Blip.tv has come full-circle, now aggregating Web video series as it did at launch. Luckily the quality and quantity of content available to watch on the site has improved considerably since 2005.
Blip.tv
began life all the way back in 2005, which in Web terms makes it a golden oldie of sorts. Blip.tv has for most of its life concentrated on assisting those brave souls who create Web series in the hopes of having a hit. By hosting, distributing, and selling advertising against videos, Blip.tv has become an important part of the online video landscape.
Blip.tv TV Network
Now, however, Blip.tv has relaunched with a newly-redesigned website which places content from and center. Blip.tv has become something of a Hulu for original content. And that’s no bad thing.
Of the 50,000 series Blip.tv hosts, around 1,800 will be featured on the site initially, representing the best of the best. These shows can be found via ‘Category’ or ‘Search’ functions which makes the range of content much easier to sift through.
Once the viewer finds what they’re looking for they’ll find each producer has a customized portion of the site, able to promote particular episodes. Viewing options include HD and full-screen, making a lean-back experience entirely feasible.
Free and Fantastic
All the Web series featured on Blip.tv are free to watch, with both the company and the content creator making money from a 50/50 split of the advertising revenue. Which is a sweet deal for all concerned. The content creators get distribution, promotion, and support, Blip.tv gets to exist, and the viewers get to watch stuff for free.
There is a huge and hugely-varied selection of content now on Blip.tv, all handpicked by the company. And the site has become a veritable smörgåsbord of content designed to appeal to all tastes. It’s also returned to its roots somewhat, having started out as a forum for Web series creators to air their wares. The execution is much more refined this time around, however.
Conclusions
This redesign effectively turns the Blip.tv portal into an on-demand television network. Viewers get to choose what shows they want to watch from the best of what the company has to offer. If you’re searching for a place to start exploring Web video series then Blip.tv has just made itself invaluable.
