Pioneer One

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TV as we have known it for the last 60 years or so is now at the end of its life cycle. The days of being stuck with having to be in front of the box at a particular time to watch content, and of having to sit through advertisements during it, are just about at an end.

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As a PC repair tech, I see a lot of computers and over time, have seen a massive growth in the number of customers who download media. Years ago, it was only the young and tech savvy up-to-the-minuter’s. Now, its everyone – mums, dads, even grandma’s and grandpa’s who get a lot of their movies and tv shows from the net.

In Australia, we will soon have a faster broadband network, which will make availability of just about any media from anywhere, instantly.

This raises some interesting questions about what will happen with traditional ways of delivering media – cinemas, dvd libraries, tv stations. For example, what would happen to Hollywood if everyone downloaded their movies for free?  What would happen to TV production companies in the same situation? What would be the motivation to make content if no-one paid for it, and how would production companies exist?

One possible answer to this is the notion of donation-view content. Lets say someone downloads a show and just doesnt like it – it was obtained for free, but there’s no obligation to pay because it just wasnt appealing. However, if this person does like the show, they have the option to donate to the company that produced it – and pay what the show was worth in entertainment value. This payment ensures that the company is rewarded for their efforts and can continue to make the sort of content viewers value.

It means that content decisions can be made directly by viewers instead of studio executives.

Pioneer One is a pilot series using this exact model. Produced by VODO, the show is now up to its second episode – funded entirely by viewer donations. The donation amount is open, with a recommended minimum of $5.

I was skeptical of the potential for creating quality viewing from just donated money, but having seen the first 2 episodes, I was actually very impressed. Its a great series, and I ended up happily paying the production company for the entertainment I got from it.

It will be interesting to see what happens from here. Right now, we have a ‘pay up front’ model – we go to the cinema or video shop, and pay them. If the movie was a dud, thats tough luck; we’ve been gamed by the cover art and a slick plot description written by promotioneers wanting to get punters to watch the movie.

This payment model takes the opposite approach – get your media for free. If you like it, you can pay what you think it was worth. If you dont, no charge for your time :)  Good content makes money. Bad content goes by the wayside.

Its a promising concept from a consumer standpoint – lets see where it goes from here….

The episodes can be downloaded via bittorrent. More info at the VODO website.

http://vodo.net/pioneerone