Bebo repositions as entertainment site

It is expected that these deals will include the production of ad-funded

programmes to be aired exclusively on Bebo.

In a simultaneous announcement today (Tuesday) in London and New York,
Bebo will set out its new content strategy in an attempt to offer
something different to MySpace, which has a thriving music community,
and Facebook, which is largely a forum for communication.

"The Bebo view is that content and communication are as important as
each other to social networks, whereas Facebook views itself as a means
of interaction," said an industry source. "The point is that the
Facebook side of social networks is about communications, whereas Bebo
will be announcing an entertainment-led strategy."

Bebo is keen to capitalise on the success of ad-funded drama Kate
Modern, which landed ad money from a range of sponsors including
Microsoft and Orange. Bebo then linked with Sony Pictures Television
International to produce Sofia's Diary, a fictional tale with daily
interaction from Bebo users.

Production house Endemol was the latest to sign up to a content deal
with Bebo to produce a show called The Gap Year, which tracks six
travellers, selected from the Bebo community, in their ventures around
the globe.

Bebo's move into content draws upon the industry experience of senior
executives at the company.

In April, the social network hired MTV's president of commercial,
strategy and digital media, Angel Gambino, as vice president, music,
which is one of the strands of entertainment Bebo is seeking to
develop.

News of Bebo's content expansion comes as MySpace also readies its own
expanded professional content offering. In the UK, the company has
already worked with broadcasters such as BBC2 and Channel 4 on promoting
content. And the platform plans to launch more branded video channels in
the near future.