So much speculation on how TV might change and what content deals are being hammered out. But ultimately, I’m worried that, much like Music, all we’re going to get from TV is some terrible network-style pricing scheme for non-cable users.
I want a revolution.
Back in the day when broadcasting was done over airwaves, networks had a valuable commodity. The tightly regulated licenses needed to beam information to your home made networks powerful as they had total control over what got beamed to who and when. So they would go to studios and commission them to make shows, then sell advertising on top of those shows and broadcast it all right to you.
Today is different, the airwaves no longer matter and, as such, neither do the networks. Which means, the power should be not with the networks- but with the studios.
Here’s what I want.
I want Apple (or someone) to make the deals directly with the studios and cut off this silly “network” mark-up. I want shows available from iTunes, directly from the studio that produced it, and priced as such...
Free, with Ads. Apple can produce and source very nice, iAd style banners that barely interrupt my program by appearing in the bottom or corner for just a moment like a notification. Or a quick, 30 second ad at strategic breaks. And, because it’s Apple, if I’m interested, I can use Handoff on any of my devices to quickly open more info on the ad and maybe go straight to ordering a thing. Super quick, minimally intrusive, and highly interactive.
Paid, Season Pass. If I don’t want ads, I should be able to pay for a season of a show. This is available today, mind you, and even in advance with the “Season Pass” option. If you’re not familiar, Season Pass means you pay up front for the whole season and get each new episode as it becomes available. So, when Big Bang Theory starts up in September, I’ll have the option to drop $40ish bucks to get each episode the day after it airs on the network. High-definition, no commercials, on-demand. The problem, of course, is that you can’t get that currently with “live” current play; so you’re always a few hours behind. Not great for “spoiler” junkies, but I’ll address them in a moment...
Paid, Subscription. My biggest problem with Season Pass is I don’t always want to shell out $40 a season up-front because most shows start at the same time and that makes September more expensive than Christmas. My solution, however, already exists for many other apps so it wouldn’t be tough. Add a weekly subscription option. I get the Season Pass discounted price if I sign up to buy the whole season, but I get billed weekly. At an average of $2 an episode (not much considering on-demand and no ads), if I watch 10 shows a week religiously, I’m only out $20 every Friday. That same number of shows in the Season Pass model means shelling out around $400 up front. It’s a significant difference.
And remember, in both paid models, I get to keep the content. I’m not just “streaming” it; I own it.
All of this can be further supplemented by the studios by product placement in their shows. Studios could have channels in iTunes like artists have pages. Perhaps even actors could have pages like Connect so I can follow and actor I like and see everything they’re appearing in. Again, more ways to source content that avoid the network’s involvement. Or maybe do bundles (like app bundles) of shows with a particular actor or studio together to foster discovery and create discounts.
Bottom line, I think the studios need to wake up and look at how the world has changed. They don’t need the networks anymore to get their shows made- the fans could support them. I want a radical change in how we get content. Fingers crossed.
(A quick word on the “spoiler” junkies. This mass psychosis that is “FOMO” or “Fear of Missing Out” is childish nonsense to me. And yet, it’s what’s driving so much of how these things get designed and priced. Take HBO Now for example. People FREAKED OUT when they couldn’t watch Game of Thrones live because, god forbid, they didn’t see it happen before everyone started yammering on Twitter about it. That’s all well and good, but understand that for that level of shared experience to exist, you need a network. That’s what networks are made for- showing everyone the same thing at the same time-ish [less we forget about a silly little thing called time-zones]. Point is, I believe MOST and certainly rational people don’t suffer this nonsensical “FOMO” thing and actually prefer to watch shows on-demand and not have to set their lives around appointment TV. If I’m right, my above ideas are great. If appointment viewing is still an important thing, you need a 4th option that I frankly don’t care enough to write about. That’s just my opinion…)
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