internet phone service Skype.

It has already signed content providers such as TV production company Endemol and Warner Music Group.

Joost and Viacom could not immediately be reached for comment.