Is AOL actually starting to get where the entertainment industry is going? They took such a long time to respond to the diminishing dial-up business, that I was starting to wonder if they were going to survive.
Tobi Elkin writing for Online Media, Marketing and Advertising, has a great article looking at a new AOL flexing its muscles and wholeheartedly embracing the strengths that the Internet has to offer. There is a lot to learn from their direction and insights into what they're trying to do.
Jim Bankoff, executive vice president of programming and products at AOL says that "When we talk about original programming, I don't like to view my role as just picking cute Webisodes or vignettes. I want to develop programming that draws people deeper into the aol.com experience and turns them on to interactive behaviors. In the case of Katalyst, the stuff the guys are creating will get people using IM, social networking, and our video offerings more. It's not a one-off."
Janet Rolle, who runs AOL's "Coaches" business as vice president/general manager of Women's and Lifestyle Programming, underscores Bankoff's point but goes further. "The sky's the limit. Any genre that exists is fodder for material. But we don't want to recreate a television experience online. We want to bring our users highly engaging and interactive experiences."
Rolle adds that "Our point of view is that when we're looking to develop original content in any of the areas of AOL, we want to ensure that we aren't just recreating a linear experience in the online space, we're not looking to recreate a linear experience like TV."
These few statements tell me that AOL just might become a player in this field. I have found very few people in the entertainment industry that are truly understanding and getting what it is that the Internet is offering in the entertainment field. AOL seems to be onto it in a big way.
I do like AOL's boldness in starting to think of itself as a channel, not in the TV linear way, but in the Internet way. Competitors will need to look out if they begin to get it right.
» AOL: The new TV Channel? Part two from TheAlphaMarketer
AOL is attempting to become a full-blown Internet television network or possibly the equivalent of an entire cable broadcast offering. One of the areas that has been a pleasant surprize for them has been what they have called their "Coaches"... [Read More]
Tracked on: May 2, 2006 7:48 PM | Permalink to Trackback