Al Gore's Current TV Teams With Google

[BR_Parkway]

FORMER VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE and his business partner, prominent attorney Joel Hyatt, Monday detailed their plans for Current TV, a television network acquired by the two last year. The new network, set to launch on Aug. 1, will cater to the 18-34 demographic group, the company stated Monday. It will also draw on search engine giant Google for a feature called "Google Current," which will be based on data from Google about popular search terms.

The information for Google Current will be culled from the research used to construct Google's "Zeitgeist" feature, which reports the top 10 most searched-for queries. Last week's top 10 list included the PSP portable game console, the actress Sandra Bullock, the famed O.J. Simpson lawyer Johnnie Cochran, who recently died, and the movie "Sin City," which topped box offices last weekend.

Google declined to comment on the deal, and calls for comment to Current TV were not returned by press time. In a move designed to promote consumer participation, Current intends to encourage viewers to submit content for the network. Current's programming will be presented in "pod" format, with short, 15-second to 5-minute segments that cover trends in technology, fashion, and entertainment, along with political and social issues. The channel will include both professionally produced segments and viewer-created content, which Current fans can upload via the channel's Web site. The submissions are then ranked by Web site browsers, and the top-ranked submissions are considered for broadcast. Current also plans to offer online courses to sharpen the skills of their citizen-journalists, aiming to create a trained pool of dedicated "Current Journalists."

http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=28882&Nid=12855&p=297573

[wildflower]

1. So this is different from his IndTV? n/t

[wildflower]

2. Ah...INdTV has been renamed! See this article...

Gore's TV network set to launch with Google tie-in
Published: April 4, 2005, 3:19 PM PDT
By Richard Shim

The venture, formerly called INdTV, will be called Current.tv, it was announced on Monday. The 24-hour network will target an 18- to 34-year-old audience and offer short-form content--15-second to five-minute segments--to be contributed by viewers.

Viewers will also be able to vote for their favorite videos and get tutorials via the Internet on how to produce their own segments, according to network officials.

Think of it as a big video blog that you don't need a computer to watch. Gore said he is aiming to bring interactivity to the TV set.

"The Internet opened a floodgate for young people whose passions are finally being heard, but TV hasn't followed suit," Gore, the network's chairman, said in a statement. "We intend to change that with Current, giving those who crave the empowerment of the Web the same opportunity for expression on television."

http://news.com.com/Gores+TV+network+set+to+launch+with+Google+tie-in/2100-1047_3-5653913.html

[theboss]

3. Honestly, this sounds truly awful...

Why in God's name do I want to watch some three minute video someone made in their bedroom?