In addition to the potential for joining Hulu, CBS’s Chief Marketing Officer Patrick Keane addressed the general session at OMMA, providing an overview of the interactive landscape.
Engagement, cross-platform, flexibility & customization, branding & video, and data are all on the agenda.
Video in 2008 looks like search in 2002. It is small compared to its potential, and still barely measurable. Compared to 2004, video is still being held back by high prices, a lack of assets, and the perception that the audience is still relatively small compared to TV.
The web represents a more efficient video delivery network as well as a completely new medium. It needs to be thought about both ways, simultaneously, in order to maximize its potential. The community element to the web is critical to its success.
Looking at a CBSSports.com case study, TV, online and mobile all saw spikes on Sundays during football. No medium canibalized any of the others.
Analytics will be the new Intellectual Property. CBS looked at its own traffic and saw a trend of users “catching up” on what happened previously ahead of new episodes of Jericho and Survivor.
Building communities around content drives engagement. But content producers need to take a holistic view of what a show is. Its not just 8-9pm. When you consider joining groups on Facebook, catching up on previous episodes, reading blogs, etc., a show has a much longer, broader appeal than just its timeslot.
“. . . and the perception that the audience is still relatively small compared to TV. ”
I like that you acknowledge it is merely a “perception.”
How do you justify that because CBS provides a cross platform for catching up as you noted. . . .”CBS looked at its own traffic and saw a trend of users “catching up” on what happened previously ahead of new episodes of Jericho” . . . . CBS then punishes the fans for having low TV ratings?
While CBS is deciding just exactly what it wants, millions of TV watchers are heading on over to cable, online watching, downloading and DVDs. And then there is that whole “You’re too old to count” thing!
TO CBS – Adios, I’m done with you – not that CBS cares!
Even though I am still in the age range that “counts” I think that with the generation of “older” viewers it is a totally different set of “elders” than when the antiquated Nielsen ratings were the one and only determining factor in a show’s renewal.
Wake up folks, this set of “elders” are wise and do have the cash to spend on your products. They are worthy of being counted.
If CBS doesn’t recognize the viewers of today’s generation…online, downloads, TiVo, DVR etc. then they have totally missed an opportunity to boldly go where no man has gone before…breaking through the sound barrier to recognize all factors in this equation.
As far as CBS and the other networks it is goodbye to that authoritative parent that has not recognized that I am a grown up now and capable of deciding for myself what is great programming. Back to the cable networks for me never to return to network “unreality” programming again.
“When you consider joining groups on Facebook, catching up on previous episodes, reading blogs, etc., a show has a much longer, broader appeal than just its timeslot.”
Exactly! And while networks are paying lip service to this notion, they are, in reality, totally ignoring it, if Nielsen ratings are the sole deciding factor for a TV show’s life or premature death.