(* Source: Piers Fawkes *) 

On the NewTeeVee blog Janko Roettgers predicts that the killer app for peer-to-peer TV service Joost will be peer-to-peer comments and tags. One application would be to let people watch Heroes once, and then watching it again with comments turned on to see what friends and other people caught that they missed the first time around.

Roettgers says that the use of user metadata will enhance viewing:

So what can these metadata frameworks be used for? Timestamped comments and tags are certainly one interesting possibility. Combine this with FOAF-like social networking structures, and you got yourself a whole new way to explore TV programming.

Imagine a personalized TV channel that only serves you shows your friends are literally talking about. Or think about the way this could transform programming itself. What if the Lost folks didn’t do their next Alternative Reality Game on the web, but in Joost itself, allowing you to collaborate with your friends and collect clues while watching the show?

NewTeeVee » Joost: It’s The Metadata, Stupid!