Web video site Joost is launching a new application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The application will make Joost’s entire video content library available to owners of the Apple devices.
The move is an important one because it has the potential to hurt Apple’s own bottom line by eating into iTunes sales.
The addition of Joost means that full episodes of shows such as CSI, How I Met Your Mother, Friends and clips from The Daily Showwith Jon Stewart will be available for free, with advertising. With the economy on a downturn and consumers spending less, that could be incentive for fans of the shows to stop paying Apple $1.99 an episode through iTunes and switch to the free Joost app instead.
It also gives Joost a head start over competition such as Hulu.com and the recently launched Sling.com, which do not have iPhone capable websites, and thus cannot stream their content over them. So far the only major network to take that step has been NBC, though it only features clips on its iPhone site, not full episodes.
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