If less than ten percent of the world’s population demonstrates an interest in something, “something” may suck. Or it might just not have caught on yet, and a new white paper expresses this opinion of short-form video clips for mobile devices.
John Barrett- Director Of Research: Parks & Associates
The Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California, along with Parks Associates, feels that short-form videos could help the entertainment industry. “Rather than just sell digital content, offer free movie previews and clips as advertainment to encourage people to buy a theater ticket or talk about the movie,” stated John Barrett, the director of research at that second entity.
And his excerpted idea seems like a decent one. It’s only when handheld devices come into play that we’ve got a problem. At a time when so many people are either sitting in front of or lusting after 50-inch plasma TVs, we remain unsure how cell phones and MP3 players can ever become popular video players.
Still, the devices are everywhere, and thus present a tempting target. Laurie Sullivan points out, “Short-form videos as free promotional tools . . . can lead consumers toward more traditional channels as the entertainment industry prepares to distribute full-length movies and premium content on portable devices down the road.”
Again, we take issue with the second part of that statement (or more accurately, the vision – Sullivan herself isn’t to blame). But no one should be too surprised if special movie trailers and other extras become available through mobile devices in the not-too-distant future.
