How many awesome YouTube videos have been ruined by the five or so people crowding around a tiny laptop screen?
Google is trying to make it so that you won’t have to crowd any longer with Chromecast, a device that transfers all sorts of digital content (videos, music, text, etc.) from your computer or mobile device to your television. Unlike Apple TV, Google Chromecast works across all platforms and requires a $35 HDMI receiver plugged into a TV.
Chromecast is the latest of the emerging Over the Top (OTT) technologies. OTT technology can bypass cable companies and connect directly with the consumer. Let’s explore how it will change the media landscape and how it affects cable companies, local media organizations and consumers:
A chance to win new cable customers
From a platform context, the authentication deal that Time Warner Cable signed with Apple TV proved that even major media companies are interested in OTT service providers. If regional and national cable networks choose to create apps for Chromecase, there’s an opportunity for them to win back two types of previously lost consumers: cord-cutters and cord-never-havers.
In the case of cord-cutters, there’s an opportunity for cable companies to create Chromecast-compatible apps and give them a sample of what they’re missing on cable – and hopefully win them back. In the famous words of the late Steve Jobs, it will be “like giving a glass of ice water to someone in hell.”
Then there are cord-never-havers, a segment of the population that has never subscribed to cable or satellite programming. Yet as Bloomberg illustrates, while they’ve never paid for cable, this group will still subscribe to services such as Netflix. Chromecast presents a new medium for cable networks and providers to generate income from this previously inaccessible market.
And what if telcos and cable providers don’t create Chromecast-compatible apps? Perhaps customer backlash will convince these companies to adopt OTT technology. In the competitive media ecosystem, every customer matters.
The multimedia Chromecast ecosystem
Although the Chromecast ecosystem is still in the developing stages, media companies like Songza, Vevo and Pandora have already made their solutions compatible with the new technology. These companies serving up free/subscription music and music videos, will undoubtedly attract new users to Chromecast. Even premium cable network HBO’s content is available on Chromecast through HBO Go (pictured).
That means Chromecast’s audience is only growing, making it an attractive platform to build on top of.
Similarly, through Pandora and Songza, users will become accustomed to playing audio-dominant content through their televisions. This opens up opportunities for radio broadcasters to distribute either live audio or video streams through Chromecast. For example, many radio stations no longer need to publish through a cable network to get on TV, and could appear on the big screen through Chromecast.
National and local media opportunities
Media companies like the Washington Post are already on Chromecast. A similar opportunity exists for local media outlets. To give another example, companies like the New York Times or the L.A. Times would no longer have to work with cable companies if they choose to broadcast news through video – they can create a 24/7 news channel and distribute it on Chromecast.
Naturally, national and local brands distributing their content through Chromecast present some trouble for cable companies. Where their infrastructure was previously their defensibility, cable companies must now compete with the new Chromecast platform and create more value to retain their current local networks and content. That’s not even the end of the trouble.
Rumor is that Google has been in talks with the NFL for a Sunday Ticket exclusivity deal after the current DirecTV deal expires. Whether it’s this season or the next, you can bet your bottom dollar that this will be streaming on Chromecast. Should that happen, every sports bar in the country will need Chromecast for their TVs. At a price point of $35 per unit, and its compatibility with all HDMI ports, there’s little stopping bar proprietors from adopting the technology.
Closing thoughts
With the recent release of the Chromecast software development kit, development for the platform will only accelerate and the ecosystem will grow much faster. Chromecast’s growing system makes a greater threat and presents greater opportunity to the players in the current media landscape. As with all disruptive technology, Chromecast is something that is extremely exciting and will usher in an evolution (or, I daresay, a revolution) of media.
A version of this post originally appeared on the Media in Canada website and later on the StreamDaily website.
