The On-Demand Trap
Here is the latest in my ongoing series of essays, TV News in a Postmodern World. I consider this to be among the most important I’ve written, because it raises issues relative to the current on-demand frenzy that many broadcasters see as a way out of the untenable position of shrinking audiences. Since I essentially coined the phrase “unbundled media,” I’m clearly not “against” on-demand as a strategy. However, I think it’s extremely dangerous to bet the ranch on it alone. Moreover, I think the greater downstream opportunities are in aggregating other people’s content, and this essay offers arguments as to why.
May 25th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Brilliant… just brilliant. This reassessment of content is clearly painful for those of us who thought we were primarily in the content business. It’s also going to be hard for many of us to rethink how we scale our production efforts to get the biggest bang for the buck. We all have important work to do. These essays give us paths to follow. Thanks!