
The secret cost of pivoting to video - smacktoward
https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/pivot-to-video.php
======
konschubert
> But advertisers don’t need publishers: Advertisers long ago realized they
> can pay Facebook directly for traffic.

That's a very good point.

~~~
gcb0
or "advertisers don't need publishers, they can pay the top publisher of the
day for traffic"

that's the same argument since yahoo was the top publisher. but the world keep
spinning, and you can't reach anybody under 35 via Facebook anymore.

------
kevin_b_er
Video playback is also trash on most sites besides youtube when on mobile.

I can be on excellent wifi connected to excellent internet where a desktop
browser gets to play the video almost instantly, but mobile chrome will barely
show the video. It'll show me empty black boxes, maybe a disabled video
position control. It'll sit there like that for a good 30 seconds, then maybe
play a 30 second ad, then finally the 1 min clip I was linked for. Often it
will again stutter hard when it gets to the clip.

By contrast, loading a mobile youtube page will play the video almost
immediately, if not within 15 seconds, even on LTE.

~~~
ideonexus
I agree with you with one exception: when a youtube video is preceded by an
advertisement. Youtube videos load very quickly, but I have had to give up
watching some videos because the 30-second advertisement gets stuck in loading
mode. I assume this is because there is a contractual obligation to show the
ad at a minimum resolution, while the video itself can be delivered at a low
quality and improve depending on the connection.

------
vinceguidry
The company I contract for uses video. But it wasn't a pivot, CNN directly
subsidized the genesis of Great Big Story. We have an army of video-makers and
are just blowing up, having received a $40MM infusion from CNN earlier this
year.

It's the exception that proves the rule. If you want to make money with video,
bring your checkbook.

------
ryanb23
Everyone who pivots to video to try to drive Facebook traffic seems to come to
regret it.

------
fhood
A counter example, i.e. a pivot to video that was done correctly, would be the
motor trend network of publications.

------
jagermo
Excellent article, but it will not be read by people being in charge of
publishing houses, sadly.

~~~
Retric
They lost all credibility when they said Facebook and Google collect 99% of
all revenue growth. Which is designed to be as deceptive as possible.

It suggests but does not mean "They keep all that money", "Nobody else gets
any money", or even "They are the only thing that's growing".

