If you’re like most internet users you’ve probably spent a significant chunk of your online time in the last month on YouTube. It’s the biggest provider of video content in the world – home for the work of thousands of creators, commentators, and companies. The related numbers are astonishing: Over 4 billion videos are viewed each day, 800 million unique visitors visit each month, and more video is uploaded in one month than the 3 major US networks created in 60 years. YouTube has undoubtedly disrupted the entertainment industry and here are some reasons why it happened and why it will continue to happen.
Everything is Global
No matter who you are or where you’re from you can gain a global audience immediately. This means someone from Norway can suddenly gain a healthy North American audience and start making a living creating their own content. It also means that any small or medium companies now have global reach through their videos – if you have a product with an interesting accompanying video you could have orders coming in from around the world overnight. Borders are, in many ways, starting to vanish and companies who take advantage of that will see their profits rise.
The Gates are Open
It’s important to remember that all the mass-media entertainment we read, watched, or listened to over the last several decades was controlled by gatekeepers. Putting entertainment of any kind into physical media was an expensive proposition so there was always someone deciding whether or not it was ‘worthy’ of being distributed. This is no longer an issue with the internet in general and YouTube in particular. Yes, much of what the gatekeepers kept down was low-quality and that material is present, but sometimes it was something they simply didn’t understand. Whether it was shows about make-up tips, vlogs with fresh voices, or people playing video games – what the media establishment previously thought of as non-entertainment is now gathering audiences in the millions.
Those new audiences – and new forms of entertainment – mean new opportunities. A company with the right content creation can build a series that not only sells product but also becomes the product itself. What begins as a sales tool could, with proper production, become another profit-making arm of the company.
YouTube is transforming the way we’re entertained and savvy businesses will be able to ride that wave of change. If your company needs custom and compelling video content for YouTube, social networks, or anything else contact Epic Video Factory today.