YouTube protesters congregate. On YouTube
Last week's landmark US court decision requiring Google to hand over the identities of YouTube users to the American broadcasting giant Viacom, parent of MTV and Comedy Central, is meeting a wave of protests online, with calls to dump Viacom shares, boycott its programming and flood its switchboard with angry phone calls. Where is this happening? On YouTube, naturally.
In the past week, scores of anti-Viacom videos have been posted to the popular video-sharing site. A quick search this afternoon reveals 98 new ones that fall into the "Viacom sucks" category (as I typed "Viacom" into the search bar, the recommendation engine helpfully suggested this popular category). The videos are alarmist and hardly eloquent, but they appear to be getting the message across, stirring up a heap of online venom against Viacom as this one does, which has generated over 8,200 viewers since Friday. (Another video draws over 350,000 viewers and over 5,000 comments).
As one commenter writes: "Viacom owns: MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, Showtime, The Movie Channel, Sundance Channel. Also: Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks, Famous Music, etc. in case you want to boycott them."
It's striking just how much anger there is towards Viacom from a demographic – teens and twentysomethings – that just a few short years ago regarded the broadcaster as hip and cool.
What makes you think we ever thought they were "hip" or "cool" ? They suck.
Posted by: John | Jul 8, 2008 5:01:28 PM
They are just another monopoly company that want a piece of all the action... Youtube is too good an opportunity for then to pass up... oh no they think all these people are watching stuff and we are not getting any money.... well bollocks to that, they are rich enough anyway....
Posted by: Jim | Jul 9, 2008 12:03:17 PM
Viacom are stuck in the dark ages, all the proliferation of their copyrighted material on YouTube does is increase awareness of their products.
Posted by: Al | Jul 10, 2008 1:13:04 PM