Influx Insights Tag Feed: networks

the real power and threat of social networks

Influx Insights — 2007-08-12T12:47:26Z

"The deep structure of future human connection is being contrived, now, on the web, and it will slowly unseat other systems, like an oak tree growing in a churchyard, encroaching on the cathedral's foundations with roots that are deeper and stronger than artifice can achieve. This is in us, it is in the wiring, and social tools are allowing us to rechannel our ancient tribal past in a post-industrial future. Nothing can stop it."

Stowe Boyd

Posted by Ed Cotton

prosumers in television

Influx Insights — 2007-06-14T14:14:31Z

Everyone’s got a voice, thanks to the Internet. It’s arguably the one level playing field we’ve got left (despite the ongoing net neutrality debate).

Just google something seemingly random like, say, dethroned dot com CEOs of the 90s, and see how many personal accounts you get.

Consumers are now, more than ever, voicing their opinions. And it doesn’t stop with products. There’s been an uproar to stop the cancellation of CBS show Jericho and a more recent incident involving another show’s final episode.

It’s no trivial, forgettable number of people either. Jericho came back and the latter event crashed HBO’s website.

Will the Internet give consumers client-like ability to kill or keep content?
Will television ultimately become just another user-generated media?

It depends on whether the networks see it as a problem they need to address or a new era to be at the forefront of.

Studies by the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs show that the dissatisfied customer may tell as many as 11 people about his or her disappointment. Bring the Internet into such an equation and it’s hard not to picture the networks strategically considering the potential of controversy.

After all, a crashing website is a disaster from a technical standpoint.
But from a communications approach, there’s no such thing as too many hits.

Posted by katie facada

can you get money out of the long tail?

Influx Insights — 2007-05-20T23:42:23Z

Techcrunch has a post about a new online media company Next New Networks that plans create new “micro networks”. However, it appears that many of its channels appear to fall into fairly macro topic areas-

There’s an indy film channel that will find itself going head to head with Sundance and IFC

A couple of auto channels that will be up against, every newspaper in the country, Autoblog, The Speed Channel and Discovery

To quote Techcrunch-

“The content is niche targeted so it’s not going to appeal to everyone.”

That’s exactly the same proposition as all of Next New Networks competitors. The problem is although the “Long Tail” is all about lots of quality niche opportunities, advertisers and their agencies, can’t with the odd exception, get beyond the idea that quantity is the only thing that matters.

That’s the problem for all these new niche media opportunities; it’s easy to find the niches, monetizing them is the tricky part, so you end up ratcheting up the subject matter to get a broader audience and find yourself competing with “big media”.

This trend will continue until people can find a way to think differently about media value.

reality tv -10 years on

Influx Insights — 2007-05-17T23:01:58Z

The Guardian reports on three pilot concepts for reality shows being considered by the networks.

RealityLASIK - a show following models as they go through laser surgery to improve their eyesight;

Wedding SOS, featuring betrothed couples stressed out about their pending nuptials and in need of a wedding planner;

Anchorwoman, where an urbane east or west coast model (again) is sent to a hick southern town to present on a local TV channel.

Of course, there's always the reality shows that we are going to see this season. CBS's Lord of the Flies, or as they prefer to call it, Kid Nation.

global torrent

Influx Insights — 2007-06-14T14:14:09Z

Observers of the media and entertainment scene understand the tremendous power of torrent sites to wreck domestic havoc for the networks.

It’s well known that 720p copies of Fox’s 24 find their way onto torrent sites 20 minutes after the show goes off the air.

However, most people tend to see the issue through a US lens, when it’s really a global issue.

Worldwide sales of TV shows contribute significant chunks of revenue to the networks, but it appears those sales are being undermined.

The Swedish Broadcast Statistics Institute just released their 2007 report, which included the following findings:

-   Swedish youngsters watch an average of 1 hour of pirated television a week
-   The most popular show is Prison Break- 35% of the past months viewers had seen the show via P2P networks
-   The main reasons given for watching shows via P2P were- control over viewing times and not having to wait for the shows to make across to the broadcast networks in Sweden

The last point is especially interesting; although movie studios are increasingly looking to global release dates for movies, TV show sales lag behind.

One interesting reverse example is the Discovery Channel’s Blue Planet, currently airing in the US, but the series first aired on the BBC last year. Many people here in the US have already seen the series, they downloaded it a year ago from torrent sites.

Three questions:

1.   Can the TV networks speed up their global sales process and sell their shows faster?
2.   As the networks increasingly look to offer content online through their own websites, will they “lock out” overseas viewers?
3.   Will the faster adoption of US shows lead an accelerated adoption of trends and ideas in overseas markets?