Ok so right from the start let me just say that this is NOT happening. However... by reading the article you did prove my point though - That you have at least some interest in consuming content like Game of Thrones via a medium like YouTube.
Boo HA HA HA
So if you stop reading right now, at least complete the poll below. Otherwise... the real title for this post should probably be something more like: It's Time for your favourite streamed TV shows to find a new home > Read on and see what I mean.
If #GameOfThrones was to air it's #SeasonFinale live on #YouTube WITH ADS.... But free of charge, Would you watch it ?
— Dr Kofi Okyere-Dede (@itskofio) May 19, 2019
Game of Thrones - On Youtube
Imagine for a second clicking a link and youtube opens up - 10 Million people are waiting with you for the season finale of Game of Thrones. People are already in the live chat speculating about what is going to happen next. Who else is in the chatroom - your favourite character (yes they are still alive - for now).
You get to interact, ask behind the scenes questions and even try to trick them into revealing what might happen this episode. You can switch to any device and continue watching seamlessly - without paying a cent.
This is the model that I humbly predict will take over the TV series space - you can tell me if I was wrong in 2020. Truly unrestricted content that can be consumed by anybody, anywhere - with friends!
Isn't that the whole point? Chances are you are texting them during the show when crazy things happen anyways.
Game of thrones is huge
First of all game of thrones is not a normal show, there were an estimated 17 million unique individuals who tuned in to watch the show. In fact the show is so far ahead that right now they are their own competition - they had previously set a record in season 7 with 10 million views. It's also the chow with the highest body count ever.
The most popular TV shows according to IMDB:
- Game of thrones (sorry vikings fans)
- Dead to me
- Lucifer
- Chernobyl
- Line of Duty
What the show has managed to achieve is truly incredible. Check out the rest of the Game of thrones stats here...
How are people watching Game of Thrones?
International
- HBO Cable
- HBO Go
- HBO Now
South Africa
- DSTV Premium (R809 per month)
- Showmax (R99 per month)
So those are the legal channels... care to take a walk to the dark side?
According to Muso, the premiere of Game of Thrones was pirated 55 Million times in the first 24 hours - Thats probably a record on its own! More than 3 times the views on the legitimate channels. If you ask me that is a massive problem.
I was taught to listen when a user tells you how they use your product. Because of the sheer scale and quality of the show everybody wants to participate... Nobody wants to be 2 episodes behind (like I am now). If you are going to make a great product - which you should, you can't afford to leak money like this, and you can't afford to exclude anybody.
If I am in a "not-so-well-to-do" country, how do I consume your product. You can't argue that Game of Thrones hasn't reached global scale and so there must be a solution to this design problem.
What about the money?
Glad you asked - ever heard of the super bowl? Yea, I thought so - Imagine soccer, with a rugby ball and some veeeeery different rules. Point is the Superbowl is right up there with the most watched sporting events on the planet.
Over 100 million people are expected to watch the SuperBowl this year
Where there are eyes, there are ads - and expensive ads! CBS is selling a 30 second slot for just over $5 million (if you are in South Africa that equates to ZAR 72 Million) for 30 seconds!
Photographer: Etty Fidele | Source: Unsplash
Are brands willing to spend big money on ads that will get eyes? - ask the $382 million that was spent on Superbowl ads last year. Would people watch series on YouTube? - ask DeStorm and their 15 million views for the caught series.
Will global brands like Coca Cola, Nike, Microsoft and Visa jump on the ad wagon if global series were to show on YouTube? - I can't say for sure, but if 55 million people were piloting my TV Show- I'd definitely give it a try.
My Apologies
Allow me to apologise for what may seem like fake news or click bait - just thought it would be a good way to test a hypothesis. As an African I experience things a lot differently to how our western creators may have intended it. The world is getting a lot smaller, my favourite content lives on too many different subscription-based services, perhaps it's time to think differently.