Al Gore Wants To Democratize Television, Leaks 'Crowdsourced TV'

What if you could flip the mass media power of the TV industry funnel, making your viewers your producers, and then using communities to source, distribute and promote professionally curated content? Well, then you might have something that looked a little bit like user-generated video portal YouTube combined with a traditional television network. That appears to be what Current Media plans to introduce soon, Chairman Al Gore hinted at during the closing keynote Tuesday at MEDIA magazine's Outfront Conference in New York.

"Soon we will unveil a new, related concept that we call Crowdsourced TV," Gore disclosed during a speech that focused largely on the concept of a "sustainable advertising" marketplace, and what advertisers, agencies and the media could to do to help make it a reality. The industry needs to, Gore asserted, because, "the consumer is way ahead of us on this."

Gore was alluding to the fact that consumers have already embraced social media platforms and new, inexpensive, professional quality technologies that have made them as much a part of the conversation as any marketer or media conglomerate, and that the best option for the media industry is to embrace it.

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"I want to keep the anticipation, but we're very excited about it," Gore said about Crowdsourced TV. While he declined to elaborate, he implied that it would be a new iteration of what Current Media already does with its online community and its cable and satellite delivered television network, Current TV, which reaches 60 million U.S. households, and also operates in a number of major markets around the world.

In fact, Gore said he was leaving the Outfront conference to travel to Johannesburg, where he was going to open a Current TV network in South Africa today.

Gore, a former Vice President of the United States, said he and his partner Joel Hyatt originally launched Current to "democratize" the business of media, giving consumers more of a say, and direct involvement, in the creation and distribution of content. And in some ways, Current was ahead of its time, paving the way for a user-generated revolution that was ultimately seized by YouTube, and fueled by legions of social network platforms that promote and distribute it.

Gore, who is a senior advisor to YouTube owner Google, did not imply whether it might play a role in Crowdsourced TV, and he did not give a specific time frame for unveiling details of the plans. But Mark Rosenthal, the savvy, long-time MTV Networks president who was brought in last year as CEO of Current Media, has quietly been retooling the network and its Web site to leverage the best of both its fervent user/creator base, as well as his personal ties to Hollywood and professional TV and film producers.

During his speech, Gore implied that the next iteration of Current TV would expand on its users' ability to create information and entertainment content, as well as advertising on behalf of marketers and brands. Current was one of the first networks to utilize consumer-generated advertising campaigns on behalf of marketers, and showed campaigns that were recently developed by its users to help introduce a new, biodegradable package design for Frito-Lay's Sun Chips.

"What if we let them create content and the advertising," Gore told a roomful of top advertisers, agency and TV industry executives attending the Outfront conference. "We're pretty excited about this."

5 comments about "Al Gore Wants To Democratize Television, Leaks 'Crowdsourced TV'".
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  1. Mai Kok from So What, April 28, 2010 at 9:36 a.m.

    Al Gore is an idiot and continues to exhibit his idiocy.

    "UGC" web has proven to NOT work. Too many people talking, not listening.

    3 years ago UGC was all the rage and a rising buzz word. Where is it now? Supplanted by social media!

    And is social media here to stay? Only if there's QC and QA in place.

    Where does that lead? Back YouTube.

    UGC can exist anywhere. Put up a website and you've created your own content. But without a branded channel that has audience awareness, who pays attention?

    YouTube generates over 90% of the online video views. Facebook is now the dominant social media platform (oh, remember when Myspace was all the rage???).

    Users need a singular place to go. And savvy marketers utilize YT and FB as distribution channels.

    So ultimately, what is the point? Anyone can make a high quality video these days. Digital cameras these days are awesome. And the software to cut the footage? Affordable (after a few paychecks that is).

    I don't see how any of this is revolutionary - more like Al Gore is behind the times, and like "global warming" misses the mark.

  2. Monica Bower from TERiX Computer Service, April 28, 2010 at 9:59 a.m.

    Since he invented the internet it only makes sense that he can now be free to invent cable access channels and nail the revenue model for television.

    The larger question is whether you are being purposely or ironically funny with this, Joe. It's well written as usual, and hard to tell whether it should be read aloud with an adulatory or mocking tone.

  3. Steven Kane from LuckyLabs, April 28, 2010 at 10:23 a.m.

    Mr Gore is still smarting from the trashing of the supposed IPO of Current TV, wherein his hopes of earning huge bucks based on using his super-rolodex to execute a quick flip of a piece of tripe, were dashed

    Now he needs some new sizzle, some new dream to try to smear lipstick on the pig. Current is a nominal business at best (and a silly loser at norm). Gore and his cabal of VIPs need to figure out how to exit the turkey before they have to actually operate it as a real business

  4. Paul Benjou from The Center for Media Management Strategies, April 28, 2010 at 10:50 a.m.

    Both Al Gore's presentation and the rest of the OutFront conference were inspiring and thought provoking.
    Al Gore deserves much credit for his drive towards sustainability through consumer generated communications.

    Paul Benjou
    Industry Blog: www.MyOpenKimono.com

  5. Jonathan Mirow from BroadbandVideo, Inc., April 30, 2010 at 3:27 p.m.

    UGC TV Programming Line-Up:
    1am - Cat Barf Videos
    2am - Grandma Drools When She Sleeps
    3am - Look At Me, I'm Naked!
    4am - Dog Eats Cat Barf Videos
    5am - Still Drunk From The Night Before Morning Yoga
    6am - Worship Jesus Or I'll Kill You
    7am - Whoo! Still Naked!
    8am - Medical Marijuana Business Report
    9am - No, Really - The Business Report Thing Now
    10am - Wake Up, Sleepy Crackhead
    11am - Lassie (Public Domain)
    12noon - Al Gore Tells You Why You Love This Stuff
    1pm - Dogs Barfing From Eating The Cat Barf Videos
    2pm - Naked I Am!
    3pm - Afternoon Public Domain Movie (anything with Bela Lugosi)
    5pm - Hand-Held, Shakey-Cam News from my Bedroom
    6pm - Naked! Naked! Naked!
    7pm - Beer Chugging with The Z-List Stars
    8pm - Rock of Love 17
    9pm - Hoboken Shores
    10pm - Really Very Naked Now!
    11pm - Tea Party People Scream Into The Camera
    12mid - My Scrotum
    ...monetizing this stuff should be a SNAP!

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