by Greg Sandoval

At the same time Sony Pictures prepared to post some of its TV shows and films onto YouTube, the studio's material quietly began disappearing from Joost.

Earlier this month, Joost CEO Mike Volpi, who is attempting to engineer a comeback for the once high-flying company, wrote on the company's blog that Sony Pictures' shows were removed but was vague about why. He said that content from entertainment companies often comes and goes due to licensing restrictions and "we are optimistic that we'll be able to reach a new arrangement with Sony soon."

He can stop waiting. The licensing deal with Sony Pictures expired and the studio decided not to renew, according to industry sources. The reasons are not totally clear but one thing is certain, YouTube and Hulu are landing full-length content partnerships while the already thin Joost library shrinks.

Kerry Vance, a Joost spokeswoman, confirmed that the licensing deal with the studio ran out but said it "was a mutual business decision by both companies" to remove the content. Did Joost's anemic traffic have anything to do with it? Vance denied that. "We continue active conversations to reach a new agreement."

Whatever happened, this much is clear: Hulu and YouTube are much more like the Internet video service that Joost once promised to become.

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