TV will never die, YouTube will never kill it. YouTube (or its future manifestations) will never die either, TV will never kill it. We’re in the world of and/and, where possibilities are not mutually exclusive and creative exposure is based on merit.
A couple of weeks ago, YouTube hit a billion views a day, and the inevitable happened. TV and YouTube are looking at working together. The Daily Telegraph says that the UK’s Channel 4 is looking at a deal to sell its own advertising around its own content on YouTube and sharing the revenue with YouTube (read Google). It’s like someone moving into your house, renting your living room unsolicited, and giving you a cut of the profits. And I say, good luck to them!!
The power is with the creative champions, and YouTube have proven to be just that. As Steve Jobs said, “creativity is just connecting things”. YouTube have connected the techno-geeks, mobile phone users, and home movie recorders together like never before. Their revenue share model has been around for a while, and high volume users are already benefiting from a share of the profits. So why not a TV Channel? It’s a Sisomo world, and the game has changed forever. Channel 4 are getting a second bite at their own content, and more importantly, integrating with other platforms online will drive users back to TV, still the focal point of living rooms around the world.
