Joost

Skype Litigation Settled; Sale by eBay to Investors to Proceed

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 8:35am.
San Jose, Calif. - Skype parent company eBay (NASD: EBAY) announced on Friday that litigation between an investor group looking to acquire Skype and the creators of the Internet telephone service has been settled, and that its sale of a majority stake in Skype will now proceed. As a result of the settlement, the acquisition deal has been restructured, and Skype creators Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis will now join the investor group, led by Silver Lake, and make a "significant capital investment" in exchange for a 14% stake in Skype.

Report: Skype Creators, eBay, Investors Near Settlement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 9:29am.
San Francisco - Litigation between the inventors and former owners of Internet phone service Skype, current owner eBay (NASD: EBAY), and an investor group looking to acquire Skype from eBay, could be nearing a settlement, The New York Times reported, citing several people who have been briefed on the situation. Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis -- the inventors of Skype and the peer-to-peer technology behind file-sharing service Kazaa and video portal Joost -- sued the investor group in a bid to block their acquisition of Skype from eBay.

Skype Creators Seek Injunction Against Former Joost CEO Volpi

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 15, 2009 - 9:00am.
Wilmington, Del. - The creators of peer-to-peer services Kazaa, Skype and Joost have asked a federal court for an injunction against former Joost CEO Mike Volpi and Index Ventures, where he is now a partner, to prevent them from using trade secrets in their bid to acquire Skype from eBay. Developers Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis allege that Volpi breached his duties to Joost while employed there by dangling a prospective workaround -- that would eliminate the need for Skype to use Zennstrom's and Friis' peer-to-peer technology -- to investors looking to acquire Skype from eBay (NASD: EBAY).

Skype Creators Sue Former Joost CEO Volpi

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 18, 2009 - 10:14am.
Wilmington, Del. - The creators of Skype, Kazaa and Joost and their related companies have filed suit against former Joost CEO and chairman Mike Volpi and Index Ventures Management, alleging breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets, among other claims. The plaintiffs include Joltid, the company owned by Skype, Kazaa and Joost creators Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom; Joost US Inc.; and Joost N.V.

Volpi Out as Chairman of Streaming TV Service Joost

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 11, 2009 - 9:41am.
New York - After resigning as CEO in June, Mike Volpi has additionally stepped down from his position as chairman of peer-to-peer streaming TV service Joost, Silicon Alley Insider reports. Volpi now serves as a partner at Joost investor Index Ventures.

tags: Video | P2P | TV | Moves | Joost | Mike Volpi |

Former Joost CEO Mike Volpi Lands At Index Ventures

Authored by Jay Baage on July 6, 2009 - 10:55am.
London - Index Ventures today announced that Mike Volpi, until recently CEO of the online video platform Joost, has joined the firm as a partner. Volpi will be based in the London office as part of the venture team where he will lead early stage investments in the Internet, telecom/networking and media sectors and contribute to the firm’s later stage growth fund, according to a press release.

Joost to Become White-Label Video Provider; CEO Volpi Out

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 30, 2009 - 7:12am.
New York - Joost, the video distribution firm launched by the creators of Kazaa and Skype, announced on Tuesday that it will cut staff and turn its focus from an entertainment portal to being a provider of white-label video services. Chief executive Mike Volpi is stepping down, but will remain chairman, and will be replaced by former Comcast executive Matt Zelesko.

Report: Web TV Service Joost Up for Sale

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 24, 2009 - 10:18am.
San Francisco - Streaming TV service Joost is actively seeking a buyer for the company, and Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) is among the prospective suitors, CNET News.com reported, citing "sources close to the companies."

Which Online Video Website Provided The Best Inauguration Coverage?

Authored by Jay Baage on January 20, 2009 - 12:44pm.
tags: Video | TV | ABC | Polls | CBS | MSNBC | CNN | Joost | Hulu |

Joost Launches Video Streaming iPhone Application

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2008 - 1:59pm.

Los Angeles - Joost, the peer-to-peer-based streaming TV service, has launched a new free application for Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone that lets users stream its full content library of 46,000 movies, TV episodes and music videos over a Wi-Fi connection. The service does not work over a 3G or EDGE network connection.

tags: Mobile | Video | Apple | iPhone | Joost |

Joost Debuts New Web Version of TV Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 18, 2008 - 12:09pm.

Los Angeles - Peer-to-peer based streaming TV service Joost has begun offering the new Web-based version of its service, which will replace the downloadable client application that previously delivered its range of video programming, PaidContent reports. "One of the great things about working at a startup is the ability to be flexible and make changes when our users, trends or data suggest a new direction," Joost CEO Mike Volpi wrote on the company's blog. "For much of the past year, we've listened to the feedback we've received from many of the people who use Joost, making decisions about what makes our product and our company special, and building a new product based on those recommendations."

tags: Video | P2P | TV | Joost |

Joost to Abandon Desktop App, Stream Video Directly to Browser

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 5, 2008 - 8:48am.
Los Angeles - Joost, the peer-to-peer streaming TV service founded by the creators of Skype, has decided to abandon its desktop client software strategy in favor of a Web-based platform with a downloadable plug-in, GigaOm reports.
tags: Video | P2P | TV | Joost |

Joost, TOM to Launch Local TV Streaming Service in China

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 25, 2008 - 10:20am.

Beijing - Internet TV service Joost has partnered with Hong Kong's TOM Group to launch a localized version of its service in China with 16,000 hours of content, Variety reported. TOM will sell ads against the local content, which has been licensed from providers including CCTV, China Record Corp, BTV Media, CAV Warner Home Entertainment and Huayi Brothers Media Group.

tags: Video | Advertising | P2P | TV | China | Joost | TOM Group |

Warner Bros. TV Shows Coming to TiVo, Dailymotion, Other Sites

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 12, 2008 - 12:42pm.

Burbank, Calif. - Warner Bros. Television Group (NYSE: TWX) announced on Thursday that it has signed deals to syndicate content from its new ad-supported TheWB.com and KidsWB.com broadband sites through video distributors Dailymotion, Joost, Sling Media, TiVo and Veoh. The partner channels are slated to launch in mid-September, and offer full-length episodes. The deals follow similar video syndication pacts with AOL and Facebook. Warner Bros. said it also plans to launch original series on TheWB.com, including "Sorority Forever," produced by McG and Big Fantastic.

Report: Joost Nearing Completion on Web-based Version

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 22, 2008 - 11:46am.

Los Angeles - Peer-to-peer based Web TV streaming service Joost is working on a Web-based version of its service, which currently requires users to download a separate application in order to view videos, Silicon Alley Insider reports. The Web version will also reportedly require users to download a plug-in, however, to enable the peer-assisted content delivery functionality.

tags: Video | P2P | TV | Joost |

Entertainment Rights to Bring Classic Kids Shows Online

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 6, 2008 - 12:07pm.

London - Entertainment Rights, a U.K. media group that holds children's programming rights, on Tuesday announced new Web distribution deals that will bring shows like "He-Man," "She-Ra," "Rocky & Bullwinkle," "Fat Albert" and "Casper the Friendly Ghost" to YouTube, Joost and Babelgum. YouTube will get a Retro Heroes channel featuring 2-5 minute webisodes, while Babelgum and Joost will feature select long-form programming.

CollegeHumor Videos to Launch on Joost

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 22, 2008 - 11:55am.

New York - IAC's (NASD: IACI) comedy video site CollegeHumor said on Friday that it will offer its original programming through Joost, the peer-to-peer based streaming TV service. CollegeHumor shows set for distribution through Joost include "The Michael Showalter Showalter," "Prank War" and "Street Fighter: The Later Years."

tags: Video | P2P | IAC | CollegeHumor | Joost |

Vuze: "We're Joost With An Audience"

Authored by Jay Baage on January 30, 2008 - 8:43am.

Vuze, a peer to peer high resolution video platform, claim to have reached 4 million monthly registered users. In this interview with Beet.tv, Jim Diaz, head of strategy for Vuze, outlines how they're different from Joost and talks about their $20 million C round of financing in December with NEA, Redpoint, Battery Ventures and some other investors.
tags: Video | Marketing | Advertising | P2P | TV | Joost | Vuze |

Joost Adds Indie Video, Music Content from OurStage

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 18, 2008 - 12:04pm.

Los Angeles - Joost, the streaming TV service, this week added four channels from independent film and music content from OurStage to its offering. OurStage lets creators upload their video and music content, which users can browse, buy and rate.

tags: Video | P2P | Music | Indie | Movies | Joost | OurStage |

Online Video - The Key To The Media Castle in 2008?

Authored by Jay Baage on January 2, 2008 - 2:14pm.

While there are many areas of media that are going through changes, 2008 will be a particularly interesting year for the television industry. With YouTube already a household name, even the most notoriously defensive media giants have come to realize that online video is more than just an afterthought, in fact, it might just be the key to the new media castle.