Deep linked video increases exposure, bandwidth costs

AOL and Microsoft video services are deep linking to public TV content, reports Dennis Haarsager via his Technology 360 blog, which allows users to access pubcasters’ video while bypassing their home pages (and sponsor messages). The search engines generate much more traffic than sites can attract on their own, but “the desire to control content we produce runs deep within the television industry, so it’s bound to stir things up as more people realize . . . how some video sites are accessing content,” Haarsager writes. In addition, “bandwidth costs are going to be impacted by links you don’t control.” AOL includes advertising on its video search page but Microsoft, which added video search to its Windows Live Beta, does not for the time being.