Written by Liz Gannes
Posted Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 11:11 AM PT

PodShow Relaunches as Mevio

PodShow is changing its name to Mevio and tomorrow will launch a revamped web site that includes more features for watchers and listeners of its content. We spoke with founder and CEO Ron Bloom earlier this week. Here’s a short video of him explaining Mevio, which he said was one of 200 or 300 names the company considered:

Mevio, whose other co-founder is former MTV VJ Adam Curry, was early on the podcasting-as-business bandwagon. It is trying to build a network of premium online content; shows include 11th Commandment, Dr. Cockney: International Sex Therapist and Geek Brief TV. We can’t go too easy on the company, though, as it has raised nearly $24 million in funding, and is currently raising more, according to Bloom. Finding traction in this market shouldn’t be that expensive.

The site’s saving grace is that it’s apparently experiencing strong growth. (However, publicly available traffic counters do not show this). Bloom said Omniture data shows the site attracted 8 million unique visitors in March, up from 200,000 a year ago. It now counts nearly 100 million video views per month.

What does make Mevio stand apart from the pack is that it does all its sales internally. It lists as advertisers Coca-Cola, Marie Claire, HP, Nokia, Go Daddy, eMusic, Cover Girl, Sony, Kmart, McDonalds, AMD and Unilever. The company also co-produces 300 of the 15,000 shows in its network and has exclusive selling and syndication rights for the rest.

Mevio’s new viewer- and listener-centric features include tools for members to program channels of content for others to experience. I haven’t seen the full version of the new interface yet, but what I did see looks a lot like MySpace profile pages. Whoo.

Bloom said PodShow, which has 55 employees, should be profitable by the end of this year.

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Topic: Startups

Comments (11)

Great article thanks. Podcasting is still our favorite mode of distribution. Just a bit tricky to master maybe for average surfer?? People seem to prefer to go to an aggregator than be one.

Nicholas Quixote — 11:47 AM on April 23, 2008 Reply
I didn’t know the Fonz had even started a company.

Steve Warner — 12:50 PM on April 23, 2008 Reply
it’s nice to see Adam’s gal, Ronny Bloom, chatting about being network of 15000 conent creators but what kind of network it is if these creators are not being paid but only 300 of them are paid anything? Thanks God Google has not launched yet Google Ads for Audio, because then Podshow, err, Mevio, would be worth nothing. In meantime let’s see that new software and let’s see if it brings something really new or it is just polishing on the edges.

Comic Strip Blogger — 1:29 PM on April 23, 2008 Reply
I’m not just the CEO of hairclubformen.com, I’m also a client. A glossy, dyed-dark-as-night client…..

And it’s no longer just a place men can go to deal with follical-related cruel quirks of nature…

it’s more of a social networking app, where bald men, thinning men and men for whom salt n’ pepper coiffures simply isn’t an option can use the latest widgets to compare sports cars, cougar bars and other social activities….

Hairbook, if you will….

Teasy Weasy — 1:31 PM on April 23, 2008 Reply
Ron, dying your hair is jive man. Got a problem with the gray in my hair?

Jimmy CraicHead — 1:48 PM on April 23, 2008 Reply
Uh, Cali, nothing personal at all, but isn’t it weird that you embedded this video using Blip?

Dan Patterson — 2:06 PM on April 23, 2008 Reply
I like the new name – though it’s going to take a while to get the kind of awareness that PodShow had.

The hair debate?
Personally, I’m as bald as a billiard ball.

jimconnolly — 2:10 PM on April 23, 2008 Reply
Hmm, there’s something familiar about that domain name.

dalas verdugo
Vimeo.com

dalas v — 5:03 PM on April 23, 2008 Reply
Lipstick on the pig!
Its still a pig!

I give them two years before they are not only irrelevant (like they are now) to being totally dead!

Brumski.
MOlly

Phillip Molly Malone — 7:17 PM on April 23, 2008 Reply
The guy can barely say the name of his own company!
Molly

Phillip Molly Malone — 7:20 PM on April 23, 2008 Reply
What a slime ball. I love that he refuses to answer any of the questions. Instead he just rambles on spewing junk.

link jimston — 7:15 PM on April 24, 2008 Reply

Linkbacks (12)

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