Network Execs: Stuart Smalley can help you

March 22, 2007 at 9:59 pm (politics, web 2.0)

So, it seems that while Viacom has decided that to get its piece of the pie it has to sue YouTube, NBC and Fox have taken a slightly different route to make money off of the technology, by attempting to make their own YouTube, which will include full-length episodes of their programs, and some user-created content—how they will deal with the copyright troubles isn’t yet clear (though I have a mental image of hundreds of desk-chained interns developing carpal tunnel as they review each video late into the night).

I think what NBC and Fox fail to realize is that their behemoth size is not an advantage in this case. Google expanded from a search engine to an empire (a googlesphere, if you will) in the blink of an eye. The aging media companies simply can’t compete with that kind of speed, especially as they will no doubt stop to consider each legal ramification possible with every step they take…and that way of thinking is not the way things are anymore. Kind of like when your parents want to be cool, and fail miserably (or, how you try to be cool to your nieces and nephews and fail miserably). It really comes down to acceptance, which is why I think the major media corporations should have a bit of grief counseling 101:

 

Denial – This isn’t happening! It’s more popular than our shows!

Anger – You can’t do this to us! We’ve been doing this for years! We’ll sue!

Bargaining – Seriously, just deal with us—give us a little piece of the pie, and there won’t be any problems…

Depression – It’s over. We can’t compete. All we’ve got left is American Idol.

Acceptance – Hey, it’s ok—let’s just keep on truckin’—after all, we’ve still got American Idol!

 

It’s OK mass media—just keep repeating: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me”