Author: Todd

Fad or fixture – what is the future of live streaming?

There’s a lot more to this topic than I will explore here, but I saw this item in today’s Cynopsis Media Digital newsletter and had to mention it:

Just how much potential does live video have? On Friday, two BuzzFeed employees wrapped rubber bands around a watermelon until it exploded. The whole thing was live-streamed on Facebook, and lasted about 45 minutes. It garnered 800,000 concurrent viewers – the most ever for a Facebook Live video. Let’s repeat that: 40-plus minutes of rubber band placement, followed by a half-second watermelon explosion, got 800,000 viewers. That tells you all you need to know about why publishers and broadcasters are starting to take live video very seriously.

I am inclined to agree. If the technology can be made easy-to-use and easier-to-view, then I can see this becoming not just a corporate or marketing tool, but something that will eventually infiltrate the mass market at the consumer level. Just think of it – birthdays, graduations, maybe even funerals! That’s just scratching the surface. Of course, I tend to think porn will lead the way in widespread adoption… like with everything else.

Words I will never forget…

I will confess to being a bit naive when I came to launch a career in Hollywood back in 1991. I started in the mailroom of UTA (United Talent Agency), with other post-grads looking to make copies and messenger scripts in hopes of landing on an agent’s desk. I also started reading scripts voraciously, and had a blast doing so.

But one of the most important things I learned was in a book by famed screenwriter William Goldman (“The Sting,” “The Princess Bride,” and many, many others) titled Adventures In The Screen Trade. Many old-timers will know this, but it is repeated throughout the book:

“Nobody knows anything.”

Simply put, he means that no single person can say with any certainty what will and won’t succeed. Every time a movie or series is proposed with a seemingly can’t-fail cast, director, premise, whatever, a few go down in flames.

Which brings me to “Batman v Superman.” Iconic comic heroes in a effects-laden extravaganza would appear to be a no-brainer. Yet, after a very impressive opening weekend, it seems that Warner Brothers may be changing its tune. For every one of these, there’s a “Sixth Sense,” “My Big, Fat Greek Wedding,” etc. Thus proving William Goldman’s prophetic phrase.

Words I will never forget… and neither should you.

Is this the new normal for content?

I am, unabashedly, a fan of “The Walking Dead” and its offspring, “The Talking Dead” (not to be confused with its spinoff, “Fear The Walking Dead,” which I also watch). And I’ve followed with great interest the success of an inexpensive show that piggybacks on the success of the original, in “The Talking  Dead.”

But when I read this article about “Game Of Thrones” having a new discussion show that will stream instead of air on television, it made me think. Is this the new normal for a successful television series? And will it eventually apply to other forms of content? I can easily envisage a multi-platform universe that entails print (text), video, film, etc., that is the  equivalent of a book club, but based on subject instead of format.

AMC is currently attempting a similar effort with “Better Call Saul,” and I think the jury is still out. I was skeptical when I first heard about it, but perhaps I was wrong. It does beg the question, however, as to what constitutes the conditions necessary to build profit off an existing property. Is “Empire” next? How about “Batman V. Superman”?

As I was saying…

I just posted this item last week about creators taking control of their own distribution, and then I see this article about actress Elizabeth Banks doing the exact same thing! Not to blow my own horn, but blow I must.

The holy grail for established talent is to pursue their passion without the intrusion or oversight of the proverbial suits. Often, at studios and networks, it is some twenty-something with a friend or family member in the business who landed a job that gives them veto authority. Often, projects are evaluated not by how good they could be, but by providing sufficient “plausible deniability.” In other words, if a movie bombs at the box office or in the ratings, were their sufficient reasons (read “attachments”) that a superior couldn’t blame them. A famous example was the 1990 film “Havana” that was famously packaged by CAA featuring multiple Oscar winners, yet bombed at the box office.

I’m quite sure (although open to being proven wrong) that Kevin Spacey and David Fincher signed on to “House Of Cards” with Netflix because of the artistic freedom they would be given, as opposed to any major television network. Don’t underestimate the frustration that artists encounter with these so-called suits.

No man is an island, but will every creator be a channel?

I recall the time back in 2000 that I reached out to David Kelley (creator of “Ally McBeal” and others) about his interest in writing for an internet site, as opposed to his studio at 20th Century Fox TV. In retrospect, I realize how silly that suggestion must have sounded, but it goes to an idea that I am starting to see in every corner of the digital media universe.

In reading this item from Mashable (Kevin Hart, Lionsgate team up for ‘Laugh Out Loud’ streaming service), I thought that there are now creators who have achieved a certain level of distinction which might warrant venturing out on one’s own. Sure, I had thought David Kelley had reached it back in 2000, but now folks like  Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell have launched web channels that stand alone. And it’s not just comedy – there is FiveThirtyEight from polling wunderkind Nate Silver, Nerdist from Chris Hardwick, and so on.

This begs the question, what is the measure of notoriety that would inspire someone to launch their own channel? One interesting microcosm is YouTube. As certain YouTube stars reach incredible numbers of subscribers, I have to ask when they might decide they can do better on their own – with their own video platform, advertising sales force, production facilities, etc. – than relying on YouTube. Certainly, FunnyOrDie is one example, and perhaps PewDiePie will be next (43 million YouTube subscribers and counting).

It seems that Kevin Hart has decided to let Lionsgate handle some of these duties, but the trend of sports leagues illustrates the perils of becoming too reliant on a creator (or copyright holder) for content, when that person or group may decide going it alone is too profitable to ignore. Just look as ESPN’s effect on Disney’s stock price recently. That seems to be the direction that Netflix, Amazon and Hulu are going. I suppose we’ll see…

Is this the start of true VR content?

With the Oculus Rift now hitting shelves, and competing headsets either already here, or on the way, what is the future of virtual reality? Ever since seeing VR5 on Fox in the mid-1990s, and “The Lawnmower Man” with Jeff Fahey in 1992, I’ve longed for a story that matched the promise of virtual reality. And, according to AdAge, so are others out there.

You’ve probably seen the “Hardcore Henry” trailer recently, and I am fearful that this is the start of content specifically designed for virtual reality. In the same way that writing for video games differs from interactive television, which differs from sequential storytelling, there needs to be a compelling reason to see a story told via a special mechanism or appliance. I can’t tell you how often I was lured into 3-D movies with the red and blue glasses, only to be bored silly with the inane plots and exaggerated movements. Many of you will recall the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, too, and they all point to the faddish nature of these efforts.

There is a lot of money invested, and at stake, in the next iteration of tech-based storytelling, and the first to crack that code will likely become very wealthy. But with the recent history of these kind of efforts, I will not hold my breath, because the many will try, but few will succeed – at least, for a while.

 

This sounds a lot like TV Land…

So, Fullscreen is introducing a subscription service, and in reviewing its offerings, I was struck by how much it sounds like another version of the cable network, TV Land.

The $4.99-per-month subscription will feature scripted and unscripted original content as well as movies and TV shows from the ’80s and ’90s like “Saved by the Bell,”…

My question is, will TV Land compete for these online viewers by simply taking its expertise from cable to the internet? And will this see the start of bidding war for access to old television shows and other content?

Ultimately, it does point to the need for every player to create their own unique content, much like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu are doing now.

What kind of customer are you?

When I first entered the entertainment industry – specifically, the television business – I was introduced to the concept that programming was just the fluff between the commercials. The financial model was relatively simple: Make programs that people want to see, then pay for them with commercials that will hopefully entice those same people to purchase the items being advertised. You had a product, then exposed people to it via commercials, then people bought (or didn’t) buy the product.

But in reading this article from AdAge about the traditional “sales funnel” – and all you marketing folks will know that term – you might be inclined to agree with this:

“The sales funnel isn’t changing — it’s completely and utterly dead.”

But I’m not so sure. It is certainly in a state of flux, but the concept is still grounded in the scientific method. You create a model, test it, repeat it, and decide if the results are reliable. What I think we’re learning is that consumers have individual, but identifiable, traits and behaviors that help categorize their buying process. The author has one that is likely a result of his past experience with purchasing, and the ensuing sense of satisfaction he had with it. But I find that people have a “communication disposition” which reflects many aspects of their personality. If a person is uncomfortable with contemporaneous speaking, he/she may prefer a chat or email exchange. Some may prefer to use a big screen or small screen. Others may need to touch the product, or see it in action.

We are getting increasingly identified by our habits that reflect our comfort zone. This will be an important consideration in how marketers find and influence their target market. Exactly how is a work-in-progress.

Will newspapers become the TV networks of the internet?

The great thing about getting the many email newsletters everyday about what’s happening in the world of digital media is that it always seems to spark a thought that becomes a post for this website. And today, I read this AdAge article about newspapers consolidating as a means of survival in this new age of publishing.

It feels to me a lot like how the Big Three (or four) networks acquired numerous local television stations to be their distributors to the local markets. We have KABC, KCBS, and KNBC in Los Angeles. There’s WABC in New York, and so on. But are newspapers collecting the smaller fish in a particular market to establish a foothold and expand their audience?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming months and years. Where do you go for local news? I know that most television stations have sites with it available, but when a small newspaper can no longer survive financially, can the likes of the LA Times or Washington Post provide a home that will preserve its unique identity, but also benefit from the parent entity’s reputation?

Are there gay zombies?

As reported in the Los Angeles Times this morning, a few entertainment companies are getting anxious about a new anti-gay law that is awaiting the governor’s signature. Being a die-hard “The Walking Dead” fan, my first thought was about the existence of gay zombies.

AMC Networks — the New York owner of several cable channels, including AMC, and IFC Films — called on Deal to veto the Free Exercise Protection Act. AMC’s hit show “The Walking Dead” is filmed mainly in Georgia.

But my second thought was a little more serious. This is exhibit A for where policy meets reality in real America. And there are actual consequences for some of the extreme laws that get passed, especially on a local level. And I would hope that there are more shoes to drop. If you’re a foreign car maker with plants in the South, you might be wary about expanding there if your gay employees might face government-sanctioned discrimination.

This is not really anything about digital media, but it does illustrate how American politics can infect other industries, for good or ill.