It’s called Ziln, ladies and gentlemen, and for the life of me I can’t figure out why it’s called that.

But Ziln does do something very interesting; it provides an array of programming choices all in streaming video.  It includes seven full-on New Zealand channels, as well as fourteen news and business channels, including Al-Jazeera, all piped in through set-top boxes.

It’s designed to provide an alternative to mainstream New Zealand television, and it’s the kind of thing that could definitely take off.  In order to kill a streaming network, you’re pretty much going to have to either shut down the site from which the stream originates or you’ll have to shut down the entire internet.  And once you do THAT, well, all hell’s going to break loose, make no mistake about that.

Anyway, this is a great move for New Zealanders, who apparently have the internet access and bandwidth to handle a streaming network.  Who knows where such a development will lead from there?

It was recently announced that Comcast has updated their On Demand Online service effectively adding 18 new channels. This goes along with yesterday’s announcement of HBO and Cinemax hitting the service.

Below is the full list of all 18 channels:

TBS, TNT, HBO, Cinemax, Starz, AMC, BBC America, DIY Network, Fine Living Network, Food Network, Hallmark, HGTV, History, IFC, MGM Impact, Sundance Channel, WE tv, The Style Network, G4, and Fearnet.

While Comcast’s On Demand Online service hasn’t been made available to the public yet, it was also made known that a beta will begin next week for 5,000 testers. Comcast then went on to say that the On Demand Online service is on track to be made available to all subscribers by years end.

Internet TV service Joost has given up trying to compete with YouTube and Hulu. “It’s been increasingly challenging to operate as an independent, ad-supported online video platform,” said Mike Volpi, who is stepping down as CEO but will stay on as chairman.

Joost’s offices in the Netherlands and the U.K. are to close and an unspecified number of its 100 staffers will be laid-off. At one time Joost employed 200 people worldwide. Senior VP of engineering Matt Zelesko will become CEO and will be supported by a team based in New York. Volpi said Joost would focus on building “white label” video platforms that give users a way to incorporate professional-grade video into their websites.