Flutterby™! : I hate content on demand like peanuts 2013-08-26 15:09:58.683555+00

I hate content on demand like peanuts

2013-08-26 15:09:58.683555+00 by TC 4 comments

So, I've been a little lax in taunting Dan about our media bet and I'm not ready to get all facts and numbersy(boring). So I think I'll let the Great Kevin Spacey twist the dagger a wee bit for giggles.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fin...embrace-Netflix-and-YouTube.html

When I originally arrogantly proposed that bet, I based it on two things: Network effects and the N^2 issue, which is somewhat mitigated by NetFlix dropping servers in local ISP data centers, and the watercooler effect.

Turns out that the watercooler effect seems to be falling off as social media picks up that buzz and casual work discussion seems to be waning (or maybe I'm just working at places which don't talk about mass media nowadays), and the major hindrance to widespread adoption has actually been the networks (and advertisers) wanting to keep a deathgrip on their old business models.

Some day we're going to actually have to dig into the data... But as you say: Boooooring.

Yup, data can wait. SO this water cooler effect, isn't this just evolving. Just because it's on twitter doesn't make it any less water coolery. Buffalo Wings want not for the Buffalo. The conversation with someone (who has no horse in the race)is what makes it a rich experience. You get to know that person better (based on their views and learn about content you might not have been aware of

I hope your not asserting that caching data can somehow be considered delayed broadcast. That would be silly. In broadcasting the viewing time is determined by the broadcaster. In on demand the viewing time is determined by the viewer.

I think the caching is somewhere in the middle, and there's some room there around the point-to-point nature of on-demand. I'm digging back into the recesses of self-justification, but I do think that part of my argument back then was that there was never going to be enough N-to-N bandwidth available, that the idea that we could at any point say "I want to watch X" and have the bandwidth available to do so was beyond conceivable network growth.

What we're finding is that Netflix can cache X local to you, mostly because X is still fairly small, and I'm not sure where that falls. Surely it's still somewhere like VCR time shifting, but there's a continuum there.

Clarifying: Even though Netflix is local caching, I think we can call that "on demand" and not broadcast.