Online TV Gets a Jolt from Joost

As if there aren't already enough ways to watch TV, the serial entrepreneurs behind Kazaa and Skype have announced Joost, which proves that there is no shortage of incomprehensible yet catchy five-letter names.

The brainchild of Kazaa and Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, Joost promises "infinite choice, and TV that is truly interactive. TV anywhere, anytime..." What this means in practice is broadcast-quality, full-screen, interactive TV that's accessible over broadband that you use like your regular TV, complete with multiple channels you can flip through (though there's no word on whether you'll be able to use a remote that can be lost somewhere under the couch).

Broadband penetration has reached critical mass and is still increasing, and even inexpensive new computers can at least handle full-screen standard-definition video, so it seems to me that Joost's appearance isn't exactly revolutionary, and more a matter of good timing. The free-viewing-paid-by-advertising model isn't that new either, though I wonder if they're going to go the US route (shows interrupted by ad breaks) or the UK route (uninterrupted shows with ads at the beginning and end).