The “Next Big Thing” for Apple or Disney or Yahoo or …
It’s the greatest opportunity in all of entertainment.
It should be built by Apple, Disney or even Yahoo/Oath, which needs a new defining digital product.
You and almost everyone else need it. You just don’t realize it.
Today, pay attention to how many times you want/need to mentally “check out” for a few minutes. When you’re experiencing a little brain overload. Or conversely, maybe even a little bored.
You probably go to Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat or any of the social media platforms on your phone to satiate your desire to give your mind a break.
But therein lies the problem. With social media, you always feel like you need to “contribute to the conversation.” You always feel like you should do something — and when you’re wanting to “check out” you surely don’t want to share, like, re-post, comment, etc.
What we all really need is … a “retreat-from-everything” button. A “turn-my-brain-off” button.
And that’s the greatest opportunity in entertainment: Fulfill the needs of every smartphone owner wanting to mentally “check out” throughout the day with a mobile product that simply feeds the user with a seemingly unending stream of top-quality, yet mindless entertainment that feels as if it’s always on … and there for you.
More simply, an Escape button.
At home, you can “check out” by curling up on the couch and grabbing the remote. Anywhere else, you click Escape.
To succeed, it should, at the very least, have these five key features:
1: Videos Only. All Six Minutes or Less.
When turning off your brain in the day, you don’t want to read and you don’t have much time. And knowing that every single video fits within a specific length of time is easier to process and plan around (all videos should have a persistent countdown clock). Six minutes, or less, is the perfect amount for both the on-the-go, 30- or 40-Somethings and the Millennials and Gen-Z’ers with their 8-second attention spans.
2: Only Hollywood-quality Productions.
All content is professionally produced, nothing user-generated, and mostly scripted. Trusting that you’ll be watching the best bite-sized content being produced is paramount. Former Disney Chairman and Dreamworks Co-Founder Jeffrey Katzenberg has created a new company called WndrCo which has just started to produce what they call “new TV” — content specifically built from the ground up for mobile devices, and limited to 6–10 minutes per episode or chapter. Perfect. (By the way, Katzenberg has already reportedly raised $600 million of the $2 billion for the venture).
3: A Mindless User Experience.
The remote control/TV user interface is one of the most mindless, yet effective and familiar experiences ever designed. Mimic it. Give the user the ability to “just play.” Give the user the ability to channel surf. One big play button, and an infinite number of channels. No visible menus or lengthy descriptions. There’s a comforting simplicity behind being able to “just watch,” especially when you want to shut down your mind for a bit.
4: Vertical Video is the New HD.
Mr. Katzenberg (and others), if you want to make “new TV” for mobile, then do something that’s specifically viewable on mobile phones: Make all content vertical and embrace it as a new way of storytelling. No more 16:9 ratio, but 9:16 (or more). Let’s even brand it, something like Verti-Scope.
While Snapchat is already displaying most of its video and graphics in portrait mode, make it a feature to do all original and exclusive productions this way. A dramatic, bold move, yes. But what better way to differentiate and go to market.
5: Free, Yet Supported by the Amazing Six-Second Ad (only).
One of the most fascinating developments in advertising is the recent production and subsequent acceptance of the six-second ad. You’ve seen them on Fox sports TV broadcasts — including plans for them at this year’s Super Bowl — and Facebook and YouTube are introducing the format too. While 15 or 30 seconds ads seem like an eternity on YouTube, Hulu or other ad-supported streaming services, it’s hard to argue with six seconds and the challenge for ad agency creative will be fun to watch.
While there are many other features to discuss — advanced intelligence for browse/search, content as promotion, music videos, to name a few — it’s time for me, and you, to Escape for awhile.
Brett Morris is a former Senior Vice President for Mark Cuban (MarkCubanCompanies.com) and former President/COO of esports innovator Super League Gaming (SuperLeague.com). He last wrote this about how the NBA 2K League will change all sports, not just esports. He’s now a consultant in esports and other emerging technologies and can be reached at Brett@MorrisStrategic.com
