NTV Live Launchpad: WorldTV: Timing is Everything

NEWTEEVEE LIVE, SAN FRANCISCO — In what is likely to someday be a case study for B-schools, WorldTV launched today, letting consumers search, aggregate and create their own video channels. It’s not the idea that makes it noteworthy (there are many other similar sites, such as vod:pod and ffwd — which, incidentally, is announcing today that its open beta will start soon), but rather when the service was conceived.

Alx Klive, founder and CEO, got the idea for the company 12 years ago and bought the domain name back in 1995, he told NewTeeVee in a recent interview. He patiently waited for the technology to catch up with his vision (and revamped his original business plan a thousand times).

Through WorldTV, users can search for video across Google, YouTube, AOL and Yahoo; add a video by URL, or record one with a webcam. Once they find or make what they want, it can be added to the user’s video library, where it can then be dragged and dropped into a customized video channel and shared through a customized URL. Check out Liz’s demo channel.

The company’s been bootstrapped and privately funded with under a million dollars from friends, family and angel investors. WorldTV will generate revenue through advertising and channel branding opportunities.

Just as YouTube turned some of its users into stars, Klive hopes he can create programming stars. But with the proliferation of tools already available, one has to wonder if the chance to do so has already passed he and WorldTV by. Still, it’s cool that he got that URL.