Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy has decided it wants to get into the video sharing business, announcing Best Buy Video Sharing in partnership with UK video streaming provider Mydeo. Via the service, users can have Best Buy/Mydeo host and serve up to 100 minutes of video for $6.97 a month. Individual video segments can be up to 30 minutes in length, and the system supports up to 5,000 views per month.
In addition to supporting longer form video, Best Buy is positioning the service as having three key advantages over run-of-the-mill video sharing sites: videos can be shared only with friends and family rather than exposed to the entire Internet, the Best Buy Video Sharing services carries no advertising, and users don’t have to sign over any distribution rights to their video content.
“With the growing popularity of video, fueled in part by social networking sites, we’ve actually seen an increase in customer demand for alternative video sharing solutions,” said Best Buy VP Kevin Winneroski, in a statement. “Many customers, particularly families with children, don’t want their personal memories available for anyone to see in the public domain nor do they want to share them in a cluttered environment that includes advertising.”
Users who need more hosting capacity can opt to a $10.47/month package which offers up to 250 minutes of video and 25,000 views per month, supports video lengths up to 90 minutes, and keeps track of viewing statistics. Best Buy is positioning the premium services as ideal for businesses: additional tiers land at $19.97, $37, and $148 per month for 500, 1,000, and 5,000 minutes of video respectively, with 50,000 or 100,000 monthly views. Yearly plans are also available for all service levels. The Best Buy Video Sharing service is available in both the U.S. and the UK.
The video sharing service isn’t Best Buy’s first foray into online services: it has also launched its own digital music store and photo services.
