The rise of digital distribution has created an insatiable thirst for more content to fill the bucket. Video content is being produced not just for broadcast or cable, but for streaming services as well. We are seeing the numbers rise for both short form content, user generated content, and scripted series as well. And as Investopedia tells us, "John Landgraf said the number of scripted television shows next year
could reach 500, from an estimated number between 430 and 450 this year,
driven mainly by a rise in shows commissioned by streaming services." Landgraf, CEO of FX Network, places responsibility on the streaming media services like Netflix and Amazon. But Hulu, of which Fox Networks are an owner, could also be named as well.
The challenges of producing so much content include finding quality programs amid the morass of choice, viewers finding the needle in a haystack of endless content possibilities, and measuring success in today's overly saturated content world. With so much content choice possible to see and hear, focus becomes close to impossible and harder even to search for and find. With such a glut of content, it becomes even more important for us to use recommendation, marketing, and advanced search to help users find a match to content they would enjoy viewing.
The drive to create content is only advancing. In coming years, the numbers will only increase. Today, in fact, Turner announced an investment in Refinery29, a female skewed destination for fashion and entertainment, and one in which Scripps is also an investor, to support more content that could possibly make its way onto their channels. Content is the fuel that runs digital media distribution. Consumer thirst for more helps to drive subscription and cable revenue streams. And with advertising alongside it in some way, deliver more profit to media companies. Have we reached a tipping point? Probably not, although the challenge for creative minds is to make the content produced quality worth watching.
