Allen WeinerIn 2007, as the video marketplace began to expand with the entry of TV episodes, mashups and shows made specifically for web audiences (aka low attention span theater), it became evident a segment was evolving that was nestled between time-shifted episodes of “Desperate Housewives” and YouTube’s “swinging a cat in the backyard” fare. In a rare moment of inspiration, I dubbed it “the Protail.” For a short while, it even garnered yours truly a Wikipedia mention. A vast majority of Protail content deals with consumer passions such as health and fitness, travel, cooking and how-to videos but has expanded to include short comedies and even reality programming.
A year later, according to video hosting communities, the Protail is hot and a represents 30 percent of all video content on the Web. In a recently published report, “Protail Videos; Future Growth Tied to Harmonizing Distribution and Monetization,” Gartner predicts that advertising revenue on protail content will reach in excess of $1.5 billion by 2012, offering advertisers in search of targeted, noncopyrighted video inventory a major placement opportunity. As the title suggests, the report maintains that the amount of Protail content on the Web lags behind the business opportunity due to a complex distribution hierarchy and a lack of sufficient Protail hubs where advertisers can monetize this target-friendly content.
The Writer’s Strike was one factor that sped up the growth of Protail as out-of-work writers and actors got together (when not walking the picket line) and imagined a future in which they controlled the creative, distribution and even the revenue parts of the media value chain. An example of such output can be found in “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog,” a hilarious 43-minute comedy-musical, written by TV writer/director Joss Whedon, starring Doogie Howser (aka Neil Patrick Harris). The show was produced for a fraction of the cost of a traditional hour-long network show (which runs about 43 minutes less commercials).
Beyond “Dr. Horrible,” if you are looking for a finer point on the Protail, check out Howcast (www.howcast.com), which features a vast variety of “how-to” videos (How To Make a Homemade Lie Detector) and Austin-based On Networks (check out my favorite, “Stump the Chef”)
Comments Off
Category: advertising broadcasting Television Uncategorized Tags: broadcasting, media, Television, TV
