CyberStars, Take 3: United Talent Agency hops online

One of Hollywood’s top five talent agencies has created an online unit devoted to scouting out up-and-coming creators of Internet content - particularly video - and finding work for them in Web-based advertising and entertainment, as well as in the older media.

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As THR referenced earlier this summer, CyberStars are building their loyal, niche online fans. Now, with UTA Online, CyberStars may have more than their 15 minutes. Or maybe they'll have their 15 minutes, but over and over again, to larger and different audiences.

Online Media M&A Update 2: Is Google the moron?

After much hype and speculation, it's official. Google has acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion. Several including, Mark Cuban, believe that YouTube will die a legal death due all of the pending litigation and Cuban went so far as to call anyone who would buy YouTube a moron. Investors, however, have warmed to the news and shot Google's stock $8.50 or 2% on Monday.

No news in the press release how this will impact today's Google Video team or their existing offering, but it does say that YouTube's 67 employees will remain including founders Chad Hurley and Steven Chen.

THR predicts Google Video will remain a seperate entity for the forseeable future, and given the strengths of YouTube's brand, it will remain relatively autonomous. Over time - ie when YouTube's legal issues are minimized - perhaps Google Video becomes the download option for high quality, professional programming and YouTube remains the user-generated streaming (really progressive download) vehicle.

Updating the Online Media M&A timeline:

• October 10, 2006 - Google acquires YouTube for $1.65B in stock

• September 27, 2006 - Yahoo! acquires JumpCut for an undisclosed amount

• August 23, 2006 - Sony Home Entertainment buys Grouper for $65M

• July 19, 2005 - News Corp. acquires Intermix Media (MySpace parent) for $770M

What's in a name? Yahoo!'s 9 vs. ABC's Nine

Back in July Yahoo! launched it's first new online production in months, simply called The 9. It's a slicker, more structured, but not necessarily more enjoyable videoblog ala Rocketboom.

Host Maria Sansone dishes on the 9 hot things online - ironic that many of the stories profiled are from YouTube, not from Yahoo! Video. The show's producers - or perhaps Yahoo!360 - are wanting to keep traffic on a Yahoo! property and are not distributing the show via RSS - an odd choice imho.

Imagine my surprise when I recently passed a bus advertising The 9. Whoa, NewMedia is really going old school to find audience. But upon closer inspection I saw it wasn't Yahoo's The 9, but a new ABC drama called The Nine. With the tagline "Only They Know" the show is a dramatic episodic about nine survivors of a bank robbery featuring a strong, recognizable cast - nothing remotely related to Yahoo!'s slick videoblog.

Given the lengthy development cycle for a dramatic series like ABC's Nine, it most certainly can lay claim to the name first. Interesting in our wild west of online media and blatant online copyright infringment, not even show titles are sacred anymore. No word if ABC is pursuing legal action but ironic that Yahoo! Media Group head Lloyd Braun is former Chairman of ABC Entertainment Television.

thr note - see previous post on Yahoo! Media Group's woes

ScreenRight Link: Cuban on YouTube's Decline and DMCA

If you haven't checked the ScreenRight links - THR's list is a mashup of friends and online industry pundits alike - checkout the verbose and at times incendiary insight of HDNet, 2929 Entertainment, Magnolia Pictures, and Dallas Maverick's owner Mark Cuban.

Two weeks ago he predicted the decline of YouTube and more recently he analyzes YouTube's attempt to claim Safe Harbor of the Digital Milennium Copyright Act (DMCA) while giving a refresher on the economics of streaming.

Love'em or hate'em, Cuban has very definite opinions on copyright protection and the dangers to YouTube uploaders of copyright material.