By Stevie Smith Nov 14, 2007, 14:00 GMT
Although the likes of MySpace and Facebook usually grab the headlines when it comes to the hugely popular social networking scene, this week sees the UK’s leading network, Bebo, elbowing into the glow of the online spotlight following announced partnerships with some major media players.
UK-based social networking Web site Bebo has revealed distribution and marketing partnerships with a host of major media companies. Credit: Bebo.
Guardian Unlimited reports that Bebo has confirmed deals with traditional broadcasters such as the BBC, CBS, Channel 4, ITN, and Sky Television, which will see their collective content distributed and marketed to Bebo’s 40 million users.
The high-profile move is believed to be a play by the broadcasters to reacquire the viewing habits of what it refers to as the "lost TV generation," which is believed to be the core 13 to 24-year-old demographic that makes up the majority of the online audience currently enveloped by the social networking phenomenon.
With the integration of broadcast quality content to its pages, Bebo’s considerable user base will be able to gather, view, and share professionally made production clips through their homepage’s "Personal Video Profile" feature. These clips will range from BBC shows such as sci-fi drama Doctor Who and daily soap Eastenders, through to backstage MTV access, and ITN entertainment news.
"We’re revolutionising the way media companies can reach audiences online," commented Bebo president, Joanna Shields, regarding the deals, "particularly the hard-to-reach youth demographic."
Bebo also expects to see its broadcasting partners delivering advanced premiere content of their programming through Bebo’s pages at some point in the future. It has also said that the Personal Video Profile feature will not just be restricted to the world’s leading media companies, with smaller, niche broadcasters also able to deliver content in the hopes of reaching a potentially massive viewing audience.
According to Channel 4 CEO Andy Duncan, the marketing and distribution deals with Bebo represent the start of "an exciting partnership" that could prove to be "the launch pad for future innovations around new formats and existing successful shows."
Founded in 2005 by entrepreneur Michael Birch, Bebo has some 11 million users in the UK alone, who reportedly spend an average of 35 to 40 minutes every day perusing and interacting with its pages. Alongside the notable news of its new media partnerships, Bebo has also unveiled a fresh aesthetic design this week.
In comparing Bebo to rival social network Facebook via current technological trends, Joanna Shields offered that the former represents a multimedia iPod Touch while the latter is merely a functional BlackBerry.
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