Meet eyeVio…in Japan
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting Sony launched its own video sharing site in Japan on Friday. The site, which is called eyeVio (meaning “one’s viewpoint”) is planned as a social environment for sharing user-generated content.
The site is something of a test-case for Sony. It has functionality similar to YouTube, but more importantly for Sony (as the Sony graphic, which can be enlarged on a new page with a mouseclick, tries to indicate), it is designed to allow more seamless integration with Sony video devices (PSP’s, Camcorders etc), and may even allow integrated copyright monitoring or protection. Under a similar guise of copyright protection, Sony may be offering the services to companies looking for a public outlet for some of their productions.
No advertising partners are currently signed up for the service.
The integration to Sony’s consumer products is a unique twist. Sony has shown in the past, that it is willing to invest in a loss leader if it will drive product sales . As investments go, this one is probably so trivial that it makes sense. (Recent gambles on the PS3 described here may not have been as shrewd)
If successful in Japan, an expanded version eyeVio may be rolled out in Europe or stateside.
