(cc) by philcampbell/flickr

Bebo has taken the decision to pull out of its role as a commissioner of online TV content, stating that it no longer wants to risk financially investing in programming. It seems to me a strange decision, given that its original dramas such as Kate Modern and Sofia's Diary have been real differentiators for it from other social networks. Sofia's Diary even went on to get a TV slot on Five, redefining the stakes for web TV in the UK.

According to NMA, Bebo Originals will continue to host shows that have been fully funded by advertisers - though I can't really see the selling point. Come to us with a show with guaranteed backing, and we'll deign to host it on our network? Why wouldn't you just go straight to YouTube, where you're guaranteed higher views?

We'll see how it plays out, and Bebo still have two new series in the pipeline, apparently. Given that one might imagine Bebo to see themselves as one of the future networks, perhaps this is simply a sign of the times, and will thaw once the economy is looking a little better.

(cc) by totalAldo/flickr

Comscore reports that UK web TV viewing has risen by 10% over the last year according to New Media Age. YouTube continues to dominate, with nearly 24 million viewers, though the BBC posts a respectable 6.8 million viewers - especially when you consider that far more of the viewing on BBC is long-form as compared to YouTube, which is almost exclusively sub-five-minutes. (Full disclosure, I worked for BBC, including on their YouTube channels, so sit both sides of the fence.)

Take a look at the link for more crosstabs.

(cc) by-sa Dawn Endico/flickr

Six To Start / Penguin Books collaboration We Tell Stories has won an Interactive Award at South by Southwest. This enchanting site retells six classic stories using interactive web techniques. You can follow 'The 21 Steps' on an ever-changing map, or create your own Fairy Tale, by inserting the relevant names, creatures and events. It makes for a really interesting look at how we consume stories - and one that you can invest in as partly theirs, partly yours.

I recommend checking it out for yourself, especially if you have children of the right age.

(cc) by-sa videocrab/flickr

A report by Coda Research Consultancy, released this week, predicts a four-fold rise in VOD viewing by 2015. Whilst the figures they predict are still relatively modest compared to traditional TV viewing (50m hours per day watched over VOD compared to 160m on TV), this does represent a huge shift in the traditionally-growing linear TV market - though some will certainly argue it is a natural progression from linear to on-demand, rather than a decline, since overall content consumption is expected to rise.

It's a pity that the report doesn't delve into the potential for truly of-the-web content to have an impact, assuming that passive consumption will remain the norm. I'd expect that more of a threat to traditional content is the potential for consumers to be more excited by interactive or truly non-linear online TV, rather than a new way of delivering the same straightforward video content.

All of this is predicated on Coda's assumption that Project Canvas will go ahead. Given that the BBC Trust has just begun consulting on the project, this might be early days - but I suspect that other services might fill the vacuum if Canvas didn't go ahead.