Public Broadcasting 2.0

Alaska Public Telecommunications IncSeptember 23, 2005

Public broadcasting 1.0CharacteristicsOne-to-manyReal-timeScarcity rules content time is dearRewards average use at any one timeBrands are at the aggregator levelProgrammers are tacticians.Finding hits and competing with other hit-makersWe schedule what we think you want when we think you will want it more than whats on the competition.

Public broadcasting 1.0

Contact hours per year12-Bn radio6-Bn TVRevenue per contact hourRadio 5.4Television 29.0

Changes in media usagePeople are taking control over their media usage.My time (non-real time) is the fastest growing segment of media usage.I want what I want, when I want it, the way I want it.So the important media divide is not audio vs. video or print vs. electronic, its my time vs. real-time.

Changes in media usageMy time media usage increased from 375 to 500 hrs/yr from 97-02.Broadcast TV use declined from 904 to 786 hrs/yr in the same time.My time share of audio/video usage is increasing from one in five hours in 1997 to one in three in 2007.Source: Veronis Suhler Stevenson

Who does my time serve?People who have already left linear programming for other reasons:CareerChoresCommunityFamilyPeople who cant get enough of what they like on your stations.

CPB TV primetime studyPTV viewing was small in two segments compatible with PTV:Innovative & InclinedDistracted & UnavailableTogether, they are 26% of viewers:Limited free timeFrequent users of technologyMedium-to-high users of public radio

CPB TV primetime study

Rich media delivery landscapeWorldwide broadband users hit 160MMass market video creation toolsLow cost digital video cameras, PC based editing appsMajority of PCs now rigged for sound and videoBitTorrent adoption 20M usersWeblogs 31M, rapid growth after 5 yearsRSS feeds more than 5 million on InternetDe facto standard for content syndicationBeing widely used for news/info updatesRSS feeds transitioning to Rich Media ContentPodcasting RSS + MP3 audio + iPod synchVideo blogs right behind RSS 2.0 and RSS Media

Public broadcasting 2.0CharacteristicsMany-to-manyOn-demand for use in my timeAbundance rules content limited only by storageContent is brandedRewards cumulative access over timeProgrammers and users are curators.Provide huge choice.Make content personalized and accessible.

Strategic investment scenariosSustaining investmentsSustain the legacy businessBest practices improvementsCollaborations to lower costs and gain scale

Strategic investment scenariosRepositioning investmentsOften disruptive innovations ( la Clayton Christensen)Reposition in new directions consistent with original mission

Broadcasters must adapt toA multi-platform future,A multi-choice future,And to three ber trendsDigitizationPersonalizationDemocratization

A multi-platform futureWere evolving from distribution over one platform to distribution over multiple platforms:Over-the-air transmittersInternet and broadbandCable and satellitePhysical mediaMobile and portable devicesFrom Dave MacCarn, WGBH

A multi-choice futureThe number of channels through which users will be able to access our content will continue to grow.Increasingly, users want control over when and where they use our content.Increasingly, users want choice and personalization.Successful public broadcasters are morphing into digital libraries.

From Dave MacCarn, WGBH

ber trends: digitizationContent meets mathematicsNoiseless generations for production & distributionMetadata data about dataFind, manipulate and distribute content with great granularity and flexibilityRepurpose contentExtend the life and value of media assetsPBCore metadata standardSearch

ber trends: personalizationContent meets self-organizationTagging (folksonomies)XML syndication (RSS, Atom)Attention (metadata that tracks to what people are paying attention)Communities of interest more important than aggregator brands

Example: Tagging at flickrTags / norwaySample photos from the RSS feed of the tag norway from flickr.com

Example: Web 2.0 A/V sitesBrightcove.comOdeo.comOMN.orgOurmedia.orgYouTube.com

Example:Really Simple Syndication (better: Really Simple Subscriptions)Its very easy to implement.It aggregates in one place whats new in web content to which you subscribe.Combined with personalization, it will provide a powerful distribution platform for pubcasters (or, a powerful competitor).Open a Bloglines.com account and try it.

ber Trends: democratizationContent freed from gatekeepersInexpensive but powerful production tools are in the hands of consumersLow barriers to effective distributionSearch and referral serves as marketingRip. Mix. Burn.

Example: PodcastingWorks with any portable media players, PCs, Macs, and most news aggregators.Means adding an enclosure to an RSS 2.0 item (can link to any file: MP3, WMV, etc.).Specialized aggregators can automatically sync your files with the player.Implications for how we do journalism and production.

The long tail memeFrom Wired editor Chris AndersonThe future of entertainment is in the millions of niche markets at the shallow end of the bitstream.Real time is hits oriented. For NRT long-tail distribution, success can come with much smaller numbers.

The long tail memeAmazon, iTunes, Netflix, et al. have much larger inventories than corre-sponding brick-and-mortar stores.The average record store has 40,000 tracks, but Rhapsody has 735,000.The average Barnes & Noble carries 130,000 titles...[, but] more than half of Amazons book sales come from outside its top 130,000 titles.

The long tail meme

Public Service PublisherA bootstrap my time, long tail, PB 2.0 repositioning initiativeStarted by public broadcasting stations and independent producersBroadcasters can serve as enablers for community public service contentDesign focused on PB 2.0 business models

Public Service PublisherPartnering with Open Media NetworkMulti-platform content delivery from a common user interface viaInternet (Kontiki P2P grid)TiVoCable VODDTV broadcast data cachingPhysical media (DVD, CD)Station-suppliedAmazon, Netflix, et al.Free, subscription, or pay per use

New revenue sourcesMember benefits (more content, convenient times)New audience revenue (relationship building, underwriting)User compensation for access to niche, premium or hard-to-find programming

New revenue sourcesAssets in permanent distribution build record of community value, important for tax-based, foundation and philanthropic fundingB2B revenues (rights to distribute, marketing content for derivative works)Distribution services (datacasting, load balancing, my time traffic)

Pull urgenciesOpportunities:My time use growing rapidly.PBCore, broadband, off-the-shelf core technologies are in place.Long-tail businesses are succeeding.Pubcasters and partners have great and deep content assets.There is substantial interest in use of my time electronic media by other public service organizations.

Push urgenciesThreats:Competition for pubcasters is coming from the for-profit sector.Its no longer a one-platform world. If we cling to one platform, we risk our mission.XML-based syndication to portable devices is growing and presents a real bypass to linear programmers.Barriers to entry are low. If we dont do it, someone else will.

Change and cow paths

Contact informationDennis L. Haarsager, Associate VP & GM Educational Telecommunications & Technology PO Box 642530 Washington State University Pullman, WA 99164-22530 Contact info: haarsager.org/contact Weblog: technology360.com Resources: technology360.org Public Service Publisher weblog: pspblog.org