A “Length”-y Discussion
August 29th, 2007 by Robert GustafsonPosted in Content, Metrics, Online, Strategy |As web portals and traditional networks start to venture into original programming, they are going to have to consider what their viewers’ expectations are when they sit down to consume this programming.
Why is it that our attention span online is anything even less than 3 minutes, but we can watch a 2 hour movie like Once in the theater that is shot in that hand-held “raw” format and not get bored for a second? One could argue that the quality of the movie Once far surpasses that of anything online (which is true), but I believe it has more to to with the viewers expectations than anything else.
- When we watch a movie, our mind tells us that we’re going to be settling in for one and a half to two hour experience.
- When we watch television, our mind tells us that we’re going to be watching a story that will take place over 22 to 44 minutes.
- And when we watch videos online, our mind tells us that we’re going to see something funny within 3 minutes…or I’m clicking on something else.
This is the reason we can’t get through a 4 minute online clip even though the programming may have its merits, but I have no problem watching a full mediocre episode of Grey’s Anatomy on abc.com?
A new report out yesterday(8/28) by the CTAM noted that 70% of those trend-setting college students still prefer to watch content on TV over any other format. The Networks I’m sure are clamoring at this news, but I’m not sure if it surprises them. After all, over 300,000 people signed up to watch Francis Stokes’s feature film Harold Buttleman, Daredevil Stuntman on Youtube. But before they sat down to watch it, they knew what they were getting into - both quality and length.
In the upcoming few months, the hardest part for sites creating original programmers and for content creators will be to communicate these expectations to the consumer before they click. Because we all love a good story, but if we don’t know what we’re getting into, short clips of funny cats are just one click away.
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