(cc) by-sa kirinqueen/flickr

As Bebo is looking to put in place advertisers for a third series of successful cross-platform youth drama Sofia's Diary, NMA has a great profile of the show. The series, which was launched on Bebo, a social network trying to push beyond its successes in the UK, Eire and with younger users, was even picked up by Five for its digital channel Fiver.

(cc) by-sa n0nick/flickrIt could be bad news for digital content creators hoping to monetise their videos using advertising around the content (as opposed to, e.g. product placement or subscriptions), with a new report by Deloitte calling into question the effect that such ads have on consumers. According to New Media Age the report suggests that consumers aren't influenced by advertising trying to change their view of a product, or just fix a brand in their minds.

Or does it?

(cc) by-nd Tim Loudon/flickrNew Media Age reports that the BBC Trust has begun consultation about Project Canvas - a mooted BBC development to create an open platform for online video available to all (UK?) broadcasters.

Comparisons are being drawn with Project Kangaroo, but the connection is only loose - indications are that this platform would not include the apparatus for commercialisation, though nothing suggests other broadcasters would be unable to add these to the offering; it all depends on how the project develops.

It's early days, but they have gone to the Trust first, whose job it is to determine whether such a development would be in the interests of the Licence Fee Payers - though there's nothing to stop the Competition Commission, who ultimately sunk Kangaroo, from entering the fray as well.