Commentary

Overkill On Hold: Facebook's Delayed Video Plans

Sharing content was, and still is, a brilliant billboard, just like a conventional trailer. Premium publisher apps ought to thrive, even when Facebook and others begin producing their own made-for-social app fare, some time or another.

I don’t know how to put it, but I’m not very sure consumers have a feel or a yearning for Facebook’s “taste,” because for all of its existence, it’s not exhibited one. By function, Facebook is kind of dumb. It is not much more than a souped up telephone. You speak into it. (And Facebook also listens.)

It’s as least as likely Facebook’s brand content will be as bland and middle-of-the-road as Facebook is in its safe operating mode, when your friends go on and on about their spouses, children, friends, pets and alma maters. All by itself. Facebook is not edgy. It’s kind of dweeby, serving such a wide swath of humanity it's very likely its own voice won't please everybody.

Facebook was supposed to introduce some original fare in June, scouted by College Humor co-founder Rick Van Veen, who is the Facebook executive in charge. But apparently, plans have changed. Recode reported that it’s delayed its first splash until later this summer or maybe later than that.

The problem, Recode kind of guesses, is that it doesn’t know where to physically put this new add-on to the Zuckerberg estate. On the other hand, Facebook complained a little while ago that it was running out of places to shove advertising, so the little room addition would seem to be such a nice problem to have.

You can see why Facebook would like to keep its millions and millions of users right where they are. But you can’t see why FBers should care at all to hang around.

I have severely diminished excitement about Yet Another Video source.

FX’s John Landgraf, way back in 2015, warned of Peak TV, which seemed to be massaged into the audacious notion that with 455 scripted series last year, the TV business is just too rich to keep it up. Really, though, all he meant was that it was way too crowded, (like, parenthetically and way off topic, the now overwhelming glut of craft brewers).

Well, as Tech Central points out, analyst Michael Nathanson, one of the most often pronounced analysts, has pronounced: “It seems like the era of peak TV driven by an explosion of cable originals is coming to an end.” And that’s before Hulu rolls out more programming.

Even Verizon ,which already has its hands full of failure with Go90, is reportedly hinting at an announcement, possibly even next month, that it will begin its own streaming video service, incorporating its AOL/Yahoo/Oath thingee into yet another way to get OTT access to cable channels.

That would make it: SlingTV, Playstation Vue, DirecTV Now, YouTube TV and Hulu TV offering/begging cord cutters to do it, already! Verizon make six, and there are rumors Amazon wants in, too.  

Facebook, of course, will get its shelf space, but it seems the abundance of really should be put in the past tense. We’re now in Peaked TV mode.

 pjbednarski@comcast.net

@pjbtweet

1 comment about "Overkill On Hold: Facebook's Delayed Video Plans".
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  1. Douglas Ferguson from College of Charleston, May 25, 2017 at 2:21 p.m.

    The difference between Facebook and the phone is obvious to most people. Most of them check it a lot more than a phone. And it delivers more mindless content than a phone. You can join groups, play games, sell stuff. The old wall post function has long been surpassed by attempts to increase "time spent" measurement of other content.

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