Knocka.tv, video site from the makers of ICQ

August 5, 2007 | Dan Kaplan | Comments | |

knockalogo1.jpgKnocka.tv is a new video site from the creators of ICQ, the successful early instant messenger service.

The site, yet to launch publicly, boasts a new form of television that is “hyperinteractive” and “democratic” and while there are more than enough video sites out there, the pedigree of its founders and the frenetic promotional video on Knocka’s preview site intrigues.

This ad features tiny clips of user-generated video, spliced together and set to a perpetually shifting soundtrack. Among other things, we see sexy women strip teasing, a man dressed in a lab coat destroying an iPod in a blender, and a brief animated clip of a creature with a cleaver lopping the heads off of cute animals.

At some points, a counter in the lower left corner seems to measure the number of people watching at the moment. In two clips, it says “producer online now,” suggesting that viewers may be able to engage the content’s creator as they watch.

The site is in private beta, and we’re trying to find out more. It looks like the company wants to build a network of producers and make an online TV station that will let viewers to interact with the content (and perhaps each other) to determine what gets played. Whether Knocka will allow embeds is unknown, but the interactive functions it is touting suggest a desire to be a destination site. If this is the case, Knocka will have to be both revolutionary and highly successful to attract and keep the content producers it’s going to need.

Update: Alarm:Clock says the company raised $1 million from Evergreen Venture Partners, an Israeli firm, in June.

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About the Author, Dan Kaplan

Once upon a time, Dan considered himself a magazine journalist with dreams of "The New Yorker" and a couple of well-reviewed but only mildly successful books. Then one day, life, as it is known to do, decided it was time for rebirth. Like so many things before it, this rebirth was conceived on a mostly-empty plane to Reno. Now, instead of magazine writing, Dan would plunge into the world of New Media and write for Matt Marshall's blog.

It's funny how it goes.

  • It Look Cool!!!
    It Look Cool... when it comming
  • Melanie
    I saw the site and looks awesome! the clip was cool and it looks like it's going to be really wicked!
  • lesly
    ICQ?!
    I dont think so,, is now AOL company.
    this Knocka thing is once again the boring concept of " lets watch it together" which failed over and over again in the past.
    cant make a business out of it.
    good luck anyway...
    and the name (knocka) is awfull. its a rapper name...
  • jake
    . disapointing.
    Youtube has the same service (not sucssesful), and i can't see why a web service with a small screen (less than 8th of a full screen size) can call itself a "TV".
    try Joost if you want a tv that has internet comunity features.
    Knocka seems like one of many other hype companies with no real technology or a business model.
    I pity their investors, who went for the ICQ glory without knowing the market.
    (Alos i had problems with the streaming quality)

    Jake
    NYC
  • Ilana
    Love knocka. looks brilliant. better than youtube-picks out the good stuff. and i like that they have lots of US and UK together-different types of funny.

    I don't even mind the stupid girls pole dancing. somehow knocka makes it look attractive.

    mark my words-knocka will rule
  • ddemonicflame
    I got a message on youtube from them saying they'd like to publish my misheard lyrics woooooot, so I went onto the website to see what it was about, and it looks really cool. I hope it gets popular!! It looks to me like it could well do ;) can't wait till it starts
  • samster317
    DemonicFlame, so did I, and ALSO for misheard lyrics!!

    I don't know whether I'm going to accept or not, though, but it sounds pretty cool.
  • Kaiem
    I got an offer too, but it was for my machinima series.
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