I was reading through the interview of Ron Grant, AOL's COO, on Giga Om, where he mentioned potential synergies with Time Warner and Bebo with regards to media and entertainment, and have been thinking about what this could mean in the future. With the addition of the AIM and ICQ instant messaging (IM) systems to the equation (they are owned by AOL), they could be the first company to actually get going with interactive online film viewing with your friends.
People have been speculating for a long time about the possibilities for combining IM with online media viewing to allow people to watch films or shows 'with' their friends, by being able to chat with integrated IM as they watch. Bebo has been one of the most forward thinking of the social networks when it comes to media, producing shows like KateModern which have interactive elements, and could well be about to take another leap forward. With all the elements above they are in a unique position which should allow them to take the lead in this area - stay tuned.
I've heard of a couple of tools and platforms which at least have this possibility, for example Apple TV, but none which also link in to the social graph (either with social networks or instant messaging), and none which are currently available - do you know of any?
