Atomfilms.com, BMW, and AOL are all producing video for the Web, and USA Today is hailing it as evidence of “renewed interest in watching original entertainment on PC screens” and that “consumers are willing to pay for things now.”
First, this is evidence that the dream of turning the Web into TV persists in certain corporations, not among users.
Second, it’s evidence that consumers are still unwilling to pay for the privilege of having this done to them. Both BMW and AOL are giving the content away as a premium to grab consumers’ attention. It’ll be interesting to see if we’re willing to take it for free.