Insider Chatter by Donna Bogatin

Who is calling the NBC Universal - News Corp. online video joint venture in the works “Clown Co”? Kevin McGurn, the man leading the JV sales charge, is NOT clowning around.

From the Advertising Research Foundation’s Audience Measurement 2.0 big-ticket conference two weeks ago, to last night’s free NY Video 2.0 meetup, McGurn has been making the business case in New York City on how NewCo is being developed to be big co.

The timing is fortuitous: Uptake in online video streaming is one one of the shifts in Web behavior that is spurring Neilsen/NetRatings to measure “engagement” at sites, not merely page views.

At Audience Measurement 2.0, McGurn characterized advertiser reception to the NBC Universal - News Corp. NewCo online video offerings slated for the Fall season “extremely favorable,” as I present in my first-hand report: NBC: Millions in Upfront Video Ad Sales

At the NY Video 2.0 meetup last evening, McGurn underscored the JV is well on its way to creating an optimal online video platform to meet the needs of all constituencies: content producers, advertisers, distributors and viewers.

During a discussion aimed at figuring out “What’s next for online advertising,” Dan Rayburn of Streaming Media posed simple, but direct questions, such as: Is anyone making money in online video, covering their costs? and Are video sites just popping up, hoping to figure out what users want?

McGurn on the NBC Universal case:

NBC as a content producer is making money: NBC.com, iTunes, NBBC…

NewCo is conducting ongoing, extensive market research, focus groups, studies, analysis…to determine what works and what doesn’t from all perspectives: video content, ad formats, page layouts, user interface…

I asked McGurn if such extensive preliminary research was done to support the launch of NBBC and, if so, what is the rationale for folding NBBC into NewCo.

McGurn told me NBBC was designed as a “proving ground” and proved successful and profitable. Why is it being absorbed by NewCo then? NBBC did not offer a “video destination” and optimal deployment of NBC assets necessitates a focused deployment of resources for the NewCo, McGurn said.

McGurn did not weigh in though on the rumored billion dollar valuation of NewCo. In Video Valuations: YouTube Billions Rule! I analyze how NewCo just may have a billion dollar shot!

ALSO: Facebook Platform Misses 1.2 billion Internet Users and Valleywag: Lots of Ham, Where’s the Beef?

CONTACT DONNA BOGATIN