Think

This MediaPost article on the future of branded content is yet another in a long line of "If one thing happens to one company, then it suggests an industry-wide trend" pieces. Basically, the article suggests that the demise of Bud.TV means the end of the branded destination site. That's ridiculous. Fortunately,the end of the article features a few industry insiders who aren't yet bereaving the loss of the BDS - one of them, Big Spaceship friend Chad Stoller:

Because of Bud.TV's age verification restrictions, its success or failure has little bearing on the future of branded content, according to Chad Stoller, executive director of emerging platforms for Organic.

Another vital issue is the actual content. Did any of these people ever use Bud.TV? In my (granted, limited) experience of the site, I found the videos boring and way too long. Also, it just seemed like it was -trying- too hard. It's obviously hard to come up with an entire site's worth of watchable material. But that doesn't mean the basic model itself is defunct.