Comcast Brings Times Square Karaoke To The Web/VOD

By Garth Johnston -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/5/2007 12:17:00 PM

Comcast's Internet video site Ziddio is about to receive an influx of tourists from Times Square.

When Times Square restaurant Spotlight Live  opens to the general public on April 6th it will be fully equipped to allow diners to perform karaoke backed up by singing waiters. Performances will be recorded and streamed on a billboard outside of the restaurant and on Comcast's video site. Performers will be able to save their performances permanently to Ziddio as well as have CDs and DVDs burned for their families and friends. Performances which other customers and Internet viewers rate highly may appear on Ziddio's VOD channel  as well.

The restaurant, according to Comcast Interactive Media SVP Elizabeth Schimel, is a "real-time, walk-in user-generated video location."

Companies have recently gone more and more to the streets in order to find user-generated content. Most recently in March Viacom's VH1 show acceptable.tv sent roving "mobile sound stages"[] around New York.

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• It seems to me no matter where we go we have to be constantly entertained, or so we are made to believe? From the moment we wake up checking e-mail, watching recycled news, the on-going looking or playing on the cell phone. One can\'t even go to a bar and have drink without being bombarded with countless TV\'s watching and have to listen to sports channels, and now this. But I guess to each it\'s own. That\'s how our children become; they need to be constantly entertained. Is there anyone out there to sit down and do nothing?

  '>
  

  It seems to me no matter where we go we have to be constantly entertained, or so we are made to believe? From the moment we wake up checking e-mail, watching recycled news, the on-going looking or playing on the cell phone. One can't even go to a bar and have drink without being bombarded with countless TV's watching and have to listen to sports channels, and now this. But I guess to each it's own. That's how our children become; they need to be constantly entertained. Is there anyone out there to sit down and do nothing?

  
  

  
  Frank Norton - 4/8/2007 9:54:00 AM EDT
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