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MTV Founder Bob Pittman Backs Online Video Hub WeShow

If Bob Pittman's judgment today is anywhere near as good as it was in the early 1980s, he may be onto something with a new online video venture.

Pittman founded MTV, which became the favorite for millions of adolescents, teens, and young adults among scores of cable channels. Now he's backing WeShow, which became public this week. WeShow employs teams of people to sift through the massive selection of content available and pick and organize what they deem is the best of online video and present it through 200 channels.

The site exclaims: "WeShow because we know: You haven't got the time or the inclination to wade through poor quality and unorganized videos; you want what you want when you want it -- no badly organized and far-flung video chaos; there's no algorithm for funny, sexy, or interesting; and the English speaking world is not the only place where content is created or enjoyed."

The company hopes to gain popularity by addressing the frustration people feel when they try to find video footage in overwhelmingly large repositories. Although 126 million Americans view video online each month, most aren't satisfied with the online video experience, WeShow said.

The company cited findings from Kelton Research that showed 96% of Americans can't find the videos they want during their initial search. According to Kelton's online survey, conducted in June, more than 60% of Americans are overwhelmed by the volume of online videos; 46% avoid watching online videos because they think searches yield too many results; and 45% only view videos recommended by friends or colleagues.

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