The Video iPod
Unless you’ve been in a coma, you must have heard the news: Yesterday Apple Computer announced a video-enabled iPod and video content for it available for purchase through the iTunes Music Store.
This is, well, huge, because (1) it’s Apple’s first small step into the video-on-demand business, and if they do this right, they’ll own it, and (2) forget podcasts; now vidcasters like Jenn Cutter can get their content into the hands of white earbud users everywhere.
So is this the death of TV or what?
It’ll take a while (the coming holiday shopping season, at least) for this new “wide-pod” to gain significant market share; perhaps in the meantime sometime can ‘splain to me how vidcasters are going to make any kind of money to sustain their ongoing efforts. It’s one thing to muck around with a microphone, but quite another to plan, shoot, edit and deliver video programming on a regular basis.
Advertising could support vidcasts, I suppose, but wouldn’t it be cool if Apple would let the little guy content producers charge for their wares just like the big boys do, and collect the cash for them through the iTunes Music Store?
That might really end up being the death of TV, in the best possible way…
Ed Miller are discussing. 
Ed Miller 11:05 AM on October 14, 2005 Permalink |
AC:
The video iPod is a pretty interesting wrinkle in this whole “convergence” thing. I don’t think the big media or telecom companies realize how easy it will be for little people to become major players through easily-accessible technology. Like what has happened in the music industry, I think film and TV are about to see the start of a major shakeup in how things are done, what people watch, and who makes the money. Count me in!
Ed
Andrew Currie 11:16 AM on October 14, 2005 Permalink |
Hi Ed,
That’s exactly my question… Who makes money?
I agree 100% that having home-grown video programming available alongside content from major broadcasters is a wonderful thing. But those episodes of “Lost” are already paid for; how’s the little guy going to make a living off of this?
Andrew Currie 1:21 AM on October 16, 2005 Permalink |
Here’s another take on the situation, by some guy named Mark Cuban:
http://www.blogmaverick.com/entry/1234000617063228/
Ed Miller 11:16 AM on October 17, 2005 Permalink |
AC:
Sadly, I think it’ll be a different set of big companies making the money. The telecoms, cable companies, Apple and Microsoft, and the current film/TV/DVD conglomerates will probably fight it out. Of course, we’ve had Bell here in Canada already become a content creator with CTV and the Globe & Mail, so I’m probably raising an out-of-date point. but it would be nice, though, to see someone make enough money from an indie site to pay a mortgage….
Ed
Andrew Currie 11:56 AM on October 19, 2005 Permalink |
Of course, how silly of me… Here’s how vidcasters make money from the new iPods:
http://povpod.com/
