Versaly Entertainment

Continuing on my main theme that mobile is not a product that differs from any other media device…is there a consumer preference for a mobile video format?

As a quick background, video-on-demand basically means a video plays when I want it to play.  Instant gratification…oh yea!  Linear means a video is playing and whenever I “join” the broadcast, I watch whatever is being played at that time.  Watch what I want, when I want…or watch what someone else tells me to watch…hummm.

On TV there is both linear and VOD.  Linear includes half-hour episodes, 2-hour movies and everything in between.  TV also offers VOD that includes free shows and pay-per-view movies.  Add a DVR (e.g. TiVo) to the system, and now linear programming is converted to VOD.  However, all formats are watched and are welcome in our living rooms.

Movie theaters show pricey movies at designated times…not exactly VOD or linear.

The Web…almost entirely free, almost entirely short-form and almost entirely VOD.

All these entertainment outlets have their own model…and are accepted for what they offer.  Plus, the medium has sort of helped define the content format.

Now comes mobile, a new medium that complements all of them and offers a combination of all of them.  But since mobile phones have small screens and are so portable…”what” and “how” do people want to consume video on their phones?

Answer…all of the above.  Anything that is entertaining that can hold a viewer’s attention…whether in their home, office, lunch hour, or weekend excursion…will work on mobile.  I understand there will be a single dominant format…which our 3+ years of experience shows is short-form VOD…but all formats have a place and I feel they all can have a certain level of success.  Mobile is flexible enough to handle multiple formats…and there is an audience to digest the different formats.

Just like television now offers a variety of options, including a large number of channels for every interest…so should mobile.  There will never be a single solution to satisfy any majority in the US…and the wireless carriers should see this and offer the variety that consumers currently enjoy on their TV and Web-connected computer.  When that happens…at a price point that is acceptable…mobile video will skyrocket!