Slivercasting - Special Interests Online
by Michael HoffmanSunday, March 12th, 2006
By Danny Alpert, Executive Producer at See3 Communications
Another great article in today’s NY Times, Internet TV Aims at Niche Audiences, explores how the internet is beginning to compete with TV for viewers and how the net holds a huge advantage over TV when it comes to reaching small, but dedicated, niche audiences.
Columnist Saul Hansell begins by telling the story of a frustrated English sailing enthusiast, who wanted more content out their on his passion. Faced with thee idea of hundred of thousands of dollars in startup costs to a satellite channel, he turned to the web and started Sail.tv, which had 70,000 viewers in its first month.
The article goes on to illustrate a number of similar stories— from vegetarian cooking, to horror films, to news from Ukraine— of groups or individuals who know that they have a committed audience that they can now reach through a phenomenon that Hansell calls “slivercasting” (I love it!).
This must be working because now the big boys are starting to pay attention: “The next wave of media is to unleash the power of serving people’s special interests,” said John Hendricks, the chief executive of Discovery Communications, which is developing a series of specialized video services. “Every time I walk into a Borders bookstore, I spend a lot of time looking at the magazine rack — because staring at you are all the passions of America. The bride who is about to get married, there is a magazine for her. And for the person who is a little older, there are wonderful travel and leisure magazines.”
And what about all those other magazines—social issue and commentary, world affairs, medicine, art and so many others— that deal with the same issues that non-profits advocate for and work within? The connection is clear. Nonprofits should and can be in this game. See3’s DoGooderTV is the foundation for a future non-profit network, a place that can aggregate your passionate supporters, your sliver, into a larger audience. Get the point? Join us at DoGooder.TV
