Content is cheaper than you think.
Here's some surprising news: it’s not that expensive to pay for your own content. Maybe I should tally your bill.
Ok, let’s borrow from the average prime time, broadcast ad placement (the Cadillac of media buys) and some Pew research about the shocking amount of TV we all consume … ok, divide that, carry the one. Here’s what I’ve got:And that’s assuming that all the programming we watch is in prime time (the most expensive space). Add in a few repeats of the The Wonder Years and the occasional Sunday morning tour of homes show and I’m betting we can get that number down near $60. And, that’s if we want to buy our content outright vs. share some of our buying power with well-intentioned marketers (like me.)
The trends point to paid content
I think we will pay for it.
And, advertising will have to change.Five converging trends point the way:
- Failure of the old monetization model: We’ve agreed on that by part 4, right?
- The democratization of access: Less expensive computers, free public WiFi, cheaper home connectivity. We’re saving where we used to spend big, potentially freeing up resources to pay for the content instead of the connectivity.
- Contracting news space: Consolidation of our news sources has created fewer voices (and oft-repeated content). The number of authors is actually much smaller than the number of venues (fewer owners of ideas = fewer people who have to agree on the cost of content)
- Distrust of traditional media: Pew recently reported that 63% of us don’t trust the mainstream media – a number that has doubled in a decade. That trend is all tied up in our distrust of advertiser influence, corporate ownership models, etc.
- Boredom with reality programming: Where once we were satisfied with strangers sharing a hot tub, now we demand acrobatics and morbid obesity to attract our bored attention. Eventually, the cheapest programming will run out of new tricks.
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