A new proposition for online content

Former MTV Networks/Nickelodeon president Herb Scannell has taken on a new challenge as CEO of the Next New Networks, or N3 for short. The company is creating online 'micro-television networks' for targeted communities, many of which intersect with the disciplines of realscreen readers. Each of the networks can be imported into existing fan sites - blogs, profile pages, etc. - and will run three to 11 minutes of content, refreshed on a daily, weekly, or bi-weekly schedule.

"Video on the Internet is clearly going to change the whole world of media," observes Scannell. "And into that Wild West, there's seemingly a need for someone to help it make more sense. I think YouTube is great, and people that go there go there for discovery - that's the nature of that experience. But other people want to go to a place where they know what they're going to get is dependable and reliable, and that's what the nature of our brand is. For users, it provides navigation; for advertisers, it provides assurance in that they know what they're going to get. I think right now, the world is a little iffy for advertisers because they don't know what's going to be around their ad in this space." N3 currently has channels dedicated to cars, cartoons, amateur fashonistas and comic book junkies. Look for an ideas and viewpoints channel to roll out soon, with a pets channel to follow. N3's goal is to add three new nets a month.