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Oh, All the OTT!

9 Feb, 2015 By: Stephanie Prange

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The media business is abuzz with talk of OTT (over-the-top distribution via the Web). Not since DVD has a three-letter distribution format garnered so much attention in the industry.

Chase Carey at Fox said his studio is going to be careful to control it, making sure to preserve the profitability of the legacy business while cultivating a marketplace with many players ¬— and customers to which the studio can sell its valuable content. Bob Iger at Disney said the “Star Wars” and Marvel properties might make marvelous online channels, and that the Disney brand itself is also perfect for OTT.

The major studios aren’t the only players in the OTT game. Dish Network’s Sling TV, fresh off the announce of its launch at the Consumer Electronics Show, added Univision content to its lineup, which also includes ESPN. Shout Factory announced the launch of its catalog of cult TV and movies OTT with an ad-supported service.

And then of course there are OTT heavyweights Netflix and Amazon Prime, which are both basking in the glow of awards season, with their original content earning numerous plaudits.

The growing marketplace is reminiscent of the early days of cable, when the TV channel choices suddenly multiplied from the original three broadcast networks. But this is channel multiplication on steroids, with almost limitless possibilities. Finding the consumer in the cacophony of competitors will grow ever more difficult. Conversely, with an almost limitless amount of content at their fingertips, consumers may not be able to find or discover exactly what they really want to watch, distracted instead by what they stumble upon.

How will a revolutionary indie film be discovered or produced? What profit stream will finance high-quality product?

I applaud services Netflix and Amazon Prime for getting into the content game rather than just distributing others’ content. Granted, both services see it as necessary for self-preservation on the Web, where the barriers to competition are low. But the services also are committed to quality, which is laudable when much of the “content” on the Internet is amateur-produced distraction — makeup tips, gags and gimmicks. Like fast food supersizing, more isn’t always better in the content realm either.

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