Yahoo!Doga to stream television in Japan

Iria · Dec 19, 2005, 01:40 PM

Yahoo Japan and the Softbank Group have teamed up before, running Yahoo! BB, one of the largest broadband providers in Japan, and now they have have created Yahoo!Doga, a video-on-demand portal site. The service is similar in concept to AOL's recently announced In2TV, but the Japanese service is Godzilla sized in comparison. While In2TV will be offering around 300 television programs a month, Yahoo!Doga will have about 100,000 programs, including movies, sports, music programs, and dramas from Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. The Japanese broadband infrastructure, which provides 10Mbps speeds or greater, combined with what is effectively an oligopoly among broadcast networks, who also control much of the film content, has made it possible.

"Japan has the infrastructure for this kind of service, so it would be a shame not to use it," Softbank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son told a news conference.

"We think the way to go is to not try to control one broadcaster but work with all of them," he said, referring to recent attempts by Internet companies Rakuten and Livedoor to take over television networks.

Yahoo!Doga has already partnered with TV Asahi, and is currently in discussion with other networks, including Fuji Television Network. The service, which is currently in testing, will officially be launched in March, and will provide both commercial and commercial-free content. It appears the broadcast networks in Japan are faced with the same problems as those in the United States, a business model that is changing whether they like it or not. However, unlike the US, in Japan it appears a consensus may have been reached among the players. Could it happen in the US?
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Read More / Source: Ars Technica

Dec 19, 2005, 01:40 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 74	Yahoo!Doga to stream television in Japan Yahoo Japan and the Softbank Group have teamed up before, running Yahoo! BB, one of the largest broadband providers in Japan, and now they have have created Yahoo!Doga, a video-on-demand portal site. The service is similar in concept to AOL's recently announced In2TV, but the Japanese service is Godzilla sized in comparison. While In2TV will be offering around 300 television programs a month, Yahoo!Doga will have about 100,000 programs, including movies, sports, music programs, and dramas from Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. The Japanese broadband infrastructure, which provides 10Mbps speeds or greater, combined with what is effectively an oligopoly among broadcast networks, who also control much of the film content, has made it possible. "Japan has the infrastructure for this kind of service, so it would be a shame not to use it," Softbank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son told a news conference. "We think the way to go is to not try to control one broadcaster but work with all of them," he said, referring to recent attempts by Internet companies Rakuten and Livedoor to take over television networks. Yahoo!Doga has already partnered with TV Asahi, and is currently in discussion with other networks, including Fuji Television Network. The service, which is currently in testing, will officially be launched in March, and will provide both commercial and commercial-free content. It appears the broadcast networks in Japan are faced with the same problems as those in the United States, a business model that is changing whether they like it or not. However, unlike the US, in Japan it appears a consensus may have been reached among the players. Could it happen in the US? ____________ Read More / Source: Ars Technica