MySpace yesterday announced that it would allow users to finally upload videos directly to the site. According to the company, users can hook up a camcorder, go to MySpace TV, and click the “Record” button to record a video to the site on-the-fly.
The company thinks it may be on to something with its new direct upload feature, though. MySpace claims the videos can be embedded in member profiles, comments, and bulletins quickly, making it an ideal solution for those who want immediate gratification and want friends to see the video as soon as possible.
MySpace was ostensibly quick to forget that YouTube and other competitors have had this feature for a while and failed to mention that although it upgraded file size limits to 512MB, YouTube’s limit hovers at 1GB. This may not sound like much of a difference on either front, but it begs the question of whether or not MySpace is properly positioned to capitalize on the growing video market.
YouTube served more than 5 billion videos in July alone, according to comScore numbers released yesterday. MySpace was a distant second, serving just 445 million videos. Granted, this new feature may help increase that figure somewhat in subsequent months, but it certainly won’t have such an impact that MySpace TV will become a more relevant service in the space.
Maybe it’s time MySpace starts working on something that YouTube hasn’t already done. Even though it’s not a video site by trade and it has other things to consider in growing its business, the online video market is strengthening — 75 percent of Americans viewed videos in July alone — and unless MySpace starts differentiating its product, there’s little reason for anyone to move from YouTube to MySpace TV.