Brian BoyerFor no reason remembering the months I spent, a decade ago, trying to persuade NPR brass that there was a tremendous opportunity to beat the cable news people to making quality stuff for smart TVs
TBH that window is still open, IMO, but it’ll be a slog
Our little Roku app for Tiny Desk concerts was a thing of beauty, enjoyed by hundreds
Sure, YouTube works as an alternative distribution technique today but we’re one billionaire heel turn from an indie media apocalypse.
And “the boss won’t let us broadcast this so we put it on YouTube instead” is not a viable long-term strategy to route around corporate censorship
Bee Cat@brianboyer Preach! I was working on a set-top product down the street at WaPo around then. I still think there’s an unrealized opportunity there. Smart TVs always felt like the natural hardware for video podcasts. I’d much rather have a feed-native “vod-catcher” UX on my TV than the current Roku app-silo experience.
YouTube is the 800 lb gorilla, but I wonder whether the right alliance of hardware manufacturers, creators & payment rails could build something more open less platform-dependent
YouTube is the 800 lb gorilla, but I wonder whether the right alliance of hardware manufacturers, creators & payment rails could build something more open less platform-dependent
@BCatEARTH Folks have been brewing alternative platforms, and we desperately need them! But in my dream, everyone owns their distribution architecture, and doesn’t rely on a platform. FWIW, I believed before, and still believe, that even a simple audio app would work on TVs. Just put the damned weather and traffic on-screen
Chris Zubak-Skees@brianboyer Was there ever a thought about video recording some of the interview shows, the way podcasters today do?
@brianboyer I'm trying to mentally wrap my head around a world where Joe Rogan is beaten to this by Terry Gross.
@brianboyer I guess they do that now, and it works! The video adds a ton here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1KLRH22LTI&list=PL_hBoyeUT5njGiwtkQMm5sfWQ0eMROHnm
Tessa Thompson wrestles with cynicism but chooses optimism
@zubakskees Yeah IIRC a lot of the talent wanted to be on-camera. Was certainly discussed. But at that moment the video trend was short-form for Facebook, which fucked us and everybody else :/
@brianboyer Makes sense. Clipping wasn't really a thing in the way it is now.