Oh, How the Mighty Have Fallen: Joost Edition

Source: http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/01/oh-how-the-mighty-have-fallen-joost-edition.html

Last summer, Joost was the hottest thing going. Finally, real TV on the Internet. The traditional networks couldn't stop praising it (the first frantically waving red flag). Joost was going to steamroll sleazy and maligned YouTube, which was only making hay by stealing everyone's content. Joost already had 1 million users, etc.

Well, you don't hear much about Joost anymore--other than about its flaws:

• it requires a software download,
• it needs to be turned on (as opposed to web-based video, which you encounter everywhere)
  
• its technology never worked right,
  
• it doesn't have enough good content
  
• people don't actually want to "watch TV" on the Internet (they're fine watching shows, but they want to do their own programming, not watch "channels"), and
  
• the 1 million user number might have been misleading. (We always suspected the 1 million was "downloads," not "active users," and we still don't know anyone who actually watches Joost)
• YouTube, Hulu, et al, are vastly more convenient
  

Joost has now ditched its CTO, presumably in an attempt to get its technology working. That's a start, but it won't address the other problems.

Over at NewTeeVee, Janko Reottgers suggests five ways to save Joost. With the exception of "build a web version," we don't find any of them compelling. (And even that one won't help, because there already are web versions of Joost out there--dozens of them). We therefore reiterate our assessment from last summer: Joost is the PointCast of 2007.

The Chronicles of Joost:
Joost Loses CTO, Hires Comcast Exec
The Company Hulu Really Will Kill: Joost

Why Nate Westheimer Doesn't Watch Joost
Why We Don't Watch Joost
Prediction: Joost is the PointCast of 2007