I worked for a small internet startup for just under two years. The company’s management was smitten with the potential of online media distribution and community generated content. In the way that cable allowed content creators to appeal to more focused demographics, the company hoped to connect with the most niche of audiences. The company struggled to make the connection with its first targeted demographic.
We built it, but they didn’t come. The failure was the management’s inability to connect the content produced (video, blogs, podcasts, photos) with what the target audience was willing to engage with online. For example, an older demographic may not be interested in watching short videos, much less shooting their own, on the internet. This demographic may have enjoyed reading a personal anecdote more than watching amateur video of flyfishermen.
Larger, traditional media producers have begun experimenting with online distribution. Their content may appeal to a wide audience, but they have been hesitant to grant access because of piracy concerns and an unproven revenue model. When the companies have made content available online, the access has been merely a replacement for television viewing. However, organizations like PBS have embraced the flexibility of online video and the ability to enhance the video content with supplemental media. (See how PBS is experimenting.) When the hesitation of piracy is exchanged with creating great content and exposing it to as many people as possible, companies will find an audience. In PBS’s case, users stay longer and engage with the content more deeply. Advertisers will want a part of that. Content producers just need to create the content for an interested audience.
Identifying the point where content, delivery method, and audience come together was the first step we took in our current project. Intersections like these mark all the promise of the internet marketplace, as they do in more traditional media delivery channels. The intersection is still unproven and will remain unstructured until more content producers are willing to take the bold step, but we believe that day is coming. Ultimately, it’s good for getting more quality content and it’s good for those wanting it.
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