Delivering Web Video to TV – How Will It Affect Content Creators?

In the recent months we see new ways to deliver web videos to your television. Apple TV, and Tivo’s new features are just two examples of this trend. With new Media Centers out there, we can assume that this trend will increase in both magnitude and importance.

How will it affect the world of independent content creators? I believe that this process is a double edge sword:

1 . We will see more exposure to independent content creators – as shows like Ask a Ninja and Something To Be Desired will be shown on living room TV sets, one of the major barriers of entry to these new media creators will be removed – people won’t need to watch video online, but in their regular TV. Though seems logical, I believe that this process will take some time to happen. Though Tivo users are not necessarily early adopters I still believe that it will take some time till my mother will use media center. Therefore, it is not clear how many new users will start watching web shows, as I assume that media savvy early adopters already watch them.

2. Production quality will rise – though current production quality of indie content creators is very good, when moving from small video screen in a web site to full blown TV format, things change. In the 3D animation company I had in the past, we had a clear distinction between productions for internet, mobile, television, and cinema as the effort to create high quality show is correlated with screen size in some aspects. Small details are more apparent.

3. And it will be harder to beat the competition – today most people do not expect the same level of product from internet video as they expect from television show. When users will be able to see a web show, and a minute later another episode of Studio 60 or Prison Break, their level of expectation will change, starting with script level, through actors, and general production value. This is THE major challenge for indie content creators in my opinion – as they begin to be an alternative to regular television.

4. Indie content creators will change the type of content they are creating – from short, 5-8 minutes flicks, to longer formats. The attention span in television is longer than in the internet, and people are willing to watch longer formats there. However, it might prove to be the killer of this industry. Longer formats are usually more expensive, and complicated to produce. As production cost and complexity rise, the competitive advantage of indie content creators, the ability to create quality content cheaply, is lost. Time will tell if there are enough talented creators to face the high profile, high cost productions out there. It might be that this will be the first wave of Creative Darwinism, when only the most talented content creators will survive.

How do you see it?

More to come…

VON07 / Network2 Link-O-Rama

So, here it is – the complete link guide to the most interesting people I met in VON07 in N2 events (yes, it includes the lounge party, after party and the whole party thing), in no particular order:

Jim Long, founder of Verge New Media, NBC cameraman at day and entrepreneur at night.

Don Loeb, VP of Partner Services at FeedBurner, who gave a great presentation about the evolution of media distribution

Casey McKinnon, Galacticast executive producer, the group which made my favorite N2 submission of all.

E. Barlow Keener (didn’t know he has such a long name, everyone call him Barlow), my favorite MA lawyer, and a relentless networker who wants to do something with ads

Brian Conley, the guy behind Alive in Baghdad

Revital Westriech Reitzes, VP of Business Development of Payoneer, an Israeli who lives in the US, with the longest name I’ve ever heard for a business development person.

David Kowarsky, the guy with the cam, and the creator of Focus for N2

Mike Walsh, independent media and technology consultant from HK, who kept stealing my WiFi signal

Dovev Gouldstein, Founder of VooV, who has an extremely close relationship with Chris

Roxanne Darling, from Bare Feet Studios, that make Hawaii look even better

Hillel Scheinfeld, COO of Qoof, a user generated advertisement (usermercial) company , that tried to sell me a watch all the time

Christian Oxholm Zigler, CEO of Play Networks, who was a long way from home.

Justin Kownacki, the producer of Something To Be Desired, and a guy that finds a story in everything he sees

Karen Blanchette, ECC (Extreme Chick in Charge), the woman behind SkyDiveGirls, extreme sport show for women

Dina Kaplan, COO of Blip.TV, whom I wrote about already

Chaim Goldman, the guy behind IsraelHighTech.tv, and a full blown Zionist entrepreneur

Michael Bailey, President and CTO of Mobasoft, who was not in Kansas anymore, was kind enough to listen to a telecom panel, and didn’t have a liver

Bart Amelinckx, (no, it is not a typo, this is his name, really), xSP relation manager at Belgacom, and a great drinking buddy

Chris O’brien, CEO of Motionbox, who presented some very interesting ideas in his panel re video mixing for dummies

Jeff, Chris

and one British embassy rep.

Thank you all for a great week – reflections coming soon…

BTW – if you are going to do the same, please tag it with N2 LinkORama…