Less Is More

Hulu figured something out: it's better to have a few ads than to have a ton. Having a small number of ads makes people more likely to notice them, and less likely to find them annoying. Advertisers, in turn, will pay more for this lack of competition.

Maybe TV will learn a lesson from Hulu? With a crashing market economy, the economic gap will only widen. The successful corporations will have less competition and more money to do with as they choose, such as sponsoring a TV show. You know how sometimes a network will show a movie commercial-free "brought to you by"? It almost inspires a sense of gratitude that the company is saving you from an onslaught of advertising. If this is the future, I look forward to it.

An Answer For Struggling News Publications?

Most would agree that print media is starting to become a thing of the past; we can read articles online, subscribe to RSS feeds, and publish our own blogs that rival major news sources for readership. Print media is declining in an increasingly digital world.

While many newspapers and magazines are struggling to figure out how to keep up with the changing times, there is a growing number of publications that have turned to video. Major publications like the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, USA Today, and Forbes have all started online video networks to enhance their news and bring content to a new kind of reader. Many are reporting great success using online video. In August, The Washington Post recorded 1.5 million video streams to their site - their highest number ever and up 162% from last year.

Here is a report from Beet.tv of Washington Post's Online Content Editor, Jim Brady, talking about how news publications must adapt to a changing world.