• by Stacia Hanley , Op-Ed Contributor, February 16, 2015

A lot of folks out there are fond of the phrase “content is king,” and they are right. Anyone who argues against that is usually talking about bad content.

The problem is, having even the best content is only half the battle these days. Fragmentation is rampant across providers, platforms, devices, audiences and licensing agreements — and it’s mucking things up royally for audiences and advertisers.

Look at the record-breaking ratings for “Better Call Saul.” Its premier drove huge numbers not just because AMC delivered great content, but also because it strategically leveraged the massive “The Walking Dead” audience as a lead-in. We know the latter worked because ratings steeply dove the next night for Episode 102 when there was not a strong lead-in. “Content is king” was still valid though; “Better Call Saul” was No. 1 in cable for the evening. AMC also sends a strong message by having both episodes available to stream for free on its website, no login required.

It’s a near-perfect demonstration of how audiences are wielding control over the life and death of any piece of content. “Content is king” now comes with a warning: “BUT don’t belittle how much control audiences have to watch — or ditch, or share — anything, anytime, anywhere.”

Access and convenience are increasingly critical. They aid the likelihood of overall impact. The more difficult content is to access, the bigger the challenge becomes for audiences and advertisers.

And too many competitors are trying to hash through it on their own, elbowing each other while shooting themselves in the foot. Netflix has a way. HBO has a way. Sony has a way. There’s no cooperation; they’re getting in their own way of delivering a more positive user experience.

Meanwhile, we advertisers are just trying to keep up, stumbling after this massive amount of content consumption, targeting audiences across multiple devices, serving ads and overlaying analytics as best we can. Cross-platform measurement, targeting and audience-profiling tools are rudimentary at best, all while trying to measure an already busted-up system.

The ideal is to make it seamless for users — across distribution, browsing, discovery, consumption and measurement — and it has got to work on every single device.

Right now, we have the antithesis to that. Fragmentation is limiting the ability for any content to have true impact, with the possible exception of live sports. We see it in the ways users are learning to behave around the chaotic ecosystem, not with it, and in the dwindling ratings we see on TV.

It’s all very strongly pointing to a consumer-led restructuring of all content consumption. Not just video. 

There has got to be a better way.

The good news is, our industry is at the center of the system that enables and influences this massive amount of content consumption. We are responsible for attracting audiences by surprising, delighting and informing them — and, of course, for showing them the ad messages that keep the big wheel turning.

The consumer-led model is most likely to succeed. Right now, users have to personalize consumption based on what kinds of streaming devices or gaming consoles their TV is hooked up to, how much they are willing to pay (or pirate). They wrestle with stretching the HDMI from the laptop on the couch to the television. That’s a ton of friction, but the desire to watch a particular program or piece of content keeps them focused. Nothing will stand between a Realpolitik junkie and binge-watching “House of Cards.”

Further reducing points of friction between audiences and their content, maybe while using mobile so it works double-fold? It might just make for a truly great user experience.

The existing distribution model will need to bow out. The tools created thus far are only a partial fix. Programming is a mess of myriad log-ins, privacy statements, licensing agreements and viewing windows. It’s like if, in the 1950’s, you had to buy a different TV to watch each channel.

Ultimately, all users should gain access to content seamlessly and decide what they’re willing to pay for which pieces. Standardizing the system will organize user expectations around what to expect and when, and they will settle into one universal rhythm of content consumption. It just might also help with the impact problem.

Yes, it will take time. There are huge hurdles to settling licensing fees and viewing windows. But in the long run, it’s in our best interest as an industry because it’s acting in the best interest of our audiences. We’ve already proven that the best content wins out, now we just need a way for audiences to access it consistently and conveniently. 

Whether it’s a new tool, or something built into the hardware, or pulled out of the existing systems delivering all of this data — if it’s consolidating around a seamless, consumer-led user experience, the audiences, ad and measurement capabilities will fall into place.

Any ideas?