By: Greg Sterling | Source: searchenginejournal.com

As is being widely reported, AOL plans to launch a comprehensive video entertainment destination later this week. Here’s the screenshot. Here’s the current AOL video portal. According to the press release:

New features on the AOL Video portal include: over 45 new video-on-demand content channels with thousands of hours of video programming from popular entertainment brands, organized and accessible via video search, browse or an interactive programming guide; free streaming content as well as the ability to purchase and download full-length content that can be viewed on multiple devices and PCs, online or offline; and access to millions of music videos, news clips, movie trailers, full length TV shows, and more.

AOL Video also includes AOL Video Search, which is based on industry leading video search technology from Truveo and Singingfish, and a video player that can go full screen without losing picture quality and that supports AOL’s exclusive Hi-Q video format to watch DVD-quality videos online.

In addition, the portal includes AOL’s new UnCut Video offering, which makes it easy to upload and share videos online by providing full device support, letting consumers upload and share videos directly from their camcorder, Webcam, video-enabled mobile phone, as well as their PC.

AOL also plans to make distribution available to PCs, TVs and mobile devices. Video is probably the best, most effective way for TimeWarner to leverage AOL. (I’m not suggesting neglecting other AOL properties.) And because of all the premium content, AOL can differentiate potentially from other video sites.

According to May, 2006 Hitwise data the top 10 video sites were as follows:

1. YouTube
2. MySpace Videos
3. Yahoo! Video Search
4. MSN Video Search
5. Google Video Search
6. AOL Video
7. iFilm
8. Grouper
9. Dailymotion.com
10. vSocial.com

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