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    Skype founders to launch Vdio, set sights on Netflix

    Skype founders to launch Vdio, set sights on Netflix

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    Vdio
    Vdio

    The founders of Skype are preparing a new video service called Vdio, set to launch first in the UK. After the service was outed by GigaOm, the company sent along a Q&A which revealed that the service is currently in a closed beta. While no launch date has been announced, it does appear that Vdio will be aggressive in providing premium content — the startup's splash page rotates screen shots from The Dark Knight, Mad Men, and other top-shelf video. That content will be key to Vdio's success — the founders' last video site, Joost, failed in large part due to a lack of quality content. Right now we don't know if this will be subscription based like Netflix, but the association with the founders' music subscription service, Rdio, is a strong clue. Either way, their timing couldn't be better in light of growing frustration over Netflix's fairly recent rate changes. In the Q&A, when asked how Vdio would compete with Netflix, the company simply replied, "We think people will love using Vdio."