This Is Classic

In the wake of (or maybe well before) Google’s purchase of YouTube, the major TV networks are discussing collaborating on a YouTube rival. That’s so predictable its laughable.

Back in the early days of the Internet, the major newspaper chains created a consortium to build a major web presence. I forget the name of that effort because whatever it was called, it failed miserably.

First, you can’t build anything interesting by committee. Second, this is not TV, this is the web. This is about rejecting everything about TV. Third, I watched and rooted for NBC to get their NBBC initiative right and they just messed it up. It’s not about content. It’s about context, convenience, and community. It’s about letting the audience dictate the experience, not having it dictated to them.

The chances that any one of the TV networks could get it right is slim. The chance that they could get it right in a partnership is nil.