As the world of digital media continues to evolve, one of the lingering questions about this industry is ‘Why should consumers watch online shows?’ For the purposes of this post, online shows are not those produced by TV studios. They are independent shows, created by companies like Visual Avenue, Revision3, etc.
But, as content producers, have we ever wondered why consumers should watch online shows? The answer for this growing industry is shocking — consumers do not actively seek online shows. Given a person’s daily routine — they get up, go to work or school, come back and watch TV, eat, and sleep. Where’s the time to watch online video? And, more importantly — why watch online video, when most of the content on TV is more appealing and the interaction is higher?
Furthermore, most of the online shows are non-fiction. As in, they’re information and fact driven. Historically, non-fiction content, unless dramatized, performs poorly even on television. Keeping this fact in mind, take a look at the shows that have succeeded on the web — LonelyGirl15, The Guild. Both these shows have a fictional component to them — and captures an online audience.
On the contrary, there are more computers than there are televisions. Yet, text based information sites have been very successful on the web. So — why are consumers not seeking online video programming? Millions of websites are making money. However, a handful of video producers are profitable.
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