Week in Review: What We Learned From The NewFronts: Digital Wants To Be Like TV; Live Streaming Is The New Black
The NewFronts are just about over which makes this an excellent time to review what we learned this year.
- Digital Wants To Be Like TV
Hulu and Crackle, two of the biggest online players, want to be a whole lot like television. In fact, they’ve even changed the name of their events from “NewFront” to “Upfront.” That actually makes a lot of sense to us, given that both services look and feel a lot more like television than they do like online (which is not that surprising, given that the vast majority of their content originally ran on television.)Hulu came out with an interesting stat about that too, it seems 70% of their viewership happens on an actual TV set. That sounds about right to us, and readers should file that away as the likely place all of TV will wind up down the road (70% viewed on a TV set, 30% on mobile devices and PCs.)Why It MattersThe definition of “TV” is growing and changing. Just because Hulu and Crackle (and Netflix and Amazon) are only available digitally doesn’t mean they’re a separate medium. As more traditional TV gets delivered via IP too (Verizon already has plans to do so) the distinction become even more meaningless. Long-form, high production value video is television. No matter how it gets to you..What You Need To Do About ItMake sure your agency is distinguishing between digital-that’s-really-TV and digital-that’s-just-digital. Context still matters, but there’s not any real difference between TV shows that run on Hulu and and shows that run on NBC, especially when, in the case of Hulu, they’re the same shows. Bottom line: delivery method should not be a distinguishing factor in an ad buy.
- Live Streaming Is The New Black
Every NewFront this year seemed to have a section devoted to live streaming. Live streaming for eSports, for #Creators, for series, for no real reason at all. Will all this live streaming actually work? Probably not. But that’s like asking if “all these new TV shows” will succeed. There are a lot of variables, a lot of lessons to still be learned and live streaming is still in its nascency. But if we have learned one thing, it’s that once a technology is out there and getting some play, it’s likely that it will find an audience. The question is what size.Our guess is that live streaming will work in instances where it’s warranted, where it seems to be a natural extension of the programming (e.g. live broadcasts of an e-gaming match, rather than just a random live stream of a news story that’s not particularly topical.Why It MattersLive is different. It’s more immediate, more engaging and can potentially draw a much larger audience than traditional streaming, particularly for brands who are looking to reach audiences who are all watching simultaneously. That gives it a lot of potential especially around time-sensitive promotions.What You Need To Do About ItKeep a close eye on how live streaming is being received and which live streams seem to be doing best. Think about when and why (and if) you’d want to reach a mass audience simultaneously and understand how a popular live stream broadcast might serve to benefit your brand.And think about sponsorship or native advertising on the live stream. Nobody wants to see an interruptive ad in their stream, especially their live stream. We’ll be back next week with a look at the Upfronts and what we learned there.
