I guess it would be asking too much for TV Guide to index more than what is produced by linear networks. The online video guide launched earlier this month is useful - It deep links directly to individual episodes in network players from a central location, but it lacks independently produced content.

Above: TV Guide’s Online Video Guide - Cold Case anyone?

In the fight for eyeballs, independent producers have an enormous battle to wage against traditional media. Content discovery is a big mess right now. Search is not necessarily the best way for users to find entertainment and it’s even worse for producers seeking to build an audience.

We’re in a period of novelty for online content due to the fragmentation of mainstream media content online. Once the major players figure things out and become entrenched it will become more difficult for existing independent producers who have been successful online to maintain their foothold, small as it already is.

It may be time for top independent producers to form a coalition to promote original online programming and to find a better way to push their content to a larger audience

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 11th, 2007 at 11:51 pm and is filed under Video Portals, Video Search. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.