DIGITAL PIVOT AICN’s geek culture influence was undeniable, but as platforms like YouTube grew, the site found itself outpaced by the next gen of creators
W e are in the age of the influencer, where an individual can command truly gigantic audiences. It’s an opportunity for unknown talent to achieve a reach their parents’ generation couldn’t have dreamed of – and for narcissists and con artists to do some real damage. The creator economy, powered by social media platforms, has left traditional broadcast scratching its head trying to find ways of catching up. This head-scratching has been going on for a long time. As early as 2010, the BBC was experimenting with what was called ‘second-screen’ content. With the iPhone only having been out for three years, broadcasters were already aware of mobile as a competing technology. Second-screen content – also dubbed ‘orchestrated content’ at the time – attempted to offer laptop- or phone-based content that would run in parallel with a live TV programme. Shows would regularly refer you to a URL, taking you to a page of related web-based content. This is what a reasonable broadcaster would do if they assumed mobile and internet content were a neutral force – like a digital library or just another form of TV. » A company that created no content, and in fact got others to give it content for free, could make a fortune just by providing the platform «
Online talent capable of reaching international audiences had been a thing for a few years already. Some bloggers from the early 2000s were already big stars. Ain’t It Cool News (AICN) started on early internet newsgroups in the mid-nineties and, within just a few years, became one of the most important movie fan sites in the world. It offered insider leaks, no-holds-barred reviews and piping-hot takes on the latest in geek culture, with a special focus on sci-fi, fantasy and action. Studios, filmmakers and stars began courting AICN and its founder Harry Knowles, knowing that the site had the power to make or break a movie release. By 2012, when the BBC and other broadcasters were wrestling with how to deal with the second screen, AICN finally launched a YouTube channel. YouTube had been up and running for seven years by that time. Instead of moving on to greater success, the brand was already on the decline. Video didn’t add anything to the brand that it didn’t already have as a blog. At that same time, YouTube started to become the content colossus we know today. Its revenue jumped from $1.7 billion in 2012 to $3.1 billion the following year. A company that created no content – and in fact got others to provide it with content for free – could make a fortune simply by providing the platform. It was becoming clear that the real money to be made wasn’t in selling content, but in selling the advertising that would sit alongside it. Thus the creator economy was born. The rise of the algorithm A recap of the history of internet video is helpful in framing where we have arrived at today. The advertising foundation of the creator economy –
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