Samsung’s Milk Video Brings Viral Videos Exclusively to Galaxy Phones and Tablets
Samsung already has its own music service, the beautifully designed but oddly named Milk Music — and now the tech giant is jumping into video with the Milk Video app.
This isn’t exactly a Netflix or Hulu Plus competitor, though. Milk Video is a kind of viral-video aggregator that makes it easy to find quick hits from a variety of sources.
At launch, Samsung has 20 content partner channels from the likes of Funny or Die, Vice, Vanity Fair, College Humor, Cracked, BuzzFeed, and others. Most videos will be in the two- to eight-minute range, but Samsung said others could run longer depending on the provider. Vice, for example, has videos that run for more than 20 minutes.
The app itself looks gorgeous thanks to its multicolor design, but its interface might be a bit confusing for some.
A button in the top-left corner of the app’s home screen gives you access to the list of available content partners.
To access the app’s list of content categories, which include everything from Sports to Comedy, though, you have to long-press the multicolor bar running down the right side of the screen. It’s easy enough to understand, but you have to know about it first.
Milk Video also allows you to follow other members and check out their favorite videos. And if you desperately want everyone to check out a video you stumbled across of a puppy playing with a duckling, you can always email the link, star it, or share it to Facebook.
Samsung says it’s already locked down exclusivity windows for content from some of its partners, including Funny or Die, which will provide a weekly Web series for the app.
Now for the disappointing news: Milk Video, like Milk Music, is available only on Samsung Galaxy devices. And though there are a ton of those out there, it severely limits the app’s exposure among the wider Android audience.
I like what Milk Video is going for here, but without a larger audience, its future might sour.
Want to give Milk Music a try? Check it out in the Google Play store now. As long as you’re a Samsung owner.
Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+ here.
