Zattoo (see our review) is one of only a few Internet TV applications that I use on an almost daily basis. It enables me to watch live television — which includes all of the BBC’s offerings along with a few other European channels — in a window in the corner of my laptop, while I remain productive: blogging, replying to or writing email and chatting over IM. In this way, Zattoo is pitched very differently to competitors such as Joost or Babelgum, both of which attempt to re-create part of the “lean-back” experience of traditional TV.

I caught up with two of Zattoo’s co-founders (via email), Sugih Jamin and Beat Knecht, to find out more about the company’s mission and its Silicon Valley-esque roots in academia.

It’s no secret that I’m critical of the BBC’s decision to buy into Microsoft’s DRM solution for its recently launched Internet TV catch-up service, iPlayer. In a post titled ‘BBC’s iPlayer and the Windows DRM monopoly‘, I expressed my bemusement that, after four years of R&D and three million pounds of funding, the corporation needed to outsource its DRM solution in the first place. However, I never went as far as to accuse the BBC of being corrupt, which is precisely what The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has done, alleging that the public service broadcaster’s management is too close to Microsoft.

Launched yesterday, “My Damn Channel” is the latest online video venture that puts professionally produced content at its heart, rather than the user-generated affair found on sites like YouTube. The creation of former MTV and CBS Radio executive, Rob Barnett, the new venture appears to take its inspiration from the buzz created by the Will Ferrell video “The Landlord,” which helped launch Ferrell’s own site, FunnyorDie.com.

“My Damn Channel”currently features original productions by comedian Harry Shearer (“This is Spinal Tap”) who makes his debut as an all-singing Dick Cheney; music producer Don Was; indie filmmaker David Wain (“Wet Hot American Summer,” “The Ten”); and Andy Milonakis (“The Andy Milonakis Show,” MTV).

According to a study carried out by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 57% of U.S. adults online have used the Internet to watch video, with 19% doing so on any typical day. And, perhaps predictably, the percentage increases as we move further down the age range.

More interestingly, over half of those that had accessed online video said that they share links to the videos they find with others — evidence of the viral opportunities offered by Internet TV — with young adults being the most active sharers of online video. Two in three (67%) video viewers ages 18-29 send others links to videos they find online, compared with just half of video viewers ages 30 and older.