Top Articles: Niche Is The New Mainstream
Week 36, 2018
The rise of OTT has brought the rise of niche content with it. Traditional media must appeal to mass audiences. This means that for the most part, there is little variation in the type of content that is produced. With OTT services, however, niche has become a sizable market because consumers are constantly connected on a global platform. By nature, streaming services are conducive to niche content because they do not have to appeal to a mass audience anymore. There is more opportunity to provide content for underserved audiences in the digital age. Therefore, content doesn’t have to appeal to everyone anymore because there is something for everyone now.
The State of Advertising on Instagram Stories in Five Charts
By Seb Joseph from Digiday
Instagram Stories do not provide great reach for brands. This is because Instagram is a very niche-driven platform and many brands are still going for a mass audience. However, when a brand does cater to a niche audience, their Stories are viewed to completion nearly 3/4 of the time. Those numbers don’t lie. Serving content to a passionate, niche audience results in more engagement and better brand messaging.
How Hollywood Is Racing to Catch Up With Netflix
By Cynthia Littleton from Variety
When Netflix originally launched their streaming platform in 2007, media companies paid little attention to the company. Fast forward 11 years later, and nearly everyone in Hollywood is trying to capitalize on the Netflix model and launch their own streaming services. Netflix played the game very well and they continue to do so. Part of their success has to do with the very niche original content that they put out. Crucially, they are investing in the idea that every piece of content will be able to find an audience because everyone likes something. This thinking is key to their success.
Niche Streaming Services Want to Be Part of Your Bespoke Bundle
By Conor White from Cheddar
Cheddar brings up an interesting point when it comes to niche content providers. Asking people to invest in a new show is much riskier than giving them content they already know and love. Platforms like HBO have a high churn rate because people only subscribe to watch one or two shows and then cancel their subscriptions because they don’t want to watch anything else. One way that platforms are trying to combat this is by appealing to FOMO (the fear of missing out) in their fans. If your friends are watching a show, then you are more likely to watch it as well.
Facebook Says Social Video Watching Will Set It Apart from Netflix and YouTube
By Michelle Castillo from CNBC
Facebook has recently launched their own streaming service, Facebook Watch. In order to differentiate themselves, they are focusing on social watching where friends can watch and discuss content that is curated for them. Facebook’s plan was to create multiple niche content communities. It’s not a bad idea considering everyone in the Western world has at least one friend on the platform. Some of the features include Watch Party, game shows-style programming, and real-time polls and engagement options. Facebook is certainly playing to their strengths.
Niche Content Is Finally Going Mainstream
By Alan Wolk from Forbes
The growth of niche content was predicted to be one of the biggest media trends of 2018. Branded content is included in this trend as well. The goal of niche content is to resonate with a narrow target audience. This doesn’t necessarily mean demographics, by the way. Niche content is more about interests than anything else. Though interests can start with a small audience, it can quickly grow into a mainstream phenomenon. This can only happen, however, when storytelling extends the life of the content.
