Here is a great YouTube video that begins to explain the situation.

 

When I say Netflix I mean the Netflix of a couple years ago when it was a physical movie rental service.  The Netflix I’m talking about is the one before the HD streaming and dedicated hardware.  It was the good old movie rentals from your computer that stuck it to Blockbuster and delivered it to your door (shipping fees and return postage included). What we have in Canada is Zip.ca.  Although feature wise it is not quite a true competitor to Netflix in the US, it certainly puts up a mean fight when compared to Blockbuster and Rogers video rental services. Shipping their first DVD in 2004 Zip.ca has grown their collection of DVD and Blu-ray rentals to include over 72,000 titles.  The collection includes movies from independent Canadian productions, to Bollywood, to Hollywood blockbusters and more.  They also have a growing television collection which includes all the classic series that you can’t find on bit torrent. More importantly is the pricing.  Not only does the new release price fall short of Blockbuster it also includes the shipping cost both ways.  Zip.ca has a variety of subscription options from 2 per month to unlimited (with a limit to how many you can carry at a time).  All options allow for addition pay-per-title rentals which still fall below the competition price. If you are a previous Zip.ca user and left because you found their website took forever to load there has been some obvious upgrades which make the catalogue browsing much smoother.  They have also added a pop-up dialogue box when mousing over titles to get a quick preview (and although I can’t take full credit for that addition I did leave it in the suggestion box:) ). Aside from the typical rating system and recommendation tool that thinks I have an anime fetish mixed with a love for all movies bad or pre 1960, the web tools are easy to use and straightforward.  The rentals work on a ranking system that the user puts together based on which movies he/she wants to see and in what order (called the ZipList).  They then send you items based on your ZipList as they become available so you may not always get your first choice, in fact you likely won’t right away so keep your list populated.  As of writing this post all of my rentals have been within my top ten choices. If you are wondering how much Zip.ca is paying me the answer is nothing, which is likely for two reasons: My blog doesn’t get a lot of attention and I have no association with Zip.ca aside from the fact that I’m a happy customer.  I also don’t like driving to Blockbuster in the Canadian winter.   They offer a free trial and have a referral program as well, but the referral program really only benefits the referrer. Me.  So unless you want to do me a favour you might as well just give the free trial a try.

Earlier this week I observed a lecture by Nancy Chappelle, the Managing Director of Content and Programming for TVO. If you’ve followed what goes on at TVO in the past but have perhaps lost touch do check in again. I was (and still am) amazed and inspired with not only their web presence but also their social media penetration.

We all know the typical model for a television networks website whose general purpose is to bring eyes back to the TV. Although we are slowing seeing a shift in this behaviour, with examples like Hulu, the flow is generally one direction and the intent is to direct all eyes back to television. The ads are on television, the ratings are tied to the television, there are definitely legitimate reasons for this behaviour, but things are changing slowly and surely.

Increasingly we are seeing networks putting up full episodes and bonus content because perhaps there is some value to the web. Acknowledging that now might not be the best time to experiment with fantasy revenue streams, there is still a growing potential for this shift. Anyone heard of Netflix? Is there anything they are doing wrong?

Although TVO doesn’t fairly compare to a major network (mainly because of where their funding comes from) they are still an excellent example of online potential for networks. They specialize in children’s content and have an entire website of over 150 games. Yes we are still talking about a television network. They produce podcasts (TVO Parents, The Agenda), they are on Twitter (@AgendaCamp, @TheAgenda), they have Facebook groups, they’ve got all the basics covered. But what goes above and beyond simply existing on the web is that they not only do all those things (which should now be considered requirements), they also promote topical unconferences and social events with an educational theme for children. They physically and virtually exist in the world of the audience.

They are creating online social communities. They are connecting with their audience(s). They aren’t just selling a product, they’re creating brand advocates. I urge you to take note of what they are accomplishing and if it’s not the next step for all networks.

After leaving the class on Monday evening a couple thoughts struck me from the discussion with Susan Ross.  The main point being her feeling and perhaps the feelings of Corus as a whole with regards to the current shifts in technology and entertainment.  The sense I got from her was the expected “wait and see.”  In retrospect this could be based on a few significant reasons: Firstly, this may actually be the attitude held by Corus as they might well believe that waiting is the best strategy.  Secondly, the current state of the economy is likely a factor resulting in less investment in new technologies and experimental revenue streams.  For Corus, as Ross explained, “keeping to what we know,” might very well be the best option.  Finally, there is the chance that perhaps Ross did not want to give away some key secrets that the company may have plans for in the future. I find it interesting to compare the path taken by Corus versus what I’ve read in the past couple of weeks regarding Netflix and other CES offerings.  In my opinion Netflix is doing all the right things.  Two weeks ago they introduced HD streaming on top of their already stable web/television entertainment services.  Compared to what we are seeing in the Canadian market as consumers and what we heard from Ross there seems to be few mainstream ventures in technological evolution.  Granted the infrastructure is not the same and the costs associated with creating a wider consumer market are quite different than in the States, it still feels like slow motion. My specific question was related to changes in children programming and how it will or should evolve in Ross’s opinion.  There was the example of the Tree House Direct failure which seemed to be a retreat from a now rapidly expanding market.  Of all audiences children want to be involved and active in the toys they receive, the movies they watch and the media they consume.  Although Tree House Direct appeared to be a different way for getting the same content, I would think that these directions need to be explored further.  Perhaps everyone’s quest to bring TV to the computer is the wrong solution.  We should be bringing the social nature of the web to the big screen.

This morning in the Globe and Mail they indicated that undecided voter decisions would come down to turkey talk.  That being conversations and opinions of family members during Thanksgiving meals.  Just south of the border in the United States an election is also brewing, and both campaigns there are using the internet as a political tool.  This, as widely publicized already, is making splashes all over the world and revolutionizing the way a campaign is now to operate.  Not only is this taking place in the United States, but we too in Canada are making use of the internet to spread political Tweets and off the cuff opinions.   With the Canadian election coming up just after the long weekend (Oct 14th), as usual there appear to still be a large number of undecided voters.  For all you turkey trimming swingers here are a couple online resources to assist you in making your own last minute voting decision:

• Theundecided.ca - This site identifies key issues showing where differentiating stand and lets you pick.  Once you have decided on the issue you can rank the point based on how important it is to you.  You are then given a percentage of your agreement with each of the five major parties.
• Electionopinion.ca - This site is a feed combining all the major Canadian parties Twitter posts.  It won't necessarily show you each parties platform but it will give you a look at their campaign itself and various publications related to the campaign trails.
• CTV Poll Tracker - The CTV poll tracker is useful in identifying trends in popularity and determining which regions are swing regions.  The CTV also has other useful links so click around.
• CBC Voter Toolkit - The CBC has many useful resources for identifying your riding and your ridings historical trends.  Take a moment to enter your postal code and see which candidates are running in your riding and what your riding has historical been.  It may give you a new perspective on the area you vote in and the canditates you're actually voting for.
• Elections Canada - At Elections Canada you can find information about your riding and where you can go to vote as well as the hours of operations.

 

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