California Sports Lawyer® Founder and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans column about the power and influence of short-form content in entertainment, media, and sports.
You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).
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Entertainment, media, and sports viewing habits and trends have changed many times over the years. From “stand-up philosophers” comedically played by Mel Brooks in “History of the World, Part 1” to on stage performances, film and television, in black and white, color, and eventually cable, to satellite, to streaming. The current age is one that focuses on social media and short-form content that can be both entertaining, advertising, or highlights of sports, events, or news.
Years ago, there was a presentation by a well-known Los Angeles Dodgers executive and he said, paraphrasing, that the team wanted to have every interested person to be able to engage with Dodgers content anywhere and on multiple platforms. The idea was that if someone was watching a game on their mobile phone or smart television, the same person could also be streaming music or the live radio broadcast, or following social media posts or viewing and engaging with highlights or commentary. The variety in which customers can consume content is in some ways without limit.
Social media is intoxicating because it provides what traditional television cannot—immediate feedback, engagement, and never-ending content that is without delay or limitation. While streaming is more instantaneous than traditional television, it still requires waiting for content releases and there is little to no engagement while watching other than the viewing. One might be thinking how ludicrous and impatient customers must be to require more than great content—the delivery of content and providing engagement immediately, but that is the culture created by streaming and social media. Expectations have changed because the technology has improved.
Podcast streaming is also very popular because the content is even more instantaneous than traditional television and is often released daily or weekly. The streaming, social media, and podcasting content is also either significantly reduced with commercial advertising—so the expectation is that more content is better and often less expensive than previous forms of content and distribution. Whether people have exchanged the great for the expediate is an important question to ask.
The truth is that streaming and social media have made content viewing less expensive financially and more immediate in time. Specifically with podcasting, the production cost is miniscule compared to tradition film and television production. As entertainment film and production continue to lose ground in Hollywood and Los Angeles, it is more than a matter of cost, but relatedly, convenience, tax and business friendly environments that California is not known for now or in recent history.
Many in Hollywood, actors and customers alike, have cried afoul that great movies are rarely made anymore and studios and streamers do not like to take risks. This is where limited artificial intelligence can help lower the cost of production. More importantly, if the cost of doing business can be less expensive through alternative mediums and platforms it must also be true that there is much to be learned from surveying social media and podcasting to tell great stories again.
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About Jeremy M. Evans:
Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. Evans is an award-winning attorney and industry leader based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.
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