秋季电视发布:是时候让OTT加入进来了?

每年9月, 五大电视网(ABC, 哥伦比亚广播公司, 狐狸, 美国全国广播公司, and PBS) generate a tremendous amount of buzz for themselves through the annual fall TV season launch.

Never mind that the event is a throwback to a time when a) broadcast TV was the only game in town, and b) the lead time needed to script and then shoot shows forced the networks to plan well in advance of program airdates. 即使在今天的多媒体, 多平台的宇宙, the fall TV season launch is still a hypeworthy event; if only to give the Big Five a reason to trumpet their continued existence to the general public—and advertisers. Online video publishers have already copied the TV networks by presenting their version of the networks' upfronts with the 数字newfronts.

对于OTT内容制作商, 供应商, 和经销商, the media attention garnered by the fall TV season launch poses a question: Should OTT content publishers and networks get in on the action, by staging their own "season launch" at the same time?

“是也不是，”迈克·罗特曼回答. 他是 Streamin的车库—home of Stupid for Movies, Stripped Down Live with Curt Smith, and Super Scary Horror Theater—and head of production for the premium YouTube channel Bammo.

“There is so much going on when it comes to web TV series, that it would be good to know when the major shows are coming out: Having a fall launch would do this,罗特曼说. “另一方面, if everybody comes out with announcements for the same time period—given how many OTT 供应商 there are—the best shows could get swamped.”

在 MyDamnChannel.com-每周新闻之家, WainyDays, and Daddy Knows Best—founder/CEO Rob Barnett is open to the idea of a fall 奥特电视 season launch. After all, “we've always believed in stealing pages from the TV playbook,他说. This is why “we are developing a major new programming initiative this summer for launch in Q4, but we're not announcing the details until this new baby monster is out of the oven.”

这个说, Barnett’s penchant for "stealing from the TV playbook" is focused on innovative content production and timely distribution, 而不是定时升职. “In an ever-overcrowded world online, programming is the key,” he explains. 这就是为什么MyDamnChannel.com is quite happy to get new, compelling content online as soon as it can.

一个恰当的例子是:“2012年, 我们推出了最雄心勃勃的节目计划, 为YouTube创建My Damn Channel LIVE,巴内特说。. “我们每天下午4点直播喜剧节目.m. 在东部 www.YouTube.com/MyDamnChannel and all episodes can be seen on the MyDamnChannel site as well. 主持人贝丝·霍伊特与观众进行现场互动, 采访名人嘉宾, and premieres episodes from over 30 original comedy series.”

鉴于2012年还没到9月, My Damn Channel clearly didn’t wait for the fall to inaugurate its live content. This is because today’s audience wants fresh content now, rather than having to sit through summer reruns as their parents did

“The audience wants to rely on daily and weekly programming [that is new and fresh],” Barnett says. “The advertisers have the best shot capturing audience if the programming is consistent [in quality and newness].”

在 Streamin的车库, Mike Rotman is sympathetic to Barnett’s argument. “YouTube上每天都有新内容出现, 等到九月真的不是个好主意,他说. “At the same time, we can se the value of riding on network TV’s coattails. This is why we will be relaunching Super Scary Horror Theater in the fall, 利用新赛季的炒作.”

The moral to this tale: The wisest move for OTT operators may be to keep pumping out fresh content 12 months a year, while still holding one-two big series for the fall TV season launch. 这种方式, OTT can continue to catch the Big Five napping for 11 months of the year, while sharing in some of their thunder during September.