14 DAY TRIAL // Vivendi SA, one of the most famous French media companies, announced its plans to develop a YouTube-like service that will compete with the search giant and target the same segment of users. Obviously, this is not the first time when YouTube is threatened by a similar service, Google managing to remain the leader after Sony and News Corporation challenged it. It's not quite clear if Vivendi plans to create an online video sharing service to be based on the content uploaded by the users because the company's officials refused to provide many details about the upcoming product. According to Forbes, Vivendi's solution will be also based on the users' contribution, so it will be more evolved than the freeware service YouTube.
"The development is in its budding stage. We are thinking about a new concept. We hope to implement it rather quickly," Vivendi vice president of public and European affairs Sylvie Forbin said according to Forbes. "Forbin said the site would be a 'secure concept' with payment involved. However, Forbin said the reports on the ultimate make-up of the site seen in newspapers last week are 'not quite accurate', declining to elaborate further," the same publication mentioned.
Every time YouTube was challenged by similar services, it managed to reply with ease by releasing just a simple channel hosted on the official page of the company that targeted the same segment of users as the rivals. Take the example of GodTube, the online video sharing service that wanted to lure Christian users and offer the church-related content. To respond to this move, YouTube designed a special channel to attract bishops, and which is currently more popular than the stand-alone service GodTube. However, I'm not sure if Vivendi will be able to face the competition and reach its goal, namely that of crushing the Google online video sharing service, because the power of YouTube is quite unlimited as it is based on its users.