The website Ochutney.cz, a Telefónica O2 project, ended its operation on Tuesday. People could share videos and photos on the website. Official information says the project was launched only to test technologies, nevertheless, other explanations have also appeared.
“The reason we closed down the portal was that the pilot operation ended,” Telefónica’s spokesman Martin Žabka said.
It is becoming more difficult to succeed with a new service on the internet nowadays. “Attempts at competing with well-established trademarks are doomed to failure, if the novice thinks they can do better,” said Ivan Straka, an IT journalist and editor of the website Gentleman.cz.
“If a service is to function here, it has to be based on the original content of the operator,” said Jan Březina, the editor-in-chief of the portal Grafika.cz, adding: “Ochutney.cz was trying to build a community and support video podcast. However, it is mostly the illegal sharing of titles that are protected by copyright that’s flourishing here.”
The project ended also because of a lack of user interest and the necessity of further investments. “The development would require immoderate financial resources, which would not reflect the return on investment,” Žabka said.
According to Telefónica’s data, there were about 30,000 visitors to the portal each month. It had 3,000 registered users.
The project was launched in the middle of last year and was intended to offer more than only video watching. “Users could create their own unique world surrounded by their friends and share everything that’s of interest to them with these friends,” said Jana Vyhlídalová, the director of Telefónica’s advertising and information service, eight months ago.
The company was trying to support the portal through cooperation with the music band All X and with the makers of the film Báthory. The website published for example some scenes that were not used in the film. The Czech singer Sámer Issa was teaching users how to use the website.
The biggest Czech portal for sharing video is Stream.cz, of which the domestic internet number one Seznam.cz and Miloš Petana, the owner of Bontonland stores, own an equal share. According to NetMonitor statistics, over 1.5 million users visited the website in January.
The statistics of the globally used service YouTube are still one level higher. According to the analytical company Compete, the site had 72.6 million visitors in the same period.
“YouTube’s success has come due to the right ratio between user content and professional content and due to partnership with renowned trademarks like CNN and BBC”, said Kateřina Holcmanová from Google, the owner of YouTube.
