Bebo's Open Media is the anti-widget

Bebo proudly launches what it is calling Open Media. I guess these days you can attach the word 'open' to anything and get away with it - but this is profoundly closed media.

Bebo Launches 'Open Media' A New Vision for Social Media and Entertainment

As of today, Bebo becomes the first social network to open its doors to all media companies, bringing the richness of the media and entertainment world to a fast-growing community of 40M users.

Launch partners include CBS, MTV Networks, ESPN, the BBC, Channel Four, ITN, Yahoo! and BSkyB, as well as emerging media companies like Music Nation, Next New Networks, Crackle, Ustream, Last.fm and JibJab.

Launched at simultaneous events in New York and London, Bebo's Open Media ushers in a new, legitimate way for people to explore and experience content on the Internet, and the way media owners promote, distribute and monetize their programming.

Get that? This Open Media is open to 'media owners'. So how do you define a media owner in this age of user generated content and widgetization? Well, it's anyone that  you want to cut a deal with. Sure, Bebo can do what it wants in its own fiefdom - but this is only open to Bebo itself and its friends. It's the anti widget. I still can't push my content into Bebo, even if Bebo's users want it. But if I'm CBS or the BBC I'm big enough to push what I want to the captive audience. Sheesh, so 1995.