Consumers have become zombies, hungry to zone-out on video content, how can print first publishers survive?
A sea-change is occurring in the digital content landscape, posing an extinction-level threat to the publishing industry. Video is on a path to become the dominant form of content consumed. It is predicted that by 2019, 80% of Internet traffic will be video.[1] As attention spans continue to dwindle below that of a studious goldfish and consumers become increasingly stubborn to engage, video is dethroning all other content as king. Two thirds of millennials would rather watch than read to get information, a number that is skyrocketing with each successive generation.[2] If publishers do not heavily invest in video and an OTT distribution strategy to fortify their brands, judgment day may be swiftly approaching for this centuries-old industry.
If content is King, video has become a Deity.
Two decades ago, publishers faced a similarly bleak outlook. Their industry was in peril due to a rapid shift in technology; the transition from print to digital. The Internet became ubiquitous and consumer preferences for content consumption turned from ink to screens. Pundits and insiders feared the collapse of the entire industry was imminent as the masses turned almost exclusively to the cyber-world for information. Rather than dissolving into irrelevance, publishers pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and rapidly developed a business model to reflect a digital first mindset. Magazines were made available digitally and their websites became vibrant communities of new information generating tremendous traffic. The publishing industry endured a systematic change in the way content is consumed, pioneering lucrative new revenue streams in the process.
Once again positioned at a similarly transformative juncture, most publishers’ path to prosperity is clear – evolve or die. Established magazine brands equipped with millions of subscribers and strong name recognition are fortuitously positioned to capitalize on the emerging OTT video ecosystem – an ecosystem made possible by the fall of cable and the rise of unbundled content.
Publishers’ built in fanbases are thirsty for niche’ videos produced by their favorite magazines. Aided by years of expertise in their respective field, magazines should not find developing video content of value a challenge, nor should encouraging their passionate fans to download branded video streaming apps. For the publishers with a pliable distribution strategy, the threat of video is merely a chance to lead OTT’s wave of creative destruction and leave the cadavers of slow-to-adapt competitors in their wake.
How to Capitalize:
Publishers know the content game. Let Unreel, a member and approved vendor of the MPA, take care of the distribution. Rapidly launch video streaming services for each of your brands with custom apps across every platform. Instantly ingest video content you already have from any source and upload new exclusive content directly to your properties. Don’t have a deep video library? Unreel can provide you with premium content in your genre from our extensive syndication library. Manage your empire from a single admin and monetize content however you would like, be it with subscriptions, ads or VOD. Unreel is already working with some of the worlds largest publishers to power their OTT strategy.
Check out Bonnier Corporation’s Unreel powered apps ‘On Two Wheels’ and the Enthusiast network’s ‘Recoil’ apps to see prime examples of what Unreel is able to do for publishers in a short amount of time.
To learn more how Unreel can help your magazine brands develop a video OTT strategy click here!
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If you shop around looking for a turnkey OTT service you will find many companies offering similar cookie-cutter solutions. To work with them you request basic video streaming apps, wait an undisclosed amount of time as they are built, upload your videos, launch your properties and sell content. What you will also find is a costly fee each month based on data used to host your videos in the cloud. This charge to store your content on their servers can quickly escalate to a small fortune if you are trying to scale a network with an immense video library. To the OTT providers it seems fair; server space is an expense that can easily be passed on to the customers. This policy also serves as insurance; if they are so lucky as to bag a substantial partner, charging based on storage space used allows them to leach off of their costumer’s size, meaning they do not miss out on extra profits when working with established brands. This model for cloud hosting on OTT essentially penalizes the content owner for adding content, curbing them from taking necessary steps to make their apps profitable.
Upload terabytes of video without spending a dime.
As you wiggle your way out from under Maker studio’s thumb, you are entering a new world where YouTuber creators without a network are self-distributing and monetizing content with the support of 
Networks brimming with content and individual creators are in need of apps to own their distribution on new platforms . The market has already demonstrated that niche’ apps for specific genres of content, brands, and creators assure a built-in audience and therefore instant usership. Digital networks are sitting pretty, backed by armies of creators with content easily pushed to vertical driven apps. Traditional networks are also well positioned to dive headfirst into the OTT app pool with each of their unique content offerings attracting established fans. All networks will need apps for each brand/genre in their portfolio, leaving them with the daunting task of managing hundreds of individual properties. The future of SmartTV will be the networks that can manage and leverage their multitude of apps from a central CMS and drive engagement with an optimized user experience across all their properties.
Cross-promotion breeds increased engagement.
Vevo recently announced their plans for music world domination that includes establishing an OTT empire. The price tag for their expansion, a cool $500 mill; much of which will be necessary to build the tech for their apps. Although Vevo’s situation is different than most, the sticker shock associated with a truly connected OTT platform may leave many networks with cold feet.
The fact that the film industry is prepared to significantly impact their primary source of revenue, ticket sales, in order to maximize profits by self-distributing speaks volumes about the value of OTT.
