zeitgeist on ice

On the pathos of insipid Hollywood distribution models & Google vs Netflix

Why hasn’t Hollywood found a way to create a simple licensing model that works for everyone that wants in? It’s their own fault that video piracy is rapidly overtaking music piracy as they continue to banish any who attempt to access their (very replaceable) content. That said, it’s intriguing how everyone seems to be attacking Google for their seeming failure at the slick Hollyweird game vs. say, Netflix, a quiet giant in the on-demand space.

Summary:

Google TV is on pause because it lacks the content distribution relationships that Netflix has created. The conventional way to forge these relationships is old school— IRL shmoozing. The implication here is that Google suffers in that capacity, so they’ll keep delaying until some partnerships are established that ensure Goog can pipe fresh content out there.

Insights:

The 100 year old film business still clinging to an ancient distribution model despite all signs pointing to the fact that the majority of people would be fine with just paying for a download of the movie straight to their TV, on-demand style. An insightful commenter put it:

The revolution is coming the question is will Hollywood survive it or will the new generation of movie makers learn to bypass the middle men like what’s happening in the music industry.

It’s Greek tragedy level pathos…all this greed and self-importance and blindness. Even so, Google has never been a content engine. Contextual serving of search or ads is radically different than having to stock a pipeline up with rich, engaging features. Still, with so many forecasts of Netflix’s impending contract re-negotiation fallout, I’m staying glued to the hinternetz to track this story. Any predictions?