Sometimes when I have a lot of work to do, I do really strange things, like sit and watch live streamed videos of sleeping puppies for several hours at a time. Today was my third day of puppy watching and I finally decided to find out more about it.
First of all, Puppy Cam is a little bit of an internet sensation. Apparently, I'm not the only one avoiding my work. It was launched in 2008 by a couple who wanted to keep an eye on their new pups while they were away from home.
It is broadcast through a service called Ustream. Launched in 2007, Ustream has over 2,000,000 registered users who generate 1,500,000+ hours of live streamed content per month with over ten million unique hits per month. It received $11.1 million in Series A funding for new product development from DCM (Doll Capital Management) and investors Labrador Ventures and Band of Angels.
Ustream broadcasts everything from sports events to eye surgery. Last week I watched a Great Heron hatch a nest of eggs.
So my first thought is, who are these people that live stream their puppies? My second thought is, I hope they have found a way to monetize this. The last I checked, there were 16,924 views on Puppy Cam...So I did a little research. It turns out that the current puppies are the fourth litter to be broadcasted live. Interestingly, the owners have preferred to remain anonymous and rarely appear on screen. Over the course of 4 years, they have managed to raise almost $20K in donations to the Shiba Inu Rescue Fund. That seems pretty admirable, but low. There must be some way of generating significant revenue. But how?
What exactly is the connection between internet fame and the ability to make money from it? Is there one? Once I met a guy at a bar who told me he was a former Youtube sensation and that he had since become a motivational speaker with endorsement deals. Really? I guess that might work for him. But what about the puppies?
See the puppies for yourself: Puppy Cam
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