To the youngins, they’re all online video entertainment destinations, just with different URLs.
I haven’t seen any official pre-teen poling data to back up the anecdotal evidence, and I’m pretty sure the stories were at least slightly embellished for crowd/conversation effect. But if the notion that kids today don’t know the difference between a broadcast TV network and an online video network seems at all far-fetched, in a very short while it won’t be. Already, the hours of time children spend in front of their computer screens and video game consoles is encroaching upon their TV-watching time. Other data shows that kids these days is the democgraphic most comfrotable with watching online video.
That’s why developments like Fred’s cameo on Nickelodeon’s iCarly and Raven Symone’s new web series make so much sense. And why more online content creators should seriously consider the tween market.
If some attractive lady at a bar asks me, “What do you do?” I can’t answer with “I’m the editor of a kick a$$ online publication that covers developments on the content side of the online entertainment industry and reviews web series with a critical eye,” because she won’t know wtf I’m talking to them about. I first have to give her a primer on the nascent space of web television.
iCarly is a TV series for 8 – 12 year-olds broadcast on Nickelodeon about a girl who was her own popular web show. Keep Your Eyes Open is a play for 8 – 12 year-olds about a girl who has her own popular web show. These entertainment products work because the audience is familiar with the subject matter. Children don’t need any amount of evangelizing or convincing to watch “silly web shows.” They do it on their own.
But so far, only a limited number of new media producers (including the people behind Wubbcast, They Might be Giants, Ghost Town, Fred, and now Raven and the just-launched Daily Motion kids’ portal) have tried to capitalize on the multi-billion dollar tween market.
That means there’s an opportunity for web series producers who either A) like making children-oriented programming, B) like creating content for an under-developed, lucrative marketplace replete with potential advertisers, or C) like doing both.
It takes a lot of time and energy to convince an audience to turn away from their TVs and towards their computers. Why not create programming for a demo that doesn’t notice the difference?
Amidst a chaotic week at TikTok, the app took some time to acknowledge its growing community…
Nothing, Except Everything is getting a big-screen treatment. That's the name of a short film that…
Welcome to Creators on the Rise, where we find and profile breakout creators who are…
A major player in the burgeoning newsletter industry has made a sizable addition to its…
Meta has kicked off the week with a pair of announcements that should make its creator…
MrBeast continues to show us that he's in a league of his own as far as…