I guess they’ve figured if they can’t beat the pirates, they might as well make it easier for them to swipe the content and re-purpose it in mash-ups

The CBS execs dutifully made the trek to Silicon Valley, as so many other entertainment execs have done over the years, sat down around a big oval polished table, and listened as a bunch of young digipunks told them to their faces the sad news: “You’re idiots.”

Some of the CBS execs no doubt dutifully wrote down on their legal-size yellow pads “We’re Idiots.” Mm-hm, I see, yes very interesting, we’re idiots.  So how does that help us staunch the bleeding of audience?

Well, maybe if your reaction to your audience wanting to have a little freedom of choice and not be trapped into watching schlock and screechy ads wasn’t to increase the volume and dumb down the programming…

Until recently, CBS.com had consisted of what one CBS executive
described as “regurgitated television” — full-length streams of shows
and scheduling information.The new, less cluttered website,
launched in tandem with the fall season, focuses on attracting
communities of fans who want to gab about such CBS shows as “How I Met
Your Mother” or “Kid Nation.”

It devotes less space to TV
Guide-like programming information and instead provides a forum where
viewers can express their views — good and bad — about shows.

“The
key lesson from Silicon Valley is respect for the audience,” said
Jonathan Barzilay, senior vice president and general manager of
entertainment at CBS Interactive.

Well, that didn’t take long, did it? Sheesh.

I shouldn’t be so dismissive. The music dweebs still haven’t grasped the essential fact that if you treat all your customers like criminals, exploit the hell out of them, charge them $15 premium prices for shoddy products, then they’re going to turn on you the moment that technology offers them a viable alternative.  The music industry is crawling on its belly these days, basically begging The People Formerly Known As The Audience to come back and buy things just like they used to to in the good ol’ days, but the Audience is having none of it.  There is very little love on the part of the average consumer for someone who you realize has been ripping you off, systematically and with malice aforethought, for years. 

Anyway – CBS-TV is trying some interesting moves to try to avoid the fate of CBS Records. They’re letting users take their content and post it on other sites – well, some of the content at least.

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