’Nichification’ of Video

This Saul Hansell article from The N.Y. Times (reg. req’d) does a nice survey of some of the trends in online and offline video. The world of niche TV (don’t say "long tail") is coming and search engines — if they get their acts together — look to figure prominently in organizing what will be an explosion of video online. Last year we wrote about the transformation of TV from a mass medium into one that would have to rely increasingly on targeting to deliver value to advertisers.

TV (even cable) will be fighting for audiences in the years to come. It’s going to be fascinating to watch.

At the upcoming Drilling Down event, we’ll be exploring this fragmentation of traditional media audiences. In particular, the following session will address the fragmentation of TV/video:

1,000,001 Channels: But Is Anybody Watching?
TV used to be simple for everyone. But the newly fragmenting world of video search, mobile TV, on-demand cable and IPTV makes the range of potential consumer choices staggering. What are the new technologies that are rapidly turning TV from a mass medium to one that is highly personalized? What is the new consumer "video consumption" model, and what are the implications for networks, content producers and advertisers? Will a million "Wayne's Worlds" and the potential "Tower of Babel" effect destroy the medium for advertisers or open it up to a range of exciting new possibilities, including some for SMEs?