MIPTV 2017 Preview: Daniel Klaus, President, Airtime
The below is written by Daniel Klaus, President, Airtime, and is part of Found Remote's MIPTV 2017 preview series. Found Remote will again be at MIPTV with Applicaster (come say hi at the booth: Palais R7.J15).
Snap’s recent $3 billion initial public stock offering represents a watershed moment in mobile communications. It’s proof that mobile media platforms creating exciting and engaging forms of self-expression can catch on like wildfire, and potentially win over Wall Street. Snapchat’s cachet with millennials and generation Z has captivated major media companies and advertisers, who have found a platform for storytelling with a deeply engaged audience.
One detail seems to get lost in all the enthusiasm about the ephemeral messaging app is this: Snapchat is just another form of broadcasting. Another addition to the asynchronous personal broadcasting platforms like Facebook and Twitter – and even before them broadcast news - that boast massive audiences but little conversation.
The true disruption in mobile communications builds on the foundation partially laid by Snapchat: group video chat. Apps like House Party, Kik Video, and our own Airtime, along with companies like YouTube and VEVO who both recently announced launches of their own co-viewing platforms, give groups of friends the opportunity to truly hang out and chat in real time – just as they would in real life, if they weren’t separated by time or place. Established players, including Facebook Messenger and Snapchat, validated this emerging trend late last year when they incorporated group video chat features into their own platforms.
As MIPTV approaches, we must think about this real-time co-viewing group video chat category as a new avenue for media companies to consider – especially as these apps are attracting groups that “live chill” together for hours. These apps present an opportunity for content providers to become an organic part of the conversation. We all know that when people get together, conversations frequently turn to popular culture. Have you heard that new song by Ed Sheeran? Did you see the latest installment of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver?” Did you catch the new movie trailer for the “Guardians of the Galaxy” sequel? Apps like Airtime let users incorporate that piece of content and experience it together with friends, all the while chatting and watching one-another’s reactions.
At Airtime, we’ve coined the phrase “co-consumption” to describe this mobile co-viewing phenomenon. To us, the behavior of watching and listening to things together is nothing new. In fact, it’s so ingrained in our everyday lives we take it for granted. Friends long have gotten together to catch a movie, attend a concert or just flop on the living couch and watch a favorite TV show. This insight led us to incorporate virtual screening rooms in our platform, so users can easily swipe in content from several music and video sites to enjoy with friends. And we are seeing early signs of co-viewing transforming our own platform as in live video chat, as cool content is a great way to provoke a reaction from friends.
There is no doubt that the number of videos and songs that young audiences consume via their mobile devices will continue to grow. And the chance to share some newly discovered song or comedy bit with friends, and watch their authentic reactions via group video chat, has proven irresistible for our users.
While mobile content co-consumption is still in its infancy, content creators have the chance to gain access to an engaged and fast-growing millennial audience. Early media adopters can shape the experience – determining exactly how their content is seen and heard. They can experiment with new types of content specifically designed to be consumed by groups together on mobile. Group video chat provides a canvas to test new types of content to be discovered and shared.
Quite simply, it’s the chance to participate in the birth of the next big thing in social media.