Attention TV industry – rehab is calling. You have an addiction problem.
But it’s not the addiction problem you’d typically think of.
Because the fundamental issue with TV is that it’s not addictive enough. In a world where platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have been specifically designed to infiltrate our brains and detonate gigantic dopamine bombs, TV hasn’t fully figured this out yet.
While there are clearly very real debates about whether social platforms act too much like digital crystal meth – especially in relation to their impact on children (a topic for a future post) – my point is that entertainment is still about the business of driving – and keeping – eyeballs. And that’s something TV/streaming hasn’t fully figured out in this multi-platform world.
Let’s look at the numbers. Streaming platforms account for a whopping 39% of television usage – which is significantly higher than cable (28%) and broadcast (22%). And this is a trend that isn’t going to reverse.
But if you take a closer look at streaming platforms, it’s not Netflix leading the charge – but YouTube. The home of ASMR and haul videos captured 9.7% of total viewership, vs 7.6% for Netflix.
All of us have fallen into a YouTube rabbit hole before. The clips are often long-enough to feel substantive, but short enough where they don’t require a huge investment of time. The algorithm and the UX constantly surface new and interesting content that entices you to keep clicking.
YouTube videos also tend to have great headlines, which as any old-school newspaper reporter will tell you (**raises hand**) are what drive people to stop, read, and click. They tell you exactly what you’re going to get in a way that TV show titles often don’t, and they’re written in a way to fuel urgency.
This is all exacerbated by the fact that Gen Z isn’t really watching TV anymore. Instead, 47% of Gen Z prefer watching social videos or livestreams.
So when only half of the generation that will grow to become the largest in history is watching your content, and when a predominantly UGC platform leads the streaming race, it presents quite the conundrum for TV execs.
Not to mention the fact that streaming has turned out to be an exceptionally difficult business for almost all those who’ve entered it – especially when compared to the golden goose era of cable.
While TV still has a stranglehold on sports – which arguably is the main driving force behind TV success these days and generates fierce loyalty – it still needs to think about how to fully mobilize fandom around some of its other IP. And, more importantly, figure out how to make that IP interesting to Gen Z.
So if your paycheck depends on ratings and MAUs, what can you do?
Open up the Platforms
The first – and obvious one – is to improve the UX. On-screen UX is something the cable industry struggled with for years, with most interfaces being frustratingly clunky.
Things have progressed, but some streaming services aren’t always a delight to use. They can be slow, the organization somehow manages to be both overwhelming and oddly sparse, and the screen is filled with endless trays of planned-economy uniformity.
While UX alone won’t persuade the 20-somethings to come scampering toward a remote, it’ll at least make sure that people already using a streaming service don’t curse every time they try to scroll through yet another giant carousel.
Secondly, these platforms need to start taking inspiration from YouTube.
Obviously streamers can never **be** YouTube, but they can learn a thing or two from its success. The content is clearly different, but this leads me to my third point.
It’s time for streamers to think about opening-up their platforms.
While the streaming platforms have basic algorithms (not as sophisticated as YouTube) they still follow a somewhat command and control method. Teams of centralized programmers decide what to acquire/produce, what to publish, and how to promote it. It’s a very tightly-drilled process.
Now imagine if the streamers shifted from a “we’re going to program to this platform” mindset – a hangover from legacy TV – and instead adopted a “we’re going to open up our platform to let creators build on it”. It presents some interesting possibilities.
Think user-generated playlists or content submitted by users connected to specific TV/streaming IP. Think comments on mobile apps. Or the ability for fans of shows to livestream.
There are so many options.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting the streamers **abandon** what they’re doing. There’s clearly high demand for quality, long-form content and big events (especially sports). I’m not proposing they copy YouTube either.
But ultimately, I’m advocating for a blend of the two types of content. Open up the platforms and give the creators the keys.
It could also be a way for networks to develop talent for the future. Many high-profile YouTube creators haven’t been able to make the leap from YouTube to TV/Streaming, but by letting creators work with a streamer’s IP it could potentially change that.
And – of course – the streamers would be able to sell all the advertising inventory across this new raft of creator-led content and split the revenue with the creators.
Creator-generated content can be messy, wild, and hard to keep your arms around. You also need enough creators to establish a thriving environment. But that’s what TV and streaming platforms should be thinking about.
Obviously getting enough people to start creating content will be a challenge. This is not a six month exercise and YouTube has been doing it for almost 20 years. But you have to start somewhere…and you have to work with what you have.
It’s also time to rethink how brands manifest themselves on different platforms.
The idea of intermingling “low quality” creator submitted content with high-sheen, multi-million dollar productions would likely horrify some programming and brand execs. But true fans feel like they are the owners of the brands they love, and giving them multiple ways to express this ownership is key.
So now isn’t the time to be overly precious. There’s a whole generation to capture and when Gen Z grows up, the generation behind them will be even less likely to embrace traditional TV and streaming.
So for the TV industry – it’s time to become more addictive by letting audiences indulge their fandom in new and creative ways.