blip.tv and Worldwide Biggies on the Digital Video Content Evolution

Weeks ago, South Park’s Kyle mused, “While the Internet is new and exciting for creative people, it hasn’t matured as a distribution method to the extent that one should trade real and immediate opportunities for income for the promise of future online revenue.” While it’s difficult to generate any real revenue from a one-off hit on YouTube, as the boys of South Park learned, digital entertainment is quickly changing the media landscape in ways that will benefit both advertisers and content producers.

Blip.tv’s cofounder and COO, Dina Kaplan, defines the video sharing market as dividing into three, very different segments. The first of which is viral video- content that is funny and entertaining but is often produced by people you won’t hear from again (think Dramatic Chipmunk or Sneezing Panda). The second group, she defined as friends and family sharing, wedding footage, vacation footage and essentially any content, which would only be interesting if you personally knew the content uploader (think Flickr Video). The third and final group that Kaplan defined is original, episodic video or television shows for the web. It is within this last group that true growth and potential lies.

In an exclusive interview with JackMyers.com, Worldwide Biggies CEO Albie Hecht said of working in digital entertainment, "I threw away a perfectly good career in TV to work online. It’s like the Wild West. You go into Deadwood. There’s no sheriff. There’s no housing. There’s no hardware store. You’re really out there, pioneering. And that’s very exciting."

Worldwide Biggies is responsible for a number of successful online series, including Star vs. Star and MoCap. “The sense of discovery and authenticity that was there on television and on cable, particularly, in the nineties, is on the web now,” says Hecht.

Kaplan notes a distinct evolution in content, even in the last year. “Three years ago, our average content creator was someone who was holding out a camcorder, digital camera or cell phone and talking into it about their thoughts on politics or their commute to work. Now we have scripted sitcoms and scripted dramas with a pretty high-end production value.” She also observed that many production companies who, a year ago, would have been creating shows for television are now creating television shows for the Web. As an example, she cited Erik The Librarian, which is produced by 60 Frames, an LA production company and an offshoot of United Talent Agency.

Kaplan also added the changing landscape of digital entertainment is very threatening to the old network system because the networks have lost the control that they had since the advent of television to decide what’s going to be popular and what’s not.

Dina Kaplan and Albie Hecht spoke on April 29th at the JackMyers Networking Breakfast: The Future of Media and Entertainment. They were joined by Sarah Fay, CEO of Aegis; Jack Haber, VP Global Advertising and eBusiness at Colgate Palmolive Company and Shane Steele, Consultant and former Coca-Cola head of Interactive Marketing. At this sold out event, senior industry executives from the media, advertising and entertainment communities gathered for an interactive discussion on the economic challenges being faced by the professional video industry in the emerging digital landscape.