Bebo Takes a Step to Stay in the Game

Bebo, currently the third most popular social networking site is trying to stay in the game with industry leaders like MySpace and Facebook. The plan? Partnering with major media companies, who will add music and videos to the site for free, and keep any generated revenue.

Revealed this past Tuesday, Bebo says that by adding popular entertainment, users can share their favorites with network friends, which will hopefully encourage audience growth, as well as keep audience’s attention for longer. And, with numerous partnerships with multimillion dollar media corporations already in the works, Bebo has high hopes. Launch partners include Viacom Inc.’s MTV, CBS Corp., Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN, Yahoo! Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment Co.’s Crackle, and JibJab Media Inc.

Bebo is the leading social networking site in Britain, but has not yet distinguished itself as the top network in the US. Recent figures show MySpace still dominating the market with 107 million worldwide visitors in September, followed by Facebook with 73.5 million and Bebo at 19.7 million. (ComScore Inc.)

Steps have already been taken to introduce media to Bebo users with the online drama series called “KateModern” launched this year. This original programming was to help users make connections through entertainment, and is proving to be successful move, as an estimated 25 million people have tuned in to the daily four-minute episodes. More shows are to follow, including “Sofia’s Diary,” and reality series “The Gap Year”.

Bebo President Joanna Shields says, “Social networking for us was act one. Act two is using user-generated content, dramas created for Bebo and content from the majors to engage users. Forging strong ties with major media players was the logical next step.


Users will be able to post their favorite music and video clips to their profile page and share them with network friends. However, is Bebo actually the first to come up with this idea? I know from personal experience that Facebook already has music and video sharing applications. I think the difference may be found in the partnerships that Bebo is making, and in the agreements made between Bebo and media companies.

Taking part in Bebo’s media outreach plan is a good move for entertainment companies. These large corporations are always trying to think of new tactics, enter new markets, and take advantage of new opportunities. This is a way for them to tap into a new audience, and still stay in complete control of their materials, while still keeping100% of the profit.

This post is in response to the article found at http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bebo14nov14,1,6593801.story?coll=la-headlines-business