Franklin Delano Roosevelt once stated: “Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But, by all means, try something.†These words ring true when looking at the current television ecosystem which has been recently stirred by the shift in television and film content consumption.
Viewers are experiencing content in new ways and on new devices. In addition to their living room television set, they are turning to their computers and mobile phones to watch television shows and movies. They are rapidly rejecting appointment-based, linear programming structured around channels. They want everything on-demand, on their terms. This shift in television content consumption has forced the entertainment marketplace into two camps. On one side stand companies that are willing to adapt, try new methods and meet consumers’ demands. On the other side lie those who remain stagnant and are struggling to hold onto a model that is quickly slipping away.
As the Internet has democratized video to the extent that it has become more ubiquitous than ever, it is critical that the different constituents in the television industry form strategic alliances. These groups include content providers, advertisers and Internet Service Providers, each requiring the willingness to adapt their business models accordingly. For example, as television syndication falls and DVD sales plummet, content providers seek new distribution channels. Advertisers need more addressable, efficient and actionable impressions. Internet Service Providers must deploy new services that leverage their existing infrastructure. And all three groups actively seek new revenue streams and new entertainment services that provide innovative revenue-share opportunities.
These demands need not be at odds with each other. Previously-disparate businesses have the opportunity to partner and monetize their assets in a way that enables them to succeed. There is an opportunity for entertainment service providers to unite these three groups and help address their various needs. By doing so, these groups will ultimately offer viewers the entertainment services they desire, while at the same time opening up new business models and revenue streams for themselves.
ZillionTV is working to unite these groups by partnering with content owners, Internet service providers and advertisers to deliver a breakthrough television entertainment platform that gives television lovers instant access to an extensive entertainment library of new and classic TV shows, movies, sports, music and more – all on-demand and delivered directly to their television sets. To borrow again from President Roosevelt, we must “try something,†and this just might work.
Mitchell Berman is Executive Chairman at ZillionTV.
