Sony launched an online video sharing website

Today (April 27) Sony will officially launch a Japanese online video sharing website to compete directly with Google's YouTube.

Last month News Corp and NBC Universal announced this year that they will also launch a new online video sharing site. This move shows that traditional media companies have to realize the Internet potential for the development of the media industry.

Sony also plans to launch eyeVio online video sharing service to the global market. The service was initially launched in the domestic market to test customers' reactions.

" This is part of Sony's strategy to revolutionize secret software ," Sony CEO Howard Stringer told a news conference recently.

" It really is an opportunity for users to share home-grown videos with anyone they want at any time in a secure environment ."

Sony said its service allows users to choose who can watch their video and how long it will be viewed.

Sony's spokesperson confirmed the service will be completely free for users and the company wants to earn revenue from advertising and contracts with carriers.

To avoid copyright-related issues, videos are posted online, such as YouTube, Sony claims they will censor content closely.

Earlier this year Google had to issue a warning on YouTube that urged users not to upload copyrighted content. Last year the company had to remove 30,000 videos from YouTube at the request of Japanese media.

Hoang Dung