Diller touts original Web programming

SAN FRANCISCO--InterActiveCorp plans to develop original programming for the Web, Chief Executive Barry Diller said in conversation at the second annual Web 2.0 confab in San Francisco on Wednesday.

"I see my company getting involved in...producing, financing and distributing filmed digital product, in half-hour, hour, and two-hour movie form," said Diller, speaking to a packed room of attendees at the three-day conference's opening session. "The reason it (will) come naturally is because we all know everything is going to be in digits."

Diller mused on how the convergence of the PC and TV will alter the landscape of entertainment creation, distribution and consumption. The search box, he said, will be at the heart of media access. "I think it's going to be one world. Convergence is going to allow for a potential change-up of the players."

IAC owns ticket company Ticketmaster, personals site Match.com, travel site Expedia and other online properties.

Diller's comments come as many traditional media and Internet giants, like his own IAC, are moving quickly into Web content production. Yahoo, for example, has been building a presence near Hollywood and, sources say, developing original shows for the Web.

Though not directly developing shows, Google recently signed a deal to distribute UPN's first episodes of "Everybody Hates Chris," a series about the young life of comedian Chris Rock, in the first such deal for the search giant.

Meanwhile, media consolidations that propose to combine content creation with Internet distribution continue: Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. recently bought Myspace.com, and The New York Times bought About.com.

In March, IAC made a big bet on Web search by acquiring the No. 4 search engine, Ask Jeeves, for $1.85 billion. Diller said he decided to buy Ask Jeeves because he was worried that Internet search was going to disenfranchise IAC's many different properties by increasingly packing information from travel, personals and ticket services into the search experience.

He said he liked Ask Jeeves because it could offer services different from those of rivals, including No. 1 Google, No. 2 Yahoo and No. 3 MSN. He did not specify how he planned to overtake the leaders in search, but he said it's a day-to-day process that will involve combining IAC's many resources.

Google's lead will not last forever, he said.

"Is Google going to have 35 percent to 50 percent market share over time? It's unlikely," Diller said.

Diller still can't see the forest for the trees...

For the most part, Mr. Diller is absolutely correct. The Internet will absolutely change the way Television programming is distributed to the masses (ie- paying for individual programs versus paying for a package of programs).

Unfortunately, what he doesn't see is that people aren't going to spend 1 to 2 hours in front of their computer watching a program. They're going to spend that time in front of the Consumer Electronics Device where they've always watched such programming -- their television.

That is why the Internet-to-Television convergence with be far more important than the reverse. For details, reference the following video blog: http://brightboxblog.com/ppdeagle

[ejtopp]

Do I really want to comment on a 3 year old comment?
YES!!!
Because the landscape has changed, the convergence of entertainment programming from TV to the net will explode. Add to the landscape that bigger and better screens and sound systems will provide the theatre-like experience to the entertainment hungry consumer.
The constant question is revenue. The old "hook" followed by ads on TV will lose it's control. A new avenue of of advertisment revenue will develop in order to support the demand for expensive productions. And the net will dominate the over-priced ad-filled cable tv services.
As a creativity consultant, I have put my creative prowess to the test of conceiving the oncoming innovations. I have some answers, but the real answers will be forthcoming as the process evolves.
For those who would like to experience the power of controlled instant creativity, and have it as a tool in future innovation efforts, see an overview of my seminar at www.instacreate.com
PS... Newspapers are on the verge of failure and their owners are trying to diversify... in the internet.
Likewise, the internet will also diminish the revenue of TV when the NET content provides captivating content.