NBBC to Shut Doors

Video-Content-Aggregation and Distribution Service to Be Folded Into Joint Venture with News Corp.

By R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 7/2/2007 4:28:00 PM

NBC Universal will merge its video-content-aggregation and distribution service, NBBC, into its new broadband co-venture with News Corp.

NBBC had signed up about 150 partners -- including A&E Television Networks, The Horror Channel, Vibe Media Group, CNET Networks and Forbes.com -- for the venture, which was to allow content owners to upload content to a digital player for other partners to access as part of their Web sites.

The service was expected to launch sometime this year, but in an e-mail Monday to NBBC’s partners, NBC U said the service was being folded into the “NewSite” broadband venture in the next 30 days.NBC U confirmed the shutdown later Monday.

That venture, expected to launch later this year, is expected to offer short- and long-form video programming on its own site, as well as through Yahoo, MSN, AOL and MySpace. It’s unclear what relationship the NBBC partners will have in NewSite.

“The creation of NewSite is a validation of NBBC's core mission and we at NBBC are all proud to have worked with you in creating a blueprint for the future of online-video distribution,” the e-mail said. “To facilitate the launch of NewSite, NBBC will soon be contributed into this new venture and will be closing its doors for business as an independent company.”