How Data Is Building A New Brand And Digital Video Economy

OTT And The Direct Economy Are Key Themes Underpinning This Year’s Most Innovative Cross-platform Content.

- Randall Rothenberg

It started for me with a new television. When I set up my new smart TV, I noticed that there, right next to the traditional networks, were upstart new publishers—sharing space on my screen like equals. That, it struck me, is the new consumer economy.

People now have access to publishers, to brands and to media directly. OTT is no longer simply “over the top.” It is just media. Direct to consumer isn’t a new type of commerce, it’s just a fresh, new brand. And this economy is not a trend. This is a full-scale revolution.

What’s propelling this new consumer economy? The cloud-based internet. Dominant consumer-facing companies have traditionally created value through their ownership and operation of high-barrier-to-entry, capital-intensive supply chains. From CPG to media, the most successful companies owned or had significant control over every major function within their supply chain—including the creation of products or content and their distribution.

The cloud has taken the ability to manage supply and demand and segmented it down to the individual level. Every part of the supply chain can currently be leased for a fraction of the cost.