Mark Cuban Taunts Techies With an Online Video Timetable
This above video from the Web 2.0 Summit was given the sensational title TV and Movies Still Trump Online Video but I think that oversimplifies a bit much what Mark Cuban is saying. First the key word to focus in on is the word “still” which is the truth if you’re in online video. Because it’s still a medium that’s in the shadow of traditional media. This reflects the world that I work in where even after all of these years online video is the tail and cable TV is still the dog.
I also think that Cuban isn’t denying that will change, and in fact what he seems to be saying is that online video will start to grow, but not overnight. For me the proof of this is the recent uproar from fanboys on the idea that Hulu might charge for their service. To me we won’t reach that promised land until consumers assume that you’ll have to pay for a quality service.
It’s also going to be a generational change that needs to take place as well. My guess is that when the twentysomethings of today start to hit their earning peak that they’ll take their college habits of watching TV on their computers with them, and at that point advertisers will want to follow along with the bulk of their budget.
Yes the early adopters are already writing posts on reddit on how they gave up cable for torrents, but I think that still has a way to go to reach grandma and the grandkids as well. Again to me it’s a question of when rather than if, but the devil is in the details in terms of getting an answer.
Above: When you’re the tail the dog always seems to be a stupid creature, yet the truth is that you’re the same beast. Photo by Jeremiah Owyang.