The new service will be available through the Last.fm website but also as an offline alternative

Oct 28, 2009 14:50 GMT  ·  By

CBS is trying everything with Last.fm after it has mostly failed to gain the success, and revenue it was initially hoping for when it acquired the site in 2007 for $280 million. Recently it launched several Last.fm-branded HD broadcast radio stations and now it's taking the next step with Last.TV, a project to add a video component to the online service but also with old-fashioned offline programming as well.

The service is set to debut sometime next year and will initially focus on concert videos from Europe. The company will set off its own series of music events, which it will then broadcast or partner with existing festivals. It will first be available at the Last.fm website but will eventually make it to the TV screen as well.

The service will be free to users in the US, the UK and Germany but users outside of those countries will have to pay up for the videos after a 30-day free trial period, somewhat in line with the site's current stance on free music streaming. CBS plans to make revenue from the venture the good old-fashioned way, through video ads, and this is likely why the country restriction is in place, advertisers wouldn't want to pay for countries outside of their target audience. Being largely ad-sponsored, Last.TV will possibly feature both pre-roll and post-roll ads. CBS is currently trying to get sponsors for the project but on the whole it is close to being launched.

There is speculation that the service will also include music videos rather than just concert content but this isn't clear at the moment. With talks of an offline version as well, CBS might choose to go this route and launch a full-blown music television seeing how MTV is mostly busy with reality-shows these days. Last.fm's online audience could also translate into a younger and hipper audience for the TV station as well.